Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans

Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans



Join us in our weight loss journey. It'll be great to have less fat around our middle for the holidays dontcha think??? You can see what's going on over here.

So far I'm not doing so good so this has gotta help me.....

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Gettin' Ready For Thanksgiving

My friend sent me this hilarious look at Thanksgiving Preparation. I wanted to share it with you. Are you "On-Track" or "Off-Track"??


(1) ON TRACK SCHEDULE

6:00 a.m. Exercise, shower, fix hair and put on make-up.

7:30 a.m. Say prayers, read inspirational material.

8:00 a.m. Make bed, dress, eat cereal, nonfat milk, toast and
fruit, take a walk, and check appearance of the front door.

9:00 a.m. Stuff turkey with stuffing prepared yesterday, have
children set holiday table. (Silver was polished yesterday.) Boil potatoes(they were peeled yesterday and have been soaking in cold water overnight). Make pies (pumpkin filling, apple filling and dough were made yesterday and refrigerated) .

10:00 a.m. Listen to holiday music; check table, centerpiece and
candles. Bake pies. Whip potatoes and set aside to be micro-waved just before serving.

11:00 a.m. Put turkey in the oven.

Noon: Prepare a light meal, soup and salad for family.

1:00 p.m. Call relative long distance, make sure bathroom has toilet
paper, guest towels and soap, (of course it is swished and swiped daily).

2:00 p.m. Make last minute items, such as gravy, heat rolls and
mashed potatoes, put out butter, Jello salads and other refrigerated foods you prepared yesterday and the day before.

3:00 p.m. Doorbell rings. Greet guests, sit down to dinner. Take
small portions and allow 45 minutes to eat. Stop eating before you are stuffed.

4:00 p.m. Have everyone help clear the table and clean up the
kitchen. Sip a low calorie drink or water if you are inclined to snack on leftovers.

5:00 p.m. Take a nice long walk! with family and guests. Build a
snowman or take a ride in the country.

7:00 p.m. Come home and play cards or a board game or watch, It's A
Wonderful Life.

10:00 p.m. Go to bed. Sleep like a baby.

2:00 a.m. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:00 a.m. Wake up refreshed. Weigh yourself. Have a wonderful life!
********************************************

(2) SIDETRACKED SCHEDULE

6:00 a.m.

7:00 a.m.

8:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. Leave bed unmade, start meal preparations in pajamas,
discover turkey is not totally thawed, skip breakfast.

10:00 a.m. Polish silver, snack on chips, olives, nuts and dip while
blow-drying the turkey. Put it in the oven with a Cornish Game Hen in the hole because you didn't make a stuffing.

11:00 a.m. Find family room in a mess, start stashing, find tweezers,
start watching, It's A Wonderful Life on television, pluck a few hairs on your knee caps.

Noon Eat more chips and dip, have a beer. Wake up kids, throw
a fit over their messy rooms.

1:00 p.m. Discover you don't have cranberry sauce, throw long coat
on over pajamas (roll legs up so they don't show) head to Minute Mart.

2:00 p.m. Call husband to come and get you because you ran out of
gas. Eat some of the snacks you bought, while you wait. Race home, take a birdbath, throw some clothes on, yell at the kids for not cleaning their rooms. Close the door to yours.

3:00 p.m. Doorbell rings. Greet guests, have husband entertain while
you set the table.

4:00 p.m. Eat like a pig. Have seconds and thirds, pile on butter,
salt heavily, drink several glasses of wine, don't save room for desert but then have it anyway. Tell everyone you'll do the dishes later, drag yourself to the living room and crash on the couch.

5:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m. Head for the Alka Seltzer, hit the bed and toss and turn.

2:00 a.m. Sneak into the kitchen and fix a turkey sandwich, wash it
down with milk straight out to the carton, polish of the last piece
of pecan pie you bought at Minute Mart.

9:00 a.m. Wake up with a splitting headache, weigh yourself and sulk
all day.


