One Week Later

So, I have been Shredding for a week now. And, as crazy as it might seem, I am LOVING it.

Jillian is HARD CORE! And, in my head I know she is just on my TV and cannot hurt me, but I still think she might and that thought gets me through the entire workout. I am getting up early every morning to do it before I start my day and I would've thought it would make me tired for the day (and the first few days it SOOOOOOO did!) but I find it gets me going.

Now, it is NOT easy. After day one I could not do this:

Those four little steps were TORTURE! And going down was ten times worse than going up. I have no idea how she managed to do THAT! Plus, my poor arms were ready to fall off. So the laundry piled up pretty high before I could get down there and lift it into the washer! I had to release the sides on Sophie's crib to get her out of it and still had to just wrap my arms around her and use leverage! Day two my arms actually gave out mid push up and I kissed the floor. BUT, I survived the first two days and day 3 was the turnaround day. I actually had the endurance to finish everything and the pain was beginning to ease.

Now, after seven days, I am feeling pretty comfortable with it all and am even considering moving up to level two. Now, I have WATCHED level two and there are some pretty high impact moves involved. Sadly, I think I inherited my Grandma's knees so that may be hard, but there are low impact variations that do not look too bad. Maybe tomorrow.

I am also considering adding some additional cardio stuff to my day to help burn off this gut a little quicker. HOWEVER, in the last week I HAVE lost 6.8 pounds, so I am NOT complaining! AT ALL!!!

Now, to all of you who may be considering this - I totally recommend it. It is as hard as they say it is - even my friends whose workouts have consisted of more than lifting the spoon/can of diet coke to the lips and mashing buttons on the remote control have found it difficult - but once you get through the first few days it gets better. And trust me when I say, if I can do it, ANYONE can!

In other news, Sophie is talking a million miles a minute. Most of it is gibberish, but gibberish with effort. She is CLEARLY trying to communicate! And we can understand more and more of it every day. She is as joyful and sweet as ever - although we are seeing a few more Nellie Olsen style hissy fits here and there the closer we get to three! Yesterday, in a mini rage she grabbed my "pretty" (my cross necklace) and yanked and broke the chain. It broke my heart but I had to put her into timeout. She stayed there though, crying hard, and it hurt ME! Afterwards we hugged and made up, which was almost sweet enough to make up for it all. Almost.

Her favorite words are "please" and "thank you" and "hi". And just last week she started saying "love you" when we say it to her. I cried like a baby the first time - so very sweet. She is joy personified!

Hattie is growing like a weed - just up though, never out. She can still fit waist wise in some size three's but height wise she needs a five. And even the slims leave her lookin like a plumber most of the time! She loves to sing and dance and "read". She also likes to pretend she is any given Disney/Nick Jr character at any time. She is fun to watch play pretend and more and more she lets us play WITH her.

She loves school, but I think she is really ready for summer. It cannot come soon enough for this mommy. She is such a happy, sweet affectionate girl and a joy to be around. Even her "meltdowns" are coming a little less often and it is getting easier to pull her out of them - although Sunday was a hard day and I ended up staying in the nursery with her and Sophie because Hattie refused to go in her classroom. Not sure why - this is where that whole communication thing would come in real handy!

That about sums us up right now. I really am tryin to get back on a regular schedule with the blogging ... please be patient with me. That is, if you are still out there ...

Hello?

Anyone?

Beuller?

dern...

PS - Amy Grant has a new EP out and here is the handy dandy link (tryin to win a copy cause I LOVE me some Amy, oh yes I do!!!)

Project 365 - Week 16

I only have a few minutes to get this up, so let's get right into this weeks pictures (sorry to be so very unsociable!!) ...

April 27 - Miss Belle wakin up from her nap ... LOVE that sleepy face and am so very thankful to her mommy and daddy for sharing her with us every week!

April 28 - We had worship practice for a special worship night on Sunday ... I haven't been up to sing in over a month - and my voice was showin it!

April 29 - AKA Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred ... and, all I can say is OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

April 30 - I am sorry, but this CANNOT be my baby girl. I can hardly even stand how big she's gettin. here she is in a pair of PJ's that Hattie LITERALLY wore last week. I pulled them out of H's drawer out of desperation and they fit!!!! And I cried a little...

May 1 - Spent the day designing blogs for some lovely people (the one in the pic should look familiar to those of you hoppin over from Sara's blog!). I designed two for my friend Kelli and she chose the one I was hopin she would, cause that means I got the other one ... How do ya like my new look?!?!?!

May 2 - Can my girl rock a McD's kid's meal box or WHAT?!?!?!?! Gotta love a new hat :)

PS: I want ya to know that I had a salad and did not even snitch a single fry! I mean, I am no Shreddin for nothin. And the 4.5 pounds I lost this week are STAYIN off this time!

So, there is our week, stop by and see Sara if you would like to peek in on the weeks of other strangers!!

So, how was YOUR week?

This Is Gonna Hurt

I am a HUGE fan of The Biggest Loser. I admit it, I am a reality TV junkie. I especially enjoy seeing people overcome battles. And, since weight and self image are battles I am constantly fighting, seeing people overcome them touches me in ways I cannot explain.

Now, when watching the Biggest Loser, or American Idol, Survivor or Amazing Race, I often try to picture myself in the shoes of the contestants. In fact, I often look at Hubby and explain what my strategy would be in that situation. For instance, if I ever get on survivor I am wearing layers - lots and lots of layers so that I have a change of clothes and am not forced to wander around an island (with the whole world watching!) in my underwear. AND, for that matter, I am wearing boxer briefs under everything - no hiney hangout for this girl! Not to mention a supportive bra - I mean come ON! You are on SURVIVOR - meaning physical challenges in which you may be required to bend, run, jump, leap, run, hang and, did I mention RUN!?

Support the girl ladies, support the girls!

OK, back to Biggest Loser ...

There was a moment once where Jillian had someone on a treadmill and that person (I cannot remember who at the moment) kept putting down her hands to hold on to the handles. Jillian was getting mad and actually threatened to rip her arms off and beat her over the head with her own arms if she did it one more time. Jillian is hard core y'all. Hard core!

Now, generally Bob is the nice one, but there was one contestant this year that made HIM lose it. Joelle. Oh, she was infuriating! Here she has the chance of a lifetime, to get herself in shape and have someone to help her learn to STAY that way and she just blew it off. She would BARELY participate in the workouts and do just enough to get by in the challenges ... Heck, I wanted to rip her arm off and beat her with it!!! He finally went all Jillian on her and there was more bleeping in that one scene that there EVER has been on that show!

So, anyway, I have decided that this is it, I have to do it now or never. I KNOW you have heard this before, but this time I have some AMAZING accountability partners and we are gonna do it TOGETHER! In fact we have all picked up a little something to get us started ...

I am tellin ya, in the words of Big Mama, it should actually be called the 30 Day DREAD. I did day one this morning and I have come to the conclusion that Jillian is one of two things:

A: She is a stinkin genius and bound to be my BFF in the next 30 days, or ...

B: She is a terrorist working for some foreign dictator and is determined to take out the good 'ol USofA one stay at home mom at a time.

I have ALSO determined that I would be the one to lead Jillian to at least the threat of violence and I would be the one to send Bob over the edge. Yes, I am Joelle.

And THAT must change!

So, this morning I got up at 0 Dark:Thirty to do Day 1 (because, clearly, I like my torture in two's). And I am tellin you ... OUCH!

It's gonna be a long 30 days, in which I will either DIE or find the motivation to keep going and TRULY get into shape.

I am betting on the latter.

In which case, if I ever DO get on Survivor, there will be MUCH less jiggling and hanging out of the hiney.

Priorities people, we all need em!

Dare We Get Excited?!?

Well, lookey there!

Do you see what I see?

No, really - can ya see it?

No, not the lily white skin ... look closer ...

Yeah, I know they're beautiful, intelligent, adorable and the cutest stinkin' kids on the planet ... look BEYOND that!

Yep, there it is ... do you see it?

They are wearing ... Could it be? ... why, yes it is ... They're wearing SHORTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Even Miss Belle (who was JUST waking up from her nap) is dressed for the FINALLY warmer weather. But then again, Belle would wear this dress in a blizzard if ya let her - girlie girl likes her sleeveless dresses! And, ummm, how precious is her freshly awoken face?

Beautiful!

Can I just get an AMEN on the oh-so-welcome-warmer days ... and a prayer that they are here to stay a while!?

Yeah, AMEN and Thank You LORD!

Project 365 - Week 15

Time again for a look back at our week. The lovely Sara hosts this extravaganza each week, in which we take and showcase at least one picture a day for an entire year. And it is a STINKIN BLAST!!!! It's not too late to join us. Visit Sara or click on the pic above for more details!
April 19 - Sophie is FINALLY letting me play with her hair. The accessories don't always stay in for long, but it is a start!

April 20 - Sophie's 18 month check up (though she is closer to 20 months now!).

April 21 - There's no room here for an office space, so I created a little counter top organization center (and yes, I do realize I AM becoming my mother!).

April 22 - Adventures in Spaghetti - scroll down for the whole tale!

April 23 - sick in bed with a migraine. How Blessed am I to have friends who made sure the girls and I got home safely from Bible study and a husband who came home (amidst MORE layoffs this week - we are still safe) to take care of his ailing wife?!?!

April 24 - He had to go back to work, but he left this note to let me know he loves me!

April 25 - the piano finally made it over from the old house! And, yes, that is a framed puzzle above it. In my early 20's I shared and apartment with a roommate - we could barely afford rent, much less cable, so we spent a LOT of time playing cards and doing puzzles. Something about this one made me fall in love and I glued it together and kept it. I always dreamed of owning a piano like the one in the picture as well as havin a little blond girl and a curly headed brunette baby! When we got the piano (a GIFT from a friend) hubbs had the puzzle framed and hung it above the piano. Fast forward five years and I even have the blond and curly topped babies! God is SO good!!!

April 26 - yesterday evening Sophie got sick. It turned into a very long night! Finally at about 3:30, she was able to keep down some pedialite and water and she fell asleep for the night. She seems to feel much better this morning, but her mama and daddy are draggin!

So, how was YOUR week?!?!

Kissin My Domestic Diva Card Goodbye

Yesterday was NOT the most stellar day in my career as a housewife/stay-at-home-mom. In fact, it quite possible rates among the bottom 3. It started off semi bad and then took a swift downhill turn. Let's just say that, by noon I was takin pictures because I knew that, at the very least, I would need evidence and at the very most, it would be very bloggable.

Yes, I have no shame.

So here, in all of it's photographic glory, is my day ...

Now, first of all I must say that up until yesterday I was feelin pretty good about my Domestic Diva status - even going so far as to brag on it to my twittery and facebook friends. And, yes, I think the Sweet Lord felt I needed to be taken down a notch.

First thing yesterday morning I loaded the washing machine and proceeded to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher. All was going swimmingly until I bent low to put some stuff away in a lower cabinet. I glanced up and caught a glimpse of a thick layer of CRUD on the counter top. It was, ummm, gross. I was a little disgusted, but just cleaned it and went on.

A little later I had put the second load in the washer and was feeding the girls their lunch - complete with fruits AND veggies! Go me!!! And then I heard a noise. NOT a good noise either.

I ran to the breezeway and saw a flood of water coming from beneath the washing machine. I threw down some towels and ran to call the hubbs. Seems a hose had come loose. He told me to just turn it off and wait til he got home.

But I was hearing none of that. I still needed to wash at LEAST one more load. See, I had located (in the mess that is our garage of doom) the ONE PAIR OF PANTS that actually fit and I needed them clean. So, I located the errant hose, fixed it myself and attempted to move the machine to clean up behind it. It would not budge, but since MOST of the water had ran to the drain, I decided to attempt another load. I needed those jeans after all - I have Bible Study today!!!

So I packed the perimeter with towels ...

... and started her up. And it worked! YAY ME!

Uh Oh. There's that pride again ...

After lunch I got Sophie down for a nap and decided to start dinner. I felt like spaghetti would be a good choice, so I went in search of sauce. I found a couple of cans and emptied them both into the crock pot. As I was scraping the second clan clean I noticed that it was not spaghetti sauce at all, but a can of Bold Manwich.

Panic struck in my heart. So, I did what any self respecting (wanna be) Southern Belle would do. I consulted Aunt Bee!

However, in the pages of the cookbook that every good (wanna be) southern wife should have, I found NOTHING from Aunt Bee. I did find a little somethin from Goober, however ...

But his recipe called for mushrooms. Now, I know this may cause a stir, but I do not do fungus. Especially since I saw an episode of Dirty Jobs that showed how they are grown. Lets just say that the "soil" was steaming and the "water" ... well, some are known to write their names in the snow with it.

Just sayin!

So, I moved on to this one ...

I got some ideas and headed on back to the crock pot, pantry shelf and spice cabinet...

I, however, did not have any tomato paste, so I grabbed a couple cans of stewed tomatoes and went to town ...
What? It's close enough isn't it?

I threw it in with the rest of the concoction, along with some assorted seasonings I pulled from the spice cabinet!

I decided it needed some meat, so I went in the freezer and found some of this:

I also do not do the raw meat, so I let it float in a sink of hot water for a while to defrost and then just drained it and dumped the whole thing into the crock pot. BEFORE I had tasted it! So, I had NO idea what we were in for!

After a while I figured I better start the noodles. I went for a pan... Have I mentioned that our fridge BARELY fit into the fridge pocket and, thus, made it a tight squeeze into the cabinet where all of the assorted pans had already been placed?

Ummm ... yeah ...

... THAT is where the pans live in our house! Yikes!

I managed to squeeze one out and started the noodles.

About 15 minutes (and one burned finger) later, both noodles and sauce were ready. And just in time for Hubbs to walk through the door. I served it up and told Hubbs to take a taste and tell me what he thought ... and that I would THEN have a story to share.

Turns out that the creativity paid off ... for most of the family. Hattie was not a fan, but then again, she is pretty much not a fan of anything food wise - unless of course it is pop tarts, cheese pizza, peanut butter, cheese and crackers, bananas, hot dogs, macNcheese , chicken nuggets, fries or milkshakes, so, no surprise there. Hubbs liked it though, I thought it was pretty good myself and Sophie ...

... Well, looks like she liked it too.

But, then again, she's easy to please!

Praying for Stellan!

***UPDATE***

Stellan made it through surgery, but prayers are still needed. It seems the "owie" on his heart was in the spot that they did NOT want it to be in, so they were not able to do as much as they would have liked. The prayer is that it was enough to hold off another surgery until he is old enough to do the rest without as much risk as if they had to do it now! PLEASE keep praying for the little guy!!!

Check out McKMama's blog for all of the VERY INDEPTH details!!!

We love ya Stellan!!!

Stellan is having VERY delicate surgery on his little heart this morning. He is already a miracle! Would you please join me in praying for one more miracle for this little guy and his family? Thanks!

To Know vs KNOWING

Yesterday was a GREAT day - which started off at church. And, can I just say that Mr. Andy Timm can BRING A WORD!. Oh, yes he can!

The sermon was kickin' off a new series of sermons entitled From Religion to Relationship. It was a discussion on the difference between knowing OF God and KNOWING God. Do you know about Him, or do you really strive to truly KNOW Him. Do you seek a relationship with Him in which you develop a knowledge of His character and WHO HE IS?

Mr. Aron Kirk also led worship in a big way and introduced the congregation to one of my very favorite songs. A song that brings me to my knees like no other. A song which sums up the nature of the sermon. Bernadette started the song off - and OH MY WORD, Homegirl can sang! - and I was instantly in tears. So stinkin' beautiful.

Here is a version of it I found on Youtube. There was a live version that I almost used, but then I found this one ... WOW!

Enjoy (be sure to pause the music player over on the sidebar):



If you TRULY seek Him, you WILL find Him. And the more you FIND Him, the more you WILL love Him.

Oh, I beg of you, sit at his feet, drink from the cup in His hand, lean back against Him and FEEL His heartbeat.

That heart ... it beats for YOU!

Project 365 - Week 14 (Otherwise Titled "I'm Baaaaacccckkk!")

Now, I realize that the rest of the participants of Project 365 are on Week 16. But seein' as how it took a week to find my camera and then another week to find the cord to attach it to the computer, the other camera and the adapter for the cell phone card ...

Well, you get the gist ... We are just gonna skip a couple of those weeks. Which means that MY project 365 will go into 2010, but, there ya go. (And, did anyone else just have a mild panic attack over the fact that I just wrote 2010 in reference to the VERY NEAR FUTURE?!?!?! YIKES! )

Anyhoo, here is a glimpse into this week ... starting on Monday, because, yes, I am THAT mom that forgot to take a single stinkin' picture of her sweet girls in their Easter dresses.

I am ashamed ...

April 13 - Belle joined us for the day. And that calls for a Princess extravaganza! Here they are singing along with our girl Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.

April 14 - Yep, she's eating. Shocking, I know ...

April 15 - My sweet little Princesses have discovered the pleasures of a good wrestling session. Even without the Daddy (who is usually in the thick of it!!), they can get down and dirty with the best of em. Let's just hope that MUD is never involved ... and that they ALWAYS wrestle in long footie PJ's!

April 16 - Bath time. And, I am tellin' ya, the walls get just as wet as they do! Seriously, check out Hattie's splash action! And this is just a small one!

April 17 - Lost and Found. First off, forgive the quality of the pic ... stinkin' camera acting up again!!! And, of all the things we've lost in this move, somehow Sophie managed to find an old binky/paci/soother! She never used these things as a baby, but it took me all day to get this one out of her mouth!

April 18 - Aww, sweet sunshine. Welcome! PLEASE say for a while. Thank you.

And now, if you wanna check out some more pics of the weeks of people you may, or may not, know ... Head over to Sara's place. Maybe even play along!!!