Normal to Natalie

"Normal" to Natalie...

2012-01-31T00:17:00.000-06:00

nor·mal

adjective

1. conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

2. serving to establish a standard.

When Natalie originally started this blog, she named it Normal to Natalie so that the world could see what is "normal" to her on a daily basis - how our lives really are in regards to our kids, work, faith, etc. This new journey we are on with Natalie has really made me think about what is "normal". As Christians, we are called to be a part of this world, but different from the world. As Romans 12:2 in the NIV Bible says, "Do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...". We are to be transformed through God and by God, not be transformed by what the world tells us or wants from us. Yet circumstances love to come about that make it hard to continue that constant transformation process. And a lot of times the circumstances are far beyond our ability to overcome (in our case, cancer), and can make us question our faith, our love, our strength...ultimately our will to live.

So how ARE we doing? As mentioned in previous posts, we get asked this question a lot. And no fault of their own, I know they mean well, and hey...people just may not know what else to say. And we don't mind talking to people about it. But we just don't necessarily have an answer. Our first response (well...at least MY first response) is usually "fine", or "good". I just don't know what the person is wanting to truly know. I mean, I honestly haven't slept good in 6 or 7 months. I STILL wake up at night to check on my wife, sometimes even waking her up in the process because I am checking for pulse or breathe. Most days, I feel like I am in a fog, which I can overcome this with copious amounts of caffeine and prayer, but how do I tell someone how I am?

As father and husband, I am to encourage and lift up my family in prayer on a daily basis, and trust me...I have. Probably more than I have the previous 8 years I have been a father, and the previous 11 years I have been a husband. But why now? Why does it take a hard circumstance? Why wasn't I acting this way, praying this way, before this new journey? Why does it take hitting bottom for us to figure out a way out? What are we afraid of?

I am reminded of what Colossians 3:2 says in the Message version of the Bible - "Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from His perspective."

Here are a couple of other Bible verses I have been reading lately:

Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts"

Romans 12:1-2 - "...Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

So normal to us is a little different now, and I really don't know how we are doing most days.

I mean normal compared to what? :-)

Well, I now know the definition of oligoastrocytoma, and as I mentioned before, I know that grey is the color of brain cancer. I still work at Sewell and am getting used to the long hours, even though it is hard most days. And I am thankful for my family and my friends.

And normal for Natalie is now making sure the kids stay on a routine even though most day she doesn't feel like she wants to. She really is a hero in my book for all that she does when I am not around (which is a lot recently, it seems).

I am far from perfect, nor do I try to be. And unfortunately it did take this circumstance for me to try to be a better father and husband. But all I have is now, all WE have is now. I don't want to shuffle around, in a fog. So I will take this opportunity to look up.

Until the next blog post, please don't wait until you hit bottom to be a better person, a better husband, a better father. Why not start today? Look up...

- David D.

Faith of a Child

2012-01-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

I love how my kids get these crazy ideas and dreams in their heads and get so excited that they don't even notice all of the obstacles. James has been watching and helping Kirstyn and I make some t-shirt scarfs for her to sell for the Imagine 320 project at church and he has been helping me around the house to earn money for his 320 Piggy Bank. I've enjoyed all the extra help getting the clothes out of the dryer just by planting a dime or penny or two per load.

Well, today on the way home, James saw a coke can on the side of the road. He screamed at me to stop the car... he wanted to jump out and get it and ride the rest of the way home in the back of the 4Runner. He starts telling me all about how when he was at Pappy's (my dad) house, he got to run down the dirt road picking up yucky cans, throwing them in the back of the truck, and then ride on the tailgate until they saw another one. Then he tells me how when Pappy gets lots and lots of cans he sells them for money... He needs to do that too for his Piggy Bank cause sissy is selling shirt scarfs!

I told him he couldn't ride around in the back without his car seat and seat belt in the city of Arlington, but that I could do a post on Facebook asking our Arlington friends to save their cans for a week or so. Then, we could collect them from their houses and I would take him to the scrap metal place and he could make his money for his bank.

I'm so thankful to Jesus for trusting David and I with these kids. So glad that they continue to dream BIG! Now, I'm Imagining ALL of the BIG things Kirstyn and James will do that have an ETERNAL impact!

Eph 3:20

Little Girl, Big Heart!

2012-01-18T10:51:00.000-06:00

First I have to say that God gave me Kirstyn to do everything from test me to challenge me. She is just as girly as they come making her very opposite from me. I actually decorated her room in Raggedy Ann and Andy so that it would be primary colors and not pinks *sigh*. At least she still loves it! She is also very artsy fartsy... I blame my sister for those genetics. I mean, I have a degree in Software Engineering and Math while David has an MBA in Finance. Kirstyn wants to grow up and be a rock star or a famous dancer and maybe a painter (yes we have been praying for her future husband since before she was born!).

At church we have started something called Imagine 320. Eph 3:20 says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us." Essentially, it is a ministry initiative as our response to God's challenge to "throw off everything that hinders us"... and for our church that is debt that needs to be paid off! I was selfishly sitting there thinking, God you will have to do this, especially in our lives. We can barely pay our bills right now and when you add in my doctor co-pays and the $300 a month that I have to spend on prescriptions I just start to get frustrated with how tied down I feel by my cancer diagnosis!

Sunday, the guest pastor Dr. John Bisagno preached a challenging sermon about what growing churches are doing... At the end, he had all of the Middle School and High School students stand up, then he did something unexpected.... He pulled out a huge stack of $5 bills and started handing one to each student! He then paraphrased the parable from Matthew 25 and challenged the kids to turn that $5 into as much as possible and bring it back to the church (also with the promise of a prize from him for the teen with the biggest return).
Kirstyn's ears perked up!
She looked at me and said, "How much is yarn?" I told her around $2.
She said, "Will you give me $5 to turn into more?".
I said, "Sure. What's your plan?"
"I can buy yarn, crochet MeMe a scarf (she's had 2 lessons), and then sell it to her for $20...cause even if it isn't that great she will love it and buy it. Then I will have $23 to bring back to church."
I said, "Great idea baby, and you sure know your MeMe."
*I could see the wheels spinning*
"And actually, I could buy more yarn and make another scarf and sell it to DeeDee!"

This smart girl that actually may grow up to do amazing things in the business world! Either way, she is sure to make an ETERNAL impact for her Jesus!

I've been really praying about this and trying to think of some way to help her turn $5 into more without her spending 10+ hours making crochet scarfs... I got on Pintrest on a Mission while she was at school yesterday! I found a way for her to make scarfs out of old tshirts, fast and easy, and so far for free so she still has her first $5!

Watch out friends.... soon she will be selling them!!! (And we would love to take old tshirts off your hands if you have them!) She is so excited and thinks it is just funny that we are cutting up Daddy's old undershirts!

I love how big her heart is. I love how she is willing to take on any challenge without worrying at all about all the things that could go wrong in the process. I love how she challenges me to not be so analytical and more creative! I am so thankful that God uses my kid to humble me in the privacy of our home!

Back in November when Kirstyn turned 8, after a few discussions she decided that instead of just having a Birthday Party and getting presents from her friends like always, she wanted to change things up a bit. (We did tell her she would have to get rid of many existing toys before she would have room for more... I've already mentioned how much her grandparents love her!) Her change.... She asked her friends to bring donations for the Weekend Backpack Ministry at our church! Look at the haul of food that she got to donate! This ministry feeds 86 elementary age children in SW Arlington! These kids have been identified by the counselors as only eating free breakfast/lunch at school but not on weekends. So they take home a backpack of food on Fridays that they return on Monday's. There are 6 children at the elementary Kirstyn attends (we have no idea who)... Food/money is ALWAYS needed to keep this ministry going! I'm so glad that she is 'getting' the bigger picture!!!

We serve a Big God and sometimes He uses my little girl to remind me just how amazing He can be when we allow Him to work through us!

Our Rangers!

2011-10-27T18:29:00.009-05:00

So, I thought it would be fun to document a little bit of our family's history with the Texas Rangers. This picture was taken just a couple of weeks ago when we got to go to a playoff game as a family!

David and I were talking the other night about how when we were dating in college, we would often go out to dinner and then about the 6th inning of the Ranger game we would go to the ballpark, park for free, and go into the game for free (pictures exist but they aren't digital). Some seasons the Rangers were doing so bad we could take our pick at just about any seat in the park... well, unless they were playing the Red Sox or the Yankees and then many of the seats were filled by their fans.

I can honestly say I have no memories of the Texas Rangers before having David in my life. The only baseball I ever remember watching was as I passed by the tv in my PawPaw's house in Highlands, TX where Memaw was sitting and watching her Astros play. David I think has been a fan for life. He grew up in the metroplex and in High School even worked at the ballpark.

Kirstyn and James both went to the ballpark for their first times as infants! Kirstyn was born in November so she had to wait until she was about 6 months old to go to her first game. Since James was born at the end of May, he was only about 2 weeks old for his first trip.

Now when the kids were little we even went to the Ballpark a few times with both sets of grandparents. Actually, we were with David's parents for Kirstyn's first game and with my parents for one of James' first games. And yes, you are seeing the dates correct, James went to the ballpark at least twice before he was even a month old!

There is no shortage of pictures of our family and Ranger experiences but I do have some favorites! I also have some favorite stories. Once when Kirstyn was about 3, David made the mistake of taking Kirstyn to a Ranger vs. Red Sox game. He called me about the third inning to tell me they were leaving and I could hear Kirstyn crying in the background. She was crying because the Sox fans outnumbered the Ranger fans and when Michael Young got up to bat they booed him and she took it very personally! And James, well last year when David got James his Claw and Antlers tshirt, he insisted on wearing it backwards because the T for Rangers went in the front!

These pictures are from last year's playoffs! We all thought IT'S TIME... and it was. It was Time for the Rangers to win their first AL Pennant.

This year for Father's Day, James got David his very own Captain Pillow Pet. David had just spent two plus weeks sleeping at the hospital with me so I think it was a perfect present!

And now, tonight, we are rooting for Our Rangers to win the World Series!

My Texas!

My Rangers!

(on an unrelated note, maybe I should have titled this post, the many weights of Natalie while wearing Rangers shirts!) Oh and I swear, blogger will NOT cooperate and let me put spacing where I want it. It did this on my last post too so if you know how to fix it, PLEASE share!

How am I doing?

2011-09-16T14:48:00.003-05:00

How are you?

A question I often dread hearing...

A question SO many people ask...

A question that people that really know me also know they might just get more of an answer than they have the time or energy for...

A question that my friends never expect to hear "fine" but have heard lately...

Truth is, I think I've simply forgotten what feeling good, really good, feels like. Yet, I'm also very sick and tired of being tired and sick. Some days when all I want is to surround myself with friends, I end up closing myself into my room. Some days my thoughts seem to be more along the lines that if I just distance myself now then when I die it will be easier on everyone. Other days I want to make the most of every moment I have but because I'm still not allowed to drive I find myself trapped at home when I could be eating lunch with Kirstyn at her school or meeting David near his work for a quick lunch date. And then when I find a ride I struggle to get dressed because after being on steroids since June I have gained 40 lbs and then when I do find clothes I stand and cry because I can't even begin to cover all of the bald spots that were left after 6 weeks of radiation.

(This week I did go shopping at Arl Resale with a friend and got 5 pairs of jeans for $16, 3 fit now and the other 2 will fit when I loose a little weight cause I'm still a LONG way from last winter's clothes. Also, my mother in law went to Ross and sent me sacks full of cute dresses to try on and I kept 5 of those! Kirstyn has been so excited the last couple of days to get home and find me wearing something other than yoga pants and a too tight tank top or tshirt. Her complements have been so honest and loving... )

The rest of the truth is, I'm terrified. I've only known two women in their 30's with cancer and both of those amazing women are now in heaven. They both handled their journey so much better than I feel like I am. They were better people than I will ever be. Their families have continued living life... I'm scared to be too honest with anyone for fear of hurting them in some way. It hurts David when I try to talk to him about life for him and the kids without me. Truth is, none of us know when we will leave this life, but it has been rather devastating for all of us to learn how I might go.

So, when you ask me "How are you?".... If I hesitate, it's because I don't really know. I do know, I'm trying! I'm trying to have more faith than fear. I'm trying to make the most of every moment even when I'd rather be napping or watching mindless tv. I'm trying to put on makeup, I'm trying to eat healthy, I'm trying to say 'I love you' more often, and I'm trying to ask for help when I need it even though I don't want to because I want to be strong and independent and not a burden! I'm trying to let you build my faith by letting you be the hands and feet of Jesus for my family right now.

P.S. Don't expect too many blog posts from me... this one made me cry too much!

Thanks for your prayers! Right now I am half way through my 4 week break from Chemo and Radiation. I have an MRI on Sept 27 and then appointments with Dr. Fink (my oncologist) and Dr. Barker (radiation dr) on Sept 29 to find out what's next from the medical point of view in this battle for my life. We are prayerfully asking HIM to heal me and selfishly asking HIM to heal me here and not there with HIM, not yet....

I'm going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes that I am desperately trying to apply:

"Most men and women will yield to the strong currents sucking them into the seas of ruin. Only the strongest in mind and spirit will swim against that current." ~Character Thomas Hunter in Ted Dekker's 'Circle Trilogy'

Our journey, part 2

2011-08-01T00:30:00.005-05:00

As I lay hear tonight, I think back on the last couple of months. I can not believe it has been 2 months now since Natalie's scary night that started us on this new journey. I have been reminded of those who have fought this battle before us, and with us. Some not here anymore, some fighting for their lives, and some who have overcome. I haven't truly dealt with all that has gone on. I mean, between my job, helping as much as I can with kids and around the house, I haven't really had time to truly ponder. But as I piece together the last two months, I am reminded of God's love, God's provision, but above all God's sovereignty. He is all powerful, all knowing, and is everywhere. As humans, we have very finite brains. We can never fully grasp every bit of info about God. But I have faith that I know who He is, and that He exists.

I read some of the Book of Job tonight, and look at what happened to him, and his response to God is amazing. He gets mad, angry and upset at what God allows to happen. And, his life got real bad, and those closest to him didn't seem to care that much about him. But ultimately, he remained faithful. Wow! I have struggled with remaining faithful, I will be honest. I struggle with the question of "why!?".

Why would You allow this to happen?

And I may never truly know...but given my past, I should not even be here. My biological mother, whom I don't know, could have very easily aborted me. As many accidents as I had, some severe, I could have not walked away from one. Story after story I could share of a time I should/could have passed on. But I didn't. God spared me for some purpose.

Which is my conclusion with the cancer Natalie is fighting right now. Obviously, she could have not survived the seizures. It could be very malignant, with no time left. Numerous things...yet she is still here...by my side. God has a reason that she is still here. I am reminded of that verse in Hebrews that says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.". Those who are fighting, have fought, are no longer here...they are our witnesses. And we need to run our race that is set before us with perseverance, diligence, and faithfulness - throwing aside my fears, doubts, anger, pride, lust - sin - and follow God. He has given us the guide markers (the Bible), and even a pacesetter (Jesus). Ultimately it is our decision whether we are going to follow the pacesetter, and the markers outlining the track, or do it on our own, going our own way.

As for me and my house...we will serve the Lord

I love my wife deeply, and pray for her daily. I feel like I fail her most days, as she gradually gets to feeling worse. I continue to try and love her the way God intended us to do, but not being here very much is hard. And I want her to know I love her with all my heart...Please continue to pray for me that I would daily have the strength to take care of my precious bride, and that she would continue pressing forward with Gods strength pushing her. That she would continue to rely on Him, and even with the drugs she is on, she would be able to keep her complete well-being.

~ David ~

I keep saying...

2011-07-24T22:48:00.003-05:00

I keep saying that I need to blog about this journey I am on with cancer. But then, I hear myself say that C word and I change my mind...

What I DO need to be keeping track of is how my faith is building. My faith is growing because I am allowing the people around me to be the hands and feet of Jesus for me and my family. It seems like every few minutes either my mom or David are telling me something else someone has done for us, or someone is ringing the doorbell to come bring us food or come in to work in the house to help us with the home improvements that we needed to do! It's overwhelming to realize how much we are loved.

Now, every evening I sit here at the computer at the table. I have to sit up (straight as possible...) in the evenings for at least an hour after I take my chemo pills. I have to wait at least an hour and a half with NO eating or drinking anything before taking my chemo so some nights I get started late. Most nights, I eat a light dinner with the family, then get the kids off to bed, get myself ready for bed and then fall asleep.... then it takes David a while to wake me up enough to talk me into moving to the breakfast room table with my laptop so that I will sit up and take the pills and not fall back asleep. ugh. Anyway, that is our routine now. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that I can do the chemo at home.

Tomorrow will start week two of six of my at home oral Chemo and our driving to Fort Worth for my daily radiation. (Ugh, and yet still, the most frustrating thing to me is that I don't get to drive... at all... until at least Dec 2nd because of the seizure I had on June 2nd. On Monday's I will also see the radiation doctor to see how things are going and maybe learn when we get to reduce the dose of steroids I am taking again. I can't wait to be off of these steroids so I can feel less jittery and so my face and neck will look less like the Michelin man! We also will be doing blood work every Monday and getting the results of that on Wednesdays. Please pray that my White and Red blood cell counts stay up. I NEED to be around people and so I need those counts to stay good.

Thanks for all the support! I really am going to start trying to blog more. I really do want to document all of the blessings that we are experiencing on this journey!

Our New Journey

2011-06-11T23:17:00.005-05:00

Life is full of surprises.

Jesus never said that following Him would be easy or that because we are His children life would be easy. In fact, He said that "in this world you WILL have trouble" (John 16:33). Not might have, or can have, but WILL have. And we all know that just living your life from day to day can bring about lots of interesting, scary, wonderful, heart-wrenching, time consuming things, some of which are a complete shock. God set everything into motion, and created everything - universe, earth, plants, water, sky, animals - by just speaking. Except for humans. He created us with His hands. That is comforting to me - the God of the universe, who could speak a word and create the entire heavens and earth, took the time to form ME and shape ME with His bare hands. In fact, we are made in HIS image. WOW!

And we are intricately made. All the different ways that different parts of our body are connected - all the veins, neurons, cells, and atoms that are working 24/7 to make sure our body is functioning, thinking, healing, breathing, blinking, hearing, smelling, touching, digesting, moving, and resting - is AMAZING to me. How you can massage one part of your body and it affect another part, because of nerves and muscles, is INCREDIBLE. God is an artist for sure. But even though He made us in His image, we still experience troubles, heartaches, pains, etc. And that is just a part of life, and we have learned to deal with most of those issues. Except when the one thing we never thought would happen, does happen. The one thing that you always said "oh, that will never happen to us", does actually happen to us. And at that moment, your world crashes down on you and you basically have to start over. You have to make decisions you never in a million years thought you would have to make. At that moment, you realize - this is for real!

June 2, 2011 at 1:15AM.

That was one of those moments for me...for us.

