Not Mine!

A little meme while I wait for my pot roast to cook. This is borrowed from Dawn. She's my Florida friend and Disney connection.


1. When did you last sleep in a bed outside your home?
the second week of November for 5 nights at my work retreat. I had to change rooms mid trip due to lack of heat in my first hotel room. Brrrr.

2. When did you last drive someone else’s car?
See answer #1. I drove a black Pontiac G6, courtesy of Enterprise. I actually drive rental cars often for work.

3. When did you last cook in someone else’s kitchen?
A week ago. My sister, Mom, and I had a Christmas treat extravaganza at Mom's.

4. When did you last care for children who aren’t yours?
My nephew, Riley, spent the night last Friday. I saw therapy kids on this past Friday morning.

5. When did you last do someone else’s job?
About three weeks ago, my friend and coworker, Christy, was home with a sick baby, so I drove over an hour to do a training she had scheduled. It did not go well. She owes me big. :)

I'ts Christmastime!

And time for another blog post. I really have no idea why my blogging mojo has become so sporadic in the last year. I read tons of other people's blogs every single day, yet completely abandon my own. Weird. I'm not even going to promise more regular posts, so you can be surprised and delighted if I get back into the swing of blogging.

First, the updates:

Greg really likes his job and his boss, which is a huge relief. What a difference to actually be told he's doing a great job and to be appreciated by his boss. Working outside in winter isn't so great, but getting to work from our house and set his own schedule is pretty nice. He's much happier in this position.

Carson is doing well in kindergarten and had a fantastic check-up at the eye doctor in Springfield 4 weeks ago. His eye movement has improved by 30%, which is a huge change. We love Dr. Pierce! Carson informed us at dinner last week that his job in Heaven will be to pack a lunch for Jesus each day, then guard his garden from monkeys, walruses, and penguins. Jesus does not eat out.

I am still scrapbooking, playing Bunco, working at SEMO, and saving the world, one dysfunctional family situation at a time. I love my work, and boy does it give me some stories to tell!

I've already attended 4 Christmas parties and have 6 to go. Have a great Friday and a Merry Weekend!

Mum's the Word

I had the strangest experience today. I decided to stop by the university greenhouse and pick up some mums as decorations for Carson's party next weekend. I took my time perusing the long aisles of brightly colored mums, thinking someone would be out to help me transport the giant pots to my van and write a ticket for me to pay inside. After nearly giving up and preparing to go inside to get someone to help me, I came across a woman, kneeling on the weed mat, working with a hose. I was still several feet away from her, when I asked if she would mind helping me with some flowers. She looked at me, put her head down, and continued her work. I tried again, asking if there was someone else who could help me. She again made eye contact, and said, "I water," then returned to her work. I decided to try one last time and asked her, "Is anyone else here?" She jumped up from her work, marched over to me and shouted, "I water! You yourself!" At this point I realized that she was an Asian student and determined that something was obviously getting lost in translation. I turned and quickly walked away, loaded my flowers, and went inside to find another worker. When I walked back outside, a lady with a thick Southern accent had arrived and was speaking to the Asian girl in a thick drawl, saying, " Sugar, could you fetch me some chrysanthemums?" The Asian girl hopped up, said, "Sure, " and fetched the woman's flowers. Weird. Even weirder is that tomorrow I'm going to work with a child who speaks only Chinese. Guess I'll turn on the Southern charm and hope for the best. Have a great Tuesday, Sugar.

Happy Birthday....on the road

The last two weeks have been an absolute blur. With Greg working out of town and me having a St.Louis doctor's appointment, a meeting in Jefferson City, and a trip to take Carson to see Greg overnight, I am exhausted. We'll start the process over on Monday morning. Carson is being farmed out to various relatives after school and often overnight while I work. He came stumbling into the living room half asleep one night last week, rubbing his eyes, to ask me where he was going the next morning and who he should look for to pick him up. Poor guy. On the bright side, Greg is officially half way through his training and will be home for good in two more weeks.

Because of this crazy scheduling, Carson is set to have the longest birthday celebration in history. We started off with an ice cream party for his class on Thursday, since school was out on Friday, his actual birthday. I picked him up after school and we drove to St. Charles to stay with Greg for the night. We visited Chuck E Cheese for dinner. I had never noticed before how much Chuck E's is like a little kiddie casino. It was packed with very overstimulated kids who had very little supervision. Definitely a once a year place for us. Friday morning, Carson opened his presents over breakfast in the hotel dining room, then he and I met my friend, Katie, at the St Louis Zoo for a beautiful day of visiting the animals. We drove home in time for dinner, and Carson chose to eat at Golden Gate, our favorite Chinese place in Jackson. On Saturday, he and Greg spent the afternoon launching Carson's new rocket, then we went to yet another birthday dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Penny. Tonight we'll be celebrating with Greg's parents, who returned from their cruise to Nova Scotia last night. We'll finish the celebrating with a hayride party next Sunday, where Carson will finally get to blow out some candles!

I am hoping to get to take some vacation days to stay with Greg and scrapbook in the hotel this week. I really want to get at least this year completed in an album and attempt to stay more on track with my scrapping. I may never get caught up on years past, but I would like to stay current from now on. (I'm probably dreaming!)

Have a fantastic week and enjoy the lovely weather if you're local!

Life Sucketh No More

Hello! I apologize for the very long delay in new posts. Frankly, life had been really sucking for me and my family for what felt like a very long time, and I really didn't feel like immortalizing all the crap on my blog. To those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing my tales of woe in person for the last several months, thanks for not telling me to suck it up and continuing to tolerate my whining.

First of all, the absolutely wonderful news that as of today, my mom is in remission! She had a scan this morning and what little bit of tumor is still there is expected to dissolve within 6 months. Her hair is growing back and she's feeling much better!

Second, Greg is working! He got a job working for SM&P Utility Resources as a technician. His job involves locating and marking utility lines. He is currently in training in St Louis during the week and will be home for good near the end of October.

We're starting to feel like life is back on track. Next week we'll be celebrating Carson's birthday on Friday with a trip to St Louis to visit Greg and a visit to either the Magic House or the zoo. The following week we'll celebrate with a hayride and birthday party at MeMaw and PawPaw Franklin's house.

Thanks for checking back in! Look for more frequent updates in the near future. Have a fantastic weekend!

A Short Update

So, we're still alive. Carson fell on our laptop and shattered the screen several weeks ago, hence no updates for many weeks. The new screen is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Yay! I am making due with our ancient desktop computer, which does not allow for picture uploads and has a screen that is so dark, I can barely make out what is on it. Greg is still job hunting, but he had an interview on Wednesday and has another one tomorrow. We don't get too excited about interviews anymore, but we're hopeful that one of these opportunities will work out. This economy sucks. Carson started kindergarten at South Elementary two weeks ago, and has a completely awesome teacher. Things are going so much better than this time last year. I'll have a full report as soon as the new laptop screen arrives. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

What's Up, Buttercup?

We're still chugging along here at the Franklin house. Greg has fallen into the duties of Mr. Mom nicely. He has developed a new penchant for housecleaning and laundry that I am loving, although it is freaking me out a little bit to have the clothes I wore yesterday clean and hanging in my closet by the next morning. He also gets really cranky when I leave clothes in the hallway outside the bathroom. This role reversal has been quite the learning experience for us both.

Hopefully, this situation will be coming to an end soon, since Greg got two calls for interviews today. We'll be going to St Louis on Sunday for his interview Monday morning with a company he is really interested in. We're not moving. The job will be based in Cape. Please say a prayer for us that things will move quickly if this is the job he is meant to have.

Cason is begging me to take him to garage sales tomorrow, but I think it's going to be way too hot. I have scrapbooking tomorrow night and we have a bowling birthday party to go to on Saturday.

Carson had a great day today. He finished his last swimming lesson, then went to St. Mary with MeMaw and PawPaw. While there he got to drive the big tractor with Great Uncle Floyd and plant corn, then when he got out, the train was going by the farm and blew it's whistle at him. Trains and tractors in one day makes for such a great time when you're six.

Have a great Friday and a cool weekend.

You Say You Want a Revolution

Such interesting times. No explanations tonight. Just a note to myself to stay strong in my beliefs and honor my faith.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Romans 12:9-21 (NRSV)

Firecrackers and Birthday Candles

My vacation has flown by! I'm back to work tomorrow. I'm ready to get back into a routine and back in the habit of exercising more regularly. Being on vacation was bad for the walking routine.

We celebrated the 4th at Marcia and Steve's house, as always. Marcia has been my mom's friend since junior high school, so our families have always celebrated together throughout the years. They put on a fantastic fireworks display and have tons of yummy food. (This may be a problem at my weigh-in tomorrow, but it was all soooo good!) I made a new recipe that was quite the hit. I decided to use some of the blueberries we picked a few weeks ago. Here it is:

Blueberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups of crushed roughly crushed pretzel crumbs

3/4 cup melted butter

3 Tbs sugar

Mix together and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

In a large pot, place:

4 cups blueberries

1/4 cup water

Bring to a boil and add:

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs cornstarch

Boil, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and cool completely.

In a mixing bowl mix:

8oz softened cream cheese

1 cup sugar

8 oz carton of Cool Whip

When crust and blueberries are completely cool, top crust with with cream cheese mixture , then blueberries. Chill until served.

On Saturday we took my Grandma out to eat for her birthday at lunch, then went to Greg's parents' for a BBQ with his brother and nephew. Carson and Andrew had a blast soaking each other and everything in their path with water balloons.

Today we went to church, then hung out at home. Carson played in the pool and sprinkler with the girls next door and outside most of the day. Greg mowed and I did some laundry and watched some TV.

Here are some pictures from our weekend. This week we actually don't have anything on the calendar, other than my usual Weight Watchers and aerobics. Next weekend we have a family wedding shower on Saturday and a Campaign '08 houseparty at some friends' house on Sunday. Should be another fun weekend!

Be Careful What You Wish For....

'Cause you just might get it all, and then some you don't want.

I wished for weight loss this week.....I got the stomach flu. Really bad. I'm getting better, but my abs are screaming from all of the wretching.

I wished for Greg to not have to work so much overtime....and he lost his job on Monday. He is applying everywhere, and we are optimistic that he'll be working again soon, but this is not good for the budget.

Enough of my woes. Everything is temporary and I'm faithful that things will be better soon.

In happy news, I am absolutely astounded at how well Carson is doing at swimming lessons. He started Monday, but today was my first day to take him. He wants to swim under water the entire time. He still has trouble getting his arms and legs to work at the same time, but he is doing so much better than I had imagined. His new swim teacher is awesome. The lessons are at her house, which is gorgeous, and she is the most patient, loving teacher I have seen.

I lost another 2.5 pounds this week. This was due in great part to the stomach flu, but I'll still take it! I'm shrinking every day.

I'm off to suspension aerobics in a few minutes. This is the class where we are in the deep end the whole time, so we don't touch the bottom for the entire class. It should be interesting given how sore my abs are right now.

Have a good Thursday. We have plans to go to swim lessons, and not much else. Sounds like a good day to me!

All You Need is Love

We are feelin' the love at the Franklin house. Here's a list of things our family is loving right now!

10 new old love songs recently downloaded to Amy's Ipod:
1. Your Love Amazes Me-John Berry
2. When You Say Nothing at All-Keith Whitley
3. How Do You Fall in Love-Alabama
4. When You Love Someone-Bryan Adams
5. At Last-Etta James
6. Our Love is Here to Stay-Natalie Cole
7. I Get a Kick Out of You-Frank Sinatra
8. Come Rain or Come Shine- Sarah Vaughn
9. Chapel of Love-The Dixie Cups
10. Me and You-Kenny Chesney (Our First Dance Song)

Nine Things We Loved About Last Week:
1. Science Camp-Carson had such a great time! See the slideshow for pictures. FYI-He will be leaving for Mars soon, so make sure to tell him goodbye the next time you see him. :)
2. Great conversation and companionship with my St Louis coworkers on our Jefferson City trip.
3. The absolutely sinful Chicken Wellington and Ceasar salad I had at the Capital City Steakhouse. Yum-o-rama.
4. The fact that I lost 5.4 pounds!!! I even went to the Jefferson City Weight Watchers meeting while I was out of town. Yay, me!
5. Carson is doing so well at speech. We are so proud of him.
6. Carson crawled up on my lap and had charming conversations with me two nights last week.
7. My pants were slightly looser.
8. I made it through suspension aerobics without puking.
9. Greg got to be off all day with Carson and me on Friday.
10. Carson has made friends with the little girl next door and they had a great time splashing in his new pool.

Eight Things I Would Love to Get Done This Week:
1. Complete our Florida vacation scrapbook.
2. Get started on our 2008 scrapbook.
3. Finish "The Innocent Man" and get started on "The Other Boelyn Girl."
4. Perfect the BBQ chicken as featured on "Down Home with the Neely's" on Food Network
5. Go see "Wall-E" (Is that how you spell it? Hmmm..)
6. Swim at Shelly's
7. Go to water aerobics Monday and Wednesday
8. Take several walks

Seven Things I Would Love to Cook This Week:
1. Another yummy bluberry buckle
2. Blueberry corn muffins
3. Chicken and Dumplings
4. Honey Pecan Pancakes
5. Chicken Tortilla Casserole
6. Strawberry Salad
7. Blueberry Pretzel Salad

Six Things that I Would Love to See Happen this Week:
1. More weight loss
2. A clean house...that stays that way all week
3. Carson have fun and learn a lot at swimming lessons
4. Me not get overwhelmed by all I want to accomplish on my time off
5. Me cooking dinners out of our pantry..there's a lot of food in there
6. Lots of crockpot and grilled dinners

Five Things I Would Still Love to do this Summer:
1. Go to Elephant Rocks
2. Go to the Miner's baseball game
3. Go to The Magic House
4. Go to lunch at Giant City park
5. Visit Katie and go to The Incredible Pizza Company

Four Things that Always Make Me Feel the Love
1. Weddings-Mom and I went to another one this weekend. Mae-Cie and Jason had a lovely pink and chocolate brown ceremony and a fun reception with great music and lots of family and friends. See the slideshow
2. When Carson says, "Thank you, Momma!" when I do something small and routine for him.
3. Old love songs...hence all the new downloads.
4. When Greg calls me just to see what I'm doing during the day.

Three Options for Celebrating our Tenth Wedding Anniversary next May:
1. A party, with lots of friends, family, and love songs, of course!
2. A trip to somewhere sandy and sunny.
3. With a new anniversary band.

Two Shows I am Loving Right Now:
1. The Tudors (whew! steamy!)
2. Deadliest Catch-we've been addicted for a few years now

And Finally, to the ONE I Love:
I love you, Greg! Thanks for being such a great Dad and Husband!

I hope all of you are feeling the love and having a great weekend. Have a lovely week!

Father's Day, Berries, Workouts, and More!

I just typed a fabulous post and Blogger ate it. This laptop is really frosting my butt right now. I think it needs a trip to the repair shop. Anyway, here are the highlights of the disappearing post.

Father's day was spent at our house this year. Mom, Dad, Grandma Pat, Juli, and PawPaw joined us for a low key BBQ. After the meal, Juli and I researched cruises for our Operation Lose to Cruise reward. We are almost positive we want to go to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean out of Miami. Any advice or comments from those who have cruised this route will be appreciated.

Last week I went to water aerobics twice and walked once. I really struggled with my walk and wanted to quit on lap two. I stuck it out, but I realized I am very out of shape and this is going to take some time before I enjoy working out again. It didn't help that I had a 5 day headache that finally ended today.

Friday was spent scrapbooking with friends. Saturday I went to Iller's Berry Farm and picked fresh blueberries with a few friends. I was home by 11:00 and went straight to work making a blueberry buckle. It's like a cobbler, but better. I froze the rest of the berries to enjoy all summer. I'm going to try making blueberry cornmeal muffins sometime this week.

We spent the rest of the weekend at home. Greg and Carson spent the day outside today. Carson has found a new friend in the neighbor next door. He and Erica are close to the same age and want to spend every waking moment outside together. I did 10 loads of laundry and finished a few scrapbook pages this afternoon.

I'm of to Jefferson City in the morning to spend the night and attend a training on Tuesday. Carson is going to science camp this week and starts swimming lessons next week. I'll be going to water aerobics and getting some walking in this week. Gotta love a fun filled summer! Have a great week!

Lazy Day

Carson and I had a lazy day today. We stayed home and played and I surfed the net for a few hours. I researched cruises for my trip with Juli, caught up on blogs, and read the message boards at twopeasinabucket.

Tonight the guys went to church band practice and I had Bunco. We had a fun time, as always! I love my Bunco buddies. I won a box of sugar free Tic Tacs, a perfect prize since I'm in the Weight Watchers wagon again.

Last night I met Juli and Leah at the pool for suspension aerobics. We wore float belts and were suspended in 13 feet of water for the entire class. It was challenging, but fun. I was pretty sore this morning.

This is the weekend of weddings for us. We have two ceremonies and one reception to atend on Saturday. Sunday we're BBQing at our house for Father's Day. Have a great weekend!

When the sun goes down...

I'll be swimming! Juli and her friend, Leah, joined me at the pool tonight for our first water aerobics class of the summer. It was great! There were a few times I felt like my arms were on fire, but just when I thought I'd have to quit, the instructor would switch exercises. There were ladies of all ages and sizes and everypne was so nice. Tomorrow we'll have our deep water strengthening class. Carson and Greg went along to swim while we had class, then we went for Hawaiian shaved ice after the pool closed. It was a good night!

I'm working tomorrow, then I'm off for 4 days. I am loving summer hours and getting to use comp time for some extra days off. I'm home all next week, then have an overnight trip to Jefferson City the following week with two of my crazy coworkers from St Louis. I always have a blast with these two ladies, so I'm looking forward to it.

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

It's Summertime!

Summer has arrived. It's the season for sunshine, sunscreen, sweat, and swimming. We're off to a great start with out summer activities and have plans for lots more fun summer activities in the coming weeks!

Last weekend we went to the first annual Franklin Family Fishing tournament at the Franklin family farm in St. Mary. Carson caught the biggest fish in his age category, a bass weighing in at 1lb13oz, just 2 oz less than Carson weighed when he was born! He reeled it in with some help from Uncle Jim and lots of cheering from me. Carson had a great time playing with all of his cousins. Greg had several bites, but didn't manage to hook any fish. I planted my butt in a lawn chair and kept watch for spiders, snakes, ticks, frogs, bugs, and all of the other icky things that I cannot stand and truly fear. The sacrifices I have to make for family. I am so not an outdoorsy girl.

On Monday I left for a three day trip to St. Louis as part of my volunteer work as a validator for the Missouri Child Care Accreditation group. I took three coworkers with me and we had a great time. The work days were very long, but we were able to sneak in a trip to Chesterfield mall and dinners at the Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs. It was a nice break.

On my to pick up a rental car for the trip on Monday, I was the ninth caller on a local radio station and won 4 tickets to see Mamma Mia at the Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis on Saturday. I took my mom, sister, and mother-in-law. It was terrific! We had lunch at Mama Caprese's on The Hill, then went to the matinee performance. I think I may have to download some ABBA to my ipod! Juli and I will be adding "Dancing Queen" to our karaoke repertoire.

Today we headed back to St Louis (my third trip in 6 days!) to the St Louis Zoo. We piled in my van with my mom, Grandma Pat, and Juli. We met Juli's friend, Josh, at the zoo and caught up our friend, Brittni, who is doing a summer internship in the Great Ape Habitat this summer as part of her pre vet studies. It was hot, but we had a good time visiting the animals, having a picnic lunch, and riding the zoo train, where Carson got to say, "All Aboard!" on the loudspeaker.

This week is slow at work. On Friday we'll be attending a rehearsal dinner for a wedding we're helping with on Saturday. Sunday's plan is still open for now.

In other news, Juli and I have decided that we are each going to lose 50 pounds and take a girls-only cruise in January as a reward for our hard work. We are both attending Weight Watchers and will be starting water aerobics tomorrow night. She's already ahead of me by 10 pounds, so I have to get my butt in gear. I'll be packing my lunch much more often.

I have a decent list of summer activities we're planning to do so far. If you want details on any of them, just let me know. Here they are:

trip to Farmington water park
trip to Land Between the Lakes in KY
attend a Southern Illinois Miners baseball game in Marion, IL
have lunch at Giant City Park and browse the funky little shops in Makanda, IL
attend the DuQuoin State Fair in late August
visit and stay with my friend, Katie, and go to the Incredible Pizza Company and other fun St Louis stuff with her
trip to the City Museum in St Louis
trip to Grant's Farm in St Louis
2 weeks of swim lessons for Carson
1 week of space camp at the university for Carson
hanging out at the camp ground with my aunt and uncle
trip to Elephant Rocks park in Iron County
attend a St Louis Cardinal game
Municipal band concerts in the city park on Thursday nights
attend a show at The Muny in Forrest Park
other activities as we have time!

I have a lot of things to schedule! I'll be working on that this week. Have a great week!

Lots of updates again!

First, my mom's tumors have shrunk by 50%. This is very good news! She is 2/3 of the way finished with chemo and we hope that the tumors will continue to shrink. Please keep her in your prayers as she goes through the next two months of chemo and nears the finish line!

I ended up not having to make it through my last day of work before vacation. Instead of going to work, I ended up staying in bed most of Thursday with a horrible migraine. I hadn't had one that bad in almost a year. Between mom's chemo, a stressful extended family situation, and the everyday stress that is my life, my body decided to revolt. It was not a fun day.

Thursday also happened to be our 9th anniversary. Needless to say, we did not celebrate that day. We'll be having a date night soon in honor of the occasion. It's very hard to believe that we've been married for nine years and together for twelve. We have seriously been through some very hard times together and made it through! I love you, Greggie!
On Friday, I let Carson decide how he would like to spend his day with me. He chose for us to go to garage sales in the morning. He hit the mother load of toys and now has a completely restocked play area downstairs for less than $20. He got a four story parking garage with elevator, a Rescue Heroes aircraft carrier and command center, and lots of Rescue Heroes figures to staff them both. He's been playing with them nonstop since we got home on Friday. He chose for us to have lunch at Target, which was an interesting, but very cheap, choice.

Yesterday we completely cleaned out our basement to get things together for a garage sale on Friday. I get so mad at myself when I see how much junk we accumulate in a year, but it feels so good to purge everything and start fresh. My scrapbook area looks great and makes me want to get all the other things on my vacation list finished so I can sit and scrap the rest of the week.

Today we went to church, then out to eat. When we got home Greg mowed while I tackled pricing all of the stuff in our storage shed for the garage sale. About halfway through, I remembered why I said I was never having another yard sale. I was hot and very tired of looking for more 50 cent price tags. Everything not sold on Friday is going to be donated!

Tomorrow I will be cleaning out our closets and finishing up the pricing. I cannot wait to be finished. Hopefully it won't take too long and I'll get to start scrapping!

Have a relaxed and enjoyable Memorial Day!

For One More Day

I have to make it through one more day until my 10 days of freedom! I am so excited to have 10 days with no real plan or commitment. I will be cleaning and organizing the house and getting ready for a garage sale, but I hope to get that done early in the week.

I spent yesterday in the office and it just about killed me not to be outside in the beautiful weather.

Today I worked in Perryville, then went to Sikeston to evaluate a child after work. It was a tough eval. I hate ending the day by having to break bad news to parents. It's by far the most difficult work I have to do.

Juli came over tonight and scrapbooked with me. She made a cute little chipboard album all by herself. I will soon have her completely crossed over into my crafting cult. :)

Greg is liking his new job so far. He's very sunburned and has been falling asleep on the couch by 9:30 due to all of the physical labor and sunshine he's getting. we may have to invest in some energy bars.

My mom will get the results of her CAT scan tomorrow. We are praying for good news that her tumor has shrunk. She is more than halfway through her treatments now. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Have a great Thursday! I'll be counting down the minutes until my vacation!!!

Shindigs, Showers, and Scrappers

Friday night was Crazy Croppers. We had a fantastic time, as always!

Saturday we went to my dad's company picnic. My dad is a carpenter at the same university where I work. My mom works there too. The picnic was held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church grounds near Apple Creek. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun. There was great food, fun games, and several of my friends were there. Hi Dana and Sherri! See the slide show for pictures of our fun day.

Today I helped give a bridal shower for my sister's friend, Marge. I was in charge of the chicken salad. (Thanks to my Utah friend, Shar, for the recipe! It has become a must-have at all of our wedding and baby showers!) Juli is going to be the Matron of Honor and I will be a server at the wedding on June 14th, a.k.a. Flag Day. Marge has a patriotic theme going on, which should be fun. There are pics from the shower in the slide show also.

Tomorrow Greg starts his new job. I am working in Marquand, MO at one of my favorite child care centers to visit. I'll be in the infant room, which has a tendency to bring on Baby Fever for me. Could be dangerous. I'm in Poplar Bluff on Tuesday and Perryville on Wednesday. Thursday is my office day, then starting Friday I am on vacation for 10 Days!!!! I cannot wait!! I plan to clean and organize the house and get ready for a garage sale. Hopefully, I'll get all of my cleaning and organizing done early in the week and have lots of time to scrapbook!!!

I have decided that since we won't be going on vacation this year, I am going to make a list of cheap places to visit close to home. If you know of anything, leave me a comment. I'll compile a master list and post it for everyone to get ideas.

Have a good week and enjoy the beautiful weather! It's going to start feeling like summer here in Missouri!

My Personality Profile

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have high extroversion. You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends. You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation. Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!" Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Lots to share!

Hello Blog Readers! I have lots of updates to report.

Carson now has glasses. I'd show you a picture, but he's not home for me to take one right now. He looks very cute and he seems to have increased depth perception while wearing them. We went to see a new eye doctor in Springfield, MO who we are very impressed with. He prescribed the glasses and gave us a set of exercises to try for 6 months when we have our next appointment. We spent the weekend before the appointment in Springfield. We visited the Bass Pro Shop, The Discovery Center, Lambert's Cafe, and of course the only scrapbook store in town. There are a few pics of the trip in the slide show.

The following weekend I spent in Paducah, KY at Cropical Paradise with some of my best girls. We had lots of fun and got lots of pages done. During the weekend I made my first visit to the self-serve ice hut while not wearing any shoes, (thanks for the help Shelly!), a couple of beds got short sheeted, some sleep was lost and we had a blast. Pics are above.

Mother's Day was interesting. My baby nephew was supposed to be christened in church, but that didn't happen. Long story. If you see me, ask and I'll explain. My sister, Juli, and I were scheduled to sing a song after the ceremony, so we went ahead and sang it. Luckily, it worked for Mother's Day. We enjoyed a BBQ at Mom and Dad's house with lots of family. Carson got me the ipod docking station and speakers that I had been eyeing and made me a lovely noodle necklace. I'm wearing it with my dress suit in the picture above. :)

Now for the big news: Greg will be starting a new job on Monday. He will begin his plumbing apprenticeship at Dutch Enterprises bright and early Monday morning. He's excited to begin a job where he can work outside frequently and learn a new career. The bad news is that he won't get to take vacation until next May, so we will not be going to Disney World in December. I'm bummed, but I realize this is a much better opportunity than his last job. Looks like we'll be staying home for a year. Good thing we have lots of projects that need to be completed around the house. Maybe I'll get that scrapbook caught up! (yeah, right!)

We're all home tomorrow, then I have Crazy Croppers tomorrow night. Saturday I have to work at our Provider Appreciation Brunch, then we're going to my dad's big work picnic. On Sunday I'll be helping my sister with a bridal shower for her friend. Busy times, as always! Have a wonderful weekend!

Where have I been?

Sorry, dear blog readers. I have been very lax in my blog updates lately. I'll try harder to keep things a little more current. Here's the current state of things:

My house: A mess
The laundry: backed up, but not crazy out of control
My job: slowing down-1 week until reduced summer hours
My son: getting glasses, goofy as ever
My husband: still obsessed with the lawn, yet unaware of the state of the house
My mom: halfway finished with chemo

We took Carson to see a new eye doctor in Sprinfield, MO on Monday. We drove to Springfield on Saturday and visited the children's museum and the Bass Pro Shop on Sunday. We also at Lambert's, which is much smaller than the one near us.

The eye doctor spent two hours with Carson and gave us some great ideas to help him use his vision better and suggested that we put him in glasses. It was amazing to see the difference in his depth perception with the lenses in place. We'll be ordering his glasses on Monday.

I'm leaving for Cropical Paradise at 8:00 am. I am so excited!! I'm hoping to get our last vacation to Florida nearly finished. I'll try to check on in Monday. Have a great weekend!

32

I had a great birthday weekend! I got to see friends and family, sleep in, have a delicious birthday dinner, and sing some karaoke at a gas station. It doesn't get any better than that!

Yesterday, my friend, Katie, and her boyfriend, Gary, came down from St. Louis. We had planned to go sing karaoke at a local restaurant, but found out midweek that they no longer have karaoke due to some management changes. We made some calls and the only place we could find that was having karaoke Saturday night was The Lil Country Store at Neely's Landing. We decided to give it a try. Katie is from this area, but Gary is most definitely not a country boy and he was a little reserved at first. It ended up being a hilarious evening. My sister, Juli, met us there since she is karaoke junkie. The store is literally a gas station/bait shop/diner with about 4 little tables next to the potato chip display. The food was awesome. At first it was a little strange to be singing karaoke with the liquor cooler behind us and the beef jerky display in front of us, but we rolled with it. We ended up being the only ones that showed up! It was mainly me, Juli, and the karaoke guy, with Katie offering up her version of the song "Tequila", complete with the PeeWee Herman dance. I will venture to say that very few people have had the honor of celebrating their 32nd birthday by singing karaoke in a gas station. Such is life in rural America.

Today I slept in then Greg and I went to see The Bucket List.l I enjoyed the movie. Greg didn't care one way or the other. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Juli, Ashley, Rachel, Jeremy, Riley, Mom, Dad, Grandma Pat, Greg, Carson, and I well there. I got some lovely gifts, including ITunes gift cards, new flip flops, a beach bag, a rice cooker, a new purse, the movie Enchanted, a flower from Carson, and some cash. Mom cooked my favorite dinner of kettle beef, funeral corn (corn with cream cheese and sugar), mashed potatoes, rolls, and cousin Patsy's salad. Yummm-o! The best part was the fresh strawberry pie that I chose rather than cake. It was delicious!

After dinner, we stopped by Greg's Mom and Dad's where I got some cute cherry dishtowels for my kitchen and some money to put toward getting our new ceramic tile in the kitchen and bath. I think I got enough money to almost pay for the flooring. Now to find enough down time to have Greg's dad install the tile. That may take awhile. When I got home, I found a beautiful hanging basket of flowers from Becky. They are so pretty that I hung them outside our front door so we can see them from the living room.

This week is packed. I work tomorrow, although I need to try to get to the doctor in the afternoon. I am having severe allergy issues this year. I think I need a shot. Tuesday is my class filed trip to St. Louis Children's Hospital. Wednesday and Thursday are full of appointments and Friday I'll have to pack for our trip to see Carson's eye doctor in Springfield. I work in Kennett all day Saturday, then we're leaving from Kennett to drive the 5 hours it takes to get to Springfield. We're going to take it easy and see a few sights on Sunday, then head home on Monday after the appointment. I'm tired already. Have a fabulous week!

When things slow down

I have this list of things to do "when things slow down." I am coming to the realization that I am the one in charge of making sure things slow down. It ain't gonna happen this weekend or next week, but it's time for things to slow down. I like busy, but I have really pushed it lately. I'm tired.

I worked until after 6:00 tonight to get my portion of documents ready for our monitoring visit. I still have to make copies of every document, but I feel better knowing that I have at least located everything I need. My calendar for next week is so covered with work appointments and personal obligations that I literally cannot write another thing on 5 of the 7 days of the week. May has got to be slower or I'm going to start getting very difficult to get along with. I'm starting May out with a scrapbook retreat, so I'm going to try to stick with the relaxation theme for the rest of the month on into the summer. My shorter summer workdays are only 2 weeks away!

Tomorrow Carson and I will be straightening and cleaning the basement in preparation for my new BeautiControl business. I plan to keep some inventory, so we're making room. Tomorrow night is Crazy Croppers. Saturday is my BeautiControl University, and a night out with friends for my birthday. Sunday is church, then dinner at Mom's with the family to celebrate my birthday. Not much time to relax this weekend, but lots of celebrating!

I'm off to bathe Carson and get him to bed. He'll be staying up later tonight in the hopes that he'll sleep in tomorrow. I doubt it, but a mom can dream. Goodnight!

Monday, Monday

I had the most productive, quiet, noninterrupted day at the office that I have had in a very long time. It was wonderful. We have our annual monitoring visit (kind of like an audit) at the end of the month and I get several things checked off my list for that. I headed to Culvers at lunch and had the very yummy pot roast sandwich and mashed potatoes. I'd highly reccommend it.

I went to see my babies after work, then headed home to get my stuff ready for class tomorrow. Praise God that tomorow is my last night to lecture. This has been the craziest semester with all of the unusual weather and two flu bugs I went through. I feel like this class never really got good and started and now it's almost over.

I decided to undertake a new venture and signed up as a BeautiControl Consultant today. I am in love with their face products and decided to join to get my products at a discount. I'll be attending BeautiU on Saturday with several friends/relatives who are also joining. I'll be booking spa shows for anyone who is interested. You get lots of pampering and great products at great prices. I'll post more details after Saturday. I'm not interested in doing this full force like I did with Pampered Chef, but I'd still like to do a few parties a month. Fun stuff!

Tomorrow I'll be working at a child care home in Zalma. It's a very small town about an hour from Jackson. I'll be completing a rating scale for the environment, which is a nice break from evaluating kids with special needs. It should be a good day!

Thanks to Becky and Rebecca for the menu tips and to Dawn for checking in with me after my little hiatus! I love you guys!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Be the hero of your own life story.-Alex Rover in Nim's Island

Weekend Update

I've been back for a week and I'm still trying to get back in a routine. This week will be super busy, so hopefully things will slow down eventually.

Friday night, Becky and I went to the late show to see 27 Dresses. It was very cute, but definitely a chick flick. There were 8 women in the theater. There were no men. It was a fun night out.

Yesterday, we went to Messy Morning, a community event that has free activities for young children. Usually I have to work in the booth that my office sponsors, but I was able to skip working this year and just enjoy visiting all of the booths with Carson. Greg's cousin, Amy, and her twin girls met us there. The kids had a great time getting messy together.

After Messy morning, we went to Shogun for lunch. I had it in my mind that it would be so much cheaper to go at lunch, but it was still $40. Not exactly a frugal decision. Oh well, it was really good and Carson has a blast watching the chef cook on the hibachi grill. After lunch we went shopping for ceramic tile. We want to put tile down in our dining room and kitchen. I have 4 tiles chilling out in my kitchen floor, just waiting for me to decide which one is my favorite. I change my mind every time I go into the kitchen. We also want to pull our carpet up and refinish the hardwood flooring in the living room, hallway, and bedrooms. I think we'd probably better wait until the tile is done before we start another project.

I'm out of the office 2 days this week. I have 2 parties to attend. I have class on Tuesday night. My birthday is on Sunday. I'm already tired.

My class is winding down and while I'll miss the extra money, I can't wait to have the extra time to get my house really organized. I want to take a few days off soon to really declutter and get things in order. Life seems to run so much smoother when I'm not fighting piles of clutter.

I have stocked the house with tons of groceries in an effort to quit eating out. I need to menu plan, but that may have to wait until tomorrow. Anyone have any menu planning tips or yummy recipes to help motivate me? I also need to convine myself that I like leftovers again. We used to eat them all the time when we first got married.

A little update on my mom: she got sick about a week after her 2nd round of chemo, but her doctor is convinced she had the stomach flu, since my dad was also sick. She had another round last Thursday and was feeling well enough to go with my dad and grandma on a little trip to Gatlinburg, TN. She's lost most of her hair, so she alternates between her wig, turbans, and hats. She can no longer feel the tumor from the outside, so hopefully, it's shrinking. Keep up the prayers!

Thanks for checking in! I'll try to post more often this week, but I'm not making any promises.

Day 4 in DC

Today was another awesome day! We had sessions this morning and afternoon, then we were off for some more sightseeing. I was with a different group of Missouri girls because my other buddies flew home today.

We took the Metro to The White House. It was my first subway ride! It was surprisingly clean and easy to navigate. The White House was much smaller than I had imagined and literally sits in the middle of the city, surrounded by office and government buildings. We talked to a Secret Service agent for quite awhile, but we couldn't take his picture. He said his job is very boring and that the only time he gets any excitement, it means that something is very wrong at The White House. It was interesting to talk with him, and several of the girls thought he was cute. He was way too short for my taste. :)

We then walked to the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall. I had seen them on Day 2, but it was nice to see everything in the daylight, since our tour was at night. From there, we walked around the Tidal Basin, which is where most of the famous Cherry Blossom trees are blooming. We then walked to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, but they were out of tickets for the day.

We hopped back on the Metro, switched trains at Metro Center, (aren't you impressed that we managed to figure out the subway routes?!?), and got off at the China Town exit. China Town was bustling with people and not nearly as impressive as we had hoped. Instead of neat shops of imported goods, they had Bed, Bath, and Beyond and McDonald's. We ended up eating at the Chop House in our own private dining room. It was awesome!

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference. We'll be in session in the morning, then catching our flight at 3:30. It's been a great trip!

Days 2 and 3 in DC!!

Discalimer***I am exhausted and have chosen to ignore my typos. If you love me, you'll do the same.

Yesterday was great! We had conference sessions all day, then went on a Trolley Tour last night. It was awesome to see the monuments lit up at night. The tour pics are in the slide show. We had a fantastic tour guide and a fun group of tourists on the trip. I was absolutely in awe of how big all of the monuments are. The Lincoln Memorial blew me away.

We had limited time at each site, so my new friend, Becky Kircher, and I literally power walked at every stop to make sure we saw every possible sight. I was exhausted at the end of the night, but glad I got to see so much on the tour. The only thing I still really want to see tomorrow is The White House. The forecast is cold and rainy, so we'll see.

Today we met with our Senators and Reps on Capitol Hill. What an eye opening experience. I try not to get too political on the blog, but the Republican congressmen where very good at glad handing and offering a photo op, while the Dems took notes and listened to our comments. A certain Republican candidate literally told me that the way to solve child care issues was for women to stay home with their children. He was a scary, scary man. I did take a pic of John McCain's office, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to find Hillary or Obama's offices. Capitol Hill is a truly gigantic place and took lots of time to travel to our various appointments.

Late this afternoon, Becky and I toured the National Air and Space Museum, where the Treasures of American History are temporarily housed while the American History Museum is being renovated. I say lots of cool things, including the hat Abe Lincoln was wearing when he was shot, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Babe Ruth's baseball, R2D2 and C3PO, and lots of other fun stuff.

Unfortunately for us, we could not find a cab back to the hotel when the museum closed, so we got to walk 15 blocks in the pouring, freezing rain to get back to the hotel. Did I mention I was in a windbreaker with no umbrella? It took 30 minutes for my arms to thaw. We took cabs to and from dinner to avoid catching our death.

Tomorrow is more meetings and more sightseeing! Thanks for checking in!

Day One in DC

I arrived safe and sound! Security took forever in St Louis, but the flight was great and we got to the hotel without any problems. After checking in, my roommate, Penny, and I met up with several of the other girls and walked many blocks to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We mad a very quick run through since we had 30 minutes until closing time!

After the museum, we met the rest of our group at the hotel, then walked to Union Station for dinner at America, then did a little window shopping. I ordered Thanksgiving on a Roll, which was turkey, stuffing, creanberry sauce and gravy on a huge roll. It was delicious! Union Station is beautiful inside. Actually, everything has been clean and beautiful so far, with tons of friendly people everywhere. The cherry blossoms are blooming and they are gorgeous!

Today we're in conferences all day, then tonight we're going on an evening tour of DC. Tomorrow is our day on Capitol Hill. So far, everything has been great!

Leaving on a Jet Plane..

and I'll be back again on Saturday. I'm taking the laptop, so watch for updates! I may not update every day since I'll have to pay for internet access. This time tomorrow, Ill be in DC! Have a fabulous week!

I'm back!

I survived the virus. I went back to work today and stayed the whole day, although I did have have a few queasy moments. I'm not really eating yet either, but that should help my weigh-in on Monday. :)

We got our taxes done tonight and we have to pay in yet again. It could be worse, but it's very frustrating to work 3 jobs and still have to pay in each year.

I am working tomorrow, then I'm off until Tuesday when I fly to Washington D.C. for a conference! I am so excited!!! I've never been there and while I'm the only one going from my office, several of my state buddies will be there. I'll be visiting Capitol Hill and delivering materials about the importance of quality child care to my senators and representatives in the Capitol Building. Cool stuff!

I'm exhausted and ready for bed. Have a great Friday!

Sick

Warning: You are about to be supplied with way too much information.

I have lost 7 pounds since 3:30 am. It is now 11 am. My new diet involves sitting in the bathroom with my head in the trashcan.

I feel terrible.

I'm going back to bed.

Easter..Part 1

Yesterday we had an Easter egg hunt with the kids of all of my scrapbooking buddies. We met for lunch at Delmonico's, then hunted eggs inside at my church since the ground was so muddy outside. The kids had a great time hunting and playing together and the adults had fun watching and visiting.

Last night was our monthly Crazy Croppers crop. I organized our Florida vacation pictures so I'll be hopefully be able to complete my album when I go to Cropical Paradise in May. My buddies and I have rented the entire house for the weekend. We have so much fun at our monthly crops that I'm sure we'll have a blast going away for the weekend together. It's also going to be National Scrapbook Day while we're there. Fun times!

Tonight my friend, Katie, and I are going out to dinner. I haven't seen her since Christmas, so we have some catching up to do. Not sure where we'll go yet.

Tomorrow is church, then to Mom's for Easter lunch. Mom has had some chills and nausea, but has done pretty well with her latest round of chemo. She felt like hosting Easter, so off we go.

Have a terrific Easter!

Cheap Date

Greg and I had a Red Lobster gift card and some free movie passes burning a hole in our pockets, so tonight we had a very cheap date. We had a lovely seafood dinner and then went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. The movie was ok. I'm glad we didn't take Carson. It's a little too intense for young kiddos.

My friend, Tasha, helped convince me to set up the MySpace page I signed up for over a year ago, so that 's what I've been doing for the last few hours. If you're on MySpace, check it out. I need some friends.

Tomorrow I have 2 babies to evaluate, then I'll be ordering our new cell phones since it's time for an upgrade. I'm excited about geting a camera phone again. I think I need a pink phone. I'm sure it will help me talk and hear so much better. :)

Friday I am hosting an egg hunt for my scrappin' buddies and their kiddos, getting our picture taken for the church directory, then cropping for the rest of the evening. