Melissa's Thoughts

Monday Weigh In

2011-12-19T08:17:00.005-06:00

A little discouraging, but nothing that would ruin the day. Make you go WHAT, but not make you stop the journey you've started. Here are the facts first. I weighed in the morning at 272.5lbs, which means I gained 1/2 a lb. Could my trousers possibly weigh 1/2 lb? No, I think not. So why am I so discouraged over 1/2lb?

I JOINED THE GYM!! Yes, last Tuesday, I went to our hospital Wellness Center and joined. Before I go on with that, I wanted to share with you a picture.

Running is not my friend. I have bad knees and well, big girls shouldn't run. However, I have the very detailed dreams of me running. In my dreams, this girl can run for miles and miles. Now, in my dreams I also know that I normally CAN'T run and I get so excited that I can run. So, when I saw this picture, it cracked me up. This is me. In my dreams, the first girl is me. In reality the little girl at the bottom is me. Oh, couldn't you just squeeze her though. She makes me smile.

Ok, back to The Wellness Center. Before we relocated to our new facility, I worked out at our Wellness Center. I like working out there because they women are fully dressed and even though I am a large woman, I have never felt self conscious going in there and working out. When we moved across town, I stopped going. It was easier not to drive across town and work late. Well, last weekend they moved to their new home right out my back down. Yup, a short 200 steps and I am at my favorite "gym".

The "old" Wellness Center was smelling. Even though there was great equipment, it still felt like an old place and not very appealing. However, this new center is bright and clean and well, it smells new.

This is the arobic room. They have all kinds of classes in here at all times of the day including the weekends. I can work out as early as 5:00 a.m. or as late at 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays, because we all need a day to rest.

There are clinical nutritionist that will meet with you and help you with your food plan. There are sports therapist that will meet with you and help you get a work out plan together that will help you achieve your goals. After the new year, I will be coming in to work with a sports therapist on a new work out plan.

Right now I am walking on the treadmill because it FREEZING outside. Oh, our campus grounds also has a greenway where we can walk outside when it gets nice again. I can't wait for that.

I hope to get some more posts in before I leave for Christmas. This year we are spending Christmas with my parents because of Mama's surgery. She is doing well by the way and I thank you for your prayers. Hoe you all have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Prayer Request

2011-12-13T17:18:00.003-06:00

Thank you all for praying for Mama. She came out of surgery very well and is already up and talking on the phone. Please pray that her potassium levels stay at a good level. They have a habit of dropping causing Mama to pass out. This afternoon when she tried to stand, she almost passed out. That is not unusual just coming out of surgery, however, past history indicates that she continues to do this.

I have talked to her this evening and she feels good. On great pain meds, so her voice sounds good and strong. Although, my mother is a very strong woman. Well, thank you again for your prayers. Keep them coming.

Prayer Request

2011-12-13T09:00:00.003-06:00

Mama is currently in surgery and so I'm asking for your prayers. It should be three hours, and I will check back when she is out. Thank you for lifting her up this morning.

Oh, praying for the doctors might not be so bad either. :)

Weigh In Monday

2011-12-12T23:21:00.003-06:00

Good Monday!! Yes, that is happiness you since in my voice. I was so ready to jump on the scale this morning. And hard work really does pay off. The scale showed my weight at 272lbs this morning. That means I lost 4.5lbs this week. I really feel like I'm back on track and so excited about this weight in. Wooohoooo!!!

One quick prayer request. Mama is having surgery in the morning on her knee. The knee replacement she had 2 years ago didn't take, so to speak. The bottom portion of the knee has come "unglued" for lack of a better term. So, she sought out a new doctor to help her. This doctor will be going in tomorrow morning and replacing at least the bottom portion, but most likely the whole knee.

Pray for my Daddy who is such a wonderful nurse to her. He loves her so much and you can really see it in his care of her.

I've been working hard on Christmas presents and like the other things I've been doing, I can't wait to show you everything. I promise soon.

Weigh In Monday

2011-12-05T15:46:00.003-06:00

I knew that I had lost some and jumped out of bed to see what the numbers said. Stepping on the scale, I eagerly looked down and BAM, there it was 276.5lbs. That is a 2 lb loss this week. It felt so good to see that number this morning. It means that I was able to stay on track and do what I was suppose to do this week.

Our Wellness Center at work has opened and so I am going to join and start walking this week. That forces me to leave at a good time and still get home before The Boy goes to work. Yes, he is working night shift at a car place. We are so excited for him. He has what they call a retirement job. It's a job that once a man gets, he will stay in it until he retires. God blessed The Boy with that job right off the bat. So proud of him.

Well, ya'll have a great night. Keep warm.

Monday Morning Weigh In

2011-11-29T07:10:00.002-06:00

No changes which I see as a huge accomplishment after spending Thanksgiving in Florida with family. I did get a lot of walking in, so maybe I just walked off the extra calories. However, I really did try to be a little good. Even taking a good walk after Thanksgiving dinner. So, I'm still at 178.5lb. I head back to the doctor tomorrow and hope that she understands what has been going on with me and the meds.

Please keep The Boy in your prayers today. He is going to court for a speeding ticket and driving without proof of insurance. It's his first ticket and since has been driving like a grandpa through town. Not so funny, he actually was pulled over because the officer thought he was skipping school at the local High School he was passing. The officer was shocked to find that The Boy was actually 20 years old and when he didn't have his proof of insurance wrote him a ticket for speeding. Even though he was the middle car in a long line of cars. So, was he speeding, yes, going about 10 over. Therefore, he was breaking the law (along with 10 or so other cars) and therefore got the ticket.

Also, keep my Mama in your prayers. She will be having a 2nd knee replacement on the same knee on December 13th. Please pray for peace in the midst of the Christmas season and that she be able to rest assured that this surgery will work. Also, pray for my Daddy as he cares for her and the puppies and work too. He is a wonderful nurse to my Mama and cares for her better than anyone. But I'm sure he wears himself out in doing so. Please pray for rest for him.

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have tons of pictures to share of our trip to Florida. I wish I could have stayed about another year. HA!

Have a great day and until next time...have a blessed week.

Weigh In Monday/Tuesday

2011-11-22T10:44:00.005-06:00

Hey ya'll. I know I've been gone a while, just needing a break from things. You know that I've been struggling with my weight the past three months. Up Down, Up Down, it's been a roller coaster ride for me and not a fun one.

So, last Sunday I went off my birth control pills, which I've been on three months, and in that amount of time, I've lost 4.5 lbs. That was the only way to prove to myself that I was going to get anywhere off them or on them. So, my last weigh in I was 182lbs. This morning I was at 177.5lbs, which means I have lost 4.5lbs. I'm pretty happy with that number. Which means, it is proven that on BC I DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT.

Well, my blog break time was much needed in not worrying about what to write about, my life is not that exciting to have something everyday.

However, one thing I have been doing this month, beside observing National Type 1 Month for Type 1 diabetes awareness, so facebooking my thanks to God each day. Like on the 19th, I was thankful that God made people with different skills and talents especially those who can fix your heat when it goes out. Even though it might cost you a arm and a leg...oh and big toe too. He will provide.

It has been such a blessing to me to be able to think about my days and the blessing, even the small ones, that fill my life each day. Here are some example to prompt you to thinking of your blessings.

Thankful for hot chocolate to warm my insides when we have no heat.

Thankful for a dryer to warm blankets on cold windy nights.

Thankful for friends that offer their homes for not only me, but my dog.

Thankful that I have the skills and talents to make gifts for people.

Thankful for my guys at work that help me when I need it.

Thankful that Tony Stewart won the the 2011 NASCAR Championship on Sunday!!

Thankful for my sons ability to clean the house

Thankful for laughter

Thankful for tears

Thankful for jokes

Thankful for song

Thankful that the lights didn't turn red and I made it to work on time.

Thankful for the parking space up close to the bldg and I didn't get as wet as I would have if I parked in the back of the lot

Thankful for my blow dryer and my curling iron

Thankful for dental floss

Thankful for my 100 tubes of chapstick that are at my every beckon call.

Thankful for my new dog Baby who loves me so much and loves to cuddle.

See, there are things in your life that really change your day. Choose today what to be thankful for. Choose to see your blessings and not see the obstacles in your life. Choose today what you see before you as a gift from God, because he will use EVERYTHING to bless you.

T1 Day

2011-11-01T08:47:00.006-05:00

Today is T1 Day!!! What is T1 Day you might ask? T1 Day is a Day to recognize Type 1 Diabetes and the first day of National Diabetes Awareness Month. This day is dedicated to all things type 1 diabetes.

As most of you know, my son (The Boy) has Type 1. He was diagnosed at 15 months old and basically it's all he has ever known. To honor his life and those other friends, I am going to post with a theme this month. All Things Diabetes.

Now, we are in no ways experts, but we have been doing this for a long time. I hope to encourage you if you are a type 1 or the parent of a type 1 or the family member or friend of a type 1.

I encourage you to check out the JDRF.org website and see all the ways that diabetes has changed through the year. Here are a few of the changes we have been through.

Our first Accu-Chek machine look very similar to this and cost of over $200. It took several minutes to actually get the results of the glucose. First you would get everything ready. Turn on the machine. Get a BIG glob of blood on the tip of the finger and pray it was enough to cover the strip. Press start on the machine which would count down from 1 minute. Then it would beep and you would wipe the blood off the strip and stick the strip in the side of the machine, press the button again and then wait another minute for the results. Ug, the headache of squeezing fingers and waiting for that magic number to appear. They came in only one color and it was pasty white.

This is what The Boy uses now.

Bayer makes this very cool glucose machine that is also a jump drive. NO BATTERIES!!! it charges on your computer and you can download your numbers to see how you are doing. It give you an adverage number and The Boy loves it.

Later I will share our search for a new insulin. When The Boy was diagnosed, his insulin was from a crazy sourse. Can't wait to share that story with you.

Weigh In Monday

2011-10-31T19:15:00.006-05:00

So, Today was weigh in Monday and I weighed in a 282lbs. That means, well you know what that means don't you? I grabbed my food journal put today's date on it and then started again and did really well today. It's still really busy at work and so eating today without feeding my cravings was easy. Being home without eating the bowl of Halloween candy has been pretty good too. I wrote down each type of candy I bought and the amount of calories in each pack. Then I was able to make a good choice for me. If I wanted to eat candy that is.

So, it's Halloween and I've enjoyed watching these little ones tonight. So excited when I placed a bag of skittles, Reese's pieces or M&M's in their bags. The big kids were excited to be out and loading up on sugar. They did a great job this year of dressing up. I don't really have a issue with the big kids IF they take the time to dress up.

I do have a hard time with parents of toddlers dressing up and taking their little ones trick or treating with two bags. One for THEM and one of the the kiddos. WHAT THE FREAK? Grow up people!!

I wanted to share this little treat with you. White chocolate covered strawberries with funny faces on them. I love the way the steams look like wild and crazy hair. I also saw some strawberries that were made to look like baseballs for the World Series. So cute!! Great for a boys birthday party.

So, I believe I shared with you that I got a new puppy. Didn't I? Her name is Baby Ruth and she is a beautiful black Corgi. Baby Ruth is 5 years old and a Mama's Dog. She loves to snuggle close to you and she really really love to look deeply in your eyes and speak to your soul. We were lucky to find her and rescue her and bring her to her "furever" home.

Don't you just LOVE this picture? I don't run. Can't run, well I can run, but choose not to unless someone is chasing me. Or that creepy music plays in the background and I hear that "Jason" cha cha cha sound..then I will run. But I dream that I can run. I have dreamed that I run and run and run and it's so exciting. When I saw this picture, I deep belly laughed because this would be totally me. HAHAHAHAHAH It just cracks me up every time I see it.

Well, It's my 41st birthday week. Yup, the ole girl will be 41 on Thursday. Mama is coming into town tomorrow and I'm so excited to see her. Yes, they were just here for The Boys graduation so when she called to say she was coming I was really excited. I just wish Daddy was coming too.

Yes, there is still so much to update ya'll on and I will get to that. There is also so much coming up and I can't to update you on that too.

Weigh In Monday

2011-10-24T08:15:00.004-05:00

To be honest, I almost didn't write this morning. I'm sad and mad. Why? Well, let's cover the mad part first. Mad because I weighed in at 280.5 lbs this morning.... That is like 9 lbs in one week. WHAT THE FREAK? Is that possible? Here is what has gone wrong the past couple weeks. I haven't been writing anything down that I put in my mouth. I have been eating at work more instead of bringing my lunch. I have not been excising at all. I have not been doing what I was suppose to, but 9 lbs? Wow, maybe I should weigh again tomorrow.

Ok, now to the sad part. I would like to introduce you to Baby. Baby is a black Corgi mix and I got her yesterday. Doesn't she look like a bear cub? So, why so sad? Because Baby doesn't like Anna. I know two females. Isn't she sweet? Anna loves Baby, but Baby doesn't love Anna. Actually, Baby doesn't love Anna loving me. Jealous. So, last night we made the decision that Baby needed to go back home and my heart broke. I put her in bed with me last night and that sweet thing just snuggled up to me and slept all night long.

So, while I'm trying to write this, The Boy has called and said that while he is home during the day looking for jobs, he will work with Baby and Anna and see if it helps. We have decided to keep her for the rest of the week and love her and try to give her and Anna time to love each other.

Weigh In Monday

2011-10-17T10:53:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon Blogger Friends. It's been a full weekend of sickness for me. Two whole days of headaches, yesterday throwing up and today I am back with a headache. Really don't think it's my sinus's, but not really sure what is wrong with the ole girl. HA

So, Monday morning weigh in was 271 lbs, which means no changes. Not that I'm really surprised. I didn't bring my lunch at all last week and worked late almost every night to catch up on some things and well, bad habits again. Today is a fresh start and I will try harder this week. My doctor is going to get on me if I keep this up though.

I do have lots to update everyone on. Really I do and will try to update my blog this week. Have a great Monday.

Weigh In Monday

2011-10-10T11:19:00.002-05:00

After a nice enjoyable weekend, it's back to work and weigh in Monday. I gained 1 1/2 lb this weekend and weighed in at 171 this morning. After all the eating I did this weekend or from last Wednesday to last night, it's no surprise. But it's back to the food journal and walking.

I promise to update the last of my September pictures and The Boy's graduation on Friday. Our weekend family visit and all the wonderfully fun things tha tsister and I got into yesterday.

Weigh In Monday - Tuesday

2011-10-04T07:58:00.002-05:00

Up and down, Up and down.... I'm on a see-saw. Up to 271lbs this morning, however that seems strange because my pants were lose this morning and I just washed and dried them. So, this means that I gained 1.5 lbs this past week.

I will be doing a large post on the rest of my 30 Day Challenge because they are completed. I haven't updated because our internet at home goes in and out and it makes updating very very hard.

So, a little update to let you know what this week holds...

Update on my "medical procedure" last week

Happy Birthday to our Facility. Saturday was our one year anniversary at our new facility

The Boy graduates from Tech School

Family in town

Another opportunity at work, but this one is fun

So, there are lots fun things to update everyone on this week and I will do my best to get that done soon.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 20

2011-09-26T23:09:00.004-05:00

Well, this is as close as I could find of a picture I took to today's challenge. Today's challenge is Bokeh. This is a technique with your camera where the subject is clear, but the background is blurred. So, if this was a truly perfect picture using the bokeh technique, the car would be clear. I'm still practicing. I'll get it though.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 21

2011-09-26T23:02:00.003-05:00

Today's challenge is Self Portrait without showing your face. I thought about this one. Who am I without my face...something that would let you understand how I am without showing my face. First thought is my family. My family is who I am..what's important to me. But something with me in it without my face in it would be this.