It was just a kick. But that was followed by another, and then another. I awoke to see my wife shaking uncontrollably, having a seizure, making the worst noises I had every heard. I was calling her name once I realized she wasn't dreaming, and I turned on the light, only to find her eyes rolling in to the back of her head. I dialed 911. But she started slowing down, kicking a few more times than stopping all together, her face turning blue. She had stopped breathing, staring at me lifeless. I dropped the phone (evidently hanging it up in the process) and I started CPR. It was all I knew to do. But the miraculous thing is, I don't know CPR. I mean I know you breath and push on their chest, and you make sure the airways are opened up, but how you actually go about doing that...yeah, don't ask me. My wife is the one whose CPR certified. I guess her making me watch Grey's and ER actually CAN be good for your brain. But in that moment God gave me clarity and wisdom to know what to do.

As I was blowing in her mouth, 911 called back. She took a breath as I answered the phone. She started seizing again, slower this time, and then she sat up, looking me dead in the eye, but could not talk, respond, or anything. SCARY! I was shaking but the person at the other end of the phone assured me that help was on the way. I swear within 5 minutes, the police officer was standing at my door, and not far behind him were the EMTs and Firefighters. They were testing things and asking me questions, but all I could do was stare at my wife's lifeless face not responding to questions, not doing anything but staring off into space.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to do. It was one of those moments...this isn't supposed to happen to us. The scariest things crossed my mind. What if I was losing my wife? What if she is in a vegetable state forever? What if...What if... That is when the indescribable peace of God came over me - something I could never explain to someone in a million years, yet if you have experienced it, you know exactly what I am talking about. I again had clarity as they began to load my wife in the ambulance. I started making phone calls. Since my kids did not wake up during this scary ordeal (THANK GOD!!), I had to get someone to watch them in case they did wake up. I called my mom (who lives 30 minutes away) to come over. I called my pastor friend from across the street to come over and watch the kids until my mom got there. I then called my in-laws on the way to the hospital to let them know what was going on. I called to the emergency/after hours number for our church, to leave a message for someone to pray. And then I started praying.

Evidently she had another seizure in the ambulance. And once she got to the ER, they separated me from her into a family room. It was unnerving to leave her not knowing if she was going to be okay, but I still had that peace, and so I sat and prayed. I didn't even know what to pray, but I did it anyway. Eventually (in what seemed like forever!) the doctor on-call came in and told me that her brain was completely swollen, and that it seemed there was a "mass" pushing against the brain. Again, one of those moments that isn't supposed to happen. They need to transfer her to another hospital, he tells me, one with a neurologist on call. They had called several and decided on Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth. Never heard of it, but I didn't care. I wanted my wife better, and fast. So wherever they felt like she needed to go, I would let them take her there.

She was in Neuro ICU at "the Plaza" (that's what they called the hospital - kinda sounds like a resort or something to me) from Thursday the 2nd until Friday the 10th. They ran several tests, did several scans,and we met with several doctors. They determined she had a brain tumor in her right temporal lobe that was heading into the frontal lobe. They wouldn't know for sure whether it was cancerous until the pathology reports came back after surgery, but based on what they had already done, they told us it most likely was a slow-growing cancer.

The "C-word".

So surgery was scheduled for Tuesday the 7th. They would remove "the mass", as much as they could anyway, and send off some to pathology. The preliminary diagnosis: Grade 2 Astrocytoma. Brain Cancer. I started doing some research to learn more about it, see what options are available for treatment and where, and see if there was another doctor that I could take her to. And I continued to pray.

Did you know that the color for Brain Cancer Awareness is grey? Me neither, until now. Another one of those things I never thought I would have to know. The prognosis is good for her, but we are still in the middle of a waiting game. We are at a point where we are waiting on final results, one doctor wants to do nothing, and a lot of people are wanting us to do something. Including me. During my research, I found a doctor named Dr. Karen Fink, in Dallas. I have 4 people I know who have gone to her, and 4 others who recommend her. She is a neuro-oncologist in Dallas at the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center. I called her office, and Natalie has an appointment on the 22nd. I am going to take all the tests, scans, and films, and see what someone who specializes in brain cancer has to say. A second-opinion in every sense of the word.

I am overwhelmed by all the decisions I am having to make while my wife is in the hospital, but you know? I will take that over the what ifs that were running through my mind a week ago. And you know what else? I didn't finish that Bible verse from the beginning - "In this world you WILL have trouble...". The ending of it is sooooooo true. And it is what I am leaning on right now:

"...But take heart! I have overcome the world." We WILL have struggles, trials, pains, heartaches. Troubles. But He has overcome the world. And I have faith that no matter what, everything will be okay. He created us, He takes care of us, and He lets us live a life of freedom and joy. For those who know Him and love Him, we know that He will get us through whatever comes our way. But sometimes, when life gives us surprises, we are so shocked, it is hard to think, and we start listing off the what ifs.

Please pray for my beautiful wife, and the battle she has been placed in. I am daily putting on my armor and standing in the gap for my wife. Satan would like to do nothing more than cause us more pain, make us lose heart. Not on my watch.

We may not know why; we may not know when; we may not know what's going on; we may not know where; we may not even know how. But regardless - we know WHO, and He has overcome. Therefore, through Him, so can we.

And remember: Gray matters

~ David ~

Chore Charts and Behavior Charts

2011-03-17T14:25:00.004-05:00

So, as I mentioned, I am overwhelmed. I feel like I am on my own with my kids all. of. the. time. AND since they are adjusting to a new normal around our house they have been VERY difficult. Really, I think some days they are spending time plotting ways to make ME crazy.

Then I was given the chance to review http://www.goalforit.com/ ! Yeah! I was needing SOME help, ANY help. *sigh* Well, I went over to the site and looked around. We have been using it for several weeks now and the Chore Charts have been great! I have just printed them out and taped them up in the kitchen so that I can draw a star on the chart as soon as the chore has been completed. I was not crazy about going upstairs to the office to check off things on the computer. If our laptop was cooperating it would have been great to do it online in the kitchen. Anyway, James has started putting on his own pajamas just so he can get a star. Kirstyn will now brush her teeth twice per day just to "accomplish" something on her chart that doesn't really feel like a chore! The kids have also liked how their charts are just for them. James' is blue with race cars and Kirstyn's is pink (of course) with a rock star on it!

The behavior charts haven't been as immediately gratifying. We are still trying to find a way for these to work for our family. What do you do at your house? Right now I am really struggling with Kirstyn 'back-talking' me every single time I tell her to do something. And James, well he is struggling with controlling his body! He resorts to hitting far to often. Anyway, we are trying!

All in all, we have loved http://www.goalforit.com/ for getting the kids to doing their chores around the house! I just wish there was an iPhone app, then maybe the behavior ones would work better for us. I would be able to track and correct those issues visibly even when we are on the GO. Go check it out and let me know what you think and if it works for you! I think next I will do some goal setting of my own and track MY progress.

Changes

2011-03-17T13:48:00.003-05:00

Well, hello Blog Land! It has been so long since I logged into my blog, I was actually shocked that I remembered my password. Much has been going on at our house and well, life has just gotten in the way of my blogging.... and my reader, well, lets just say that I am terrified to even see how far behind I am. I am sure there will be a "mark all as read" day in my near future!

Some changes:
David resigned from his job as an insurance agent and we sold our business to his mom.
I went to work part time for my Mother In Law
Kirstyn started 1st grade!
Things got VERY stressful when David could not find a job and was unemployed for 7 months!
The Gold's Gym I was working out in and teaching Body Pump at, closed with NO notice (and still owes me payroll that I never expect to see).
I found a Body Pump class to teach at the Downtown Fort Worth YMCA.
I've gained 15 lbs and have to get myself under control ASAP.
I MISS my gym "family".
David found a job that he LOVES.
He works 11 and 12 hour days, when you add in commute, there are days that he doesn't even see the kids.
I'm overwhelmed more often than not, so if you pray.... please think of me.

OutLast, 4 Kids and a Roadtrip!

2010-10-01T19:16:00.005-05:00

It's a germy, germy world out there and unfortunately, life doesn't take place in a bubble! Our families come into contact with literally millions of germs every day. Just think about all the things you touch daily like your cell phone, computer keyboard, shopping cart and even your own purse! (moment of silence to try to figure out how to get rid of that scary mental image!)And not to mention my kids and the germs they seek out to bring into contact with me!

Today we really tested out the OutLast with a road trip with my sister, her two kids (ages 2 and 1 month), and my husband and our two kids (ages 6 and 3)! With stops at gas stations and getting in and out of the car and then finally arriving at the farm I was thrilled to have a bottle of OutLast in my purse and one in my sister's purse. Just look at how happy these kids are now that we have arrived at the farm. And trust me there is nothing on their faces that says they have time to stop and wash their hands! At least we have them all doused with the OutLast long lasting hand sanitizer.

MomSelect has partnered with OutLast™ Long-Lasting Hand Sanitizer to remind families about the importance of hand hygiene. Unlike leading hand sanitizers that work for only two minutes, OutLast™ Hand Sanitizer kills germs on contact and can control germs for up to 6 hours. OutLast™ Hand Sanitizer works longer because of its unique patented formula that was originally developed for hospital use. Now, that's exciting news to share with any mom! You can learn more about it by visiting www.outlastgerms.com/moms Outlast is now available at select Albertsons grocery stores throughout Texas and Louisiana.

Webkinz Jr.

2010-09-17T18:55:00.007-05:00

Thanks to MomSelect and Webkinz Jr. I got to host a playgroup at my house that included goodies to give away to my friend's kids! We already love Webkinz at our house so I was anxious to see if WebkinzJr would live up to the name. They do!!!

James was over the top excited to help me stuff the goodie bags! Each one had a Webkinz Jr stuffed animal with a code to activate on the website to make their animal come alive. There was also a CD with some fun kids songs and a coloring book to put in the great reusable shopping bags.

James picked out his puppy and then anxiously awaited the arrival of his friends so that they could pick out there animals! James' buddy, Nate, also picked out the puppy. Then sweet Allie picked out the pink elephant. Jackson got the grey cat and both Christian and Chance loved the giraffe. A few of our friends weren't able to make it but they will be getting their sweet Webkinz Jr plushes. We had a great time playing with our animals and coloring in our coloring books.

James was so excited about naming and activating online his Webkinz Jr. See, he has watched big sister play with her Webkinz and he understood the fun that was in store! I was so excited to find how easy it was for him to navigate the website on his own. He is loving logging in each day to find out what the letter and number of the day are! Then he loves the games in the museum where he can work a dinosaur puzzle "all by himself".

James LOVES his WebkinzJr that he lovingly named Puppy Norley after himself. He has not let him out of his site in a week! And he begs to log on each day to check on his "website". I love that it has turned out to be a great tool for ~~bribing my kid~~ learning!

Do you love Webkinz at your house? If you have a child between the age of 3 and 6 then I highly recommend that you try WebkinzJr!

*Disclaimer: NO MONEY was given to me, just the goodies to pass out to my friends. My opinion is my own.

I Submitted MY Story

2010-08-24T12:19:00.004-05:00

I saw this blog post and decided that I needed to send in my story. There is also a chance to win some Body Pump workout clothes so that is a major bonus!

Thought I would share what I sent in with you. Let me know what you think!

How BodyPump has changed me:

When I joined the gym and started taking classes I didn't actually believe that I could make changes to my body that would be visible. I mean, I had been overweight my entire life! I weighed 186 lbs in the 5th grade and was over 200 lbs by the 7th grade. I had not weighed less than 200 lbs since. I actually started out taking only Body Step. When I finally got to where I could keep up (with just the step, no risers and low impact options), I decided to add other classes. Next, I tried Body Attack and fell in love with that instructor. She believed that I could do it way more than I believed that I could do it. Then I found out that she also taught Body Pump, so I got brave and tried that class. I fell in love with Body Pump. I could do it, I could keep up, AND I was finally seeing real changes in my body. I was taking Body Pump twice a week and eventually moved up to three times per week. I was challenging myself and started working to increase the weight that I was putting on my bar. I made up my mind that I would increase my bar weight in at least one track per week and no matter what, I would stick with that weight and keep getting stronger. A year later I had dropped a grand total of 80 lbs from my body and I was out lifting almost every Body Pump instructor at the gym! Then everyone started saying that I should become an instructor. See, I had started challenging the people around me. I was encouraging them and I was bringing friends. That Body Attack / Body Pump instructor that first believed in me was still pushing me and challenging me. She finally approached me and encouraged me to sign up for her next Body Pump training. (She is Jaime Maddox, Body Pump Master Trainer). So, I decided that IF she believed that I could complete the training then I would believe it too. I attended training in January of this year and trained on Body Pump 72. I am now a Body Pump instructor at the same gym where less than 3 years ago I was in the back corner trying to blend in with the wall. Oh and since I am teaching now, I could really use some of the new Body Pump clothes!!! Thanks for giving me the chance to share my story.

Also, here is a blog post I wrote about my Body Pump training experience:http://daviddickeyfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/stronger.html

I was also featured in the local paper back before I went to training:http://daviddickeyfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/me-featured.html

What do you think?

I probably could have written my story better but I basically waited until the last minute to submit my story. Sigh. That is the story of my life...

Cross your fingers that I win the drawing!

What do you think? Is there something that has had lasting effects on your life like Body Pump has changed mine?

Mockingjay

2010-08-12T11:33:00.004-05:00

I've mentioned before that I enjoy reading, particularly fiction. The part that I enjoy is escaping to another time and place far far away from the stress in my reality. Getting the gift of a Nook has even increased this love of reading for me. Now I can fall asleep reading and I don't have to figure out where I left off because my Nook just goes to sleep too. I also don't have to worry about a certain little someone that likes to pull my bookmark out of my book and bring it to me

with a very proud look on his face and say, "Mommy, I found this for you, it was lost in that book over there."

Anyway, my favorite series this summer has been the Hunger Games trilogy (well the first two anyway, the third comes out later this month). It is a series by Suzanne Collins that is published by Scholastic. I happened to notice that there was a Hunger Games Official page on Facebook, so I Liked it and have been following blogs and discussions. They are even doing a district tour around 13 blogs, all with fabulous prizes up for grabs. Just the other day I got an email that I had won a Mockingjay pin and a copy of Catching Fire. I think my odds are good because this is a series for "youth" and most of the sites require you to be over 18 to enter to win. Yeah me.

So, if you haven't read the Hunger Games yet then you need to. If you have read it then I'm curious, who is your favorite character?

A Good Good Day

2010-07-21T15:16:00.006-05:00

Let me tell you a story about the best day that I have had in a while! It might as well have been Mother's Day or my Birthday or something, but it wasn't and that's what made it an even better day. There were no expectations, just surprises.... for ME!

First, my mother in law and I went shopping at Ross. I found like 6 simple summer dresses (you know, its summer year round here in Texas!). I had fun shopping too. Shocking. But, it is actually pretty fun when you can try on size medium dresses and they actually fit and look good.

Then, David brought the kids over to the office to see me and they had a NOOK for me to open. David's mom had given him the assignment of taking the kids to buy it for me. They even picked me out a case for it that has a space for me to put in a picture of them! Here's the picture I'm using... cute huh?

On my way home from work David suggested that I just feed the kids sandwiches or something simple for dinner and he would take care of our dinner. I thought that would mean that he was going to go grab some takeout. Nope, the next thing I knew our doorbell rang and there stood one of my favorite babysitters! He was taking me out! We went to the Studio Movie Grill to eat and see Inception. It was a really good movie and I enjoyed having to actually think...

So, now you know all about my good good day. And, it was just another Tuesday when I woke up!

How are you? It's been a long time...

Pretty

2010-06-21T21:47:00.003-05:00

I haven't really written much about James and I wanted to make sure I shared this...

My little guy is often told:
"You sure are pretty for a boy."
"You are just too pretty."

He has recently started responding:
"I NOT pretty, I James!"
"My eyes pretty."

I love this kid. He makes my day a happy place! Just today David asked for a hug from "my big boy" and James responded, "I momma's big boy....... I momma's boy, I momma's boy!"

Thank you God for my boy!

I need to...

2010-06-08T14:55:00.003-05:00

Focus on the positive instead of the negative.
Let go and let God.
Trust more and worry less.
Figure out exactly what I need to be doing at work.
Clean my house.
Track all of the points that I am putting into my mouth.
Get a really good night of sleep.

What do you need to do?

P.S. Your prayers are appreciated. There is much stress right now in our lives.

Fat Self to Skinny Self

2010-05-17T13:19:00.003-05:00

Have you been watching The Biggest Loser?

Last Tuesday night it was the episode where the now thin contestants watch a video that they made for themselves when they first began this weight loss journey. It was pretty emotional for the contestants to actually see how far they had come. I was watching wondering why I never bothered to make a video for my future self. I think I never made the video because I never actually believed that I would ever lose the weight and keep it off.... yet here I am weighing less than I weighed in the 5th grade. And even more exciting than that, I am a certified Body Pump instructor. Wonder what challenge I will take on next?

Oh and my other Biggest Loser comment.... Why will they not buy those women decent sports bras. They have them running sprints on the treadmill and their boobs look like they might knock them out any minute. Ridiculous!!!

Thoughts? Do you wish some version of your past self had made a video for your future self? Maybe I will make one now to watch in 5 or 10 years...

Drumroll Please

2010-05-04T11:39:00.002-05:00

I am excited to announce that Random.org picked comment #2 as the winner! Congrats Stacie, you will soon be the proud owner of one of The Jewlery Junkie's amazing pieces! Please email me your mailing address and choice of initial.

Sorry the winner announcement was a few days late. I had laptop trouble yesterday and a sick kid this weekend and on top of that my allergies have been trying to kill me. How have you been?

Real Books or EBooks?

2010-04-22T08:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Earth Day!

Last year on Earth Day I talked about how when you are eating healthy it is so much better for the earth as well as your body. I am still practicing that, probably even more so now because it is part of our lifestyle rather than a practice that I am struggling to implement. That feels good.

So this year I'm going to pose a question that for once doesn't have to do with diet and exercise. Ready? You over the shock? Good.

Do you have a kindle? I can't decide if I want one or not. Here's the deal. James is finally getting to an age where he can play alone or with his sister without my constant focus. That said, I am starting to read again. I love to read. My favorite things to read are fiction, especially series books where I can really get to know the characters. Lately, I have re-read the Twilight series for the THIRD time. I can't believe it either, I've never re-read books before, at least not like that! I re-read those like it is the first time all over again.

Knowing that about myself it bothers me to purchase books to only read them once or maybe twice and then try to store them in our already overflowing library or to sell them in a garage sale or at a used book store. I know I could use the library but I've never been a fan of the pressure of taking care of someone else's property. (Don't roll your eyes, I really do feel anxious when renting something or checking out a book. I worry about taking perfect care of it and with kids around it worries me even more.) I am also a little sicked out with the thought of curling up in my bed with a book that I don't know where its been. Or turning pages that someone else might have licked their finger to turn. Seriously, I realize I may need help but that is not the issue at hand!