I'm a whole lot closer to "Off Track" than I am "On Track", but I do seem to get better every year....so maybe one day, I'll actually get "On Track"!! Hope your preparations go according to your schedule.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Moms Need More Time!

I just read a great blog entry from Dawn that we all need to read. Go check it our here.

I couldn't agree more....and believe me I need to do better with my time, as is evidenced by the fact that my 2 hours of free time is almost over and I haven't done anything but goof off on the computer! UGH....and I had such high hopes for tonight!

Conversations of A Almost 5 Year Old

I started sending That Other Kid to an AWANAS class at the church that That Kid goes to on Wednesday nights. It has been nice for me...I get a couple of hours where I can do what I want. Usually that means watching goofy tv shows, playing around on the computer, and vegging! What a great 2 hours!!!

This has really been the first "church" experience That Other Kid has had. We haven't really found the church that fits our schedule, and our "style", although we are getting closer to finding "the right one". It has been good for him and it gives the 2 boys an opportunity to spend some time together-- one on one, driving to and from church. We have always been vocal about our belief in God and how good HE is to us, etc. so God/Jesus is not new to him.

Tonight while they were on the way to church That Kid sent me a text message (I'm hoping he sent it while at a traffic light or in the line to get their dinner at Chick-fil-a!) that said,

"That Other Kid said he wished he was god, so he wouldn't have to sleep or eat food!!"

I just started laughing....oh the inconveniences of life!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Spreading Our Love To the Troops

Big Mama wrote about a great way to support our troops and their families today. I plan to get my Christmas card out this next week. I don't want to miss this opportunity to support our troops and the families that are out there protecting my family!

Please join me.....

Thursday, November 13, 2008

God Lives Under The Bed

I received this email the other day and just looked over it until tonight when I sat down and really read it. I'm been doing a lot of reflecting on my life the past few weeks and this really made me think a little harder. I think it will affect you the same way.


GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and- cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful.

FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY

Monday, November 10, 2008

I'm In A Giving Mood

The 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge

I found out about this great opportunity to help some of the neediest people in the world today from this blog. It's one of the easiest things you can do to help the poorest people, and it's not expensive so even if you are having financial problems you can still help. $5!! that's all it takes to donate 2 pair of shoes to these people! I can't even buy socks for $5 and here they are buying 2 pair of shoes. How great is that???

Sunday, November 9, 2008

College Preview Success

Well That Kid came home yesterday, yeah!! and he was sooooo excited about Abilene Christian College. He LOVED this school. EVERY. SINGLE.THING!! except the cost of it, which is not really his responsibility in my view. Of course, DH feels that $30,000 per year is A LOT OF MONEY!! He went to visit Hardin-Simmons University also and was not all that impressed with it. BUT HE LOVED ACU!!!!

It is a small-medium sized, Christian school with a ton of history and a very good reputation. My only concern with him going to this school is that there is NO ice hockey there. I don't want him to lose the ground he has made in the ice hockey officiating program here in the metroplex. He wants to persue officiating as a career, so I think it would be wise to remain where he can continue reffing while going to college.

Well no decisions need to be made right now, anyway so I guess we will just continue as we are and see where God leads him!

So....my question to you, my readers.....do you have $120,000 just sitting around that you cound send us so we can send our son to a great school??? I'm open to donations!!!

God's Will is what I'm lookin' for. How 'bout you??

Thursday, November 6, 2008

College Preview Weekend

This upcoming weekend That Kid is going off to visit 2 different colleges, Abilene Christian College and Hardin-Simmons University. Due to circumstances beyond my control (That Other Kid, definitely not under control) I'm not able to attend with him like I had planned. He is going with his girlfriend, her sister, and MOST importantly their mom. lol!! I'm sure he will come home full of plenty of information about both colleges. They are both private Christian colleges that I would be thrilled with if he decided to attend. My in-laws live just 20 minutes away from both of these colleges, so he would have grandma and grandpa close by to get a little extra lovin', not to mention they are both small private Christian schools, which I think is important, especially in today's world.

However, realistically I don't really see him attending either school. First off, as an athlete and "typical jock" getting top scores academically has not been a priority for him, so his grades probably aren't considered "in the top 10 percent". Secondly, and probably even more important is that there is NO ICE HOCKEY there, so he would not be able to continue progressing in the field that he wants to persue -- Ice Hockey Official. If he attends college locally, meaning the DFW area, he can continue persuing this career path as well as attend college.

He has talked about attending both UNT and UTA, which from our current location in the metroplex, would take him about 30 - 45minutes to get to college, if he chooses to continue living at home.

Personally, I'm having a hard time accepting that he is 18 years old and is a little more than 6 months away from being ready to attend college full time. It would definitely help this "momma heart" if he attended college locally and continued living at home....However, friends of mine have reminded me that eventually he will leave home to live somewhere else and I do have a little guy who will continue living at home for many years to come....I am definitely grateful for my number 2 blessing, but that doesn't make me want my number 1 blessing to leave any sooner!!

Boy, did I need to read Barb's words this morning.You can read them over at Shannon's. They certainly blessed me, and I figure they will bless many more mommas today, too. Thanks Barb, for those timely words!!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A Little Bummed

This morning I woke up a bit out of sorts. Ya see, my guy didn't win last night and as That Other Kid said, "The Blues won, we should have played better!" Everything is a competition to him and your team should ALWAYS WIN!! But as the day wore on I realized something that I already knew in my heart....it just had to get through to my head.

God is still in control!!!

Over the next 4 years I believe we need to PRAY like nobody's business for this country and for our new President. Please join me as I pray daily for our country and our new president. I think we are gonna need it!
I finally found a weight loss ticker that I could post on my site. I've been looking for this for a while and I'm pleased that I finally found it. I posted it right up front on top so I could see my progress everytime I get on my blog site. I'm hoping it will become a constant motivation to see it myself and maybe be a motivation to someone else, too.

I haven't done very good the past 6 weeks, but I'm ready to get back on the band wagon and get this weight off. I am tired of being sooooo overweight and not looking good in ANYTHING I wear. I'm hoping that the weight lose ticker will be a motivator.

Today That Other Kid told a little boy he wanted to show him what his daddy looks like, cuz he doesn't have any hair! He's bald! and then he started laughing hysterically! I don't want him to say the say thing about me -- only that I am soo fat!!! I definitely don't want to be the object of a 4 year old's humor!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

ELECTION DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!

**** Edited to add....That Kid went to the polls and voted!! I'm so pleased that he took advantage of his constitutional right!



Today is the day that most of the country has been waiting for for at least the past 6 months! Today is the day that WE, as a citizen of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, get to VOTE for the next president. Not only do we get to be a part of history but we get to have a voice in this election process.

This is an especially exciting election in our household....That Kid turned 18 this summer so this year he "GETS" to vote. He's not really excited about voting for this year's presidential candidates, I believe his exact words were "who cares?" However, dh and I talked to him last night and convinced him that this is one of his constitutional rights and a sign of being an "adult".... Being an adult is not just having the privilege of coming and going as you please it also means you take responsibility for your actions, and it also allows you to make certain decisions for yourself. But it also allows you to VOTE for our next president!! What a privilege we have in this country!! I just sent him a text telling him where to go to vote! He already knows who we suggested he vote for....but IT IS HIS RIGHT to vote for who he chooses...I just hope he goes and VOTES!!! DH and I voted last week during early voting....It took me about 30 minutes and dh about 45 minutes...and I know lines are going to be long....but isn't it wonderful that we have such freedom in this country that we "GET TO VOTE"??

And don't forget.....we also have the right to PRAY for the election!! I suggest we do that, too. It may be the most important part of the whole process today.

Thank you God for the privilege of voting in this country. I pray that the people of this country step up to the plate and vote for the next president of the United States. I also pray that you guide the hands of those voters to vote for the man who will lead this country for the next 4 years.