I love the water, the sand, the beach, the smell of salt water the feel of the sand and water between my toes. The lifestyle of the beach. Laid back and slow. Flip flops and shorts. Sunscreen and cool drinks. That would be a self portrait at me without showing my face. However, my family would be sitting with me there on the beach too.

Weight In Monday

2011-09-26T09:52:00.002-05:00

This morning I weighed in at 269.5lbs, which means that I lost 2.5 lbs. Woo, that is a relief. I was starting to think that this would never happen on BC. I have my weigh on Wednesday and not sure how my monthly weigh in will be, but it is what it is.

The Boy and I went grocery shopping Saturday and loaded up on food for meals that I could make easily and fast. The crockpot is easy for me, but no when you wake up late and forget to put the food in. That might be a good thing today as we are suppose to have bad storms with a cold front moving through.

Yes, I missed Day 18 of my Photo Challenge, but will get that posted today. No, I wasn't too busy, I had the worst headache yesterday and couldn't focus on anything, little less this challenge. You will see why today....hopefully.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 19

2011-09-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

Having a little issue with today's challenge. Can you even guess what it is? I don't even know if I can do this. I mean really, it's not my thing. There is no way that I can pull this off. It's so hard for me to even wrap my brain around it. But, I'm going to give it the old girl scout try and go for it. Today's challenge is ORANGE.

Let me tell you that this girl lives in Tennessee and I love it, but this TN girl is not a UT Vol. Meaning, orange is NOT my favorite color. In face, I'm not a fan at all. So, when I saw that today's challenge was orange I didn't know what to do. However, with yesterday being the first day of FALL, I thought about all the gorgeous orange photos out there, just waiting to be shown off.

So, here is the closest that I can get. Come on, she has orange tints to her.

Alright...well, here are some pictures that I downloaded because I do not have ANYTHING orange.

YUMO, Orange Crush

I found Nemo

Orange Tree

Orange flip flop cakes

Orange Flowers

So, maybe orange is not a bad color, but I'm still really going to have to think about bringing it in the house. HA

It's a good thing

2011-09-24T11:58:00.004-05:00

When I hear about great organizations I get excited. I love kids. I love teenagers. They are so alive. They feel BIG things. They say BIG things (very loud). Everything is drama. Everything is wonderful, awful, cool, awesome and horrible. And they can go through all of those things in a matter of a few seconds.

This morning as I was doing my grown up things like make my weekly shopping list, cleaning the kitchen, making out my todo list for the day and watching tv, I came across a program that caught my eye and my heart.

Leonardtown High School

From the beginning of time I always wanted to be a Cheerleader. I had very low self esteem in high school and knew I would never make my squad. Like most teen age girls, I wanted to be cute and popular and date the cute jocks. I was very shy to the point that if you didn't know me, you really thought I was a snob because I never talked to anyone. Yes, I had great friends and going into the 2nd semester of my high school career I was friends with the Cheerleaders and many of the popular kids.

It was at this time that I really wanted to try out for the LHS JV Cheerleading squad. I practiced with my best friend who was a year behind me and with my friends who were already on the squad. But at the last minute, I chickened out and didn't try out. I really think I would have made the squad, but I just couldn't make myself try out.

The end of that spring, we had cheer tryouts for the fall squad. By then, my BFF could try out and together we tried out and MADE the squad. Yes, I said I MADE the cheer squad. I was so excited, I remember calling my mom in tears because my dream had come true. I was a LHS CHEERLEADER.

And that brings me to this morning. I came across a program that highlights programs that promote a positive outlook on life. They were promoting THE SPARKLE EFFECT. The Sparkle Effect is a youth-led, youth-driven, youth-staffed, and is fully integrated into High School sports program. During the season, sparkle cheerleaders cheer right along side the Varsity Cheerleaders at all sporting events, in front of packed stands to cheering crowds. Who are these sparkle cheerleaders? They are special needs girls/guys that live daily with down syndrome, get around in a wheelchair or have some other special need.

(source)

The existing cheerleaders become peer coaches and help their sparkle cheerleader learn the cheers and become their friend. As of now there are 41 sparkle squads across the country. Including three right here in Tennessee. Two about 20 miles from our house. Oh, they even have a team in SOUTH AFRICA!!!

The offer free on-site training if you are interested and also have a uniform grant program sponsored by Varsity Spirit Uniforms for qualifying programs that is worth $1200.

I remember what cheering did for me and my only need was to feel accepted and crawl out of my shell. Special need girls and guys many times just want a place where they can be just like everyone else. Many don't suffer from shyness or low self esteem, because they know they are complete well adjusted people that just want a chance to be just like others. I love that this program promotes that. Check them out.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 18

2011-09-23T23:03:00.003-05:00

Today would be Sister's favorite post. Mama and Sister love shoes. I do too, but not like them. They LOVE shoes. I just wear them.

Here are my shoes today. Don't you love the big buckle? NO? Yes, you do. They jingle. Yes, I've got shoes that jingle jangle jingle. HA

Because I could be called to the floors at anytime to help move patients, I wear flats most of the time. Actually, I almost wore heels today because I met a HOT fireman last night at work and he came back today to repel off our roof. Well, not repel today but prepare for some Fire Department training and that would include repelling in the future. Did I mention how HOT he is?

And here is Sister in her shoes. Well, not her shoes. They were actually T@rget's but she tried them on. Sister has lost 40 lbs and looks amazing. She has GREAT legs and you can really see that in these shoes.

I tried on the green ones too, but lets just say that I couldn't walk in them. Ok, lets say that if the shopping buggy had not been there, I would have gone down on my bottom.

So, you can clearly see how much fun Sister and I have together. She tries on sexy stripper shoes and I cling to shopping buggies. HAHAAH

Oh and the Hot Fireman? He is the friend of one of my co-workers and I think he talked to him about me. He kept asking me today if I got to see him today. I told him no and I think he was a little disappointed. Not half as much as I was though. But really glad now that I wore the black flats and not the heels.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 17

2011-09-22T13:12:00.004-05:00

Today's challenge is Technology. Ha, after yesterday's challenge and not being able to take a long exposure picture, I have shown my lack of knowledge with Technology. However, the one thing that I love almost more than my laptop, if my iP0d Touch.

My local library allows you to download books for up to 21 days. I have so many books downloaded to my iP0d I might never listen to them all. While traveling this past weekend, I was able to listen to a book and half another. Coolest thing in the world.

And because I LOVE pink, I have this cool hot pink slide cover that keeps my little friend safe and secure from all harm.

What is your favorite piece of technology?

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 16

2011-09-22T00:00:00.002-05:00

Let me just say that I love photography. I wish I knew more about my camera and what the many technical terms mean. What are all those letters on that dial for? I know that they can make my pictures much better, but just not sure what they do.

So, today's Photo Challenge is Long Exposure. What the heck does that mean? Take a picture from far away? Full body shot? Well, I looked it up on the internet and shazam, guess what I found. The most wonderful beautiful pictures. I g00gled Long Exposure and here are a few of the pictures I got.

I've seen these pictures and always wanted to know how to do this.

I've just always thought that this was done with Ph0t0 Shop

But you can really do pictures like this with your camera.

Ok, maybe a little ph0t0 Shopping

But be rest assured that I'm going to try this technique.

So, after seeing these amazingly beautiful pictures, I ran to look for my little manual. You know that book that you leave in your camera box because honestly, you already know how to use a camera and you do a great job on your own. Until you see pictures like this and then you grab that book and try to duplicate them. So, stay tuned and let's see if I can do just as well.

I wanted to also honor my Nanny Lou today who would have been 92 years old. I miss you my sweet Nanny. Two years is not that I know, but I miss you terribly. Happy Birthday Nanny; I love you!

Amazing Giveaway - Check this out

2011-09-20T23:27:00.002-05:00

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful. You know how guys name their cars? Well, I would name this beauty Rock-o. You have to say it right though. Roll your R, ready....Rrrrrrrrock-o. That's it, you did it.

Well, Over at Reluctant Entertainer's site, you can check out this amazing giveaway.

The following was taken from RE's blog and I really encourage you to enter. What a great gift for someone or yourself.

Today in celebration of RE featured in USA Today, Kitchen Aid is giving away a 7-quart Stand Mixer. This product is brand new, so the winner will be one of the first to own it.

Here are the details (winner gets to choose between silver, black, or red):

KitchenAid’s Best Performing Stand Mixer
• Our Most Powerful, Quietest Available – 1.3HP high efficiency DC motor is designed to run longer and delivers optimum torque with less at build-up. Easily handles recipes requiring longer mixing, kneading and whipping times. The all-metal, precise gear design produces a smooth, quiet sound.
• Our Longest Lasting – Designed for long life of high performance; backed by 2 year hassle-free replacement warranty.
• Our Most Efficient – Advanced feedback control communicates in micro seconds to the motor to ensure optimal power is delivered to the bowl.

Professional-Style Attachment Power Hub
Fits all current KitchenAid® attachments and future larger capacity commercial-style attachments

Largest Capacity Residential Bowl-Lift Available 7-Quart (6.6 L)
• Handles 8 ½ lbs of mashed potatoes, 8 ½ loaves of bread, 14 dozen cookies.

Dishwasher Safe Accessories
Maximize bowl coverage with the stainless steel 11-wire Elliptical Whip, coated metal Flat Beater and Power Knead™ Dough Hook. Handles small and large jobs equally well.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 15

2011-09-20T22:33:00.001-05:00

Ok, we are now up to date on the daily photo challenge which brings us to, Silhouettes.

This is the Boy when he was three years old. We were at the beach in North Carolina enjoying a wonderful summer vacation. While at Kitty Hawk, a lady was doing free hand Silhouettes. Maybe they are all done this way, but The Boy sat in a chair and the lady looked at him and cut his sweet face from a normal everyday black piece of paper. My sweet baby's face forever preserved for me to enjoy everyday.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 14

2011-09-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

The EYES have it. Day 14 is Eyes. I always feel like somebody's watching me.....do you remember that song? Yes, that is just where my brain just went.

So, when I think about eyes, my thoughts went directly to The Boy's pretty blue eyes. I always wanted blue eyes. I had blue eyes when I was little, but when I got older, they changed to hazel like my Daddy's. So, I have my father's eyes, father's eyes, Eyes, full of compassion....sorry Amy Grant's song. See, my brain ....

Anyway, here are my eyes.

Now, do you feel like somebody's watching you?

I see you....

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 13

2011-09-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

Me with 18 things...18 things? Ok, so I'm looking all over the house for 18 things....wait it didn't say that they had to be the same things. Just 18 "things" so....

Here I am with 18 corks. No, I didn't drink 18 bottles of wine. I left that up to other people. And I do have a great craft planned with them, but SOMEONE better start drinking a lot more wine.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 12

2011-09-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

Day 12 - Sunset...

I've been without the internet at home, so I'm going to update all my challenges tonight and update my trip tomorrow.

Well, it rained Friday night while I was in JAX, so a sunset there was not that easy to get. So, I'm using a past sunset.

Our beautiful sunset while at the beach in July.

I love sunset's over the water. However, on my way home, I too a great shot in the mountains.

I am not a much a mountain girl. My heart is at the beach and well, sunsets should be over water as far as I'm concerned. However, while driving home, through the mountains, the sun setting was beautiful. So, I liked a shot as the sun went behind the mountains.

Which is your favorite?

Weight In Monday

2011-09-19T11:44:00.004-05:00

This morning I weighed in at 272lbs, which means that I lost 1 lb. With the trip this weekend, I guess losing any amount of weight would be good. I have my weigh in with my doctor next Wednesday and so I will talk to her about the BC. She is also going to removed some moles so start praying about that. Ug, I'm not a good patient. HA

What a trip. I got back to Middle Tennessee last night around 7:00 and was unpacked and in bed by 9:30. This girl was tired. I was tired this morning too and could have slept in. HA

One another note, my sister doesn't have email and getting to a place that has wi-fi was not easy so I will update my daily photographic challenges tonight. Have a great day!

JAX Trip - Day 1

2011-09-16T12:43:00.001-05:00

It's been such a great morning. I've been to the beach and then thrift shopping for my sister's mantel piece. I'm doing a fall/winter theme for her. Can't wait to share with you the AMAZING deals I got.

But let's back up a bit. Mrs. McG had some family issues so she was not able to come along. So, Thursday morning I was up and at um at 6:00 I pulled out of Middle Tennessee. It was drizzling and foggy.

Yes, i just took a picture while driving in the fog.

By the time I hit Atlanta, the sun was out and the temperature was up and I was ready for the beach.

Last night Sister and I went to an Irish pub for dinner. It was not fantastic, so I didn't even bother with pictures. We ended up leaving there and going to Panera for dessert and coffee. We were still hungry..or as Sister said, Not Satisfied. HA

I'm now relaxing at Sipper's. It's a great Christian Coffee Shop right down from where my sister works. Sister loves to hang out here for lunch and the owner Marcy is amazing.

Sippers Coffeehouse is located at 7643 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville FL. If you are ever in JAX, you must come by. Tell Marcy hey!! There is a lots of comfy seating where you can sit and enjoy your coffee, tea, smoothie or lots of other items on their menu. Marcy and her son are behind the counter coming up with a snicker smoothie and it smelled amazing.

Well, I'm packing up the computer and hitting the streets again. I have to have this mantel finished by the time sister gets home, but that probably won't happen. Can't wait to see what adventures we will get into tonight. Stay tuned.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 11

2011-09-16T12:22:00.001-05:00

Something Blue....

In honor of being at the beach, here is my blue picture.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 10

2011-09-16T12:06:00.001-05:00

A Childhood Memory....

I would like to introduce you to my cousins. Only six of the eight of us are pictured. Well, two were not even born yet. Ha. The reason these kids are gathered is the man in the middle on the phone. This is my Grand Daddy and we are celebrating his birthday in March 1982.

I know this date so well because is because this was his last birthday with us. He is on the phone with my Daddy who was in Oklahoma. In April, Grand Daddy went to Duke Medical Center for open heart surgery and passed away on the table.

I miss that man and really wish that he had lived to meet his great grandchildren, especially The Boy. Here are some things that this man taught me.

NEVER EVER chew tobacco. It taste horrible. Believe me I know.
You CAN drive 15 MPH EVERYWHERE and get there on time if you leave early enough.
If you beg and say the right things, your Grand Daddy WILL let you walk home from school as long as he follows you and you NEVER tell Granny. Well that is until he dies and she can't get mad at him. HA
Grand Daddy's love having their hair brushed and will sit for hours on end playing beauty shop.
When Grand Daddy makes a bad face and says "HOOOOCKEY" whatever it is he is talking about should never be messed with. (My favorite)

My Grand Daddy was taken away from us way too soon, but he left lasting memories on each of the grandchildren that knew him and therefore, he will live on in each of us.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 9

2011-09-14T21:11:00.001-05:00

Day 9

Today I am sharing with you a photograph of the one I love. This will come as no surprise to you.