Also I am also often buying books for Bible Studies that I am involved in so that I can underline and make notes. That is possible on the kindle and I wouldn't have to make the time to go to the book store or wait on it to ship. Kindle books are also some cheaper than book store books even with a coupon.

For Mother's Day I was planning to ask for several different books that I know I want to add to my library. One is a parenting one that I have been wanting for a while but the book store never has it when I think to look for it. I think it would be one I want to keep for reference. Anyway, now I am thinking about asking for a kindle but am torn on whether or not it is a worthy investment. Also, Amazon is often offering free books for the kindle. Books that I might enjoy reading but would probably never buy.

It also seems like the purchase of a kindle would save some trees too! I want to be kind to our earth in all areas of my life...

Please tell me, what do you think? Do you have an ebook reader?
Also, go enter my giveaway!

Processing

2010-04-20T11:15:00.002-05:00

For the past few days I have really been doing a lot of thinking about me and my weight loss stand still. I think that I still have about 10 pounds that I can loose and maintain once I get it off but for some reason unknown even to myself, I have not lost it. I think that I am starting to figure out why. I'm resistant to making changes that I'm unsure that I can maintain. I'm still not sure I'm ready and let's be honest, most of this battle with weight is won or lost in our heads way before the battle meets us in our kitchen or at the grocery store.

Last night I was talking to my friend Becky at the gym and I was telling her that for about the last year I have stopped being so strict on my calorie and points counting. I think subconsciously I had to prove to myself that I wouldn't gain all of the weight back like so many others I know have. She put it very simply, "you won't, you've changed your lifestyle too much." She's right. I have. And I'm not willing to change it back to the way it was because I feel like I am in a war right now to protect my children and their health!

Speaking of our children and their health, have you watched Food Revolution? Wow. I am so excited about this show and the education it is offering to America. Jamie Oliver has a petition online right now that you can sign that will help get better foods into the school cafeterias. This is so important. I've said over and over again that much of my weight problem was ignorance toward nutrition. I think kids will learn better when they are fed better. What do you think?

Are you a Jewelry Junkie?

2010-04-14T19:32:00.004-05:00

Well, are you? I think in some respects I would like to be, a Jewelry Junkie that is, but then I realize that I have a limited sense of style and too many choices would overwhelm me. Although, I find myself wishing for more to choose from. Silly, or not!?!?!

What about you?

How would you like to have one more piece in your repertoire?

You are in luck. My friend Shelby wants to offer my readers a chance to win a Glass Bubble Soldered Initial Pendant with your choice of initial! Are you interested?

Good!

All you have to do is visit her store http://www.thejewelryjunkieonline.com/ and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item is! For an extra entry help me spread the word about my giveaway through twitter, facebook, and/or your blog and leave me a comment with a link proving you shared!

In other good news, Shelby is offering all of my readers a chance to order from her store for 10% off your entire purchase from now until April 30th. Her prices are already great so this is a special treat. Just enter the coupon code STYLE at checkout!

I will announce the winner of this giveaway on April 30th. Don't forget to make sure that I have a way to contact you! I will choose the winner using a random number generator. Also, this giveaway is open to both US and Canada! Good LUCK!

Protein Pancakes

2010-03-26T13:36:00.004-05:00

I decided to give a new recipe for protein pancakes a try that I found on Healthy Food Ideas for Kids. I made some changes and am totally in love with these!

The picture is of ONE batch:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or water
packet of splenda
dash of salt

Blend well or just until the oats disappear and it looks like batter. Cook on griddle like normal pancakes. I found that they need to cook a little cooler than regular pancakes so that they will cook all the way through.

This makes for one big plate full of low calorie protein pancakes (about 290 calories, 5 g fiber, 30 g protein)! I ate mine with 1/4 cup sugar free Mrs. Butterworths syrup (20 calories).

These were really really good. I was surprised by how much I liked them. Leave out the splenda and add a little pepper and they would make good sandwich wraps! Mine ended up in several sizes because I didn't realize how far the batter would go and I was hungry and impatient and wanted them all done asap.

Let me know if you try them! Enjoy...

My Julie Story

2010-03-01T15:19:00.004-06:00

I believe that everyone I encounter should have the opportunity to see Jesus. I believe this is possible because of my friend Julie. Everyone that encountered her got a glimpse of her Jesus. On Friday, Julie was completely healed and got to meet our Jesus face to face in heaven. She will be sorely missed here on earth.

I met Julie in 1997 at LABC where I started attending church when I moved to Texas to go to college. She was very kind to me. Then in Jan 1998, I was looking for a job and she was looking for someone to train to take her current job so that she could move into another job. I was that person. She helped me to get a job at the daycare where she was working. Soon, many of the ladies that worked there became my family away from my family. I met Angela there, she later became one of my roommates and was one of my bridesmaids in my wedding. I also met Daria there. Daria is still a great friend and her family is an extension of my own! I made lots of close friends while working there that are still close friends today.

Julie's husband Mark worked with the youth at LABC. I spent much of my free time helping with the youth Bible Study and with youth Discipleship groups. Our friendship grew. Then Mark took a full time position as the College Minister. David and I were in that college department but were soon married and promoted to young married Sunday School. Later Mark and Julie followed God's call and planted a new church in Arlington. Their ministry reaches far and has touched many lives.

Last year Kirstyn and Julie's daughter Addi took dance together. It was so much fun seeing Julie on a regular basis again. Julie even in these short encounters made quite an impression on my Kirstyn.

When we sat down to tell Kirstyn that Addi's mommy had gone to heaven we were unsure of the reaction we would get. After all, it wasn't that long ago that we were having a simular conversation about Bryn's mommy. Kirstyn teared up and said, I know Addi is sad. Then she stopped and said, Mommy, we were praying that Addi's mommy would feel better and that her cancer would go away so that she would not be sick anymore. Then she paused..... then an amazing amount of wisdom came out of her 6 year old body.... She said, "In Heaven she feels perfect! She's not sick anymore. I bet she gets to wear a really pretty crown!" The as she kept talking she said, "you know, Addi's mommy loved me too. She always gave me hugs." See what I mean, everyone she encountered also encountered her Jesus.

Sunday night we went to visitation. We stood in line for more than 30 minutes to sign the book and then another 30 minutes to hug Mark. Last night we attended a Celebration Service to worship Jesus and remember Julie. There had to be more than a thousand people there. She loved and touched lives. The people that spent time with her were better because of it. When we walked in, we were handed a picture of Julie and her family that simply had one verse on it. Isaiah 26:8, YES LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. I think the first time I really understood that verse was at Passion when Louie Giglio preached about how if we would just say YES LORD, then in everything we would find ourselves in HIS will. I'm pretty sure that Julie and I were sitting next to each other during that sermon. (This picture was taken at Passion!)

Like Ed said last night, Christianity is not slot machine religion, you shouldn't put a little in and hope to win the jackpot. It is a life where you believe and go ALL IN! Julie went all in and challenged those around her to do the same.... say YES, LORD.

Thank you Julie for being the ultimate realist! You were someone who believed that God really who He says He is and that the true reality of this life is to follow Him wholeheartedly!

Anonymous No More

2010-02-17T12:26:00.002-06:00

I have finally disabled anonymous commenting. I had left it open because I have a few friends (hi Alyson and Jennifer) that occasionally comment using that form but lately I have been getting some really strange things. I guess one of those auto spam devices found me. What about you, have you had to turn off the anonymous commenting? I really hope that I don't have to add that word verification thing. Ugh, I know that makes it a pain to leave a comment and I really do love all my commentors!

Rethinking and Refocusing

2010-02-02T11:36:00.004-06:00

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. ~Malcolm S. Forbes

When I saw this quote it just clicked with me. I think God has been trying to refocus me and I think this quote explains why!

I have really been dealing with thinking a lot about what we don't have right now, what I can't afford, what I don't look like, etc... you get the idea. Negative Nelly with Anger Issues would be a good way to describe me some days!

I need to remember and focus on what I DO have!

Two healthy and happy albeit somewhat sassy kids!
A handsome husband that loves ME!
A roof over my head.
Food to eat (even though lately it has been enough chicken and eggs that I should be clucking and laying my own!).
Friends that care about me.
Muscles! Muscles are pretty even though they are probably what is keeping me from reaching my goal weight at Weight Watchers.
and so many more...

A friend of mine that is battling breast cancer right now put something on Facebook last night that also has me thinking....

Courage is not the absence of fear, just the realization that there is something very important worth your focus.

Do you need to work on your 'focus' too?

Stronger

2010-01-19T15:24:00.003-06:00

As it turns out, I am much stronger and more capable of pushing myself physically than I EVER believed was possible! I had a great weekend. I pushed past walls that I didn't even know existed when it comes to exercise. I learned even more about being an encourager. I was pushed to my breaking point physically. Friday night after 9 hours of training when I was beyond hungry (even though we had been given short breaks for eating while listening) and beyond exhausted, I was nervous about the next day and regretting ever registering for the Body Pump training. I had to refocus and decide that I was going to learn, about the program, but more importantly about myself. I studied most of the night for the next day. I was prepared even though I didn't feel like I was for the next onslaught of pain. I had lots of "ah ha" moments. It was exhilarating and emotional. I am so much more capable than I thought.

Now that it is over, I am thrilled that I went through the weekend. I still have to team teach and prepare a video for further evaluation before I get to actually teach or sub a class, but that is okay, I'm in no rush. I'm thankful for the experience.

Our neighbor wrote the following in an email to his men's Bible Study group after talking with David a few weeks ago. A few of the details about the training were lost in translation from person to person but the point of the message is still there. I thought it was very provoking and worth sharing. Please take the time to read it and share your thoughts!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Tim 4:7-8

I had conversation with my next-door neighbor the other night while our daughter's respectively where doing their thing in Upwards Cheer practice that sparked today’s thought.

His wife is leaving next weekend with a few other women to undergo a certification process that will qualify her to instruct various aerobic and weight training classes at the gym. He was describing the intensity of the weekend and the number of times she would have to perform the various regiments to ensure she had proficiency in them.

She would even be video taped and critique over her performance by other master trainers. In all, it would be a very intense weekend and what she was told was that, after the numerous workouts, she would barely be able to walk.

The conversation segued into matters pertaining to Christianity and the processes (or lack thereof) within our ranks to certify future trainers as well as the exercise of personal spiritual discipline necessary for growth.

It seems in most areas of life not related to our Christianity (if there are such areas-everything should be related to our Christianity) we accept the level of training we must submit to in order to achieve some level of certification. However, when it comes spiritual training we hand out free passes like cotton candy at the county fair.

I know not everybody enjoys working out, it is just not your thing, but the application holds. Perhaps because we have been told its all about ‘grace’ so much, and / or that works are not necessary for salvation (both of which in their own right are true as all get out), but… it is undeniable and an unarguable fact that we grow or benefit in proportion to the effort we put into something. Second, the church should be the pace setter when it comes to personal spiritual development and the training of future leaders. As we have the greatest charge and most solemn responsibility in carry the gospel to this generation, we should not shy away from imposing tough standards and holding people accountable. The secular market and professional athletes and the like should be taking lessons from us, not us from them.

We should, absolutely strive to be the best in our profession and industry, but we should also and even more-so strive to be like Christ in every facet of our life.

LEAVE NO DOUBT_LIVE WITH DISTINCTION
Get Connected, Stay Connected
Paul Blankenship
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have a barrier that is keeping you from something better for yourself? Approach it with confidence and break through it! If you believe in yourself then others around you will believe in you too!

My Incredible Wife...

2010-01-15T20:13:00.004-06:00

Hello, blogging world!! I know it is a surprise for y'all who read my wife's blog ~~religiously~~ regularly to see me write on here. But it's okay, I have permission! :-)

You see, my wife is spending this glorious weekend in Bossier City, LA with some friends. I know what y'all are thinking, but no...she is not gambling, although there is some risk/reward, tears and sweat involved. No, my wife is exercising the weekend away. She went with 3 of her friends to start the process of BodyPump certification, so they can potentially lead BodyPump classes at the Gold's Gym by our house. One of those friends is the Master Trainer, the one who trains the trainers. The other three (my wife included) are going to be under her leadership, and will learn the tracks and moves to hopefully, eventually, lead their own BodyPump classes. There are several more steps to follow once this training is done, but this will be the first, main step they have to finish.

This will be a LONG weekend for them. 12pm-9pm today, 8pm-5pm on Saturday, and 8pm-5pm on Sunday - 27 hours of non-stop, intense, physical training! I don't know if I would live through that ~~beating~~ wonderful exercise. But she will. I know she will, because she is my incredible wife...my Wonder Woman! And I am very proud of her.

If you think about her this weekend, please pray for her that she would be able to make it through the pain, and be able to get enough rest. I love you, sweetheart. Kick some butt!!

David Dickey

Me Featured

2010-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

Are you wondering why I have a photo of our gym group fitness room here on my blog? Check out the picture.... one of these things is not like the other.... do you see him? Do you see the photographer with the big camera pointed at me?

Now are you wondering why? Glad you asked.

One of David's friends from High School, Christy, noticed my changes in his family facebook pictures and asked him if it would be okay to contact me about an article she was writing for the January Dallas Morning News. David passed on the message and I agreed to the email interview. Christy asked me lots of questions about my motivations, results, and more when it comes to going to the gym. I happily answered her questions.

Then she contacted me after writing her article and said that her editor liked the story and wanted to include a picture of me working out. Agh!!! Terror set in, after all, I'm usually the one taking the pictures not being the subject of them! I was soooooo nervous the morning of the "photo shoot". I was also shocked by how many pictures he took. He stayed for the ENTIRE one hour class just clicking away. I bet he took 700+ pictures.... of me.... sweating! I am so glad that my gym buddy Lisa grabbed her iPhone and took a picture of me getting my picture taken. That is good blog material after all.

It isn't the picture that I would have chosen but the article is very good.

Receipts

2010-01-11T07:06:00.002-06:00

Last night David and I got to go out on a date for our anniversary. We went out to eat at Chuy's (very good by the way) and then went and saw Sherlock Holmes (pretty clever movie). Anyway, when David was paying the server for our dinner he immediately picked up the receipt and was looking at it and starting to fold it and put it in his wallet. The server got concerned and asked if everything was okay on our ticket. David said yes. Then the server said, oh well, I never see anyone pick that up unless there is something wrong. I just laughed!!!

This incident made me think of something very funny that happened right before Christmas. Kirstyn had gotten to go shopping at her school in the Penguin Shop, a shop powered by PTA, for her family for Christmas. She had spent time wrapping our gifts and making cards. She was really 'getting' Christmas.... Then she came down from her room with yet another package that she had wrapped all by herself. It had a label that said, to: daddy, I love you, Kirstyn. I knew she hadn't purchased anything else so I asked her what she had made for him. She grinned really big and said, I know Daddy will love this gift. It is his favorite thing to collect. I was still confused.......

then she told me, "It's a RECEIPT!" Daddy collects them and he will love it!

So true, Daddy does love to collect his receipts. Such a thoughtful girl!

Time to Jiggle and Shiver!

2010-01-08T01:33:00.000-06:00

Remember last year when I ran (read jogged) my first ever 5K? It was the perfect race for me to participate in because it is in fact called the Jiggle Butt Run!

This year I offered to volunteer to help with the race. I will be standing (read freezing) at the 2 mile mark with a timer and walkie talkie. The race benefits the Safe Haven of Tarrant County Women's Shelter. It is a great cause and the organizers of this race are some pretty amazing women! Last year there was a record participation of about 500 runners. This year there are over 1,200 pre-registered participants! They have also introduced a 1K for the 12 and under crowd called the Wiggle Butt Run. Too cute, huh?

It is so amazing and very exciting to be a part of this event, but this week Texas is experiencing RECORD COLD! I know for my northern friends reading this you are thinking that the cold we are experiencing is not actually cold but I need to explain something to you.... See no one here has the appropriate clothing for these temperatures! And to make matters worse I'm pretty sure that our blood is thinner so that we can physically survive our summers! I mean last year I ran (read jogged) the race in shorts! I need for y'all to be praying that God will turn up the heat here.... at least for Saturday!

Hiatus Explained

2010-01-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~Cyril Connolly

So, the other day I was wondering why I wasn't blogging anymore. Actually, David had asked me if I missed it and I couldn't really answer him because I hadn't put much thought into it. Anyway, I'm a multitasker so I was also watching an old episode of Criminal Minds and folding laundry (that is seriously the task that never ends....) and when the episode ended they ended it with the Cyril Connolly quote, "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." Suddenly something in my head just clicked. I backed it up so that I could write it down! I knew why I hadn't been blogging.

I had gotten caught up on how many people were visiting my blog. I was making an effort to comment on every. single. post. that I read so that maybe just maybe that person would return the visit. I was adding more and more blogs to my reader. I was making what used to be a fun way for me to share pictures and thoughts into work. I was not actually interested in doing any more "work". So, I took a big step back without even realizing it. I logged out of my reader and did other things with my free time. I only updated my blog on occasion because I would get an email from BlogHer telling me that they were going to pull their ads if my blog remained "dead". I wanted to want to blog... does that make sense? So, I kept putting in a little effort.... but the thing is, I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl. Half a$$ blogging wasn't making me happy either.

Now, I'm back to sharing my heart and talking about my joys and my struggles. I am enjoying myself. Thanks for sticking with me. Thanks for encouraging me!

Next is the daunting task of cleaning out and up my google reader. When I first logged back in it said 1000+ unread posts! What?!?!? I've marked most as "read" and moved on. Many of those bloggers probably haven't even noticed my absence. I also need to make sure that I am actually reading some of your blogs because if you are making the time to encourage me then I want to be able to return the favor. I would rather develop several close friendships here in blog land than end up with tons of 'no value added' comments! Some of you are VERY important to me and I hope that you know that!

I hope that I haven't just offended any of you. Just thought that I should share where I have been... you know, other than buried in the never ending pile of laundry!

Nine Years

2010-01-05T21:04:00.004-06:00

Nine Years ago today (January 6, 2001) I married my best friend! Wow, that sentence makes me sound old. Thing is I think that I 'felt' older on my wedding day than I do today.

I just love these pictures of David and I. They were taken by Paul Knudsen at David's networking group Christmas Party. I didn't know we would be in pictures or I might have made some effort with my makeup... but the truth is, this is me, this is us and I love it!

I also love that I can say that I definitely have not "let myself go!" Here are some pictures that David scanned for me from our wedding day. I think we may have to renew our vows at some point so that I can wear a simple white silk gown that I can for sure say will NOT be a size 22 like my original wedding dress was!

I know for sure that David loves me for me. I cannot express how grateful I am that he has been open to me changing me and in the process making lots of changes for our family. He could have dug his heels in and been resistant to my changes. He could have determined that I am for sure not who he married. Instead, he chose to come with me on this journey to a better us! Some days he has led me, some days he has pushed me, but every single day he has supported me and has loved me for who I am.... and for that I will be forever grateful!

David, thanks for loving me even before I loved me!

Link up for more Wordful Wednesday!

Because Inquiring Minds...

2010-01-05T12:40:00.005-06:00

Since at least one of you asked...

I still have to lose (as of today) 5.2 pounds to make lifetime at Weight Watchers. Yes, that is the very top of my "healthy weight" bracket. And yes, my fat percentage is already in a "healthy" zone. And yes, my size 4 jeans are stretchy but they don't leave any marks which is more than I could say about my size 20 jeans that I wore into Weight Watchers. I literally had a rash around my middle from where my jeans rubbed. I was well on my way to switching to all elastic clothes when I made up my mind that something HAD to change! I will never regret that decision to try!

I can't believe that there are still so many of you out there supporting me and reading my blog!!! I thought for sure that most of you were long gone after my blogging hiatus! I love your comments. I think I might have to print some of them out and tape them to my bathroom mirror. Seriously. Thanks!

I really needed today to catch up from Christmas "Vacation" but instead I am playing choo choo and wiping snot because James has another ear infection and had to stay home from school today. I had to add this picture of the little man being caught eating some of my birthday cake after everyone had finished and left the table. He decided that he needed another bite and snuck back to the table (yes, he got himself a fork out of the drawer!) and helped himself! I love this uh oh look on his face! Seriously, those eyes save his life over and over!

Oh and I have no idea why blogger is jacking with my spacing.... ugh! Wish I had time right now to figure it out!!!

It's a New Year and a New Me!

2010-01-04T14:02:00.002-06:00

Well, I have to say that I really had hoped that January 1, 2010 would not include for me the desire to lose more weight *sigh* maybe next January I can say that. What I can say is that I spent all of 2009 working on a better me! I focused on Bible Study, cleaner eating, and exercise! Although I have only lost about 10 pounds this past year (that sounds really sad), I do think that I can see I some improvement from the first picture to the second. Can you?

I'm glad that I made the effort. I'm glad I made the effort to continue to improve ME! I have worked very hard at educating myself on what is really food. I mean because about 85% of what they sell at the grocery store is only masquerading as food but it isn't actually real. I have eliminated things like hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and white flour from our food supply here at the Dickey house. I am proud of that. I think my family is only better for that and they haven't even really noticed the change!

What frustrates me is that I haven't reached my lifetime goal with Weight Watchers! I mean, I wonder what size I will be when I finally do reach that goal. I was a size 20/22 when I joined. The jeans that I am wearing in the picture above are an Old Navy Sweetheart Jean in a size 4 Tall! Did I just say that about myself.... a size F-O-U-R? (yes, they are snug but I didn't want them too big since I am still getting smaller... and I have that fat roll around my middle even when 'nekked' so the jeans don't really cause that muffin top on me) I really though I would be thrilled just to see a single digit size inside my clothes!!! And yet here I am....

I am trying really hard not to be hung up on the number that looks back at me from that Digital Demon (the scale). I am focusing on working out even harder and lifting even more weights. Why? Because when that is my focus then I feel accomplished rather than defeated!

So, here we go.... bring it on 2010! I have some exciting things coming up in the next few weeks. I am going to make an effort to blog more regularly because I find that I NEED your support!

So, did you accomplish what you set out to do in 2009?

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:12:00.002-06:00

What does New Year's Day mean to you? To me it is rooted in tradition!

My family has ALWAYS shared this meal together on New Year's Day. It is my favorite meal of the year, way better than Easter or Thanksgiving or any other of the eating holidays!

I also think the symbolism in this traditional meal is fun! Do you know what each of these foods symbolizes for your year to come?

Black-eyed peas: Good Luck! You are supposed to eat at least one pea for each day of the new year.... I don't count mine but don't worry, I had plenty!

Corn bread: Wealth/Gold! I mean who doesn't want to have plenty of wealth for the new year?

Greens: The spicier they are the spicier your sex life will be! My greens are actually steamed spinach with lots of garlic, onion, and red pepper.... bring it on!

Ham: Moving Forward. A pig uses its snout to dig in the ground searching for food in a forward direction. It is said that you shouldn't eat fowl (turkey, chicken) on New Years because they have to scratch for their food and no one wants to just "scratch by for a living", they want to be associated with the plump and well fed pig.... give me prosperity but I am still working to get rid of the plump!

So, tell me, what is your New Year's Day tradition?

Thanks so much to all of you for your love and support in 2009... Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T17:34:00.004-06:00

We pray that each and every one of you have a fabulous time celebrating Jesus' Birthday!!!

Special Visitor

2009-12-06T20:49:00.005-06:00

Tonight for the very first time the tooth fairy will be making a stop at our house!

Kirstyn is beyond excited about finally losing her first tooth!

James was way too funny after I pulled Kirstyn's tooth for her. He ran over to David and said, "MINE OUT TOO!" and then threw his mouth open. Silly boy is afraid of nothing! Hopefully, it will be a while before the tooth fairy needs to visit his room!

Here's a picture of Miss Kirstyn without her bottom tooth! The other picture was taken this morning before church. Kirstyn wanted her picture taken in her new dress and then James went running over there and said, "hold my hand sissy". Too cute. Oh and no, I didn't zip his sweater up like that... he did. It is either all or nothing with that boy in more ways than one!

Both Hands!

2009-11-11T14:26:00.002-06:00

Not the best picture, took it with my iPhone.... will download my real camera later. :-)

Today is Kirstyn's Happy Birthday! She went to bed excited last night and woke up even more excited this morning to be facing the day as a Birthday Princess!

I made the shirt that she is wearing. I waited until the last minute and made it yesterday but it was finished before dinner and not at midnight so I was pretty proud of myself for that. What's funny is that she picked out the princess ribbon that she is wearing a few weeks ago when we were picking out plates and napkins for her birthday party this weekend. I had forgotten about it but she hadn't and promptly produced it this morning. I was not excited about it but am working on not being a control freak.... David called me laughing after he dropped her off at school because he said that ALL of the little girls crowded around her marveling not at her shirt that I worked so hard on but at the tacky little princess ribbon. I guess Kirstyn wasn't the only one that thought it was special!

We had a special breakfast together this morning that included pancakes with a candle in them. Then James and I went and had lunch with her in the lunchroom at school. James had so much fun eating with his Sissy and her friends. He did NOT however want to leave her at school when it was time for us to leave. Soon we will go back to get her and enjoy the rest of her super special day!

Happy Birthday Kirstyn! We love you sooooooo much! I can't believe that you have been in our lives long enough to need to use both hands to show your age!

High and Low

2009-11-03T20:45:00.002-06:00

This morning at my Weight Watcher weigh in, I weighed in down 1.4 lbs for a grand total so far of 80 lbs lost! Talk about an all time HIGH for me! Yeah.

Thanks for sharing in this journey with me so far. SIX more pounds will get me to my lifetime goal with Weight Watchers! I would really like to get there before the new year....

Meet the Flinstones!

2009-11-01T20:43:00.003-06:00

We had a yabba dabba do time, we had a good time, we had a gay old time!

Pebbles and Dino had a fabulous Halloween weekend! They loved their costumes. James would only bark while wearing Dino and if I called him James while he was wearing the costume he would say, "I no James... I DINO... ruf ruff ruf!" Too cute!

Now go visit the costume parades over at SITS and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Giddy

2009-10-30T14:24:00.008-05:00

I am just giddy with excitement that it is the Holiday Season! David and the kids carved pumpkins for the pumpkin carving contest at MiMi and Grandpa's country club where we are going to party tonight. Didn't he do a GREAT job! Kirstyn picked out her haunted house design and we found this spooky tree design for James'. He has this Scooby Doo book that he loves and on one of the pages there is a tree that is making a "scary" shadow. I always pretend to be scared and James always tells me, "its otay mommy.... its just a TEE (tree)!" So cute!

I am a theme kind of girl and I find it fun to prepare foods around a theme. I am also hosting a little Halloween get together tomorrow night that may or may not include some of the following:

A Meatloaf Hand, some Graveyard Gravel, adult Candy Corn Cordials, and even some Snake Bites Sandwich since I'm pretty sure the kids will not be willing to eat the hand!

I have to say THANKS to Skip To My Lou for gathering many of these ideas that I fell in love with!

Fall Traditions

2009-10-29T12:50:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday we loaded up and took the kids to Six Flags for our annual Fright Fest day of fun! These are the only two "family" shots that I got. I was supposed to have one of us with Scooby but the girl dressed as Raggedy Ann apparently didn't actually push the button all the way down on the camera because she thought she took three shots but I got NONE! Oh well...

That morning, David and I made a potentially risky decision and decided to leave the stroller at home. We packed our few necessary items (pull ups, change of clothes, and waters) in a backpack and took off. Not having the stroller turned out to be a fabulous choice because when we left the park that afternoon they were both MORE exhausted that we were!

That night at dinner we talked about every one's favorite part of the day. David and I both said that our favorite part was the kids GETTING ALONG and NOT FIGHTING! Yes, I have proof in pictures! Lately I have been feeling as if I should be wearing stripes and carrying a whistle. Seriously there have been some major squabbles around our house. James has learned that he is allowed to have his own opinion and big sister is not quite to terms with that! Ugh.

Anyway, I give you Exhibits A-D! My kids got along great all day long!

But the main reason it was our favorite part? We were able to walk around the park holding hands and having a blast too!

When we asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was, they both answered Trick or Treating from the WB characters! I agree, that was fun too and I got some really cute pictures!

Yeah! I love this time of year!

Do you have any fall traditions? All the bloggers that are linked up over here do!

Also, say a prayer today for the Kaylor family. Today is the day that last year my friend Jessica went to be with Jesus.

One on One

2009-10-28T17:36:00.004-05:00

David asked me today if I had stopped blogging. The answer is NO. I still love the support and encouragement that I get from the blogging world although that I have to admit I am spending more of my time lately on Facebook. I blame my iPhone. :-)

One fun thing that I have done in the past two weeks is spend some much needed ONE on ONE time with my two kiddos! I went on Kirstyn's Kindergarten field trip and then on another day took James to the Dallas Arboretum. So much fun!

I have LOTS more pictures from each outing that I might get around to posting.... We had tons of fun!

What have you been doing?

Fish Tacos

2009-10-15T21:23:00.007-05:00

The other night I made a new recipe and it was a HUGE hit! I was so excited that BOTH kids and David were ALL eating and saying things like "YUMMMM" and "WOW" that I pulled out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the children eating a healthy meal happily so that I could remember the moment!

So now I am sharing my recipe* for Fish Tacos with you. We have also made this exact same meal with shrimp and the kids loved that too!!!

Fish Instructions
Fish Marinade (I used trout that David caught this summer but tilapia or any other white fish would work great):
Lime Zest
Lime Juice
Cajun Seasoning
A little Olive Oil
Fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt

Take fish out of marinade and bake until fish flakes.

Coleslaw Instructions
Coleslaw Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil mayo (the kind with real ingredients and no HFCS, etc)
1/4-1/2 cup white vinegar
chipotle in adobo to taste
garlic powder, salt, pepper

Mix well and add to big bag of shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix.

Pico Instructions
Chop the following:
tomatoes (roma work great)
red onion
tons of cilantro
(you can add a jalapeno pepper, but I am the only one that would eat it so I skip that in the family recipe)

Mix in a bowl with lots of lime juice, salt, and pepper

Build and EAT
Heat up corn tortillas and build your tacos with the fish, pico, and coleslaw! I was REALLY feeling adventurous and we made our own corn tortillas. Making our own was fun and well, messy. The kids really enjoyed helping with that but it took FOREVER to make like 10 of them but they were very very tasty.

*I am a cook, not a chef so my recipes are "winged" at best...feel free to take my recipe and "wing it" at your house!

So, tell me, do you have a healthy meal that your kids enjoy, I mean really enjoy?

Is it November Yet?

2009-10-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

October is not going too fabulous for us right now, but it could always be worse I guess.

Last Monday, our living room TV went crazy. I mean really crazy. I would put it on channel 52 and it would change itself to channel 51. I would change it back, then it would start scanning all of the channels. Then I couldn't even turn it off at the TV, never mind the remote. I finally got mad and unplugged it all together. The next morning when plugged back in, it would not turn on. There were tears. Mostly from the children, mostly.

Wednesday, I went to Whole Foods to do a little shopping. I wanted to get some vitamins for my kids that weren't full of chemicals. I mean really, crap. Here I am trying to feed them real foods that don't contain HFCS or hydrogenated oils but it never dawned on me to read the label on the bottle of chewable vitamins. Anyway, when I left Whole Foods with my new kid vitamins made from real foods I was involved in a car wreck. NOT MY FAULT at least. Turned into an uninsured motorist claim for me though because when I asked for his insurance, he got in his car and sped away. My car ended up with almost $2,000 worth of damage. I ended up VERY sore! I have a chiropractor that is fabulous and he is fixing me.

On Thursday afternoon we were finally able to find an available rental that wasn't a compact car (David is 6'4").

Friday, we went to Arkansas to see my parents for the weekend. We took the kids to my homecoming football game that night and they had a great time! I enjoyed seeing some friends and letting my kids experience some hometown football spirit. Kirstyn at one point did ask when the fireworks would happen and we had to explain that she wasn't at the Texas Rangers Ballpark. Funny.

Saturday we went to Hoo-Rah Days Festival and wandered around shopping, eating, playing games, and visiting with friends. Then after nap time we celebrated my dad's birthday. (I have pictures but am too tired right now to bother downloading the camera...)

Sunday, Kirstyn woke up with a HORRIBLE cough so we decided to go ahead and pack up and head home to be closer to our doctors in case she got worse. She ran a low grade fever and coughed a lot but seemed okay.

Today, Miss Kirstyn woke up SICK. Poor baby has a very high fever and horrible cough.

I am exhausted..... This week has been very busy and trying and it isn't looking any better yet.

Please pray the rest of us don't get sick!!!

In the RIGHT Direction!

2009-10-06T14:25:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to share with you that this morning at Weight Watchers I weighed in at an ALL. TIME. LOW! Yeah. I was so excited to move my little ticker over on my side bar. I am now only 7.2 lbs from my Lifetime goal weight there!

Tonight to celebrate I am going to Taste of Arlington on a date with David. Last year, when David and I went I remember being super excited to ~~pour myself into~~ wear jeans in a size 10 and this year I will be attending in the exact same jeans but in a size 6! WOW! I seriously never thought I would be able to wear a single digit size, much less a 6.

Today my WW leader Kim asked what I was going to do to celebrate my all time low and I answered "Go to Taste of Arlington". Then she asked how I will manage that. Easy, actually, I will not be drinking frozen drinks that are 1 point per ounce, I will skip on past the booths for restaurants that I have eaten at before and I will share every sample intended for one person with David. I also plan to pick just one dessert rather than trying to get "my money's worth" in high fat food that will make me feel really yucky later tonight or tomorrow. Plus there will be other things to focus on like a silent auction and games and door prizes!

Well, gotta go get ready for my date night! Do you have a "traditional" date night like us?

Perspective

2009-09-28T21:39:00.005-05:00

As I am struggling to loose this last 10 pounds I have been doing much evaluating of my exercise routine and eating. I don't know about you, but I love watching The Biggest Loser. I don't however love the fact that they can lose 3% or more of their body weight in just one week. I find myself jealous.

Anyway, last week on the show they talked a lot about their specific calorie burn targets and food intake calorie targets. They mentioned that their target burn was 6000 calories per day and their goal intake was 1400 calories per day. WOW. Crap. Really? Ah, NO wonder!

So now for the perspective in Weight Watcher Language:

Approximate Points Eaten per day: 22
Approximate Activity Points earned per day: 46

In conclusion, I think I will stick with saying good bye to my unwanted weight one tenth of a pound at a time! (Unless someone wants to volunteer to be my maid, nanny, and personal chef? Then, I might could spend enough time in the gym to burn 6000 calories per day!)

Also, after watching tonight's episode I have to say that I am excited to finally see someone on TV that professes to be a Christian AND at the same time HE ACTED LIKE IT TOO! Thank you.

What are your thoughts?

Balsamic Chicken

2009-09-28T21:19:00.002-05:00

Last night at Bible Study we had a little potluck. I decided to make something that is one of my family's favorite dishes. Everyone seemed to love it and some even requested the recipe, so here it is for all of you!

Balsamic Chicken

marinade:
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegar
granulated garlic
dried onion flakes
fresh cracked black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes

Cut chicken breast into large bite size pieces and put into gallon size baggie with marinade. "Smush" around until all of chicken is covered. Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.

cooking instructions:
Bring non-stick skillet up to heat.
Add chicken to pan. Add salt to taste.
Brown in batches until chicken has nice brown color on both sides.

Sauce:
1 can low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Bring to boil and allow to reduce down while cooking chicken.

When all of chicken is done and sauce is reduced, put chicken back in pan and pour sauce over chicken and simmer for a few minutes.

Enjoy!
My family loves this chicken and sauce served over whole wheat cous cous with green beans.

Waiting...

2009-09-25T08:42:00.003-05:00

Lord, please give me patience... AND HURRY!

I feel like I am in a current or perpetual state of waiting.

My mom had a nuclear stress test done yesterday. Now we are waiting on the doctor to call with results. The good news is that they didn't rush her up for immediate surgery! But, we are still waiting on all of the results.

***UPDATE: Mom talked to the nurse and there is NO sign of blockage and her heart is in good condition! I am working on her right now and she says she will dig back out her weight watcher materials because I feel like her blood pressure will come down naturally if she will just loose a little more weight. Until then, they have her on a new blood pressure medicine that should do the trick. PRAISE THE LORD!!!***

On Tuesday I weighed in at exactly 10 lbs from goal. (I have been weighing "heavier" this time around on Tuesdays because I am going to my body pump class at 5:30am, then eating breakfast, drinking lots of coffee, and then weighing in!) Anyway, when my leader Kim saw this she handed me a piece of paper asking me to apply for a job with Weight Watchers. Since I am within 10 lbs of goal I can get a job as a Weigherinnerlady, aka Receptionist. When I am within 2 lbs of goal I can apply to get my own meeting. Anyway, I submitted my application and resume. They emailed me with a link for a "personality" test. I took it. Now I am waiting to hear from them again.

I think filling out the application may be just what I need to get out of this state of maintaining (which I view as a major accomplishment) on toward my goal! Already this week I have thought twice about what I put in my mouth because I have no wiggle room. I can't even gain 0.2! I must stay where I am or go down!!! Cheer me on will ya!

Okay, so for now I am waiting. What are you doing???

Featured!

2009-09-15T14:06:00.001-05:00

Have you checked out the Tip Junkie? I love that she collects the creativity from around blog land and puts it all in one place for me!

Oh and guess what?!?!?

She featured me earlier this summer too but for some reason I never got around to telling you!

Balanced vs. Healthy

2009-08-25T17:29:00.004-05:00

Well, so far we have been in public school for two days and Kirstyn and I have had to have several conversations about the difference between a "Balanced" meal and a "Healthy" meal. Just to be clear, the school serves "Balanced" meals to the children. Kirstyn has been taking her lunch and it is a "Healthy" meal.

On day one our conversation went like this:

Me: Kirstyn, how was your first day of Kindergarten?

K: Mommy, they serve gravy for lunch! And the gravy came with chicken. Not like we make but the kind that Daddy gets at 'chickalay'!

Me: Kirstyn, remember that is not healthy to eat gravy. That is a food you get to eat sometimes when you go to Dee Dee's house.

K: I know Mommy, but they said it is a "good" meal....a...ummm, a ummm, not messed up, no, not crooked.... um. Do you know what I'm saying?

Me: Did they call it a "balanced" meal.

K: Yes. Does that not mean healthy?

Me: It should, but apparently it doesn't.

And then today on day two:

K: Mommy, today I saw gravy at breakfast time.

Me: What else did they have with the gravy.

K: Scrambled eggs...but I can't eat those.

Me: Right. Good thing you ate a good breakfast at home this morning.

K: Yeah, Mommy, thanks.

To compromise we are going to look at the school menu and I am going to let her buy her lunch sometimes. I will let her decide... I don't want to dictate and control her decisions but I do want to POSITIVELY influence them. After all, I was very overweight in elementary school and I don't want her to suffer the same fate.

Any suggestions for me?

Kindergarten and more...

2009-08-24T10:07:00.012-05:00

It seems like just yesterday we were sending her off for her first day of mother's day out and now my BABY is a mature KINDERGARTNER!

This morning went very smooth. James took it upon himself to wake Kirstyn up. I heard him come out of his room and then David went to look for him. He was no where to be found. I told David to check Kirstyn's room.... and there he was! He was in her bed under the covers with her telling her "no tool sissy, no tool". Apparently all of our talk about her going to school worried James. Anyway, she was patting his hair and telling him she was going to love Kindergarten and that he would love preschool at her old school. So grown up and so sweet. David and I thought we might have to have her give us a pep talk too.

After breakfast, Kirstyn wanted to pose by the front door with Daddy. Then we sat together and prayed that she would have a great day.

David took Kirstyn to school. She was very excited. When her teacher asked her to come in the classroom and sit on the letter mat. Kirstyn made sure she sat on the "K".... the best letter, of course.

We took these pictures at "Meet the Teacher". Kirstyn was very excited about having her very own grown up locker. She was also excited to find this pink scarf in the home center and was even more pleased that her teacher wanted to wear it too! We love her teacher and KNOW that she is going to have a fabulous year!

I picked Kirstyn up from school this afternoon and she was super excited about her GREAT day! One of her friends from the gym childcare was even in her class..... I am excited about that because I have been getting to know her mom! Yeah for new friends for both of us!!!

We have a tradition of going for ice cream at Braum's after her first day of school. This was our 4th ice cream date since she did 3 years of mother's day out. We had a great time talking about her day and her many new friends. Yes, I enjoyed my favorite low fat frozen yogurt... cappuccino chunky chocolate! Yum.

In other news, my mom's doctor appointment went well. He did an ultrasound of her heart and said it looks good. He thinks that her blood pressure medicine caused the problem and he is changing that. To be safe she will be doing a stress test with contrast as soon as they can get it scheduled. She plans to return to work tomorrow. Please continue to pray for her.

Tomorrow we have James' "Meet the Teacher". He wants to go to "tool" but he really wants to go to "sissy's tool" so hopefully he will be happy with going to the preschool that Kirstyn loved for the past 2 years!

Pending Nervous Breakdown

2009-08-23T18:17:00.003-05:00

So, here I am again telling you about the craziness that is my life!

The biggest recent highlight was that my nephew, Logan, asked Jesus into his heart and was baptised today! We were able to go to my sister's church to watch and then back to her house to celebrate over lunch. And because I am working very hard to be the best aunt ever I got him a cool shirt!

My mom and dad were not able to come down however because my mom is at home "resting". Last Wednesday on her first day back to school with kids there, her blood pressure bottomed out and the school nurses sent her to the hospital. They are in a very small town and medical things are limited but she is seeing a doctor tomorrow that we are expecting to run more tests to find out what happened. My sister and I being college educated with access to WebMD are pretty sure she had a minor stroke but will have to wait and see what the real doctors say...

Also, tomorrow is Kirstyn's first day of Kindergarten! We met her teacher last Thursday and LOVED her! Tomorrow night David also goes to school for his last semester of work on his MBA (he will be taking 2 graduate classes this semester!). Then later in the week James will start 2 day a week preschool. I will be the only one NOT in school but will be the one doing the most work with the most stress! Ah, the life of MOM.

Hopefully all of these changes will help us get into a good routine and will allow me to get back to my Weight Watcher meetings and a regular blogging schedule.... we'll see. Wish me luck!

Movie Grill

2009-08-07T08:37:00.005-05:00

So I realize that the blog has been a little James heavy lately so that seems like the perfect reason to tell you about Miss Kirstyn!

Last night and early this morning Kirstyn (with a little 'forced' labor from James) has been setting up our dining room for a "Breakfast Show". She had puppets and stuffed animals all over in a very organized chaos.

My special chair was right beside her stuffed dog Kia. Notice Kia is sitting at a table with a drink. Yes, Kirstyn worked very hard to make her show much like the Studio Movie Grill where she and I often go on dates! I though this was a very smart set up!

Her puppet show was fabulous and James was in stitches! David and I were laughing too but more at James and his reaction to his sister's puppet show! And we kept noticing more and more details all around the room! Her cabbage patch had a bowl and bottle... and many more!

Speaking of Movie Grill time... I am so excited to be going tonight with some ladies from my Sunday school class to see the new movie Julie & Julia! I won't be eating there because my weight is steadily going in the right direction right now, but I think a Girl's Night Out is just what I need!

Are you excited about this movie too? I mean food + blogger = perfect subject matter for me!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Our Interesting Airplane

2009-08-03T11:32:00.005-05:00

Usually our short drive to church is pretty routine but yesterday was HILARIOUS!

James was making his usual boy noises "vrrrrrmmm, vvvvrrrmmm, bumbumbum, veroooom..."

James still making noises "sssssssssssstttt... oh, ti ti! yeah ti ti. ssssssssstttttt."

Then more "vvvrrrrmmmm, bumbumbum, veroooom!"

David asks, "does he need to potty?"

Me, "I don't know... James, do you need to potty?"

James, "NO MOMMA" (yes, we are very much TWO!)

Then, he did it again, "sssst...yeah, ti ti... ssssssssttt".

And Kirstyn speaks up (must be said with sarcastic all knowing big sister voice!), "Bubby... your airplane DOES NOT have a PENIS!"

WHAT?!?!?!?!

James, "uh hu sissy.... LOOK!"

All I can say is... he has a point! ***snicker***

I swear... this boy keeps me busy... and laughing!!!

I'm Worth It

2009-07-28T21:16:00.003-05:00

Because I am worth it...

I am going to make even more of an effort to get into a "healthy weight range".
I am going to continue to work out.
I am going to treat my body like the Temple of God that it is.
I am going to remember that this is a lifestyle, not a quick fix.
I am going to be PROUD of my progress.
I am going to use these pictures to remind me why I have worked so hard over the last two years! (These pictures were taken exactly two years apart.)

Kirstyn, James and ME riding the ferry. This is special to me because it is something that my sister and I loved to do as kids with my PawPaw!

Our family picture attempts on the beach...
Maybe by next year I will be happy with the way I look in a swim suit and I will have learned enough about my camera to be able to teach my mom or dad how to take a GOOD family picture... who am I kidding, I am going to pray for some good camera luck next year!

See, I have made progress! Major progress. The person in the pictures on the left no longer exists. She is stronger, more self confident, more educated about food, and headed in the direction of being a FIT MOM!

I am hesitant to set pound goals on here and blog about my up and down battle with a few pounds but I also need the accountability! So, here I go again, again. Help me, are there any challenges out there I should join up with? I want to lose 15 lbs in the next 10 weeks...do you think I can do it? I guess the important question is "do I think I can do it?"

I'll let you know...

And these pictures are just for fun because I love them! After we got up out of the sand from attempting the family picture we were covered in mud and went ahead and had a big ole mud fight that James started! My mom just kept taking pictures and I am so glad she did. It is rare for me to have a picture of me playing with my kids!

Thanks again for all of the support on this journey toward better health!

A Wordful Wednesday for sure!!!

Overwhelmed

2009-07-27T13:37:00.003-05:00

I have to say that I am so thankful for my loyal computer friends! I have been pretty sporadic with my blogging and I appreciate that you are still out there reading.

Last week was a great but overwhelming week for David and I. On Sunday my mom and dad stopped by for a visit and James insisted on going home with his Pappy. When my parents agreed or gave in to his insistence, I quickly packed the kids and they were off to Arkansas for the week.

David and I were then left with some time to ourselves. We went to the gym together, did some work at the office together, went to the movies...twice, went out to dinner, went to a comedy club and all in all had a good week.

Then on Thursday night received some very sad news. One of David's friends had lost his wife to suicide. We held each other tight and cried for our friend and his overwhelming loss. We made phone calls to notify other friends and spent much time in prayer. I am very sad because I was just beginning to get to know her via facebook.... she was becoming one of you.... one of my computer friends that mean so much to me!

Please know that I care about each and every one of you. Please know that no matter how you are feeling, Jesus understands and he cares too.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

If you have a minute, please pray for our friend as he deals with this overwhelming loss.

Texas Temps

2009-07-21T08:47:00.003-05:00

This post is for my Canadian friends!

Last week we were having record high temperatures and heat advisories. For those of you who don't know, a 'heat advisory' is our weather man's way of saying you should probably just stay inside with your kids and your animals because Hell is not even this hot!

I have proof... I got in my car around 2:30 one afternoon and the temperature read 113'F! Friends, that is HOT and the a/c has to work over time to keep you from dying never mind trying to keep you cool.

Well this week has been a major relief. Even my a/c unit sent me a thank you card! Seriously, it is loving that it gets to come on, do its job, and turn off for an occasional rest. It has been misting/sprinkling for two days now and yesterday around noon my car said it was only 78'F outside. Still VERY humid but what a relief!

So tell me, what is the weather like where you live?

Peace, Prayer, and People

2009-07-20T09:20:00.003-05:00

I mentioned before that I am currently participating in a ladies Bible Study. We are currently working through the study "the Frazzled Female, Finding Peace in the Midst of Daily Life" by Cindi Wood. I have really been enjoying the study. God has really been teaching me. It was kind of funny last week that while I was on vacation the focus of the study was living at peace with other people.

Romans 12:18 says "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

I really felt like that I was and have been doing that. On day 3 I couldn't even think of anyone that was driving me nuts that I need to be praying for! Well, I kept praying about that and God showed me someone this week! I'm really glad I did this study last week and had some time to pray about it before I got annoyed! Apparently God knew that I needed processing time in order to be able to control my mouth!

At the gym there is this woman (I need to learn her name), that drives me crazy! In the group fitness room there are two big fans in the front right and left corners and above the fans are where the sound speakers are mounted. This woman always sets up right in front of the fans. I think she thinks that they are specifically there for just her. I always think, if you would wear something other than sweat pants and maybe put your hair up then you wouldn't have to set up just short of actually getting INTO the fan!

Okay, I know you are thinking....seriously, why does this bother you? Well, my problem comes in with her NON-stop complaining to the instructors about the volume of the music. HELLO, LADY, if you weren't on top of the fan then you wouldn't be standing there with your ear practically against the SPEAKER!

I know, still not enough? Apparently I forgot to mention that she always smokes a cigarette or twelve before she comes into the gym to work out. And then by setting up on top of the fan then fills the room with the secondary smoke on her clothes! I mean, I understand that everyone needs a way to die, mine will probably be saturated fats that kill me, others are clean eaters that are uber fit but they tan so skin cancer will kill them, and smoking will probably kill her. But my point is that I DON'T WANT TO SMELL YOUR SMOKE! I can handle her being a fan hog, I can tolerate the unnecessary complaining about the volume, but my sinuses get irritated every time I accidentally end up on your half of the room!

I know you are thinking, just set up on the other half of the room. Yeah, that would be great except she is usually a little late (probably because she is getting in one last cigarette!) and I never know which side of the room she will choose! I would hate to be THAT obvious as to pick up my step and move to the other half of the room!

I am praying for her so that I can adjust my attitude. I need to learn her name and I need to make sure that I don't end up saying something tacky to her. Who do you need to be praying for? Oh and please tell me that you have a gym pet peeve too!

Learning

2009-07-15T13:58:00.003-05:00

So, here I am again with a huge gap in my blogging. We have been on vacation and recovering from vacation.

We spent 2 nights in San Antonio, then 7 nights in a condo on the beach in Port Aransas, then one night with my aunt in Corpus Christi, and then we drove home with a stop in Johnson City to see my uncle. Whew. Exhausting at times but worth every. single. minute!

While I was on vacation I had big plans that included books to read but the truth is when I had a little down time I was playing with my camera. I so wish I had taken my camera book with me to help me out. Here's hoping I have time to take a photography class or two before next year's vacation.

I thought this picture was kind of fun. I was standing on the condo balcony with James waiting on some sea gulls to fly over the roof so I could get a cool picture (never happened when I was ready...) Anyway, I turned around and saw a fun opportunity to capture me in the window with the ocean in the background. I even managed to snap one when James can be seen too!

There was a full moon a couple of nights so I was really wishing that I had a tripod to capture a better night shot... I am still pretty proud of these shots though. It was gorgeous in person and these pictures do not do it justice at all!

Then one morning we were down on the beach in time for sunrise! WOW. God's creation is amazing!

So, any photography tips for me? Or maybe blogs that will help me learn to get along with my camera even better?

Momma, hellll me... PWEESE!

2009-06-29T14:30:00.004-05:00

So, I have to know.... Do any of you have this little Rotten Ronnie's Happy Meal toy? (Thanks Kami....thanks to you that is what David and I have been calling McD's for a while now!)

I know, I really have all but banned fast food, but last week my kids had happy meals, not once but twice! Agh, it adds to my ongoing case of Mommy guilt. Anyway, it was a hard week with VBS in the mornings and David's dad having what was supposed to be day surgery on Thursday but turned out to be much more extensive than planned. He actually got out of the hospital today but your continued prayer is appreciated.

Anyway, thanks to one of those happy meals, this little guy joined our family. He is one of my favorite characters from Ice Age and James just loves him. I am, however, not as in love with the little guy.

These pictures are not the best because ~~I was too lazy to get my real camera~~ took them with my iPhone. But can't you just see the love that James has for him in this first picture?

Oh and in the second picture can you see the drool running down James' chin? That is because he is making a noise that sounds like "shhhhh shhhhh shhhhhhhhkkkkk" right before he fires the acorn at me! You see, he has a tiny button on his butt that makes him shoot his acorn across the room! James is grinning at the thought of inflicting pain on me! Good thing it doesn't actually hurt because James has gotten very good at shooting it across the room with precision!

What I love about the toy is the endless amounts of laughter that James has enjoyed because of this little squirrel and his "nut nut".

What I loath about this little toy are the 546 times yesterday afternoon that I heard "Momma, helllllllll me." Because they made this little guy very difficult to reload. James is getting better at it, but still today ALL DAY I have been hearing, "Sissy, hel pweese", "nut nut, oh nooooo, nut nut", and "Momma, helllllll me".

I wouldn't trade the deep belly laughs coming from my kids for ANYTHING right now, no matter how poorly designed the toy is!

So, what toy is in your house that your kiddo loves so much that you can't bring yourself to get rid of it but don't feel too bad about hiding it on occasion either?!?!?!?

Roots

2009-06-26T20:06:00.008-05:00

You know, the last few weeks there has been much going on in our little part of the world. We have had a friend diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, ~~a friend~~ several friends dealing with crumbling marriages, a friend preparing to move to another state, a friend working toward reconciling friendships after 10 years, a friend opening his own business and yet another friend getting married. Oh and David's dad had another heart surgery! Quite frankly I am thankful to be participating in a ladies Bible Study called "The Frazzled Female, Finding Peace in the Midst of Daily Life"!

If you are wondering about my weight loss, there is nothing new to report.... and with all that is going on, I have to say that I am VERY proud of that! I may not be dropping weight but I am still working out and I am not gaining weight!

Well, as you can imagine, on the list of all that is going on right now, the most fun was the wedding that I mentioned. Last Saturday David and I got to get all dressed up to go to Jonathan's wedding! We were so excited to be seeing lots of our college friends all in one place. I was reminded of how special all of these people are to me!

See, when I moved from a tiny town in Arkansas to the DFW Metroplex in Texas to go to college, I never imagined that I would find a HOME and a family away from home. These college friends became my family. They taught me what it meant to be a brother and sister in Christ. They loved me and encouraged me and helped me learn about myself.

I met all of these guys plus several more at LABC when I joined the college department. They welcomed me with open arms and made me a part of their family! I discovered this church and this family because Jonathan (the groom!) was being obedient to the calling that Christ had put on his life to be set apart on his college campus.

See, Jonathan had spent a year praying for a Christian friend for his college campus that would help him grow the Baptist Student Ministries on campus. God chose me. He prepared me. He provided scholarships and then the much needed courage for me to move away from everything familiar. I was also praying for Christian friends and was seeking a closer relationship with my Jesus. I had to choose to be obedient. Then, another year later my friend Carey (pictured above holding the baby) was obedient in one of her college classes and invited a couple of guys to come visit our college group Bible Study. One of those guys was MY David.

One of the things I will forever be grateful to Jonathan and his family for is how they taught me about prayer and its POWER! (In the picture is me between Jonathan's sisters...Deborah and Liz). His mom Candy is what I would call a prayer warrior. I admire her dedication to other people's prayer requests. I also admire her ability to have a conversation with our Savior about all the little details of her day. She understands and practices the scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where we are told to "pray continuously." Even at the wedding she was praying for her granddaughter to continue behaving nicely even though she had missed her nap. (Something I probably would have been worrying about rather than praying about. Convicted? Yes.... Lesson learned? I hope so!)

I think it is pretty fabulous how everything always comes together. This week in our Bible Study we were told to make our "to-do" list for the day and then take a moment and pray over each and every item on the list. Yes, even the laundry (This brings a smile to my face because I think of Candy, Jonathan's mom, praying aloud for focus and direction as she searches through a pile of mail for a specific piece of paper... I remember how at first her doing that made me uncomfortable and then how I learned that God really does care about my 'little' things). It has been a great way to remember that I should be thankful for clothes to wash and a washing machine to do the washing rather than being annoyed that my family can't seem to find the dirty clothes hamper! It has helped my attitude and has helped me keep my eyes focused on Jesus rather than my circumstances.

All of that to say, that I am thankful to have been reminded that this is home and I am where I am supposed to be. And well, I have been at our church for more than 10 years, I met my husband there and I am especially thankful that as I am growing as a Christian that I have ROOTS!

Focused

2009-06-04T15:37:00.006-05:00

Focused.... on everything else.

I have to say that I have been missing all of my friends here in blog land! I haven't posted in a while and even worse, I am something like 575 posts behind in my google reader!

Last week was pretty crazy as we wrapped up Kirstyn's final days in Pre-K. I can't believe I am going to be a Kindergarten momma... how did that happen so fast?!?!?

Here is a picture of her dressed up for their Letter Parade. Kirstyn was thrilled to be going to school dressed as Quilla the Queen. We borrowed her skirt from my grandmother and found the cute crown at a local costume shop.

Other friends were Daisy the Doll and Zippy the Zebra...a very cute and a clever tradition from her preschool. James will be enrolled there in the fall so we will still be doing lots of fun things like this as long as the little mister will play along!

This week Kirstyn is in Arkansas taking swimming lessons and spending some quality time on the farm with my mom and dad. While she is there I have been enjoying lots of one on one time with James.

We had friends over the other night that have a little boy just a few months older than James and it was so much fun to see him experience a play date with HIS friend without his usual big sister supervision. It was too cute to see them running around and giggling non-stop. They were so busy they could barely stop long enough to shove a bite of food in their m

ouths and take off running and playing again. Finally they both sat down and ate a few bites because we taunted them with the promise of some yummy black bean brownies!

David and I have been watching 24. We have a tradition of recording the entire season and then watching it all together all at once. The very first season we watched one hour at a time with everyone else but we think it is much more exciting to watch it together as fast as possible. I can't wait to finish it so that I can get some more sleep! That is my main reason for being away from the computer. He isn't working upstairs in his office so I am not booting my laptop. We have enjoyed the time together curled up watching Jack Bower try to save the world!

Keep checking in on me. I am still working out and eating very clean. Inches are coming off but the pounds haven't changed in the last couple of weeks. I have several posts on clean eating and exercise that are swimming around in my head. I hope to catch them and get them out on the blog in the very near future.... but until then it's 'Bauer Time'!

What have you been doing the last few weeks? What would I be missing if I give up on playing catch up and just mark all as read in my reader?

Are you a huge fan of Jack Bauer and 24 like me?

Birthday Weekend

2009-05-25T21:36:00.005-05:00

I honestly cannot believe that James is now a TWOYEAROLD! It seems like I was just announcing his arrival and we were all getting used to being a family of four. Now I can't imagine life without him! Here are some fun facts about our little mister:

He says "da-do" (thank you) all of the time! He doesn't say much else because he doesn't have to... he has us all trained and I'm pretty sure that's what he thinks big sisters are for!

He rarely goes anywhere (including bed) without his baseball cap! Although, he did trade in the paci in exchange for being able to sleep in his hat and as far as I'm concerned, breaking that habit can be left up to his wife. He is holding a sucker in this picture because I exchanged it for his hat for long enough to take a picture!

He loves to play pretend.... especially loves to pretend to be a puppy or a cat. It is way too funny when he gets down, crawls around barking and then licks your leg...okay, that's not funny its kinda nasty but still very cute!

His favorite cartoons are Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, and Handy Manny.

His favorite foods are mixed nuts, corn on the cob, popcorn, and broccoli.

He is a fun kid to cook for.... almost everything he takes a bite of is followed by "yummm"

He loves to play trains, cars, and any sports although sometimes he mixes up the terminology. Today he was hitting a baseball off of a tee and kept screaming "touchdown"!

I know for most it was a Memorial Day holiday but this weekend, at our house, was all about our youngest family member turning TWO! Birthdays are a big deal at our house and fun is always had by all. This weekend was no exception. For James' "Birthday Eve" we loaded up and headed out for an afternoon of fun at Six Flags. It was great because the park was not crowded at all. There was a slight threat of rain but the weather turned out to be perfect and we had a great time. We even splurged and had "eeee-zzzzzza" (pizza) at the park for dinner.

Sunday, for James' actual birthday we celebrated again. First we took donut holes with sprinkles on them to his Sunday School class. Then after church and naps our friends from down the street came over and we had the ice cream cone cup cakes that Kirstyn had made for her bubby.

Our Healthier Cake Recipe: Devil's Food Cake Mix + Can of Pumpkin + 1/2 cup H20 (your welcome.)

Today we went as a family to the local Movie Tavern for lunch and a movie. This was James' first time to go to a movie theater. He did great! It helps that at this movie theater you also eat lunch while watching the movie. We saw and enjoyed Night at the Museum 2. James really liked the dinosaur bones that acted like a puppy. He would laugh and hang his tongue out. Funny. Then, after naps today we turned on the sprinkler in the back yard and had a great time splashing.

All in all it was a great weekend and I couldn't be prouder of my darling little boy that is not so little anymore...

Our Broadway Baby

2009-05-19T21:28:00.005-05:00

Kirstyn's debut performance was Saturday night at her first official dance recital in front of LOTS of people! She did amazing and looked very pretty and much too grown up! Her height was even more obvious when she was on stage with her peers. Yes, my 5 "AND A HALF" year old daughter is 48 inches tall! Anyway, she did a great job and she can't wait for the DVD of the recital to come in so that she can watch it "over and over"!

I joked on Facebook about how putting on a little makeup and pink lipstick made her walk rather sassy and about how it seemed to scare her father to death! It was pretty funny.

Her daddy really does love her so much. See, I have proof! He agreed to and participated in the finale at the Dance Recital... their "traditional" Daddy Daughter Dance! This year's theme was DISCO! Kirstyn was so proud of herself and her daddy for putting on such a great show!

You can't tell from this picture but Kirstyn performed in only one shoe! See, they ran in on the isles for this performance and the daddy behind her stepped on the back of her shoe and she lost it. She was so proud of herself that she didn't stop or worry about it! When the dance was over she said to David, "Daddy, I need to go over there and get my shoe." David asked her why she didn't get it when she lost it and she said, "because they told us even if something goes wrong with our costumes, like if a feather falls off, then just keep going and no one will know until we tell them and then they will think we are a REAL star since that didn't even matter!"

We couldn't be prouder of her! And yes, she is a REAL STAR!

Oh and I have to share this one last Kirstyn funny...
I have been asking her now for two months if she wants to take dance next year and she has been adamant that no she did not want to do dance anymore. Finally, on the way home from recital I got to the bottom of it. I said, "Kirstyn you were really good tonight, don't you want to keep taking dance?" She said, "No Mommy, didn't you see that I am really good at Broadway Baby? I don't want to practice that dance anymore." Ha. Poor kid thought that if she took dance again that she would just keep doing that same routine over and over! When we explained to her that she would get to learn one of the other "big girl" dances she was over the top excited! So, I guess we will be taking dance again next year!!!

This is definitely a WordFUL Wednesday!

Tuesday Tribute - Siblings

2009-05-18T23:02:00.004-05:00

Welcome to my first time to participate in Tuesday Tribute....

Mother's Day weekend in my family is a huge get together with my grandparents and all of my grandpa's siblings and their families. I grew up looking forward to big family reunions on the farm every year. I am closer to some of my second and third cousins than others are to their first cousins. I value family and the importance of making time for each other and I think that is rooted in the traditions started by my grandpa's mother to get her children together every year, especially when one of her boys came home from war.

In this picture my Papaw is on the far left and he is 83. Their dynamic is interesting, but at least they have been able to age together and watch each of their families grow. They also seem to have defeated so many odds. My Papaw has a Purple Heart from WWII, his youngest brother served two tours in Vietnam. They also all attended college...

I'm glad we thought to get a picture of them all together this year.

Then, since I am talking about siblings I have to introduce you to my younger sister, Neida. She is holding my darling nephew Bryton who is giving me his best ever "CHEEEEEEESE!". Neida and I are only two years apart and it amazes me sometimes how much my daughter Kirstyn reminds me of her Aunt Neida. I've heard before that the older sibling helps raise and influence the younger sibling therefore many of the younger sibling's traits show up in the older sibling's children. I have to say that I am a believer!

And of course my favorite pair of siblings are the two that made me a mom. Kirstyn and James sometimes think that fighting is an appropriate pass time but most of the time they adore each other. I pray that they will grow old together remembering how lucky they are to have a sibling that is there to support and love them no matter what challenges they have to face!

So, tell me about your siblings...

I'm still here...

2009-05-18T08:15:00.004-05:00

So I guess I should have announced that I would be taking a little bloggy break but honestly it wasn't really planned...life just took over.

If you are a single mom I would like to take a moment to say.... I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU DO IT and at the same time I AM IN AWE! See, David took a class this last semester toward finishing his MBA (only 2 more to go) and this particular one was an advanced finance class that required tons of work! The last 3 weeks he went straight from work to campus to study and work on a group project. Then half of their final was a take home that he literally spent over 40 hours in one week working on in addition to going to his real job! Crazy.

His final was the Monday night after Mother's Day weekend so I actually took the kids and went to Arkansas for my family reunion by myself. The drive alone was a little intimidating but it actually went really well and wasn't as stressful as it could have been because ~~I drove fast~~ the kids did great! Of course I had lots of family around when we got there to love on my kids so that was nice for me. It would have been better if it had not rained the entire weekend, because my kids LOVE to be outside at my parent's house on the farm.

Since David's final was over at MIDNIGHT on Monday night (yes the final was a 3 hour final that started at 8:15!) he has been spending this week trying to catch up on sleep and on work at the office. And this past week has been about the kids!

Kirstyn had her first ever Science Fair on Thursday at pre-K. We had to put together and display a collection. She did a great job decorating an egg carton and arranging her favorite sea shells that she has collected the last few years on our vacations to the beach. Then Thursday night she had dance practice, Friday night she had dress rehearsal for her dance recital and then Saturday night was her debut performance and she did fabulous! Pictures to come!!!

Saturday morning was also James' 2nd Birthday party with our playgroup (real Birthday is May 24th). We did a combined party with my friend Elaine's little boy Gavin that just turned two on Friday. They had a great time that could have only been made better if it had not been pouring down rain and we could have gone on the planned nature walk.

Oh and ME... I finally made it to a Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday morning before the birthday party and was down 2.4! That is a two week total but either way I am proud of it! David and I went on a date last night (mom and dad came for the weekend and stayed an extra night so we could go out!) and we ate Mexican food so HOPEFULLY I didn't blow it too bad!

Thanks for checking in on me and if you read all this then you truly are a fabulous friend! More to come this week.... PROMISE!

Wash Your Hands...

2009-05-06T15:45:00.002-05:00

Just a friendly reminder to Wash Your Hands!

The last couple of weeks our news has been talking about all things Swine Flu related along with numerous school closing and plenty of reminders that we all need to be washing our hands! Check. James LOVES to wash his hands! He is very much in a stage of doing everything by himself.

The other day he took off to the bathroom, went potty, and then this is the site I saw... He already had the water on and the soap bubbles all over his hands by the time I got back with my camera! I mean, who wouldn't want to capture a shot or two of those cute thighs!

And yes, he is able to pull himself up and climb onto almost anything! The other day I found him sitting on top of the washing machine! There is no such thing as childproofing for this boy!

How's that for Wordful Wednesday!

Fat Fighting Friday - W14

2009-05-01T08:14:00.003-05:00

Down 1.8! Yahoooooo! I am also now only 10 lbs from making lifetime at Weight Watchers! Finally, it feels a little more like a goal that is within my reach! Also that is 5.8 down on my 20 in 20 goal. Only 6 weeks to go so I probably won't make it but at least I can say I didn't give up or quit!

One of the trainers at the gym worked on my diet for me and it is now much cleaner! He said something to me when I made a comment that I thought I was eating clean but not seeing a loss even though I am exercising all of the time. He said "clean is relative". And that is soooooo true. I probably would have told you a year ago that I was eating clean but MY definition of 'clean' eating keeps changing. After a week eating according to his 'clean' I can say that I have kicked my sugar cravings for the first time in my life!

In other news, Christina is a photoshop miracle worker! Thanks to her, Shamu is now the only whale in the picture! Now I wish I had that shirt in purple...it looks great! Thanks again girl.

Meeting Shamu

2009-04-29T07:26:00.004-05:00

I can honestly say that I never ever ever thought that I would make the following statement:

"Standing next to Shamu made ME look FAT!"

Seriously, I need one of you photoshop magicians to tell me how to change my shirt color so that I am not the one in the picture that looks like a WHALE!

Link up and share your Word-ful and Word-less Wednesday pictures!

(my google reader is being pissy this morning so I can't pull up the blogs to link up...maybe later.)

Fat Fighting Friday - W13

2009-04-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

Okay so nothing new to report on the weight loss front. I really hope that changes soon but I am getting rather bored with my own updates so I know you have to be too!

I decided that I would share with you my favorite 3 foods right now!

Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds - Dark Chocolate Flavor

7 of these little wonders are my absolute favorite 1 point snack! These almonds have the same nutrition information as regular dry roasted almonds but they taste like real chocolate covered almonds... you know the ones my fat self used to get every single time we went to the movies (granted if you just had some "real" ones last week then you might wait a while but if you are like me and haven't had the "real" ones in several years then why are you still reading this... you should be on the way to the store!)

PB2

I have been adding a serving of PB2 (50 calories, 5 g protein) to my oatmeal every morning! Yummy! I also really like it mixed into chocolate protein smoothies.

Laughing Cow Cheese

I like laughing cow cheese on apples, I really like the way one little wedge of this stuff can make egg beaters taste so creamy and good. I also like laughing cow mixed into potatoes or polenta. My favorite use though is still my chicken recipe!

What is your favorite "healthy" product right now?

the Effects of Getting Healthy

2009-04-22T07:09:00.004-05:00

Today is Earth Day...

I am making an effort to be greener and teach my family to be greener.
I have changed all of our light bulbs to the CFLs except the ones in the vanity.
We installed a more energy efficient heating and a/c unit (not really by choice, but it had to be done.)
We had our house weather proofed.
We use our own shopping bags.
I am gardening and growing some of our own food (my broccoli plants are looking amazing!).
We recycle.
We compost.

However, I still have plenty of inner conflict when it comes to what I prefer and what is best for my environment.
I don't plan to give up my SUV any time soon.
We just spent the weekend at amusement parks using 'unnecessary power'.I don't turn off the power strips to the entertainment centers in our house because I don't want to reset the clocks!
James wears Pampers.

During this journey that I have been on to get healthy I have inadvertently learned how to keep Mother Earth healthier too. See, since we started composting, we have been talking a lot about how the foods we need to be eating should be generating compost and not recycling or trash. This has been a very helpful tool in motivating Kirstyn to want to eat healthy. It has also helped me even more because she is like having my own 'Jimmy Cricket' on my shoulder!

For example, by eating a '100 calorie pack' of something, we generate trash; but, by eating an apple, the only waste generated is the apple core and that is composted! It gets even more convicting, by drinking a can of diet soda, recycling is generated; but, by drinking a glass of tea, the tea bag can be composted.

Taking care of myself and taking care of my planet really do go hand in hand...

And the real reasons behind all of my efforts are these two adorable faces!

Back...

2009-04-20T21:27:00.002-05:00

Just a very quick update to let you all know that we are back home safe, sound, and sleepy!

We left Friday morning and returned tonight from a fabulous weekend in San Antonio! We spent time at Sea World, Fiesta Texas, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. We had a great time and I took LOTS and LOTS of pictures! I will download my pictures and share ~~some~~ many of them in the next few days!

If you are wondering if I will be stopping by your blog, the answer is yes but right now I am over 400 posts behind in my reader and right now all I want to do is go to sleep in my own bed!

Oh and yes, I had some very yummy, probably too yummy, Mexican food... I just hope I didn't blow it too bad! Time will tell...

Oh and every night we asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was and I have to say my favorite part was all of the truly QUALITY TIME that we got to spend with each other away from the computer, tv, work, gym, school and housework! David has been working a lot and studying like crazy for his graduate class so this was a much needed getaway! I have to say, I am not looking forward to tomorrow since it will be "catch up" time and laundry day! (Have you noticed how the laundry multiplies even faster while on vacation?)

So, what did you do this weekend or what did I miss on your blog since it may be a while before I make it over there?

Fat Fighting Friday - W12

2009-04-17T14:38:00.002-05:00

DOWN 1.8! All I have to say is.... It is ABOUT TIME! That puts me down 4 lbs in 12 weeks, not exactly record breaking but at least I am headed in the right direction!

Summer is on its way.... let's do this!

Oh and cross your fingers that I don't blow it this weekend as we will be eating out several times! I will be careful how I order but it is still not the same as controlling the calories at home!

Have a great weekend!

The Journey so far...

2009-04-15T10:20:00.017-05:00

This is my 500th post!

So, since this is a pretty major milestone in the "life of my blog", I thought I would share with you the personal journey that I have been on during that same time. I have really been thinking about the person that I was when I had Kirstyn (about the same time I started writing on the blog) and the person that I am now. One of the reasons I have been thinking about that is because a few weeks ago at my MOPS meeting the Steering Team did a thing called Cardboard Testimonies and it was pretty powerful and moving. Anyway, for the cardboard testimony we all needed to think of a word or a few words that described us before and then that describe us now and how God worked in our lives. For example, some could say "Fear and Worry" then flipped to say "Experiencing God's Peace", another one was, "Unable to Trust" then flipped "Happy Marriage", yet another one said "Lost" and then "Found". You get the idea...

Mine said

"Lazy"

and then the other side said

"Disciplined".

So, what has changed?

I now exercise regularly for the first time in my life!

I used to just watch Kirstyn and now I PLAY!

I menu plan a month at a time where I used to plan dinner at 5:00 and that often meant fast food!

I have learned to prepare healthy meals for my family on a budget! I used to have all kinds of excuses for not trying new foods and new recipes but the real truth was that I was being too lazy to learn new recipes and spend the time to make them.

I am learning to grow some of our own food.

We are now composting, recycling, washing clothes in cold water, and doing other things to take care of our environment.

I am really working to continue learning all I can about "being healthy".

I realize that I still have a long way to go and that there is always room for improvement in the Lazy/Disciplined department.

Thanks for all of the support and encouragement. You my friends have done a lot to encourage me and help me realize that I CAN do anything I set my mind to doing...

Now, if my garden will just grow....

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Oh and if it isn't too much trouble, share with me an area of your life that you have been working to improve over the last 4 years or so...

(If you are a blog stalker**said with much love**....it would make my day today if you would de-lurk and leave me a comment!)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T15:36:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter!

HE IS RISEN!

This morning I was a little sad that I wouldn't be able to get our traditional Easter family snapshot at home before church...well, until David let me open MY Easter present! He got me a remote for my camera and I took the above photograph with less than 5 minutes of preparation (my own tiny Easter miracle)! I am so excited and can't believe how good it turned out! James actually thought it was really funny that the camera was "getting" him with out me behind it!

For breakfast we made Resurrection Rolls (I played along but didn't eat any...I had my regular bowl of oatmeal and fruit)!

Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 large marshmallows
Melted butter, Cinnamon, and Sugar

Directions:

Give each child one triangle shaped section of crescent roll. This represents the tomb.
Each child takes one marshmallow which represents the body of Christ. (Kirstyn got a little frustrated with James for eating his Jesus.)
Dip the marshmallow in the butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the oils and spices the body was anointed with upon burial.
Lay the marshmallow on the dough and carefully wrap it around the marshmallow.
Make sure all seams are pinched together well. (Otherwise the marshmallow will “ooze” out of the seams.)
Bake according to package directions.
Cool.
Break open the tomb and the body of Christ is no longer there!

Then I witnessed something that made my heart smile! James tore into his 'roll' and said "ohhh no no! go?" Kirstyn said, "Bubby, Jesus isn't deaded anymore. He came back to life. So your smarshmellow is not in your tomb."

So there it is, the real reason we celebrate! Jesus isn't dead-ed anymore!

And even though we know that Easter is not about hunting eggs or gifts from Easter bunnies, that part is fun too!

We pray that you and your family had a wonderful Easter celebration and took a minute to thank Jesus for defeating death so that we can have LIFE!

(This was post #499. Any suggestions for what I should do for my next post!)

Fires, Tornados, and Allergies... Oh My!

2009-04-10T07:26:00.002-05:00

I know this is supposed to be my Fat Fighting Friday post but I didn't go weigh in this morning because I was watching the news and lost track of time.

Last night around 10 pm my mom called me to tell me that they were okay. I actually said, "why wouldn't you be?" See, I had no idea that big storms where hitting their area of southwest Arkansas. She said that a tornado had hit several houses between her house and my sister's house (they are only about 3 miles apart) and damaged several houses. They also had hail the size of apples! Mom said their swimming pool looked like the ocean! They showed Mena, Arkansas (about 40 miles north of my hometown) on the national news this morning and there is lots of damage there.

We missed all of that excitement on our news because our local news is covering all of the wildfires that are in the counties surrounding us. The smoke around our house is thick like fog at times. This morning my allergies are driving me crazy and I know it is because of the smoke in the air.

Anyway, I weighed in on my home scale and is still stuck. I think I might get up in the morning and try out that meeting.

I am eating very clean and working out like a crazy lady... hopefully the scale will show me some results SOON! I am staying motivated because I am losing inches but I NEED the pounds to come off too so that I can get into my "healthy weight range".

Please tell me what you do to stay motivated to exercise and eat healthy. Do you have a favorite motivational saying?

Whatcha Eating?

2009-04-07T22:07:00.004-05:00

I just had to share this one because it was a huge hit tonight with the family! I just love it when I make something new and everyone likes it.

Here is a picture of my plate:

Here is the recipe from Hungry Girl for the chicken:

Rhapsody in Bleu
Warm chicken wrapped around melted cheese and juicy ham that won't break the calorie bank!?

Ingredients:

One 5-oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlet
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature (I used the garlic and herb flavored.)
1 oz. (about 3 slices) 97 - 98% fat-free ham slices (I only had 3 slices in the house so I used one thin slice per chicken breast and that was enough!)
salt and black pepper, to taste (I added garlic and onion powder too!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put chicken in a large sealable plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and seal. Using a meat tenderizer or a can, carefully pound chicken through the bag until it is about 1/4-inch thick.
Remove chicken from the bag, and season to taste with salt and pepper on both sides.
Lay the chicken flat and spread the cheese wedge over it.
Evenly layer the ham slices on top of the cheese.
Starting with one of the longer sides (or any side, if it's square), tightly roll up the chicken breast cutlet, and secure with toothpicks.
Place chicken roll in a baking dish lined with foil and/or sprayed with nonstick spray, and then cover the baking dish with foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil covering the dish. Continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING
Serving Size: 1 chicken cordon bleu (entire recipe)
Calories: 222
Fat: 4.5g
Sodium: 692mg
Carbs: 2g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 40g
POINTS® value 5*

I served our new yummy chicken creation with some roasted cauliflower and broccoli (put light spray of olive oil pam and sprinkle w/ salt, pepper, garlic powder and put in hot oven until "toasted") and some fresh blanched asparagus that I picked in my flower bed right before dinner!

Oh and before I forget, when I posted the recipe for Mexican Lasagna, I got several questions about hominy. I hadn't thought to answer those questions until now when I watched Dr. Oz on Oprah today and there was Oprah grinding up some hominy (they just called it lye soaked corn) to make these tortillas and tamales. Good southerners love grits (ground up hominy) so when I mentioned it in my recipe, I didn't even think about it being more of a regional food. I say, if you have never tried it then get some and try it! I prefer Bush's hominy as they don't have any added fat in the can as some of the store brands appear to have.

So tell me, whatcha eating?
What is your favorite "healthy" meal or what are you fixing for dinner?

For more Wordful Wednesday head on over to Angie's place.
And this dinner definately Works For Me!

Name Gallery

2009-04-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

Have you been following MckMamma over at My Charming Kids? If not, you need to head over there are read some of thier story and then start praying for thier youngest son Stellan.

There is a name gallery over there where people who are praying for Stellan submit pictures of places where they have "taken" Stellan. There is an amazing collection of pictures in Stellan's Name Gallery.

These pictures were taken on Saturday when David and Kirstyn went to the last pre-season Texas Ranger's Baseball game at the Ballpark in Arlington. They went all the way up to the top and took this picture with the new ~~Jerry Jones expensive mother ship~~ Dallas Cowboy's stadium in the background.

Then when they went down to their seats they took this picture overlooking the baseball diamond. Kirstyn enjoyed telling people that Stellan is a little boy with a sick heart that we are praying for.

Please take a minute right now and say a prayer for Stellan, his mom and dad and their 3 other children.

So, tell me, where would you take Stellan?

Fat Fighting Friday - W10

2009-04-03T08:12:00.002-05:00

So, I visited a Church of Christ and was enjoying the worship time until I noticed a huge buddha over to the right of the stage. Then we were told to evacuate. When we got outside the flood waters were so bad that we had to get into boats and row away. That would have been fine until we realized that we were being followed by men with guns. At first I wasn't sure if they were there to protect us or hurt us. Then I panicked because I realized they were enemies and then the tallest one aimed his gun at me and pulled the trigger.

Good thing I woke up! Holy Crap....I should not sleep after taking hydrocodone! And I woke up with a headache.

I went to weigh in this morning and I was down 0.2. Yeah. (Can you hear the heavy sarcasm?) This week I plan to track every single bite and lower my points by 2 like I said I was going to do last week and then didn't. Cheer me on... I have to get out of this rut!

It's a miracle that I can walk...

2009-04-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

Today began like any other day with coffee, breakfast, laundry, dishes, getting everyone dressed and off to the gym for my morning workout. I managed to complete my workout in spite of the fact that my entire hand was throbbing.

See, last night while fixing dinner I learned why they put all of those warnings on the mandolin. I was fixing my family a yummy dinner of baked fish, green beans, and sweet potato "fries". I had pealed the sweet potatoes and was running them through the juliane attachment on my mandolin. And yes, I was using the guard. Well, apparently that particular sweet potato had a knot in the middle that I caught just right on the blade, the guard flew out of my hand and I sent my innocent pinky finger into the blade.

I poured hydrogen peroxide over it, bandaged it up and finished dinner.

A few hours later I called a nurse friend of mine to find out what I could do to stop the bleeding. Jennifer gave me a quick tutorial on a pressure dressing and I did that. When I got home from the gym today after my shower I removed the bandage from last night and realized that it was STILL bleeding. So, I gave in and called the doctor to make an appointment.

I knew it wasn't good when the doctor even cringed and promised pain meds before she even touched me! She had to cauterize my finger to get the bleeding to slow down (no, they couldn't even get it to stop completely) so that they could do a pressure wrap on it that I have to leave on until at least Friday morning. Bonus, I also got a tetanus shot that has made the rest of my arm sore!

David has been super dad tonight and taken care of dinner and the kids and is letting me rest.

I have to say, this is the worst kitchen injury that I have ever experienced! My finger will eventually heal but I'm sure I will have a reminder scar. My mother in law called to check on me and told me that she was going to get me one of those cut proof gloves to wear the next time the kids want sweet potato fries! I have often thought about buying one but thought that I was safe since I was using the guard. Wrong. I have always showed a preference to learning things the hard way. I am hard headed like that.

When I first told David that I had cut my pinky finger on my right hand... his response was, I don't think you have ever injured that one before! Seriously, I am always burning my hand or my arm while baking. Getting steam burns and basic knife injuries are common place with me and my cooking. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that dinner time is also prime time for whining and fighting at my house!

But this injury has effected more than just my cooking.... my typing is almost impossible! So if I get behind on commenting on your blogs the next couple of days, I blame my injury and the pain meds!

Please tell me that I am not the only kitchen klutz!

The Funny Paper

2009-03-31T22:01:00.005-05:00

I am so proud of Miss Kirstyn. We have been talking a LOT lately about not wasting and taking care of this earth that God gave us. I've already mentioned that we are composting and that has been like a giant science experiment. Well, on Saturday when it came time to wrap Kaleb's birthday present...

Kirstyn said, "Mommy, how will we wrap his present and not waste everything?"

Me: "Let's use a bag we already have and some tissue paper we saved from your last birthday."

K: "Great Idea."

*looking through box where we keep bags and tissue*

K: "Mommy, we need another plan. Kaleb won't like a princess bag or baby bag."

*think think think (starting to hurt) think think think*

Me: "I KNOW! Let's look in the recycle bin!"

Kirstyn loved my idea and Kaleb didn't seem to mind at all. My mom used to do this all of the time to save money on purchasing wrapping paper and I can't believe it has taken me this long to "think" of it!

Oh and I just had to share these pictures of Kirstyn at the birthday party. There was a giant bounce house and other fun things to do but Miss Kirstyn wanted to sit and hold "pretty baby Claire". She also talked Trinity into coming over and playing with her too for a few minutes. Wow, Carrie, my baby looks really grown up holding your baby!

Please tell me your favorite way to save the environment or save some money!

For more Word-ful Wednesday head over to Angie's place.

For more Works for Me Wednesday head over to We are THAT Family!

Past Post Parade

2009-03-31T14:07:00.002-05:00

I linked up today with Elaine for her Past Post Parade.

While I was looking through my archives I also realized that this week last year, James was getting tubes put in his ears after 6 round of antibiotics didn't cure his ear infections. I just said a prayer because I was reminded how thankful I should be that I haven't even had to take either one of my children to the pediatrician this year!

Oh and apparently this time last year I was also whining about being on a weight loss plateau. That was pretty close to 45 pounds ago. I was wearing a snug size 14 and now I am in a comfortable 8. Okay, guess this exercise of going through my archives was good for my mood after all!

First, go look at a post I did in 2005 and then head over to Elaine's place for a chance to win a fabulous Quaker goodie box!

My Loot and My Mood

2009-03-29T21:47:00.004-05:00

So, at the end of my "mood" week last week I found out that I had won 2 fabulous prizes!

First, I won an 8X10 print of my choice from my friend Christina's amazing photography collection. I spent like 2 hours the other night looking through her pictures on Flickr and I still haven't chosen one. There are so many amazing photographs taken by her. Which one would you choose?

Then, as a result of the 5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party, I won Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook: Budget Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love that was provided by Jessica from Pudget: Losing Weight On A Budget. She recently found my blog and I have been enjoying hers so it is pretty exciting that I won this prize. Plus, who knows, maybe it will be just what I need to get the scale to move again!

I have a plan to change my mood and "turn my frown upside down". (Now I really DO sound like my mother...)

I think I can blame my "mood" on a combination of allergies, pms, a 3 day headache, my weight loss plateau, and not sleeping good. So, have you been in a "mood" too?

Fat Fighting Friday - W9

2009-03-27T07:43:00.005-05:00

Same Report, 9th verse! I got up this morning and weighed in on my home scale. When I saw that it was the same as last week and opted to stay home this morning and cook baked oatmeal for my parents who showed up last night for a surprise visit instead of going to my early morning meeting.

Mom and Dad have been on a cruise all week out of Galveston and they decided they would come by here on their way home to see the kids. They made it just in time to go to pick Kirstyn up from dance and surprise her! She was so excited.

Anyway, I am going to change my number of points per day this week and see what happens. Currently, I have myself listed as "active" and I am going to change that to "sitting most of the time" which will lower my daily points by 2. Hopefully, that will be just the push in the right direction that I need.

Sorry there weren't very many posts this week. I have been in a 'mood' most of the week. The weather is constantly changing here in Texas right now and I keep getting horrible headaches. Oh well, I've made it to Friday and I didn't even miss any of my workouts this week, so I am pretty proud of me.

How was your week?

Mexican Lasagna

2009-03-23T21:39:00.005-05:00

On Saturday morning David let me stay in bed and watch TV (I almost always watch Food Network if given the chance) while I enjoyed my coffee in peace.

Look at what the kids were doing:

Yep, making a giant mess and having a BLAST! They were so proud of their hiding place...

I was watching Rachael Ray and she was making a Mexican Lasagna. Hers was a little too high in fat for me and required too many dishes and too many individual ingredients, so I modified it and it was such a huge hit that my family was asking to eat the leftovers tonight for dinner! (My family usually whines when I serve leftovers!)

My Recipe:

In skillet brown lean ground turkey, add 2 bell peppers and an onion chopped small (so the non-onion eating family members won't find it...) into pan to cook with meat. Season with cumin, coriander seed, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste. When meat mixture is done, add in 2 cans of hominy and one can of whole kernel corn, drained. This is one of your layers.

In bowl, mix together 1/2 jar of your favorite Tomatillo Salsa with an equal amount of your favorite package of guacamole (you can make your own just use about 3 avocados). Set aside as this will be one of your layers.

Start layering with low carb flour tortillas (or corn tortillas).

Add layer of meat and corn mixture.

Add layer of guac and green salsa mixture.

Add thin layer of 2% Mexican blend cheese.

Repeat layering. Bake at 350 until cheese melts and it is hot through.

I served this with some pinto beans I cooked from dried and then "refried" (at my house that means I mashed them and added a little taco seasoning).

I think the next time I make this I will leave out the turkey meat and I will use a mixture of pinto beans and black beans. (Would be a good idea if you are eating meat-less on Fridays right now) I took a picture but it wasn't very pretty so I will spare you.

The best part was that everyone loved it!
What dinner do you make that everyone at your house loves?

Ultimate Blog Party 2009

2009-03-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog y'all! I am excited to be part of the Ultimate Blog Party again this year.

Hope you brought your tutu! No? It's okay, we have extras. Okay, now that you look festive, let me take a minute to introduce our little space here on the web.

My blog is all about what is normal to me, Natalie. Normal is always changing as we grow and learn. Not just my kids, but me too. I just started a composting project in an effort to continue to teach my kids (and me) about 'healthy' living. We live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This country girl from Arkansas married herself a city boy and we are having a blast together.

Here is a picture of my family from when I first started blogging:

Here is a picture of my family now.

My husband, David, is an insurance agent and is currently going to graduate school to finish earning his MBA in Finance. He works very hard so that I can be a SAHM to our two beautiful and very energetic kids. Kirstyn is 5 and never stops thinking and talking so sometimes I share stories about the funny things she says. James is almost 22 months old and is a happy and rowdy little boy that adores his sissy!

And yes, Scooby Doo might as well be considered a part of our family. After all, we make sure we hug him every time we go to Six Flags, he came to Kirstyn's 4th Birthday party, and he often keeps the kids ~~from fighting~~ busy while I am fixing breakfast every morning.

Did you notice that I look a little different in the two pictures? Well, I have managed to lose just over 70 lbs and am on a journey to lose 100 lbs. I have lost the weight by doing Weight Watchers, making up new recipes, and making time for myself by going to the gym. I post about my weekly weigh ins on Fridays in a post I like to call Fat Fighting Friday.

Please feel free to stay and look around or come back soon for more of what is Normal to Natalie, after all, we probably have a lot in common!

Oh and have you picked the prizes that you would like to win? I had a really difficult time choosing, but I would love to win:

58 – Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer Provided by: Moms Who Think

49 – Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook: Budget Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love Provided by: Pudget: Losing Weight On A Budget

103 — A Surprise Box Filled With Goodies ($50 value)Provided by: Monkey’s Momma

15 — A pair of ChicBud Earphones with Swarovski Crystals Provided by: The IE Mommy

If none of those are available, then I would be thrilled to win any one of the many Target gift cards being offered!

So, tell me, did you notice any thing that we have in common?

I hope to 'see' y'all again soon!

Fat Fighting Friday - W8

2009-03-20T07:39:00.001-05:00

First, congratulations Lawanda, you won the flax giveaway! Send me an email with your mailing address and I will forward it on to the generous people at FlaxUSA! If you didn't win, they have great prices on their website!

Today, I weighed in down 0.6. So that puts me down 2 lbs in 8 weeks. David put it into perspective for me...I could be up 2 lbs or 10 lbs if I wasn't working so hard. Plus even my scale agrees that I have lost over 3% of body fat during that time. I can be proud of that!

Come back next week. I am planning to party!

So tell me, did you enjoy 'diet blog' week? Do you want more posts from me about what I am eating and thinking that is part of this road to good health or should I just stick to keeping it for my Fat Fighting Fridays?

My Boy and His Nuts

2009-03-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

What do you reach for when you need a snack?

Kirstyn ALWAYS wants a cheese stick or yogurt or cottage cheese....yes, she is my dairy girl.

James ALWAYS wants 'nuss nuss'....yes, He loves his nuts. Don't they all, er, never mind. (Oh and yes, this picture was taken on David's side of the bed. Honey, if you are reading this...that is not the closet...or the dirty clothes hamper....or where we keep the mail...but apparently your size 14 shoes make a nice coaster.)

I almost always choose fruit. I keep lots of fruits in a basket on the counter (nectarines, bananas, apples, clementine oranges) and then I usually keep I big bowl of washed grapes in the front of the refrigerator. If I think I need something sweet I usually fix a bowl of strawberries and kiwi and top it with a little fat free whip.

I used to always choose things like Fiber One Bars and 100 calorie packs but I have learned that my body is happier with me and satisfied better by a REAL food. Don't get me wrong....I still like those things, they just fall under the category of the one, ahhhh, okay sometimes two servings of 'junk' I allow myself per day.

I also really love popcorn and so do my kids but my Crohn's Disease does not always agree with that one either. Sometimes I have a yogurt with Kirstyn or I count out 7 almonds for myself from James' mixed nuts.

Now, on to lunches:

1 whole wheat low carb tortilla + laughing cow cheese wedge + turkey breast or
1/2 c egg beaters + laughing cow cheese wedge + sliced tomatoes or
1/2 c egg beaters + fat free refried beans + lots of Joe T Garcia's salsa or
grilled chicken breast + can of green beans or
leftovers (usually when we have beef and broccoli or spaghetti in the refrigerator) or
a gyro (sauce on the side) with hummus if I happen to go to the office for lunch with David

Maybe I should be adding flax to my lunches? Maybe you should go enter my giveaway!

So, what do you eat for lunch? And what is your favorite snack?

Dinner Discussion with a Side of Questions

2009-03-17T21:15:00.008-05:00

Ah, my "diet blog week" is getting me some great feedback and making me evaluate EVERYTHING which I think will be benificial in the long run!

As I open my lifestyle up to your helpful comments, some of your comments have generated questions in my brain that I now need answers to...

If I were to get brave and decide to get on a treadmill, what settings would I use? Remember, back in January I completed a 5K in 34:10 so what speed would I use? What incline? What else should I know so that I don't look like a fool?

Does anyone have a good recipe for a "light" whole wheat bread? I would love to start making my own because I know it would save us even more money on the grocery bill.

What brand of ketchup tastes good and doesn't have any HFCS?

Okay, now on to our Dinner Discussion.

I don't mind eating the same thing over and over for breakfast and lunch but my family doesn't feel the same way. So, I try to plan our meals for our dinners a month at a time and write it on a calendar so that I don't have to answer the question "What's for dinner?"

Typical meal:

4-6 oz serving of chicken, fish, lean steak, pork tenderloin (grilled or baked with various seasonings) My new favorite way to season chicken is with Tiki seasoning! What is your favorite seasoning?

Always served with two vegetables/sides -> one is always green and one is usually oven roasted with some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil if you don't speak Rachael Ray) on it so that I can get in my healthy oil (can you tell I am a rule follower?)

my favorite 'green things':

sorry, still a mommy blogger and that picture was just too cute to leave out!

my favorite vegetables: black beans, roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potato 'fries', canned green beans, mashed potatoes (made with skim milk, couple of laughing cow cheese wedges, and smashed roasted garlic)

My favorite "all in one" meal is my beef and broccoli that probably should be called broccoli and beef. I usually use about 8-10 oz of lean steak cut into strips and browned in very little EVOO. Then, I take the steak out, deglaze my pan with fat free low sodium beef broth and 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce. Then add in a big bag or two (I make lots to have leftovers for my lunches) of frozen broccoli florets, steam until done. Add beef back in and allow to cook on low heat to reduce the liquid some to be more like a sauce. Serve over rice. YUMMY!

We eat beans several times per week. I cook my beans from dried because they taste better than canned and they save me a lot of money in the long run. $1 for a pound of dried beans when cooked is approximately 4 cans of beans that would cost you at least $4. I also occasionally cook 1 cup of cornmeal with 4 cups of water and make what some people call polenta but us southern girls call it grits without all the milk and butter... we eat it as a side dish, often when I fix a white fish.

At least once per month I make spaghetti (my all time favorite). I make my own meat spaghetti sauce with lean beef, crushed tomatoes and seasonings (no sugar or added fat) and serve it on healthy harvest whole wheat thin spaghetti. I also mix in a whole package of cooked and strained spinach. (See, rule follower, even my spagetti has two veggies -> tomatoes and spinach.)

I have a feeling I am going to get some comments about changing the beef we eat to turkey, etc but I probably won't be doing that. If you don't know me in real life then you don't know that my daddy raises beef cattle for a living...and that means that my freezer is stocked with *free to me* lean organic beef that I trust 100%. My ground beef is more lean than the 93% lean I have purchased before because there is NOTHING to drain off of mine once it is cooked.

Are you thinking... she should eat salads with her dinner? I would love to...some days. There was a time in my life where I thought I would rather be fat than have to eat a salad. Well, it turns out that my digestive tract does not like raw vegetables. I have crohn's disease (I have not been on meds since giving birth to James!) but through several years of tracking my food I learned that my crohn's punishes me when I eat too many raw vegetables.

Also, if I eat pasta, rice, or potatoes at lunch time then I don't eat those things at dinner. We also rarely eat bread with our dinner. Although, this past Sunday I made these sweet potato biscuits and we ate them with a little honey for desert! I left out the nutmeg (yuck), used 1/2 c whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup ground oats and added flax!

Speaking of flax, have you entered my giveaway to win some *free to YOU* organic flax for your pantry?

This post is linked up with Wordful Wednesday over at Angie's place.

Breakfasts and a Flax Giveaway!

2009-03-17T06:22:00.006-05:00

This week, I'm opening my diet and exercise routine up to constructive criticism, in order to get me off of this plateau I have been on since christmas.

Today, it's time to talk food.

It seemed easier to organize based on meals, so today you get to learn about what I eat for breakfast.

Almost every morning I have 2-3 cups of strong black coffee.

Then, for my first breakfast I eat 1/2 cup of oatmeal made with water and a dash of salt. Then I add a packet of splenda and a sprinkle of Butter Buds. (2 points)

I am trying to cut how much I use artificial sweeteners. I mean, I used to put two packets of splenda in my oatmeal and I had a Diet Dr Pepper with it so I am doing some better... but realize there is much room for improvement. Like I said before, I am open to suggestions and constructive criticisms.

When I get home from the gym I usually make myself a Weight Watcher smoothie. I mix 1 cup light vanilla soy milk (1 pt) with a WW smoothie packet (1 pt) and sometimes some frozen fruit, other times just ice.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays we usually have a "special" breakfast. This last week we tried a new recipe for Baked Oatmeal and I think it is our all time favorite. We liked it as much or more than our Happy Pancakes! The other popular one around our house is Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins.

Baked Oatmeal
combine the following:
1.5 cups oatmeal
1 cup fruit (your choice but we use a frozen blend of strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango, and blueberries)
1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup organic honey
1 tbs organic ground flax
1/4 tsp sea salt
spread into 8X8 dish and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.
Serves 4 at 4pts each.

I may try cutting the honey by a tablespoon and changing the soy milk to unsweetened almond breeze to see if I can get the points down to 3 pts per serving.

Oh and did you follow the link over to FlaxUSA to check out their products? No? Go ahead, I'll wait. I love their ground flax because it is super easy to use and I add it to everything.

Did you know that 1 tbs of ground flax plus 2 tbs of water is a perfect egg substitute (especially since Kirstyn is allergic) but I think I would use it anyway since it is so good for us.

I bought my last container of ground flaxseed at Costco for a fraction of the cost I was paying at Whole Foods for bulk flax seed and it is so much easier to use! Guess what!?!?! Today is your lucky day because the generous people behind FlaxUSA are giving one of my readers flax sprinkles and a roasted snack!

David is sad that he can't enter to win because he really wants to try the packet of roasted flax seeds!

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me if you currently add flax seed to any of your food and if you don't already, to what recipes would you add it? Oh and I want to know what you eat for breakfast!

Fine print:
I will announce the winner of the giveaway on Friday in my Fat Fighting Friday post (3/20).
I will use random.org to select a winner.
Giveaway only open to US. Sorry Canada readers...I still love you!
Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you.

Come back tomorrow to discuss Dinner. Then, Thursday we will talk about my easy lunches and snacks.

My Routine

2009-03-16T05:14:00.001-05:00

This is not a diet blog. I don't want to make this blog only about what I am eating and how much I am exercising...

But, with that said, I am going to use this week to reach out to the bloggy world for advice, encouragement, and a little extra push to get me off and out of this plateau!

As I mentioned before, I have been playing with the same 2 pounds since Christmas. On Friday I got several comments with lots of great advice and some questions about the methods to my weight loss madness so I will be answering those and bracing myself for some constructive criticism. I want to hear from ALL OF YOU...everyone will have something to contribute. I mean, we all have at least one thing that has worked or hasn't worked when it comes to weight and being healthy.

Today, I will be revealing my exercise routine.

All of the classes that I take are Les Mills classes. I take group fitness classes for several reasons:

the social aspect keeps me accountable because I have made friends that expect me to be there and will send text messages to me if I am running late to see if I need my bench set up, etc.

I love the instructors and know for sure that they push me much harder than I would EVER push myself

I have no idea how to use any of the equipment in the gym. (Former fat girl here...I have NEVER before exercised and can't afford a trainer right now!)

Okay, now for my routine:

Sunday: Body Pump (1 hour full body weight lifting class). In the past couple of months, I have been increasing the weight that I am lifting in at least one muscle group every Sunday. I am SHOCKED at how strong I am getting.

Monday: Body Attack (1 hour cardio class) Also, about once per month I get up really early and go to a Body Step (1 hour choreographed step class) that my WW buddy teaches.

Tuesday: Body Pump and sometimes I take an additional Body Attack class for a two hour workout. This usually depends on David's schedule so only happens about once a month.

Wednesday: Body Step and Body Combat (kick boxing class that works my shoulders and arms in addition to my legs. And I should mention that this class also makes my back fat sore!)

Thursday: Body Pump

Friday: Body Step and Body Flow (1/2 hour of yoga and 1/2 hour of Pilate's)

Saturday: off (well, as "off" as you can be when playing full time with a pre-schooler and toddler)

Okay, there you have it...my gym schedule. The best part is that I actually ENJOY going to these classes and in spite of the fact that I am not losing pounds I can see a difference in my muscles and shape.

Tomorrow we will start talking food.

Fat Fighting Friday - W7

2009-03-13T07:53:00.003-05:00

I have a theory.

It makes sense in my brain.

I am going to attempt to tell you my theory.

I think every time I lose about 25 lbs my body has to take its time to get used to the new me and the new lifestyle I created while losing that weight. You know, when I started WW, it wasn't really about getting healthy and being healthy, it was about dropping some weight. I started out just eating less of the same crap that I used to eat.

Then I lost 25lbs and got stuck. So, I changed some of the things I was eating. Like I remember when I lost 2 pts per day, I just quit coffee creamer. Then I changed from regular cheese to 2% cheese. Then I realized that for this to be permanent weight loss I could not just stop ordering double cheeseburgers and order only regular cheeseburgers. It had to be about WHAT I was putting into my body.

Then after being stuck for a while, I started following the Core program by weight watchers. Basically that means you give up white flour, sugar, and fat in your dairy (there were more rules but that was basically it). I stopped making casseroles and hamburger helper for my family. We started eating more vegetables. Most of our dinners now are a meat and two vegetables on the side. I mix it up A LOT. We eat vegetarian at least one dinner per week (easier on the budget too). Then I got stuck again.

I joined the gym. I added exercise. I discovered that I LOVE to exercise. I started working out more and more. I started changing my shape. I started lifting weights. I have been tracking my food. I am stuck...AGAIN. I don't know what else I can change...

Today, I was up 0.4..... a wash really because last week I was in spring clothes and today I was back in winter clothes. But still, I WANT TO SEE A LOSS! I have been playing with this same 2 lbs since Christmas.

So tell me, on your best day....what is the thing you do that makes you proud of yourself. What is your "healthy" secret. Or what did you "give up" in order to be healthier?

Princess at the Movies

2009-03-11T13:02:00.006-05:00

Did you know about this?

Me either. But my mother in law saw something about it in the newspaper and wanted me to look into it.

This week's matinee was advertised as:

Dress in your favorite princess ball gown (mine is at the cleaners, but Kirstyn was ready!)

Attend Sleeping Beauty's Curtsy School (I passed but just barely!)
"Part of Your World" Sing-a-long with Ariel (I was ready...long time Ariel fan here.)

Feature Presentation "Mulan" (My favorite princess....she is tough and smart and not just waiting to be rescued!)

Kirstyn had a great time! I have to admit, it turned out to be a great rainy day activity. I mean, when was the last time you got to dress up as Cinderella and go to the mall?

For more Wordful Wednesday, head on over to Angie's place.

Arboretum Adventure

2009-03-09T21:15:00.006-05:00

Our playgroup ventured to the Dallas Arboretum today. We had a great time smelling the flowers and eating our picnic lunch. As a bonus it was also Mommy and Me Monday so there were extra activities for the kids like coloring and a little petting zoo area.

We even got a miracle shot of all of our kids...or at least I though it was all of them until I looked closer at the picture and realized that Elaine's kids were missing? Anyway, I was really busy snapping pictures and praying that James would not end up in the water before I could stop him.
Oh and here is a picture of our playgroup just a couple of years ago. I am going to say it one more time....WHO had all of these kids!?!?!?

See why I was worried. Look how close to the fish he wanted to get!

Oh and thanks Tracy for taking such a great picture of us! I think my camera likes you better. Guess I better sign up for that photography class at the store where David bought it!

Composting

2009-03-08T20:58:00.004-05:00

It is feeling a lot like Spring here in our part of Texas, at least for today. It has been in the upper 80s around here and will be nice for the first part of the week but then on Thursday we are expecting our highs to be back down in the 40s. ugh.

Anyway, with spring comes my attempts at teaching my kids new lessons. One of those lessons has been gardening. This year, I not only doubled the size of my garden plot but we have also purchased a composting bin and started composting.

So far adding to the compost bin has been a lot of fun! Kirstyn and her friend that she had over had a blast picking up leaves and sticks from all over the yard to help me build the base for the compost. Then they used their little shovels and put in some of the turf we had pulled out of my new section of garden. Just since noon today I have collected probably 8 cups of scraps from the kitchen that would have otherwise been put in the trash or put into the garbage disposal. Did you know that you can compost everything from tea bags to strawberry tops to potatoes to shredded paper. I am so excited to teach my family to be just a little bit 'greener'!

I have gotten some really great information from blogs like this one. Oh and did you know that compost is not supposed to smell? I didn't realize that until I started doing some research. Actually, right now my whole backyard smells like coffee! Did you know that in an effort to be more friendly to the environment, Starbucks will give you their used coffee grounds for use in your compost pile. David went by today and picked up a whole bucket full!

So, what "new" project do you have on the brain for this spring?

Fat Fighting Friday - W6

2009-03-06T06:23:00.003-06:00

Conversation starters:

I really like your shirt... or

Wow, you have really pretty skin... or

Where did you get that cute purse... or

Are those shoes as comfortable as they are cute... or

ANYTHING OTHER THAN... When is your baby due?

Let me make something clear. I am not now, nor do I plan to ever be again... pregnant!

Seriously, I have had it with people asking me when my baby is due. Yes, I have lost a lot of weight and yes, apparently the stomach is that last place that I am going to lose it.... but there is a difference between a pregnant belly and my ugly muffin top!

So, now I know you are wondering what I said back today. Today, I smiled and said, "Guess we all could stand to lose a few pounds." She took it well and said, "girl, I know I could stand to drop 25 lbs." I just smiled and left the shoe repair store with the purse I was picking up for my MIL.

Thirty minutes later, my MIL and I walked into a dress store and the girl behind the counter said, "Are you losing weight?" She is the one that sold me my LBD back in December. Anyway, she made me feel really good. And then I tried on some summer dresses in size MEDIUM and they fit! I didn't buy one yet because we ran out of time and I couldn't decide on my favorite...but I will go back and buy me a cute little number in a MEDIUM!

Oh yeah, and I was down 1.6 today at WW. So, as far as my 20 lbs in 20 weeks quest goes, I am down just 1.8. This last 20 is fighting to stay on my body...but it will not win. We have been together since the early 80s, but I am done with my body's relationship with this old fat!

My Favorites

2009-03-04T15:19:00.000-06:00

My pal, Auds, over at Barking Mad is hosting a contest with a prize of $250 Target Gift Card so I just had to enter. (Auds, I tried to add the button but it wouldn't work...)

How do you get in on this action and lower my chances of winning?

All you have to do is put together a post that showcases your favorite 5 to 10 posts from your blog archives. Easy enough...

I guess I better get busy and share my favorite blog posts!

*************************

When I started blogging it was just to be able to share pictures of Kirstyn without having to send them in emails to people that may or may not care to even look at them. My posts didn't even have titles back then, just pictures with captions, but in order to link to them I have to add titles so your reader may be a little annoyed with me.

Then, my friend Elaine started sending emails trying to increase her blog readership. Something I didn't understand yet because I had no idea there was a way to "meet" the blogging community short of pushing the 'next blog' button in blogger and eventually landing on some scary sites and giving up. Then, as I started reading her blog and following some of the links on her sidebar, I started making some fabulous friends and I participated in my first meme and Blog Carnival.

Then, I came across a blog where someone was being successful on Weight Watchers and using her blog for accountability. Amanda's blog made me believe that I really could lose weight and be successful! So, I started sharing weekly about my progress. I posted before and after pictures when I lost 50 pounds and then when I lost 20 more pounds on my 20 lbs in 20 weeks mission I posted pictures again! I have also shared personal victories like running my first 5K! I am currently on a new mission to lose my last 20 and am posting about that on Fridays.

I still use my blog to post pictures of my kids James and Kirstyn along with funny stories that come up in our day to day life. Occasionally, I share about my husband David. He is my best friend and the love of my life. He works very hard to take care of our family and make sure that I can be a stay at home mom.

Okay, IF you are still here...thanks for reading and going back through some of my favorite posts! And now you know.... all of those events and people make up what is Normal to Natalie!

*************************

Here are the links to my friends that I didn't know if I could put in my contest entry post: my in real life blogging friend Elaine, fabulous blog friend Kami (I redesigned her site by the way!), and weight loss inspiration Amanda.

So, tell me, how would you spend $250 at Target if you win? I plan to buy myself some smaller clothes!

They ARE Real

2009-03-01T23:01:00.005-06:00

Saturday night as I walked out of the house wearing a cute black dress and high heeled boots I actually said, "Off to meet my Internet friends." Then I added, "I plan to return alive!"

See, I was attending a DFW Blogger Meet Up Dinner! Texan Mama and I figured out a few weeks ago that we work out at the same gym so we coordinated and rode to the dinner together.

About 10 minutes into our drive over, David called me and informed me that I had actually left my camera battery on the charger! What?!?!? Here I am attending a blogger dinner with my camera in my purse but it won't take pictures without the battery! Agh. There are several pictures that prove I was there!

Anyway, I had a blast meeting these bloggers in real life! I laughed about the fact that some of them did not sound like I expected. You know, like when you have read a book and then go to see the movie and the character doesn't have the same accent that you had given them in your brain.

I also have to say that dinner was fabulous. I was already being brave and eating dinner with almost 30 people that I had just met so I went ahead and ordered something that I had never eaten! I ordered an Ahi Tuna Burger because I had seen several people on the food network rave about such a thing. Well, add me to the list of people that love these!

Christina asked me as we were reading through the 150 menu items if I was mentally figuring out how many points each item had. I said yes but what I have learned from doing Weight Watchers for so long is that I have no business ordering anything that is fried or covered in cheese or doused with a cream sauce. Those items would use all of my points for the day, all of my extra points for the week and probably then some.

It was really a great night and I am so glad that I went. I can't wait until we do this again! I am adding everyone to my reader so that I will know you even better the next time we meet!

Oh and one more thing...Kami, the next time we do a blogger dinner you have to at least sit at my table!