I love this kid. He is the light of my life.

Tomorrow morning I'm hitting the road for JAX. I'm so excited to spend the weekend with my sister. We have a To Do list and after some time at the beach, shopping and visiting with friends, we will tackle that To Do list. I'm not even there and I already don't want to come home. HA

So, my bags are pack, my iPod full of books and music and the road is calling my name. Don't worry, my camera is in my bag and there will be lots of pictures to share.

30 Day Challenge - Day 8

2011-09-14T05:53:00.002-05:00

Tuesday...it feels like it should be Friday the way this week is going. However, tomorrow is my last day of work for the week. Thursday morning I am leaving very early and hitting the road for JAX. Yup, going to see my sister and hang with her and her friends. She has planned a cookout and I can't wait to meet everyone.

Today's photograph challenge is suppose to be a bad habit of mine. Ha, most of you are thinking and laughing because I don't have many. Ok, ha, now you can laugh. Right now my worst bad habit is being a workaholic. So, here is today's picture.

If you will notice the time is 6:45 p.m and this is my office. Notice my Tony Stewart Calendar? Yes, Tony is with me everywhere...even work. I got a lot of invoices finished up tonight in anticipation to my trip. I felt that they needed to be in before my trip. So, yes I stayed late tonight at work. It's on of my many faults.

This morning when I pulled out of my drive way, the moon came into view. It was beautiful. Full in the sky like huge pearl. It was beautiful.

Don't you just love this picture?

I wanted to ask for prayer for a special friend of mine. They just found out, two weeks ago, that her mom has cancer. It hit her family really hard. And just two weeks into her mother's diagnosis, she passed from this life into Heaven and into the arms of Jesus. In Amber's words, "She is a Christian and is now MUCH better off without any physical limitations or illness! However, my heart if trying to catch up on that knowledge."

Weight In Monday on Tuesday

2011-09-13T07:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I gained 1 lb. Yup, 273lbs. Not really sure what is going on with me this month. I really thought that this week was better than last week and I gain 1 lb. Although, it is time for Aunt Flow to visit. Making excuses is not going to put me back on track though.

So, here is a question for you. Please leave me a comment and let me know if this is something I should expect. We are going to get personal here. Ha, like you don't already know that, but keeping it real is what I'm all about. If there is anything I can do to encourage someone on their weight loss journey I will put it out there. Being a "big girl" is not where I want to be in life at 40 years old.

Ok, here we go. I went back on birth control pills this past month. Not for BC reasons, but because I'm so tired of Aunt Flow's unannounced visits and that she stays such a long time. We don't get a long very well. Anyway, it seems that since I went back on them, that I've had trouble loosing and not being hungry all the time. I mean, this morning was the first morning that I didn't wake up and contemplate stopping at Sonic or Hardees or McDonald's or DONUT COUNTRY. No, I have not stopped there, but for the past couple weeks, that is what I wake up thinking. DONUT COUNTRY (said is big vibrating deep voice). My PA came into the office the other day to grab some parking passes and I thought about asking her, but when you work with 19 men, getting personal girl asking question time is not to be had. Ha, so what are your thoughts.

Come on back this afternoon for day 7 of our Photography Challenge.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 7

2011-09-12T22:30:00.002-05:00

Fruit. Today's picture is fruit and I'm so excited about today's picture.

GRAPES!

But not just any grapes. The beautiful green burst of juicy sweetness are.....

Yes, these are Muscadine grapes.

My Great Grandfather, Papa, had an amazing jewel in his side yard. It brought me, my sister and my cousins hours and hours of entertainment. It was our camp, our hide out, our boat, our plan. It was our secret telling place. It was Papa's grape orchard.

(source)

Much like this one except that these big vines hung down and wrapped around and you could actually sit in the tops of the vines and the midst of the grapes. The perfect place to eat these beautiful green grapes until you were so sick you wanted to throw up.

I popped one of these beauties into my mouth and when I bit down, As the sweet inside popped into my mouth and the sweetness of the fruit hit my taste buds I was 7 years old and sitting in these vines with my cousins. And then as I bit down into the skin, I was brought back to the reality that I hate the skins with a passion and there are seeds in these grapes. Ha. The grape itself is delicious, but it's it funny how my memories left out that part?

Of course, I can't share fruit with you without this sweet favorite.

That's right, my very favorite fruit...watermelon.

I was running late this morning, so I will bring my weigh in for you tomorrow morning. I'm praying I have lost that 3 1/2 lbs from the past couple weeks. Let's see how I did.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 6

2011-09-11T19:14:00.003-05:00

Today's challenge is a picture from below. And because today is Patriot Day, 9/11, I thought it only fitting that today's picture be of Old Glory.

Where were you? When asked that question many people know that you are speaking of 9/11. I was at work. I worked right outside Nashville at the front reception desk answering every call that came in our office. I remember this particular Tuesday morning was beautiful. The sun was shinning bright, it wasn't hot and the sky was a beautiful clear and crisp blue. Kind of like the day after a hurricane goes through and sucks all the impurities out of the sky.

The phone was quiet that morning. Not a lot of calls coming in and then my friend Ande called. She said, a plane just hit the World Trade Center. What? I remember thinking that it had to be a small plane. She said, it was a big plane. Then as I am talking with her, the 2nd plane hits. WHAT? When she said that it was a big plane again, she asked. Do you think that there were people on those planes? What? There is no way that they are airliners. They were never let planes that close to the city. People are walking through the office and I'm telling them that a plane just hit the WTC and another plane just came in. Their looks were like I was crazy. Confusion. That was the look on all our faces. I was confused as to what was really going on. She hung up the phone and I called my Daddy. He and Sister were home and I wanted them up and watching TV. Then I thought of The Boy's family. His Uncle Jim worked in NYC for Merle Lynch. Surely he wasn't in the towers. Then Ande called back and said that the Pentagon was hit. Pentagon? That is Washington DC. I thought of people we know that could work there. Daddy had been in the Pentagon. The Boys Dad had been in the Pentagon. We were Navy. What is going on? Daddy called and asked if I wanted him to pick the Boy up from school. We made the decision to let him stay at school away from the TV. When Daddy did go pick up, I asked him to keep him away from the TV until I could get home. Then we hear of a fourth plane heading toward Ohio.

(source)

The day was unreal. People calling asking if I had seen the TV, what did I think, who do I think did this? When I got off of work, I remember walking to my car and it being so quiet. We were in the flight path of BNA. I drove to my parents and turned my attention to my 10 year old. He knew that NYC had been attacked and that Washington DC had been attacked. So, we sat him down and explained to him that some very bad men flew airplanes into the WTC's and Pentagon and crashed a plane in Pennsylvania that we could only think was suppose to hit Washington DC too.

(source)

The Boy has been through a lot in his life and his maturity levels of comprehending things is amazing. I asked if he wanted to watch the TV and see it. Of course. This military raised, plane loving boy wanted to see what we were all so mad, hurt, confused and really just ticked off about. Let him watch a little of it and then he and I headed home. Home where he slept curled close to me.

(source)

The Boy, Daddy and I were actually suppose to leave for Washington DC that week. Daddy had work there and we were going to tag along and see friends. Because of the attacks, our trip was put off until that weekend and the next week. As soon as we arrived in DC, we headed straight to the Pentagon where we witnessed so much destruction.

I remember the smell of the jet fuel and smoke. It was sickening. Daddy, The Boy and I were able to sign a big sign and look at a make shift memorial. It helped to be able to see these things first hand. To be able to pay tribute to lives lost.

In the weeks that followed the horror of the attacks become clear. The fact that men got on planes and with a purpose of destruction and killing, flew three planes full of people into buildings with people in them. What crazy crazy people would do this?

10 Years later, Bin Laden is dead, Hussein is dead. But what we need to know that there will always be someone there to take their place to try and cause fear in the hearts of people. It is just more proof that people need God. We need to reach out and teach our children the love of Christ. We all need that love.

So, today 10 years later, in honor of those that lost their lives working in an office. In honor of those firefighters that rushed into three burning buildings. In honor of the policemen and women that gave their lives to save lives. In honor of innocent passengers on airplanes that fought terrorist in order to save countless lives. We will NEVER forget you. We will remember and We will tell your stories of bravery and sacrifice.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 5

2011-09-10T23:15:00.001-05:00

Today's Photograph is up something from a high angle. I wanted to go to my facility and take the picture from the 7th floor of my town, but I figure going to there might not be a good idea. So, here is what I came up with.

On Thursday Mrs. McG and I are leaving zero dark thirty and heading to JAX. This is when I was there in June from the bridge that leads back to the mainland from the beach. Yes, this is what I will be looking at in 4 days. WOOHOOO!!

Today has been a restful day and now I'm sitting here watching the NASCAR race, listening to a book tape, blogging and playing FreeCell on the computer. HA!

Remember to put your American Flags out tomorrow, wear Red and find someway to thank the First Responders in your area.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 4

2011-09-10T00:11:00.001-05:00

Today's challenge is something GREEN. I love the color GREEN. So here is my GREEN picture.

I actually took this picture for the red bird, but I love the different greens in the picture too.

Ok, I failed miserably today at leaving work on time. Yes, I worked late. I worked until 9:30, but I was getting so much accomplished and really had no plans tonight so I worked. I promise I wont work the weekend though.

Well, it's been a long day. I think I'm going to hit the sack. Hope ya'll had a great Friday and a WONDERFUL weekend.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 3

2011-09-08T22:21:00.001-05:00

So, it's Day 3 of the 30 Day Photography Challenge which is Clouds. Well this was not hard because it's been cloudy, cold and rainy since Sunday. So, here is my Cloud picture.

I was great to finally see a little blue sky and no rain. Cloudy skies rolling out and warmer weather rolling in.

And something so sweet happened to me today. And it was so funny to happen to me today too. You know that my goal is to leave work by 3:30. I have been really good about getting out of the office. Today I felt myself slipping back into wanting to stay in the office when it was quiet and get caught up. No, I knew that I couldn't do it. Wile I was packing up and shutting down both of my computers...yes because one is never enough, someone knocked on my door. One of my sweet co-workers came in and asked for some help picking up some bricks. Ok, let's back up a little bit. Most of you know that almost one year ago the facility that I work at moved from it's 84 year old home into a brand spanking new facility. Yes, it was sad to say goodbye to that beautiful facility, so our Foundation office got together and decided to salvage 250 original bricks from the original 1927 building and sell them for $25.00 each. All of the money goes into our Benevolence fund that help fellow associates that are having financial trouble. The Boy and I have personally been touched by this wonderful fund. They helped us pay for 1/2 of The Boy's Insulin Pump. Ok, back to the story! I helped my co-worker take bricks to her office so that they could be picked up by donors. While in her office, I was able to help another co-worker with a issue she was having. Because of that, she handed me a brick as a thank you. What? Yes, Now I have a little piece of history. Yes, it's a brick, but years and years and years from now, The Boys kids can look at the brick and ok, that brick probably won't be around, but it was special to me. HA!

"For the Welfare of Mankind"

This was carved in the stone that hung at the main entrance of the "old" building. And even if this brick doesn't last for another 84 years, when I look at it, I will remember the wonderful people I worked with there and the wonderful care The Boy got there and the blessing that place was in my life.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day 2

2011-09-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

Today is Day 2 of the 30 Day Photography Challenge. Day 2 is What You Wore Today.

I really liked my outfit, but once I looked at the picture, wow, just not sure about it. So, here it is.

I have not been able to wear these pants in two years. I love this shirt, but the top is getting a little big on me. The bottom band of the shirt is elastic, so hit hugs around the hips. Hmmm, maybe not the look for me.

So, here is a little something for you. The first picture is me last September. And the 2nd is from tonight. 27lbs lighter in the 2nd. I can kind of see the difference, but thought I would give you a before and during shot being I was modeling clothes.

Ok, today is Day 2 that I also left work on time. Ok, tonight maybe not on time, but as I was walking out, one of our nurses walked in to let know her cell phone had been stolen out of her office. I felt really bad for her and so I tried to help them track some information down. I was out of there by 4:10 though. Not too bad.

I made chili tonight and it was soooo gooood. There is just nothing like a good bowl of chili or homemade soup on a cold day.

Alrighty then. Hope ya'll have a great Thursday. Wow, Thursday..can you believe the week is almost over. Love short weeks. Especially since I've decided NOT to work on the weekends either.

30 Day Photography Challenge - Day One

2011-09-05T23:02:00.006-05:00

I've spent alot of time this weekend looking for ways today to organize my life at work and home. Part of that is find time to do what I love to do. One of those things that I enjoy is blogging. I love putting my thoughts down on "paper" and being able to read them later. Blogging is a great way I can share my life with others. Well, as said in my previous posting, my priorities are out of wack right now. Blogging has been one thing I enjoy that has suffered sooooo much. When I was catching up on my friends' blogs today, I came across a challenge one of my "real life" friends, Patrice's blog, Blessings Amid Chaos. Patrice is doing the 30 Day Photography Challenge. What a wonderful way to give me some direction on my blog right now. Direction that is much needed.

This is the list of pictures I am to take over the next 30 days. Maybe I was suppose to start it on the first, but hey, it's my blog and my 30 days, so it starts on Tuesday, September 6, for me.

Join me in this challenge if you will and let me know if you do. I would love to follow your 30 day challenge too.

Day One: Self-Portrait.

My self portrait today was taken with my Blackberry so the quality if not the greatest. This is my new office where I create master pieces that we like to call badges here at work. Ha Ha. I've been taking pictures all day of nursing students and as of 2:00, I've created over 120 badges. Boy am I tired!! Yes, 3:30 is coming and I'm going home.

It's cold in Middle TN and so it's going to be chili night at our house. And I'm looking forward to come good ole chili. What are you having for supper tonight?

Weigh In Monday

2011-09-05T22:51:00.001-05:00

Well, as you can see, I've managed to wait until the last possible moment to update my weight today. Ug, so here it is the ugly truth. I weighed in this morning at 272 lbs, which means I gained 4 1/2 lbs this week. So, as I sat here today at home and work, yes I worked, I began to think of my last couple weeks. My mind went back to conversations with Mama, Sister and Mrs. McG and it's no surprise that I've gained 5 lbs in two weeks. My priorities are so out of wack right now that I'm going backwards instead of forward. And that is not only in my daily eating, but at work, at home, at church and with my friends. There is nothing that is getting 100% of me. Nothing! And that is NOT the way God wants our lives.

So, this weeks goals are as follows...

Drink more water
Leave work at 3:30 when I am suppose to
Walk everyday
Get into the word everyday
Work on an organizational plan for work and home.

I will ask for help from Mrs. McG and a great co-worker to get me out the door at 3:30 or shortly thereafter. I must must must keep a good schedule for me. For my health mental and physical.

So, I have 5 lbs to re-loose which ticks me off, but the lessons I've learned on the journey help me in the end right? Right.

Weight In Monday

2011-08-29T08:39:00.002-05:00

I weighed in this morning at 269.5 lbs. That means that I didn't gain or lose this week. However, I did check in with my doctor on Friday and I lost 8 lbs in August. That is a great amount of weight for one month. Hoping for 20lb, but I'll take 8lbs. HA Just kidding.

Today's post is short. I'll have more later on my families survival of Hurricane Irene in North Carolina's Crystal Coast and my parents in Maryland. Hope ya'll have a great day and stay staff.

My New Favorite Cereal

2011-08-27T10:38:00.002-05:00

There is normally one item that you have to have in your kitchen to make it feel complete. If I do not have cereal in the house, we have no food in the house, no matter how packed the cabinets are. I LOVE cereal and I found a new one that is soooo YUMMY!!! Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. Wonderful Cheerio taste with the burst of cinnamon. No, this is not a commercial, but I just ate my first bowl and had to share this bit of goodness with you.

Go out and buy a box. Heck, buy four boxes so you don't run out.

Not so Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T10:22:00.005-05:00

Tennessee is home to me now, but I am and will forever be a Carolina girl in my heart. With that said, let me also let you know that I am NOT in anyway shape or form a UT fan. Just can't do it. Not a fan. In fact, not even sure I own anything orange except...nope nothing. However, as a college basketball fan I was heartbroken yesterday to learn about Pat Summitt. Pat released the news yesterday and she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. Please be in prayer for Pat and her family. As the fighter she is, Pat will be coaching her Lady Vols this season. Here's to you Pat.

If you missed my most current post, I posted my beach trip HERE. I think you will enjoy it.

And, how about that earthquake yesterday in Washington DC? My parents live about an hour outside of DC and really felt the shaking. Mama called about 15 minutes after it happened and you could hear the nerves in her voice. Daddy was at work and was evacuated from their building. On the east coast, we are used to hurricanes not earthquakes. WOW. Thank you FB friends for your sweet prayers for my parents and my friends that are there. AND get this, my sister felt the shake in JAX. REALLY? Yes!

Well, ya'll have a great Wednesday and hope your day was wonderful.

Weigh In Monday

2011-08-21T22:18:00.007-05:00

I weighed in this morning at 269.5 lbs. That means that I gained 1lbs for a total of 30lbs. I've not felt very well this weekend and been on an antibiotic. Because of that I've had to eat before each dose of medicine. I've got to learn to let go of things like this and look at the bigger picture of my weight loss. Discouragement flooded through me this morning and I thought, you have been sick. 1lbs is not going to kill you. This is not a race and you need time to rest too.

My work schedule has not let up much. I actually left two days last week on time. That is a lot better than working 12 to 13 hour days like I have the past 6 weeks. This week I will try to get caught up on things and really get organized. My goal is to leave on time and start walking in the afternoons. Pray for me.

Also, please pray for my 2nd cousin. His name is Steven and he lives in North Carolina. He was just diagnosed with brain cancer and lung cancer. He is undergoing treatment for the brain tumors now and then the doctors will look at the lung cancer.

Thank you all for checking in on me. Hope your goals have been set and you are achieving them also. Have a great week.

Weigh In Monday

2011-08-14T22:34:00.006-05:00

I weighed in this morning at 268.5 lbs. That means that I lost 3.5lbs for a total of 31.5lbs. YES!! I'm very excited about that because I broke the 30 lb mark. I've lost over 30 lbs!! I'm just over the moon. There are no words to explain how excited I am that I'm reaching my goals. Also, thank you all for the sweet comments that you leave for me week after week. They mean the world to me and when I want to eat a dozen donuts, not because I want them, but because I'm stressed, I pull your comments up and read through them. I can do this. I know I can.

One great thing about losing weight is that you get to buy new clothes. I've tried to buy clothes that would look good as I lose weight. Well, I've lost out of the cute shirts I just bought from C@tos before I went to Florida. Yes, my beach post is coming. LOL You will get a kick out of it. So, hopefully my work schedule will be more back to normal this week and I will be able to hit some stores.

Hope your weekend was amazing and restful. Take care of each other.

Weigh In Monday

2011-08-08T09:36:00.004-05:00

This weeks numbers are MUCH better and I'm very happy with my progress. I've tried to look at things this way. When I gain, I can look back at my meals and see what did or didn't work for me. I look at my water, my diet drink and my sugar intake and see what did or didn't work for me. Writing down everything I put in my stomach has really been a wonderful thing to have. I'm not sure I'll ever stop keeping a food journal. So, I weighed in this morning at 272 lbs, which means that I lost 4 lbs this week.

It feels so good to be back on track and know that what I'm doing is working. Water; I've been drinking more water this past week. I've reduced my Diet Dr. P to one or two a week instead of a 32oz a day.

I'm still working on a rather funny post from my time at the beach several weeks ago. Hopefully work has calmed down a bit and I can get back to posting on a more regular basis. So, ya'll have a great day.

Orange Beach, AL Summer 2011

2011-08-02T18:46:00.010-05:00

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! If there was a theme song to our vacation in Orange Beach, that would be our song. God has blessed me with an amazing group of girls to hang out with. We each have a strong LOVE for the beach and so when it comes summer, the annual trip this year included me. Oh, I've been asked before but never was able to go. However, with Christopher a "man" now and able to take care of the homestead, I felt that I really needed to get away with the girls this year.

The water on the Gulf Coast is amazing. Now, I'm an Atlantic Ocean girl. I love the beaches on the Atlantic, the sand, the water....all of it. There is nothing like the waves from the ocean rolling in. However, I must say that I really enjoyed being able to walk out on soft sand to my shoulders and still see the bottom. You can rarely do that in the Atlantic. We had three beautiful days of clear water, which I hear is rare on the gulf.

So, I was ready for some sun and warned alot that I was to apply sunscreen regularly. HELLO PEOPLE, I was raised on the beach. I know how to apply sun screen, I'm not a child...hellooooo. Yes, well applying sunscreen is one thing, checking the sunscreen to make sure it has not expired is a completely different thing. I got burnt the first day due to expired sunscreen which I applied liberally every 30 minutes.

And while laying on the beach, I loved being able to look at the boats and the parasailing and the boats and the airplanes and the sailboats and the speedboats and the ..... oh I was at home. And let me just say that I WILL do this next year. I WILL save $60.00 and I WILL be small enough to be swept into the sky by the wind and drift to and fro.

On our first night there, we headed out to some seafood place. I just know that we called it Studs and Duds and if you have ever been to Gulf Shores, you know exactly where I mean. It's a great seafood place and peeps, yes I said peeps, I am very VERY picky about my seafood. See how tan and RED we are?

And as we waited for our names to be called to eat, we were rewarded with this beautiful site. Miles and miles of white sandy beaches. The smell of salt. The view of a beautiful sunset.

Yes, I told you I got burnt.

And this just really cracked me up. BRING YOUR OWN BANANA? What the Hey? Question: When you go on vacation, do you take bananas along in the car just in case you need a banana split? Hmmmmm

A rainy afternoon of shopping lead me to find my princess cowgirl hate. Bonus; it lights up!

And can I just tell you how HOT is was at the beach. The sky's were clear and the view was HOT.

I mean, everywhere we looked there was HOTNESS!

It was just down right steamy!

Some moments seemed hotter than others.

And then we would have to cool off by watching the water.

Then then things would stir and yup, it would get hot all over again.

Sometimes, It got so HOT right beside you, you had to fan yourself or drink a cold drink.

And then it would cool off a little and things moved away.

But the hotness always returned...

and brighten our afternoon and keep us girls on our toes....

Or flying over the moon....(no not me, next summer remember)

and just when you thought it couldn't get any HOTTER.....

IT DID!

And we would have to take cover under and umbrella or take a dip in the water....

And before we knew it, it was time to head back to Tennessee where we have no sand or beach or waves or HOTNESS!

Where palm trees do not grow.

And the water doesn't go on for miles and miles and miles....

But where we do have dreams that summer is coming again and we will return to the white beaches of the Gulf Coast.

This post was brought to you with DEEP heart felt appreciation for the UNITED STATES NAVY, who allows their fine men to lay on beaches when they are not on duty.

Weigh In Monday

2011-08-01T08:46:00.004-05:00

Not to happy with my numbers this week, but I only have myself to blame. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and she is VERY happy with my progress. I had lost 8 lbs since I saw her last. However, I slipped a lot this past week. I went back and looked at my calories and I was over my 1650 cal per day rate about 5 times. Because of that, I weighed in this morning at 276 lbs, which means that I gained 2 lbs this week. That is horrible being I was on vacation and lost 1/2 lb. So, this week here are the changes I'm going make.

More water. I have noticed that I am not drinking as much water as I was. Hello my name is Melissa and I'm a Coke Zero-holic or Diet Dr. P-holic. Yes, it's my drug of choice. And let me just say that our facility has the BEST fountain Diet Dr. P in the world. Yes, I kid you not. It's like liquid crack. But because of that, I get a 32 oz in the morning and it will last me all day. Meaning? No water consumption. NOT GOOD.

I've also been working a lot of hours and instead of not eating, I've been eating my meals and snacks here. Meaning? EATING OUT FAST FOOD. I've been hungry all week and when I stay on my schedule that normally doesn't happen.

So, this week my changes are:
- Drink more water
- Exercise
- Not Eat Out!

Oh, and CONGRATS to Mrs. McG on the birth of Baby McG. Mrs. McG is a proud grandma and I'm so happy for her and her family. Baby is beautiful and looks just like a McG with chubby checks and a head full of black hair. I'm in love...oh and Mrs. McG is too. HA!

Weigh In Monday - Post Vacation

2011-07-25T08:20:00.002-05:00

Post Vacation weigh ins are very scary. Especially when you eat out every night. However, being able to keep to a schedule during the day and exercising must have helped. So, here are the numbers. I weighed in this morning at 274 lbs, which means that I only gained a 1/2 lb while on vacation. However, I believe that I might have stayed the same or even lost a little. Aunt Flow came while on vacation which always packs on a little fluid.

All in all, gaining 1/2 lb is ok in my book since I was on vacation and ate fried food almost every night. Plus I had a giant hamburger on day. Tonight there will be a vacation follow-up post. We had the best time and loved being with my girls. God blessed me so much with great friendships.

Also, please keep Mrs. McG's father in your prayers. He is in the hospital and not doing well at all. Keep Mrs. McG's son and Daughter-in-Law in your prayers too. Baby McG will be born this week and we can't wait for her arrival. Mrs. McG is going to be a Grandmother and she is about to pop...that would be both Mrs. McG's. HA

Weigh In Monday - Eat your meals

2011-07-18T11:07:00.004-05:00

Wasn't really sure what the scale would hold for me this morning when I stepped on it. Last week I was shocked and excited when those glorious number blinked in front of me. Not so much this week. I mentioned in yesterday's post that I was afraid of my numbers being higher and showing I had gained. Not because I had cheated because I promise I have NOT cheated. Because my work schedule was so crazy last week, I skipped meals. Not that I meant to, but working so hard and not having food here left only that one option; not eat. I felt that the 7lb loss was not a accurate number. Really, 7lbs in one week is crazy and not healthy. So, this morning my number is 273.5 lbs. That means that I gain 1.5lbs for a total of loss back to 26.5 lbs.

So, what I want to share with you today is the importance of not only eating well, but actually eating to lose weight. My doctor has me on a eating schedule. There are three meals and three snacks. Here is the way my day looks.

Breakfast - 7:00-8:30 a.m. (somewhere in there)

Snack - 10:00 a.m.

Lunch - 11:30 - 12:00 p.m.

Snack - 2:00 p.m. (the only eating time that I strictly stick to)

Supper - 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Snack - 8:00 p.m.

It's what I put in those slots that I thought really counted. However, this is kind of what my schedule looked like before my last weigh in.

Breakfast - Picked up between 8:00 - 9:00 sat on my desk uneaten or just snacked on

Snack - tried to finish up breakfast

Lunch - 12:00 ran and grabbed a salad or brought a turkey sandwich from home.

Snack - 2:00 ate my 100 calorie pack of devil's food cookies by Sn@ckwell

Supper - skipped due to working late at the office

Snack - yeah, that didn't happen either

During that week I went from 1650 calories to maybe 500 calories per day. Of course I was going to drop major lbs. And when I went back to 1650 (or as close as I could get most days) of course I was going to rebound. Number wise, I'm still on track with my 2lbs per week. In fact, I am still head because of the big loss last week. So, why did I gain this week without going over my 1650 calories?

Starvation! If you are starving yourself, your body will burn your muscle tissue before it will burn the fat. It sounds crazy, but you will loose weight quicker if your not starving yourself. It's like your body goes into hibernation packing on the fat so that it can survive. Now, at 140 lbs overweight, the chances of me starving a slim to none. What it will do is cause my weight loss to slow way down. Therefore, when I resume my normal eating routine, which I do lose weight on, I gained. My body rebounded.

So, I encourage you today to get on a schedule, stick to that schedule and eat.

Lots of wrapping up

2011-07-17T22:01:00.001-05:00

I now that I've had a whole weekend not working or worrying about working, I can re-cap the past few weeks of our life. It's not like we have been busy everyday, because honestly, I've been working ALOT. So, here we go.

In June, I received a email from from sister-in-law. Yes, that is The Boy's Dad's family. When his father and I divorced, his family via my Mother-in-Law, whom I call Mom and his sister, called to let me know that even though we were not married any longer, I was still part of the family and was welcomed in their home anytime. And in 17 years they have never gone back on those words. Over those 17 years The Boy and I have traveled to Atlanta to visit our family there. So, when I received a email in June from my SIL asking us to spend the weekend of the 4th of July with them and the whole family, I was excited. Five brothers and a sister together again. I had a bit of convincing to do with The Boy though. Some of his uncles, he has never met and was a bit nervous about it. And this would be the first time he been with some of those uncles without his Dad around. Two years ago, the Boy made a choice, on his own, to cut ties with his Dad. It was a very hard decision for him and one that took him several months to make and follow through. It doesn't matter why, that is the Boy's story to tell, but not knowing if he had the support of his other family, he didn't know if he wanted to commit to a whole day with these uncles and aunts being hounded. Because The Girl had to work, she couldn't go, so we went Saturday and stayed in our hometown on the 4th.

Well, from the moment we walked into the house, the love that flowed not only to The Boy, but to me too.

The whole family including Brothers, Sister, Sister-in-laws, a future sister-in-law and grand-children.

The brothers in birth order minus one.

Now, I must say that it was at the point that this picture is taken that my heart broke a little. One for my boy that his Dad was missing out on such an event and the other for these brothers and sister who will never have their brother with them again. It's just sad.

Five of the fourteen grandchildren. They were not as close on the first picture, so we asked them to get closer. LOL The young man beside my boy in the black shirt is the baby of the family. J has two older brothers that just graduated from college and are out in the work force. J was a change of life baby and boy did he change my BIL and SIL's life...for the better. The young lady at the end has a brother who lives in Atlanta, but had to work and couldn't come. R and The Boy are just about 18 months apart in age. Then I have three nephews and three nieces that live in New York that were not here also. They are grown, out on their own with jobs. I missed seeing them and I so wanted The Boy to meet them.

Back inside for lunch. BIL Peter aka Grillmaster, grilled up four pork tenderloins & Nathans Hot Dogs. Did I mention that The Boy's family is originally from New York? Long Island to be exact. Did I also mention that these brothers and sister are only 2nd generation American's. Yup, so The Boy is 3rd generation on that side of the family. Anyway, I brought all of that up to say that the 3rd of July was also the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island which is why we had Nathans hot dogs.

My SIL Hope is a wonderful homemaker, mother, wife and hostess. We have always been kindred spirits because we are both Carolina girls. We are also the only blond SIL's in the family.

This family loves games. They are also very competitive. To the point that if you looked up competitive in the dictionary, you would find this family beside the word as a visual definition. HA The SIL straight ahead on the right is my SIL, Annette. They live in Texas. That is her mother, Mrs. P beside her. This was my first time meeting Mrs. P and I fell in love with her. Here they are playing a scrabble like game called Bananagrams. I can't explain the game because when I see them pull out a game, I run the other way. However, it was a cute game and think you should check it out.

(source)

After eating, the adults playing a game and then kidos heading to the pool, we went into Franklin Theater to see ET. Yes, I said ET. Hey, it came out in 1982, when I was 12 years old. And our kids I know haven't seen it in the theater. Plus, tickets were $5.00 each. It was a wonderful experience being in such a historic place watching a great movie like ET.

After the movie, we hugged and loved everyone and said our goodbyes. It's really hard to know when we will get back together, but we exchanged emails, phone numbers and promises to keep in contact.

The Fourth of July, I headed to my friend Sherry's house for grilled chicken and fireworks.

I love spending time with these ladies. One of us is missing here. Three of us and the one that is missing leave this week for the beach. Oh, you have no idea how much I am looking forward to this.

It's been three weeks since the 4th and I'm sad to say that there is not much else I have done except work. I mentioned before that we had a lay off at work right before the 4th. It's been hard because we know those people. Some of them closely. In fact, I took over one of the ladies jobs and she was a great friend. That was really hard. It's because of that new responsibility that I worked 38 hours in 3 days and have worked until 11:00 many nights in the past two weeks. There are people depending on me and I can't let them down. Plus, I will be out of the office three days this week and really want to make sure that I am taking care of things and not letting things go.

I made OREO Ice Cream Cake tonight for one of my guys tonight. Let me say that I was very nervous because I've never made a ice cream cake before. It was pretty easy. Tomorrow, I will post the recipe with my step by step directions. I'll also let you know how the guys like the cake. Let's just pray that it stays frozen from my house to work. HA

So, check back in tomorrow morning for my Monday morning weigh in. I'm a little afraid that I've gained some weight. Not because I have eaten over my calories because I haven't done that. See, I had a high loss last week which I believe is largely due to the fact I didn't get supper many nights. Therefore, I am afraid that since I have been better about eating this week all my meals I might not have lost any or gained some. UG, I won't dwell on it tonight, but just wait to see what the outcome is.

Weigh In Monday

2011-07-11T07:34:00.004-05:00

Let me just say that I was a little excited when I got on the scale this morning. So excited that I almost jumped off them and into the bathtub. HA So, I weighed in this morning at 272 lbs. That means that I lost 7 lbs for a total of 28 lbs. YES!! That puts me way ahead for my weekly goals, but this really motivates me and I know that I will not be slacking at all. Now, I do have to say that "Aunt Flow" (hope that doesn't offend anyone) was in town last week and so I always lose a little more after that, but 7lbs is amazing! I got on and off the scale 3 times. HA

Now, with that said, I had some bad habits this past week that I'm going to work hard not to repeat this week. Like working until 10:30 pm. Yes, that is a 14 hour day eating lunch at my desk. I also didn't bring my lunch at all last week and really need to get back into the habit of doing that. Yes, I did today. And last but not least, because I worked so late, my walking routine has suffered. These are just a few things I need to change in my life.

I do promise that I will do a normal posting this week too. I'm going to try very hard NOT to work late unless something happens that my boss needs me too. So, hopefully this week will be different than the last couple.

Weigh In Monday

2011-07-04T10:45:00.004-05:00

Happy 4th of July everybody. I will have a weekend Round up and 4th of July post later, but wanted to get my weight in this morning. So, here are the facts.

I weighed in this morning at 279 lbs. That means that I lost 3 lbs for a total of 21 lbs. WOOHOOO. Which means that I met and surpassed my 20 lb goal set a year ago. I'm so excited. If you ever look at my weight counter on the side of my blog, you will notice that I changed it up a bit. It now shows my total weight loss goal. I will use these post to keep up with my weekly goals.

To celebrate my 20lb mark, I am going to go and get me a new outfit. My clothes are starting to get big on me, especially my shirts, so I hope to stop by C@to's tomorrow on my way home from work and see what I can find.

It's been a fabulous weekend preceded with working 38 hours in 3 days. So, a good weekend was in order. I can't wait to share with you all the fabulous pictures and our family.

Not a Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T08:55:00.003-05:00

I thought about just posting this, but there is so much I want to get out of my system today. Yesterday was a very hard day for me. However, it was not nearly as hard on me as it was on some of the people I work with. Yesterday our facility went through a "reduction in force". Yes, people were laid off. There were some that were friends and some I didn't know. Some had been here more years than I've walked the earth while others just came to us. However, at the end of the day it just didn't matter. People walked out of our lives yesterday and it hurt. People walk out of here without jobs to provide for their families and that hurt. We worry about them because when you work in a Christ based building, we live life with each other in a special way. We pray along side these people and rejoice with them. We take care of their babies when they are born and help their loved ones meet Jesus. We have treated their teenagers when they have been in car accidents, or their husbands when they have passed away due to a car accident. We walked through the healing of a community hit by a tornado which affected many of us. And we walked through the opening days of a wonderful new building.

So, yes it hurts to say goodbye. It hurts to try to understand how the decisions are made and how this happens. Why does God allow such things to good people? And I KNOW it's easier for me to look beyond the imperfections of yesterday, today and tomorrow and see the light becuase I was "reduced". So, I look at it as my job to be on my knees for those people who see only imperfection today. Imperfection with life, with God, with our facility and maybe with us.

This morning I pray for all of those who have lost their jobs, here or there. I pray that you will find peace and that God would continue to prepare you for the perfect place to use you. It might not be what you thought you were going to do and be way outside your comfort zone, but I know that if He puts you there, it's there is can use you the best. I also pray that you are able to look beyond the imperfections of your day and see that you can truly be happy today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life, if only you choose to be.

Weigh In Monday

2011-06-27T07:34:00.003-05:00

Good Monday Morning! Ok, only 1lb this week and as you can guess, I'm NOT happy at all with that. However, looking at it from a number, that puts me at 2lbs to loose this week to meet my goal which is better than being at 1lb from my goal this morning. Ha, trying to look at the positive side of things. That puts my weight at 282lbs this morning.

I went to the doctor Friday for my monthly check up and I was down 7lbs from my last visit. That is 7lbs in one month on her scales and a total of 17lbs since I started in May. I am happy with those numbers. She was VERY happy about my loss and wanted to know what I had been doing. She really encouraged me to walk more. So, my goal this week is to walk each and every night. The hardest part is putting on those walking shoes and getting my butt off the couch.

Ok, so I made it through the weekend without eating the paint off the walls. I think that my monthly must be on it's way, because I had to call Mama and get her to pray for me my cravings were so bad. However, I stayed in my calories Saturday and Sunday. Friday night I didn't. Friday night was kind of my "free" night. I didn't go way over my calories, but I did go over. I have been able to stick to my 1650 calories since coming home from JAX last month. So, I won't beat myself up over one night.

So, maybe with my monthly on it's way this week I am retaining water and will have a bigger loss next week. Let's hope so. Maybe I will make it to my 20lb goal after all. Ha

Women of Faith

2011-06-23T07:20:00.008-05:00

Our Wednesday night bible study is between studies right now. We are looking for a good bible study on a book in the bible. We have studied Ruth and Philippians and loved both of these books. I believe we have decided on Jonah for our next study. Last night, however, we talked about women of faith.

Some included Rahab, the harlot. You know the story right? God had decided to destroy the city of Jericho and spare the life of one woman. That woman was Rahab. She risked her life to harbor 2 spies. Why? What was her payoff? I encourage you to click on Rahabs' name and read her story. This woman of faith.

We also looked at Joan of Arc, The Maid of Orleans. Joan began hearing the "voices" of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret around the age of 12. She said that they told her to drive out the English and bring the Dauphin to Rheims for his coronation. Joan again and again, having faith that what she was hearing was a message from God, sought to speak with Charles VII. After having a prediction confirmed and gaining a meeting with Charles VII, she was allowed to to travel with the army and wear the equipment of a knight. Joan's faith was questioned, her very beliefs were investigated. In the end, she was killed. I encourage you to watch the movie and just get online and read about this brave girl who walked out her faith in God.

One of my favorite women of faith is Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie was a Dutch Christian who survived the Holocaust. Her family helped many Jews escape the Nazi soldiers. Corrie and her sister were sent together to Vught Political Concentration camp in the Netherlands and then later to Ravensbruk camp in Germany. Corrie's sister, Betsie, died here in 1944. In the movie The Hiding Place, Ten Boom narrates the section on her release from camp, saying that she later learned that her release had been a clerical error. The women prisoners her age in the camp were killed the week following her release. She said, "God does not have problems. Only plans." I encourage to read all of Corrie's books. When I get to heaven, I want to spend so much time with her. Her faith has really encouraged my walk with God.

And finally, my favorite woman of faith, Kathy M, whom I lovingly call "Mama". My mother is a remarkable lady. She was born in a very small community on the coast of North Carolina to a fisherman and his wife. They already had a little girl who was 10 years old. So, I'm sure that they were very surprised when this beautiful blond haired girl showed up. Mama was the apple of her Daddy's eye. Her mother was a hardworking housewife who was very strict with her. At times, I'm sure that they butted heads, like the time Mama slammed the front door and then opened and said that she knew Nanny had a headache and she knew that bothered her head. Ha!! Mama's sister, Aunt Nancy, was like a second mother to her. She loves her sister so deeply. Having a 10 year age difference must have been strange for the two of them, but seeing them together today, I'm so glad that they have each other. After my Nanny passed away a few years ago, my Mama needed her sister. When Mama was younger she made a solid decision; when she had children, they would feel safe talking to her, trusting her and would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was there for them. They would always get the truth, hard or easy, out of her. When I was born in 1970, Mama was 20 years old. At 20 years old she worked, took care of my Daddy and me and a house. And she was good at it. Much because of the training from her mother, but mostly because she had a strong belief that this was her calling in life. God had given her a husband and a child. Four years later, our world was rocked by my opposite. Sister showed up in 1974 with dark hair and dark eyes and a wild attitude. She sure was beautiful though. Mama understood her role as her mother too. God had equipped her to be a mother to a quiet little girl and a strong-willed little girl and she knew it. She always took us to church, prayed with us and encouraged us to seek God in everything we did. She has prayed for our husbands and children for 40 years and if I know her, probably before she even knew us. She is burdened for her family and our welfare. She feel successful when we are successful. While in JAX last month, I faced a trial. I remember sitting with her and asking if I was doing the right thing. Her answer was something she has always said to me..."Melissa, pray about it and God will give you a answer, I promise." She has never let me down, always been there when I needed her and sometimes when I didn't think I did she just showed up. Like the time she flew to Tennessee to be with me for my birthday because she didn't want me to not have a parent here. I would not be the woman or mother I am today without her. She has taught me to be quiet and listen. And when I feel that I just can't do it anymore, she has stepped in and made life easier. She is my favorite woman of faith, because she is not embarrassed to pray out loud for her husband, girls and grandson. She is my favorite woman of faith because she lives her life each day as a living testimony to God.

Who is your favorite woman of faith? Do they know. Are you showing other people your faith? Encourage someone today to draw near to God by drawing near to him yourself.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T08:08:00.004-05:00

This is our reality this week

Today's Achievements

2011-06-21T07:43:00.006-05:00

Good Morning everyone. Yes, it's Tuesday and I'm blogging. Sometimes I just don't think my life is that exciting to write what I did for the day. Believe me, you would be bored to tears. So, today, I thought about blogging about my early morning blood draw and my big achievement.

Yes, I had to get blood drawn this morning. It was horrible, but just because I have NO veins (thank you Mama) and they close up once the blood starts flowing. I think my body just thinks, nope, I need that stuff. HA. But my vampire, I mean my phlebotomist, Missy, was amazing and only stuck me once. She bruised me and was so out done, but I was just excited she got it all she needed the first stick. So, what's a little bruise between friends anyway? Great job Missy!!!

My 2nd achievement of the day is getting into these suckers. This is NOT me by the way. I just don't want to ask one of my guys to take a picture of my pants. HA. So, mine are a size 22 (size 5 L@ne Bry@nt size). I haven't fit in them for 2 years. Since The Boy was a senior in High School. Actually, I got them for my birthday, 2 years ago, and never wore them. No idea why maybe because of the wider leg, they just didn't feel good, there is no telling. However, this morning I couldn't wear my normal black paints because they are just too big in the waste and too long. I walk all over them even with the waist band pulled up under my unmentionable. So, I tried them on and THEY FIT PERFECT. I was so excited I called Mama to let her know that I had a new pair of pants to wear. WOOOHOOO!!!

So, there are two of my achievements today. I'm staying on target and it feels good. I go back to the doctor on Friday and can't wait to see what my numbers are.

Weigh In Monday

2011-06-20T07:39:00.006-05:00

Good Monday to you. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. So, I really wanted to get those last 5 lbs off this week so that I could meet my 20lb goal. It was a long shot, but again I really concentrated on my eating plan this week and weekend. Like I said last week, weekends and nights are hard for me. As a result of continuing to cook at home, bringing my lunch to work and drinking lots of water, I lost 2 lbs. That brings my weight to 283lbs and a total weight loss of 17lbs. I am now 3 lbs from my first 20lb goal. I know that 2lbs is a good loss for the week, but I must say that I was a little disappointed that it was only 2lbs. Now, don't sigh and think I'm crazy, but those are the facts. With that said....

Last week, I shared with you that I have been reading, Candace Cameron Bure's book, Reshaping It All. (I will be sending it to my Mama when I'm done) I'm on chapter 4 and really enjoying it. She writes as though she is talking to you. In the latest chapter, she spoke about writing down your goals. Getting a plan together and putting it to paper. And here is something that really hit home with me. Decide how much you want to loose and when you want to loose it by. It makes your final goal more obtainable. So, my weight goal is 140lbs. Today I weight 283lbs. I would like to loose all my weight by next year this time. So, I know that need to loose 143lbs . Now, for anyone that would be overwhelming to look at it that way. That is a whole person. WOW! So, I can't look at it that way. That is why I broke it down into 20lb goals to begin with. But what Candace says is to break it down into weekly goals. That would mean I need to loose 2.7lbs a week. Now, I know that I worked really hard last week to loose 2lbs. So, my weekly goal is going to be 2lbs, which means that by next October, I will be at my goal weight. Wow, that is a lot of information; are you with me still?

Now, my head said that by next summer I wanted to look good in a swimsuit, but what I need to remember is that I will. At 283lbs, I'm not too excited to lay on the beach in my cute swimsuit. However, at 179lbs, I know that I will be proud of my accomplishment and feel very good laying on the beach in my cute smaller swimsuit.

You know, it's a head game we play..I play with myself. Oh and just so you know, I am not obsessing with my daily meals, weight, exercises and such. I just want to share what I'm doing in hopes that it encourages someone to do get off the couch and get healthy.

This week I have some new way to exercises that I'm going to try. The Boy's dog loves to go to the greenway, our town's walking trails. So, this afternoon I am going to take her to the dog park and then on the walking trail. I am also hoping that by getting out I will also meet people that enjoy walking also. Maybe get a walking partner....maybe a good friend. *wink wink*

Wordless Wednesday-with explanation

2011-06-15T11:16:00.004-05:00

The Girl cut 16" of hair for Locks of Love
The she shaved The Boys head.

Weigh In Monday

2011-06-13T07:33:00.004-05:00

Good Monday to you. Hope your weekend was wonderful. First things first. I really concentrated on my eating plan this weekend. Weekends and nights are hard for me, but I'm trying very hard to come up with things to do to keep me out of the kitchen. Having specific times to eat and knowing what our meal plan is really helped me. The other food in the house just didn't matter. As a result of eating at home, bringing my lunch last week and walking, I lost 4.5 lbs. That brings my weight to 285 and a total weight loss of 15lbs. WOOOHOOO I am 5 lbs from my first 20lb goal that I set a year ago. For me it is all about the accountability to a doctor. I fill much better having that in place and knowing that they are going to get on me if I don't do something. Also, that 300lb mark really scared me and I was afraid that at this point in my life, if I didn't do something now, I would not be around to see my grandkids. I'm on my way and very happy with the results.

I didn't do one thing this weekend though. Yes, I had lots to do, but after running two weekends in a row and last week being crazy, I decided to make NO plans and be home. The house is clean and my craft room is looking pretty good. I've taken pictures along the way and can't wait to share the final room with you. The pictures that I painted are now proudly displayed in my craft room. And my cross wall on my stairway is looking good to. I will get The Boy to help me hang the final crosses and take a picture of it for you.

Well, ya'll have a great Monday and my advice for you today, if you are on this weight loss journey with me is ... keep a food journal and write EVERYTHING down. You will be surprised at what you are eating and the amount. So, measure your food too.

Show Us Your Life - Special Needs Families (Diabetes)

2011-06-10T09:44:00.004-05:00

Over at Kelly's Korner, we are sharing our Special Needs. I posted HERE about our diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes when The Boy was 15 months old. The Boy is 20 years old now and living very well. In August he will have his first appointment at a "big boy doctor". Our life with Diabetes is not one I would have chosen, duh, like any mother would want her child sick. However, the Big D has taught us a lot.

I can give shots. I can manage a child by myself with diabetes. I can handle seizures. I can get up every two hours through the night checking blood sugars. I can hunt for sugar free Halloween candy. I can find special treats that all kids would like on his birthday. I am stronger than I thought. I was chosen to be The Boy's mother by God and I'm a proud mama of a Diabetic Child who embraces his special needs and is active to find a cure.

So, if you are facing Type 1 diabetes today know this. You are not alone. There will be a day when it doesn't run your life, you run it. There will be a day when you do forget that your child has this need and is a healthy little boy just like everyone else. Ha, when people ask about him I often forget to mention it. I just tell people he is a healthy boy and I'm blessed. We are living with Diabetes, not suffering from it.

Another thing, there is nothing we did to cause this disease. He can't take pills to treat it. He will be on the pump or shots until we find a cure. Type 1 and Type 2 are different. Type 2 can be prevented, but Type 1 you are born with.

I encourage you today to get involved in a support group for your kids and yourself. Volunteer to speak with parents of newly diagnosed children and encourage them. Be there for each other. Educate yourself and your child on new treatments and what the JDRF is finding out about diabetes. And above all...I encourage you to live a active life. Don't let Diabetes get in your way or your child's. Don't hide it, embrace it. Live your life.

JAX Trip

2011-06-09T09:03:00.010-05:00

I've been trying to figure out how to blog our trip to JAX. I was going to do several posting. 1) our food which was amazing. 2) the decorating and shopping 3) Luci my fur-niece. It's been crazy this week with a full schedule and I'm afraid that all three would not get posted, so I'm doing one big posting and sharing it all. There are lots of pictures and I hope you enjoy them all. I'll try to stay on track here.

The Boy, Girl and I got to JAX around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. After about 5 hours sleep, we headed to the beach for a walk. I shared that with you in my last posting. That turned out to be the only time in my week and a half that I was able to get to the sand of the beach. But I was there for a reason; To help Sister move into her new old house and that is exactly what we did.

Let me just say that even when the landlord tells you that your house is move in ready clean, don't always believe them. Sister's house looked like it had not been cleaned in months. So, while Daddy, the Boy and Girl and Sister painting, Mama and I cleaned. I scrubbed every baseboard in that house. Mama swept the floors so many times that I thought she would sweep the finish off the hardwood floors. But there was dirt everywhere.

On Memorial Day, The Boy and Girl had to head back to Tennessee for school and work. Daddy, Sister and I continued with the painting while Mama took care of unpacking some boxes, folding a ton of packing paper and breaking down boxes.

This is where I get a little confused. When did we eat where. HA, I mean I know where we ate, but just can't remember when it was we ate there, so here are some of the places we ate.

However, I believe that on Monday night we headed to Singleton's Seafood Shack in Mayport, FL. This was a great seafood place right on the docks of the river. Outside the back windows were all the shrimp boats.

When you come into the "shack" there is fresh seafood to your right. It smelled so much like home. Not Tennessee, but back home in North Carolina. It's a smell I grew up with being my Daddy Bill (grandfather), Uncle Will and Cousin Gary are all fishermen. It doesn't smell bad, it's fresh seafood smell and you know will taste really good once it's cooked up.

On the other wall, there was a signature of someone famous that I recognized right away. Guy Fite from the Food Network. Yes, he liked it there too.

And on the table was this hot sauce. We decided that we really didn't need a colon cleanse so we passed on the hot sauce. HA

And like I said in my previous posting, I did eat my fried shrimp and clam strips. But I didn't eat this whole plate at one time and yes, I'm sure I went over my calories, but I was very active and splurged. Note: I didn't eat the fries or hush puppies. Mostly because the hush puppies were not as good as Daddy's.
Sister got boiled shrimp in a light Ole Bay seasoning. I don't like Ole Bay at all, but they looked good none the less. Sister was trying to get her shrimp to attack my camera for taking pictures of her food, but he had already lost his head, so I was not afraid.

And I did snag a picture of her food. She got collards, but they put sugar in them and she just couldn't eat them. Sugar in collards..really? I've only seen that twice and I don't care for them at all. I like my collards sugar free.

Daddy got Fried Shrimp and Fried Scallops. They were bay scallops, which are the little ones. They were not real sweet, but still good.

Mama got fried Flounder and fried scallops. She did like her hush puppies.

And yes, we were in Gator Country. It's everywhere. I noticed that there was not one Orange UT rocker to been seen. Ha, that was ok by me. However, there were service rockers. Each rocker was a natural wood color with a inlaid coin of one of the branches of the military. They were beautiful and a great Father's Day gift for your serviceman. We found them at Cracker Barrel.
And even though we are not Gator fans, Mama still found the chairs relaxing.

I do remember that Sister and I went back to the beach on Friday and shopped, ate more good food and had mani/pedis.

Sister and were on our own for the weekend since Mama and Daddy headed to North Carolina on Friday. So, we went over to JAX Beach and checked out Cruisers Grill. YUMO!! If you ever have a chance to go, GO...no RUN!!

I had a chicken chunk salad that came on a large platter. I had to make Sister eat some because it was so large. Cruisers makes their own dressings and sauces. Here is a little something that I've learned and they just do it. The dressing comes on the side and I just dip my salad in the dressing so that I don't saturate my meal. I eat much less dressing than I normally would that way. The chicken was marinated in a sauce that was house made and was AMAZING. They even make their own tortillas. Wow, my mouth is watering just thinking about that salad.

Sister got Mahi Mahi fish tacos. I didn't care for the Mahi Mahi, just because I don't like this fish. It's a little too fishy for me. She said that they were really good. She like Mahi Mahi. Dd I mention that they make their own pico too? YUP.

Notice how they deconstruct the salad? The cheese, pico, guacamole and dressing are all separated from the lettuce and chicken chunks. I really like that because you can control that amount of cheese that you are putting on your salad and save your calories.

I really believe that we visited every Target in the JAX area. I'm sure we went to at least three. We were looking for twin sheets for her office daybed which is amazing. It's leather and huge. Love it. That is The Boys room.

And the post could be completed without a shot of the beautiful inter coastal waterway. We are heading back to the house after shopping and a full trunk. We would make many trips on Friday and Saturday from store to house to store. Thank goodness we could fit most everything in the trunk of Sister car.

Saturday night was my last night there, so we went out for Mexican where our waiter kept talking to me in Spanish knowing I couldn't understand him, but Sister could. He got a big laugh. Then I learned the word "FREE" and I got a big laugh.

We went back to the house and pulled out Sister's Smore maker. Now normally you would use some kind of gel in the black pot and roast your marshmallows over it, but Sister did not have any and was determined to use it. So, she decides to build a little fire.

She broke up little scourers and put paper towels in there and then lights it up. Let's just say that me, being the older sensible sister, reminded her that this was not a smart thing to do and we could just use the lighter. Nope, she was determined to make it work.

Notice the flat smore marshmallows...don't get them. They are horrible to roast. Anyway, here she is being determined to roast her flat marshmallow. By the way, we like to catch them on fire and burn them black where the inside gets are melty and gooey. Then we mash it all together and oh, there goes my taste buds again.

Yes, look at all the gooey melty chocolaty goodness smashed between graham crackers. I ate three of them and that was enough for me. Yes, I probably went over my calorie intake with the Mexican, but again, we were very active and walked many many many miles.

And for my Mama, here are some of them items we picked up. Sister has a great Florida room that she wanted to put wickers chairs in. She picked these beauties up at Cottage By The Sea in JAX Beach. She got the blue pillows from Target. Notice on is like a seat cushion? Well that is because Luci had to check it out too.

We were hunting every consignment shop, flea market, yard sale and furniture store for a cheap desk. I do not remember which shop we picked this up at, but it was a great deal at $100. She is going to paint it white, but I love the yellow with the yellow room and the lime green chairs.

She let me decorate her mantel. The sign that says, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" doesn't go on the mantel. She is going to hang it above her door. I got it for her months ago when she was looking for a house and getting discouraged. She needed to remember that God is faithful and will provide for all our needs.

And this is her living room. The french doors walk out to her Florida room. I just love her furniture in here. It's messy because all my stuff is in the room to put in the car.

From the Florida room looking toward the bedrooms. This girl has TONS of books. They are everywhere.

Mama and Daddy's room. This is her old bed. It's so comfortable. See Luci's steps? She loves this bed too.

See, this is Luci on her bed. Actually, she has a place to sleep in all the rooms and she does. We had to hunt for her when we would come home because she would be a new place each time. She is so at peace in this house and you can see how calm she is. She loves being with her Mama, but I know she misses her Poppy and Nanny too....oh and the Boys, Ricky and Buddy.

This is the office/guest room/The Boys room. Don't you just love those little shelves. The whole house has these great built ins. All the closets are cedar lined too. Love that about old houses.

And a view from beside the bed. You can get into the Office/Library/The Boys room from the dinning room or the hallway. And Luci as you can see, followed me through the house while I took pictures. She knew I was leaving and was so sad to see me go. We snuggled the whole time I was there. She wanted to be in the back of my legs that whole night and that was just fine with me.

After packing up the car, we head out for Georgia. Goodbye JAX. Take care of Sister for me. Keep her safe.

Luci traveled with us and slept on my pillow heading out. Our Sweet Girl. I think Luci is most excited about having a backyard to run and play in without having to be on a lesh. This is a first for her. You can tell she loves to be outside. And the other thing that she loves most is being with her Mama. They have been apart since Christmas and I know they have missed each other so much and I'm glad they are in one spot.

Mrs. McG and I have planned a trip back to JAX in September for her birthday. I can't wait to return and eat more chicken chunk salad. ha

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

My new painting

Weigh In Monday

2011-06-06T07:47:00.003-05:00

It's Weigh In Monday and I'm proud to report that I have lost a total of 10.5 lbs since I started. I lost 5 lbs while on vacation. Yes, while on vacation. While in Florida I found a great new digital scale. Actually, my sister had bought the scale and I fell in love with it. It's easy to read with big numbers and it gives me 1/2 lbs. So, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and picked one up for $19.99. So, this morning I weighted on my old scale (old picture) and I weighted 287 and on my new one 289.5. I'm just going to go with the new scale numbers and eat (hahah) the 2 1/2 lbs. But I will know that it is there.

While on vacation, I really tired and succeeded in staying on track. Did I have those things that I shouldn't eat? Yes, like the hot fudge sundae my sister and I got Friday while running around. But I tried to eat so cleanly the rest of the time and didn't splurge a lot that when I wanted something, I ate it. Staying on my meal schedule was hard, but I took my lunchbox Mrs. McG gave me for my birthday and packed oranges and applesauce and other go to snacks to take with me. I also took water with me everywhere and drank water at restaurants. I also limited my "soda" intake to one a day like at home. I'm trying to give them up completely, but not this month. Yes, I went to eat my fried shrimp and clam strips, but I didn't eat that everyday and I ate until I was full not stuffed. It's ok to take leftovers home or leave them there. And when possible I asked for 1/2 portions. Many restaurants will do that for you if you ask. Or get something off the kids menu. We all shared one dessert and for me it was normally two forks of whatever...normally key lime pie. We ate lots of fruit like watermelon and cantaloupe.

Walking~ My doctor asked me to walk at least 15 minutes a day and I pretty much was able to stick to that. We walked a lot and I'm sure 15 minutes was the least of the amount of time walking. I tried to work exercise into everything I did. But I kept moving all week and both weekends. We didn't stay still except in the car and that is the honest truth. Sister had to walk Luci so, we would walk in the evenings a couple blocks to the river and then back to the house. It was a good walk and cooler than the day time.

Now, I'm back home and need to get back on my normal schedule. Losing weight on vacation really gives me a boost to keep it up. I'm excited that I can stay on task and achieve what I set out to do. Today I am working on meal planning and will grocery shop. Of course, I'll add a walk in there too.

Weigh In Monday

2011-05-30T09:59:00.001-05:00

Good Monday morning everyone. It's Memorial Day! So, I would first like to honor those solders who gave their lives so that I can have the freedom to blog, drive to Florida, grocery shop, work a job I love and live the free life that I love each and everyday.

Because I am in Florida and there is not a scale to be had in our beach house, I am not going to weigh in this week. However, that being said, I know that I've lost more this week because I wore a dress yesterday that I couldn't fit into a couple weeks ago. This dress is beautiful and my first Calvin Klein dress. My friend Kelly gave it to me because she it was too big for her. I hope to pass it along soon because it's too big for me too.

So, here are a few things I have done this weekend to help me stay on my course and still have a good time on my vacation.

Ask for lighter portions. Many restaurants will give them to you. Or share with someone.
Walk every morning before it gets hot and get to know your area. I've walked the beach and my calves really feel it.
Stay on your eating schedule. Eat your snacks and you won't get hungry.
Drink lots of water and carry water with you where ever you go.

Well, these are a few things that I've been doing this week. We ordered dessert last night and split it between 6 of us. That gave us each a taste of the goodness of key lime pie.

So, we are heading off to paint, clean and paint some more. Have a great Memorial Day and enjoy your picnics. Small portions and don't stuff yourself.

Weekend Wrap Up - JAX

2011-05-29T22:37:00.003-05:00

The Boy, Girl and I pulled out of the driveway around 3:30 Friday and pulled into our beach house around 1:00 a.m. It's been a busy and tiring weekend and I'm going to hit the sack. However, here are some pictures of our weekend.

Anna was excited to be going to the beach too

Quick stop at Sonic

Atlanta and Home of the Braves

Early morning walk on the beach with the puppies

Isn't it beautiful

The Boy and his dog

The Girl and her dog

We even talked Luci into coming with her Mama, but she didn't like it

and they ran and ran and ran...

I just love this picture

Then we head to Sisters new home

Sister has a orange and key lime tree in her backyard. The Boy and Girl needed oranges.

We are all ready to clean and paint

Sister in the kitchen

Poppy and The Boy fix old door handles while Luci supervises

But supervising is hard work, so she cuddles up in The Boy's lap.

After working all day, we went to The Loop for supper. We were all so tired and really need something fast.

Brick oven grilled chicken, onion and sun-dried tomato pizza

Grilled Chicken and Cheese

Grilled Chicken and kalamata olives

Mama and Sister

My goofy parents

Back home to bed and ready for Sunday.

After breakfast at The Beach Diner, we head to church and has a wonderful service. I really enjoyed it. After church, we head back to sisters for more painting and cleaning

After a day of cleaning and painting and more painting and more cleaning...we went to Bahama Breeze for supper. It was really good.

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Quesadilla.

And now we are back at the beach house for the evening. I'm going to hit the sack. Did I mention yet that I have the most amazing bed? I want this mattress. I love it.

The Boy and Girl are leaving really early in the morning and heading back home. I will stay here and paint, clean and help Sister unpack. Hope ya'll are having a great weekend.

Beach or Bust

2011-05-27T09:57:00.002-05:00

For some reason, Blogger would not allow me to update yesterday. That might be a good thing because I was so busy trying to wrap up at work and get home to get ready to GO TO THE BEACH!!!!

Wednesday afternoon I went to a doctor to help me with my weight loss. She was great and we have set small goals to help me get where I want to be. Best part is insurance covers it. My goals are easy and obtainable. So, this month here are my goals.

Walk 15 minutes a day
Choose a healthier alternative to unhealthy food I already eat
Work more fruit and veggies in my meals
Eat 6 small meals a day

Wednesday night our bible study has to do child care (more on that later) so I didn't walk. However, last night I put my shoes on and got my boodie off the couch and away from this computer and walked for 23 minutes. I walked a mile at a pace I could do. Breakfast needs to be worked on because I eat scrambled eggs and bacon for my 380 calorie breakfast. She suggested fruit and cereal. I can totally do that. I already eat a lot of fruit and veggies so that is not hard at all. However eating 6 small meals a day has gotten to be challenging. I eat my three meals and two small snacks (when I'm hungry) . Trying to get used to that.

Back to Child Care. Wednesday night our Small Group, of wonderful ladies, got together and kept the 3 and 4 year olds. I did the 3 year olds and the Sisters did the 4 year olds. I had a blast. There was this sweet lady who came in to tell them a story. They are sat around and because I was the new one, they all wanted to sit on me. Ha, loved it. The story was about cicadas. Like there is anything else on our minds right now. I'm not afraid of them and when they wanted them to chirp, I picked up a male (they are the ones making all this noise) and held him by his wigs. He went to it and my sweet little ones loved it. One little boy Riley, I keep his baby sister in the nursery, was so animated. He kept calling them bees. HA he was unbelievably cute. There was one girl in the class, Miss Hannah is a sweetie and she wanted me beside her the whole night. I didn't mind too much. :)

Yesterday was a busy day at work. Mrs. McG had a leadership conference along with most of our administration, including my boss. So, I ate break and lunch with one of my guys, Mike. The other guys call him my favorite and he loves it. He is the baby of the group at 27 and is a sweetie. His wife is just as sweet as he is and I love them both so much. I got so much accomplished and updated my boss and walked out right on time.

I have to hit Walmart and the bank before heading out of town. Just waiting on The Boy to get home from school and The Girl to get off of work. It's a 9 hour drive, but he is young. Yes, The Boy is driving. He is a great driver though and our only concern is the traffic. Please pray for traveling mercies for us going and him coming home on Monday with his Girl by themselves. They travel alot so I know they are fine to drive it, but I'm just concerned about them. You know that Mama thing. Ha

So, I will try to update ya'll as much as I can. Our beach house has internet, but we will be moving Sister into her new house Tuesday and won't have internet after that. We might need to hang at Starbucks for a while. HA I promise lots of pictures when I return.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T07:53:00.002-05:00

Monday Night with the Girls

2011-05-24T07:12:00.003-05:00

Monday night was bitter sweet. Sweet because I got to paint and you know how I love to paint. Bitter because....

This goofy sweet amazing young woman is leaving us. Jessica come to us (our church) a college student and is leaving us to get her Master and Doctorate at Auburn (WAR EAGLE). We are so proud of her and can't wait to see what God does in her life. I know it will be stupendous though.

To celebrate, we went to Faithful Strokes and painted a great tailgating picture. What I love most about Lisa, our teacher/owner/friend, is she is so personable and you can feel comfortable asking for help or asking to alter the picture. Of course you know I had to alter it.

These were two of my partners in crime. Sherry (up front) and Malinda in the back. We are going to Orange Beach in July and I just can't wait. We have started putting Poise pads away for the drive down. It seems whenever we are together, we just can't help but wet our pants laughing.

This is my final picture. Of course you know I'm a BIG UNC basketball fan and not too much of a college football fan. So, I did a March Madness tailgating picture and made my "car" a convertible and instead of those window flags, I put pom pom from the antennas. Lisa is so good and helping make your picture come out just right. She has taught me so much about painting.

Well, THREE more days until I leave for FLORIDA!!! I can't wait to see Mama, Daddy, Wanda and my furniece Luci. I can't wait to feel the sand in my toes, waves on my legs and...hugs from my Mama.

Weigh In Monday

2011-05-23T07:36:00.003-05:00

When I posted last night I was so excited to get on the scale this morning. Before my alarm even went off this morning, I just from the bed and weighed in. And I have lost 3 lbs this week. I thought it would be more because I did really well this week. I might need to check those numbers again. Might be a bit mixed up.

So, my prayers today are several places. The people of Joplin, MO. 90 people lost their lives in that horrible storms from last night. My heart just breaks for them.

Also, I have a friend whose restaurant had a gas leak and his kitchen blew up. Four of his employees are in the hospital with broken bones and contusions. Please pray for him.

Well, have a great day. Hope all is well and I will let you know how the weight thing goes.

Weekend Round Up

2011-05-22T23:01:00.001-05:00

This weekend was The Boy's Tour de Cure ride. Saturday was a beautiful day for a ride. A little hot to give our water, but a beautiful day all the same.

The Boy and Girl warming up for the ride

Me and my Boy before the ride

And there they go

Moving out on his ride looking to make sure that he is clear

Remember....YOU CAN DO IT!

Some of my guys showed up to hand out water

The Girl filling up water bottles for the riders

One of my guys rode his special red bike

And there were lots of these little critters

I had my camera on the wrong setting, but here he is coming through the finish line

And after the ride, my Red Rider is pooped

After showers we headed out for lunch. I got this yummy salad...Grilled Chicken Very Berry Salad.

Sunday morning I went to a new Sunday School class. I really enjoyed it. Then off to the nursery to rock my babies. We had six babies today and they were wonderful. We have a twins now and they are precious.

After church, the girls went to get lunch and just being able to spend time with the girls is fun. So much that we got together for supper. I've done very well with my eating plan this weekend and can't wait to get on the scale tomorrow morning. So tonight I ate a potato and drank water. And I was good.

Christopher had a fryfest tonight and well, the house now smells like fried foods....desserts for that matter...

Twinkies, 0reos, marshmallows and Reese cups. The boy was in heaven.

So, tomorrow is my last week before vacation and I'm really looking forward to it. It's gong to be an awesome week.

Weekend Ahead

2011-05-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

It's been a great week. At work there has been time to get a lot of work completed. Yes, I said completed. There is still lots to do, but I feel good about what is being accomplished at my desk.

This is a big weekend for our family. The Boy is riding in the the local Tour de Cure Saturday. He has been training for the 30 mile ride and is really looking forward to the finish line. My guys at work and I will be manning a water station along the course and cheering on those amazing riders. Of course there will be one rider that we will think is extra special.

And of course The Boy will be a Red Rider. A Red Rider is a rider that has Diabetes and is riding for his/her cure. This will be his 2nd year riding. Next year I'm sure that he will want to increase his miles as he did this year. HA.

So, to all our family who gave to his cause...Thank you!! It has meant to much to us that he has this support. He has reached and passed his goal. WOOOHHOOOO

Next weekend we are heading to Florida to help Sister move into her new home in JAX. She has found a house in the San Mateo neighborhood. For the weekend we have a beach house 70 steps from the beach. Last night when we were talking I asked her if we could spend Saturday at the beach and we have agreed that yes, Saturday is beach day.

Well, Ya'll have a great weekend and enjoy it. Get out with your family and enjoy your weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

I want to see...

2011-05-17T07:28:00.005-05:00

In a few short weeks I will be heading to JAX to see my sister and help her move into her new house. A whole week of being with her and loving on her and my fur niece Luci. Sister and Luci has been separated since Christmas and it will be so nice to see them together forever. It will also be nice to see....

The sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean
The waves crashing onto the beach....

miles and miles of salt water....

real waves....

BLUE ANGELS...NAVY GUYS IN FLIGHT SUITS.....
(did you know that NAS Jacksonville is where the Blue Angles begun? Their home in Pensacola Florida though)

But more than anything, I really wanna see this girl.

Weigh In Monday

2011-05-16T07:24:00.002-05:00

I was excited to see my weigh in this morning. FOUR POUNDS!!! I have to come up with a better eating plan for the weekends. Being at home on a rainy weekend watching movies lead to some snacking that wasn't necessary. This week my goal is to walk a little everyday. Today is suppose to be better weather, but if not I will do my walking tape.

Big Update...Huge Update

2011-05-11T07:49:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I was downloading pictures of our painting class last night and found great pictures that I haven't shared with you of life over the last two weeks. Family is chomping at the bit to see them, I know, HA, so here ya go.

For The Girls 20th birthday, we had a party for her at our house. Just a small get together with some close friends. The Boy had it all planned out and I went along for the ride...oh and the money. He finds these crazy recipes and sometimes I just shake my head. I help him if he needs me, but I just shake my head. Here is one I shook my head and then had to take it all back. These were yum yum good.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 Sticks room temp butter

3/4 light brown sugar; packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

1 pkg oreos (we used double stuff)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

Yes, there are double stuffed oreos in there.

And when they back up, the cream gets warm, but doesn't ooz out. I highly suggest them.

The Boy, The Girl and a friend went to an Anime convention the next weekend. The Girl is an amazing artist and can draw great Anime. Anime is like Pokemon art. Well, they had to dress up like some sort of Anime characters so of course they choose Pokemon because they are 20 and that is how they roll....well today anyway.

The Boy LOVES giraffes. Have no idea what the appeal is, but he likes them. Well, there is a Pokemon giraffe it seems and that is who he dressed up as. The human form of the Pokemon. The Girl was some kind of horse and The Friend (to his left) was a cat. The Girl worked so hard on The Boy's costume that she didn't start on hers until the night before. She did an amazing job.

Even hand sewing spots on his shirt and a mouth and eyes on his bottom. The Amime version has a tail with a ball at the end with this face on it. This was her interpretation. Pretty good.

Did I mention that he sported a HOT pink and white fauxmo?

And then the storms came. How horrible our neighbors to the south got hit and my concerns and prayers were with my blog friends in Alabama like Allyson. (She is a Auburn fan) They have a wee baby and I couldn't imagine being huddled in a closet know that monster was coming my way trying to protect my little one. Ug, my heart just goes out to this community that has been shaken and blown away. But God brings us joy in the morning and I pray that these families have joy this morning in the life they have been given. It's not easy to rebuild a community after such things, but it does make your community stronger.

Our town had two tornadoes that morning; both a F0. One went beside down by our house and I believe jumped over our home. The Boy and I were looking outside (like good Tennesseans do) and the trees just went crazy and the wind just wooshed...(technical meteorological term) and trees started snapping....I slammed the door and told The Boy to get in the closet. When it passed, we went outside to look and found just one of our trees snapped. Actually, it belong to the house next door, but we took care of it because nobody lives there. The Boy had so much fun that week just going to sawing up trees. He is such a man and I love that about him.

So, last night I went painting and my favorite neighborhood pain Place, Faithful Strokes. It is such a joy to sit down with friends, old and new, and saturate yourself in painting. I feel the stress melt off me and I can leave the day behind and relax. Find a great place in your neighborhood to paint. You will love it. AND DON'T STRESS ABOUT IT!!!

This is Lisa our instructor and the owner. This is not a good picture of her. It looks like she is going to sneeze. HA, she is a wonderful friend and artist.

I am nearing completion of my cross. I didn't get a final picture and I'm not sure why I didn't. HA

And then there is Mrs. C, Me and Ms. J. Jessica is going to be leaving for Auburn (WAR EAGLE) in a few weeks and I'm really going to miss her. She is big fun and very smart. She is heading south for her Doctorate.

So, that about sums up my last two weeks. I did just realize that I didn't take any pictures of Mother's Day. The Boy and The Girl got me beautiful Hydrangea bush. I've wanted one forever and I love this one. It's blue and beautiful. We can't wait to plant it right beside the deck where I can enjoy it everyday.

The feet were made for walking?

2011-05-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

Monday was a good day. Mrs. McG and I talked about our weight and how we really needed to buckle down and get this weight off. Having her to vent to is such a relief. It's nice when someone understands your journey because they are on it too.

After doing so well at work, I went home to make supper. I had a good meal and then relaxed while letting my food settle. Do you follow McKMama? Oh my gracious. Her cat is preggos and I'm having a blast following her. After my food settled, I walked around the neighborhood. While walking, my sciatic nerve in my left butt check started acting up, my Dad called and I could barely make it back to the house. I looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. HA! Well, without the hump on my back. But with the dragging of my leg. Yes, it was a sight to behold. All the while my Daddy is getting frustrated with me on the phone because his phone doesn’t work correctly and he can’t hear me and he is trying to donate money to The Boys Tour de Cure bike ride and can’t receive the emails and click there goes the phone again. I get him back on the phone and what happens? A little girl that ran out in front of the Domino’s Pizza guy making me scream "STOP" in my phone causing my Dad to start all over again because he thought I was yelling at him. Ha! Needless to say, I’m going to paint tonight and not walk.

Weigh In Monday

2011-05-09T08:01:00.004-05:00

I had not realized how long my blog had not been updated until I looked at it this morning. Holy Cow, it's been two weeks. Sadly, I can't tell you that I've been so busy that I haven't had time to blog, but instead, there has not been much to write about.

There are also some admissions I need to make and I'm having a hard time with it. The Scale! I have been fighting the scale for two weeks....ok, longer, but after refusing to get on the scale for two weeks this morning I had to face facts. This morning I got on the scale and just about fell off into the bathtub. I have gain 10 lbs. Yes!

I'm embarrassed for me. I could tell I was gaining weight, but honestly, it didn't mean a thing to me. I just didn't care. Out of sight, out of mind. So, here I sit at 299 lbs. Just shy of 300lbs. I'm disgusted with myself and I could really beat myself up over this. But that would be useless. So, this morning I packed my lunch and my walking clothes and I will watch my calories today then walk this afternoon. This big ole girl is heading to Florida at the end of the month and we have a beach house and so, I'm hoping to drop at least 15 lbs by then. Then the July I'm heading to the Gulf Coast and would like to drop 40 lbs by then. Since I have already purchased my swimsuit, it would be a good idea to be able to wear it at the beach.

So, I'm asking for your prayers while I do this. Loosing weight for me is hard. Some people can stick right with a eating plan, but I have a hard time. I need that motivation. I'm praying the scale was enough for me this morning.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

2011-04-19T22:29:00.002-05:00

Today The Girl turned 20. She came into our lives about 3 years ago and we have grown to love her as one of our own. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl. We love you!

Weigh In Monday

2011-04-18T11:07:00.003-05:00

Still no change in my weight this week. That is probably a good thing because the Z-Pak that I've been on makes me want to eat ALL the time. Let's just say that I didn't miss a snack time. Ha! I was given a couple beautiful dresses, one of which I would love to wear Easter Sunday. It's a bit too tight, so I'm hoping that anything I drop this week will make it not a little bit tight. I'll let you know how that goes.

Weekend Round Up

2011-04-17T21:16:00.001-05:00

It's been a very productive weekend. I've stayed at home all weekend, worked in the house and cooked and I've loved every second of it. So, here is how it looked...

This picture was actually from Thursday...I think. When I got home from work, I was sitting in the car and looked up through the moon room and wow...it was beautiful. Just had to share with you.

So, Friday we had more bad storms. One of my co-workers who is also a neighbor lost a tree. Our house was fine. However, I spent Friday night cleaning the house and watching the weather. The really bad storms seem to go to the north and south of us; however, we did get LOTS of rain, but no severe weather.

I am looking for a new hobby. My craft room is almost done. There are a few things I'm trying to figure out like where to put my sewing machine and more importantly if I can fit a twin bed in the room. Not thinking that is going to happen. Saturday I spent looking through some crafting ideas and I've found several that I will be sharing with you later.

I decided to make sliders for supper and boy were they delicious.

I made nine of them and bagged up six of them for The Boy for this weeks lunches. I did down two of them and yumo that rocked.

The Boy loves waffles for breakfast, so I have decided to make some to freeze for him too.

If you don't have a waffle maker, I encourage you to invest in one. They are not expensive and worth the treat for your family.

I made about a dozen 10" waffles, let them cool and then froze them. The Boy can pop them in the microwave for a couple minutes and then hit the road in the morning with his coffee and a waffle.

Last Monday I told you that I was sick. I went to the doctor and got some meds. However, what I understood the doc to say and what she actually said seems to be two different things. She gave me a zpak and antibiotic to take. I thought she said to take the zpak and then the antibiotic..I know but I was sick...so after Mrs. McG put me on the right track, I started my antibiotic on Thursday night. Wednesday I was not feeling well and it's gone downhill from there. I have had a headache all day today and I'm praying that the antibiotic does kick in.

Therefore, I missed Palm Sunday service today and I'm not happy about it. I love Easter time services. So, I took meds and stayed at home wrapped in a quilt alternated with the fan. I felt like that Katie Perry song...Your hot then you cold...ha.

Around noon I guess the domestic nerve was tweaked and I started cooking. I was trying to come up with something that The Boy could take as a snack this week. Something that I could make from scratch. Oatmeal cookies!!

I found a recipe and I had all the ingredients. So, I got out the mixer and mixed up a batch.

I scooped out 48 cookies.

Popped them in the oven.

I bagged them up and they are ready for snack bags this week..

While my cookies were baking, I decided to do the laundry too. And while I was at it, I did the laundry even The Boys clothes.

I guess all my working made poor Anna tired so she took a nap.

And because I was not done yet, I prepared supper. We had baked ham, mac & cheese and rolls.

Ha, it's been a full pleasant weekend and now I'm getting ready for bed and the start of my new week. Hope ya'll have a great Monday and enjoyed all the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

Playing Catch Up...

2011-04-12T21:39:00.003-05:00

Sinus's have hit our house and they kicked my bottom. It's been so hard to function for the past two days, so I really wanted to blog tonight.

So, let's see what has been going on.

Thursday, Mrs. McG and I met our friend Lauren and baby J at Stone's River Grill in the 'Boro. Any excuse I can use to go see this sweet boy AND eat at The Grill...I'm in.

Chicken n dumplings, Crowder beans and corn. YUMO

Really could they be any cuter?

I'm in love with this boy. And he turned 1 last week too. We were lucky to be with Lauren through her pregnancy and then the birth of Jake and I remember the call that morning when she said, no one is here...you guys better hurry and Mrs. McG and I took off running. When Lauren put him in my arms I couldn't be happier for such a wonderful couple and big brother H. H is going to be such a great big brother and teach Baby J lots of great things.

Friday I took off from work and had a great day at home working in the house. I cooked for my Saturday Candle Party and cleaned the house and re-arranged new furniture and that was it. It was a great relaxing stress free day.

Saturday I had a Gold Canyon Candle party for my sister's best friend from college. Sister and Tasha met at MTSU and have been friends ever since. Tasha is such great at selling and always knows her stuff. I had some great friends over and we ate and smelled candles.

Which leads to Sunday morning when I wake up feeling sick as a dog. My sinus's were killing me. After church I came home took more meds and went to bed. By Monday morning I was really sick. I went to work and was in the doctors office by 9:00 for a 9:30 appointment. I had a low grade fever, sinus infection and ear infection. UG!

So, today after feeling better and being on my meds for 24 hours I went to work, came home and found this pretty girl on my deck. Her mate was on the deck too, but he was too pretty to stick around for the camera shot.

The Boy has been after me to let him write on his bedroom walls. WHAT? Yes, write on his bedroom walls. Well, this is not my favorite idea so trying to be understanding and compromise and not freak out I found this amazing product.

GoWrite! Self-Stick dry erase roll. It comes in all sizes of rolls and sheets. Even in bright colors. You peel and stick, then use dry erase markers and ..... The boys gets the bubbles out...

The Girl draws a picture....

And what a great picture it is...she is so talented.

And I'm a good Mom for listening to The Boy and allowing him to write on his walls...well sort of.

On another note, I did not weigh in this week, so I will try next week. And we are NOT going to go with the doctor weight. Just not going there. Ha.

Have a great week ya'll.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T07:35:00.002-05:00

Weekend Round Up & Weigh In Monday/Tuesday

2011-04-05T07:39:00.009-05:00

Sorry I didn't update on Sunday night. Time got away from me and with Army Wives, Ruby and ....well there was some other show I was watching all at the same time, I just went to bed when they went off. I wanted to share with you some pictures I took while at my friend Mandy's house on Thursday. She has four beautiful horses. The Pioneer Woman has a photography contest with the subject of horses going on. Mandy let me take pictures of her babies so see how I could do. And after a little editing online, this is what I came up with.

This is Diva. Isn't she beautiful. Mandy's husband said that she need her dead end trimmed. Ha, I think she is perfect.

This is Diva and her friend which I can't remember her name.

And Friday was April Fool's Day. I have to be careful being the only girl in the department because these guys putting their heads together and being mechanically inclined can really come up with some good piratical jokes. So, for 2nd shift I put signs on the shop doors that said.....

and on the other door?

There's not getting these guys. They knew I did it and came right on in. Boo Hiss.

On Saturday I slept in. Oh the wonderfulness of a warm bed and cool sheets. It was pure heaven. I was up and at um by 8:30 and cleaning the house. Something about cleaning house on a warm spring morning with the windows open that just makes me feel good. I just took it easy the rest of the day and vegged out. Technical term there..meaning to lay like a cucumber. Speaking of cucumbers...I want some good watermelon. YUM!

Saturday night I was on Facebook and Twitter and I see MckMama asking for help. Her family has been in Nashville for several days doing photo shoots with bloggers. What? I say to myself, MckMama and the McKKids need help? I'm right on that. I call The Boy and he grabs his tools and we head to Nashville. Ha!! I'm so excited. This is my first Celebrity Blog meeting. I'm a nerd I know. But here is a life lesson for The Boy.

We head over to the Parthenon at 10:00 p.m. and find them in the RV. The steps on the RV will not go up and after calling in a service call they can't come out until Monday and then it will be $300 to pull a pin so that the steps will go back in and they can start the RV. WHAT? Monday and $300? No Way! The Boy has all these pretty shinny tools and he and McKDaddy work to push this pin out and then walla, fixed.

While the men did what men were suppose to do, MckMama and I, with a sweet new friend who I can't remember her name, Sherry maybe, sat on the picnic tables with Roobie (Ruby) running about exploring. We got to know each other and I talked about Stellan and how I prayed for them. It's so wonderful to know that this little guy we prayed for was safe and snug in his bunk in the RV feet from us.

The blog world is a strange wonderful place. With the push of a few keys, we were able to help a family that I've known for a couple years via the blog world. I was able to share with her that we had been praying for her family and now we had a personal connection. It was amazing. The Boy also saw for the first time that blogging was not stupid and that these people are like us. And even though he chooses to be private in my blogging, we can still step out and help those in need. Ha, he even wanted to invite MckDaddy to his Auto Cross racing on Sunday.

There was no weight loss this week. Not sure exactly why. There was no gain either which is good.

Well, ya'll have a great day and thank you for your prayers for Nashville yesterday as we had horrible weather. My little town was fine, but around us was hit pretty hard. Our weather station said that we could have had as many as 7 tornadoes yesterday. Holy Cow!

Oh, nothing on the dating front yet. Nope, the dating site is not giving me any feed back. It's kind of discouraging, but I know that God is working on this man where ever he is. He is working on me too.

New Do

2011-04-01T07:31:00.002-05:00

After work Thursday, I headed over to my friend Mandy's house. Love the house!! She lives in the county and has a old farm house. It's beautiful. Her family has four horses that are also beautiful. Mandy cuts my hair and tries to give me some style. She really has her hands full. However, I was really ready yesterday and let her loose on my head. First she waxed my eyebrows and then she hit my head.

I love the outcome. It's sleek and stylish. However, trying to re-do the do was a little challenging for me this morning. I hate putting product in my hair and so I guess I will have to get used to it. Mandy is a great hair dresser and really took time to help me out. This morning when I woke up, I felt better about myself and even dressed up.

So, What do you think?

Behind

2011-03-31T07:15:00.005-05:00

I feel so far behind because I was off of work on Monday. Ug, I hate that left behind feeling.

So, I'm going to get my hair cut tonight by my lovely friend Mandy. We left my hair a little longer this time and I though I loved it when I got it cut, within two weeks it was too long for me and so I'm back to square one. Finding a great hair style that is easy for me, fashionable and yet appealing to guys.

I joined a Christian Dating site. I have not received anything yet, though some of these "description of self" are pretty funny. Last night I found a guy that said, Used to be a circus clown...love kids. NOPE!! Another said just like this GIANT FROG, GIANT FROG, GIANT FROG, now it's your turn. Really? Are these guys for real? But there is the perfect girl out there for them too.

Ok peeps, I'm off to work. Hope your Friday Eve is wonderful. Tomorrow is April 1st, do you have any April Fool pranks you are planning?

And just so I have some pictures on here, for your viewing pleasure I present....

Wrap up in Macon

2011-03-29T21:28:00.001-05:00

Ok friends, this is my last vacation post. Sunday morning, Sister and I slept in a little and then went downstairs for breakfast. At the Holiday Inn we got free breakfast. Sausage, eggs, grits and potatoes. It was a good breakfast. After breakfast we headed south to The Lane Southern Orchards. Peach season is in May, so we didn't get any. Strawberry season starts April 1st, so we were a little early for that. So, we had lunch and wondered around the gift shop.

Yes, we had a bushel of fun!!

Wanda wanted to go on a pony ride so she took a spin around the gift shop. The horse almost threw her, but she got him under control.

After lunch and our tour of the gift shop, I decided to do a wine tasting. Let me first say that I'm NOT a drinker. There are very few things that I've ever had that I thought was really good. So, I didn't expect to like any of the wine. But I was going to give it a try. I sampled 8 wines and liked one. So...

I got a bottle of Super Sweet Fuzzy Berry Dancing Ducks Wine. I don't even have a wine opener, so I don't even know when I would drink it.

After the the Orchards, we headed to a quant little village call Henderson Village and Farms. Holy Cow! This place was amazing. Just a small little village with houses you can rent and nothing more. It is truly a retreat. Here are a few of the houses on the site.

I wanted to pull right in one of these drives and go in and live forever right there in Perry, GA. Sister says we are going back and we are going to stay here. I'm holding her to that.

Nothing says the south like Wisteria and Camellias.

So, after Perry our little tour of Perry, we headed back to Macon to the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds. The Park Ranger there was the sweetest man. He explained things to us and really was a great guide.

Walking out to the mounds.

Walking into the mounds. Did I mention I don't like tight small spaces? NO NO NO!!! I got out very quickly..I think I even pushed Sister out the door.

Sister's Indian name is now, Walks with Crouch. I think she was hunting squirrel.

We loved this single lane tunnel under the rail road tracks.

And finally the funeral mounds. So sacred.

We were both so tired that we decided to head back to the hotel. Which goes back to my first post on Sunday night. Sister and I sat in the hotel restaurant at a booth and watched NASCAR, Carolina Basketball while I blogged and she did her bible study. Then she crocheted some. We had fried Ravoli and pizza for dinner and then watched Army Wives. I'm a huge fan of this show. It broke my heart to see one of the main characters die in war. Both Sister and I sat there and cried and cried. Neither of us could watch Coming Home because of Armey Wives.

We decided to head up to the room and get some shut eye. It was cold and rainy outside and so sleep came quickly. In the background you heard the rumble of the train and all was well. Our vacation weekend was amazing and just being together was just what we needed. My sister is an amazing woman and I'm blessed to get any time with her. She is a pretty special lady.

Monday morning, we got up, ate breakfast and hit the road by 8:00. She had to go into work and I just came home and waited for the Boy. Life has returned to normal and we are looking forward to our next getaway. Are you?

Weigh In Monday - Tuesday

2011-03-29T07:29:00.003-05:00

I honestly wasn't sure how my weigh in this morning was going to go. I tried to eat well this weekend, but still be able to try things. Sister has lost 40 lbs and looks so good, so she was a big inspiration to me. She is also a great encourager with my weight. She has such confidence since she lost her weight. I can see she feels better about herself. Before, she didn't want pictures taken and now, she poses and hams it up in front of the camera. Ha, I am so proud of her. She is such a sweet person and would do anything for you. What a blessing. Ok, so how did I do this week? I lost 3 lbs and I'm very happy about that. There is more motivation to loose the weight. I bought a bathing suite in Georgia for my trip to Florida in July. I bought one size smaller than I wear so that it will fit in July. Maybe it will be too big, but I don't think so. Well, it's back to work today. It was hard to get up this morning, but I'm here and ready to roll. Ya'll have a great day.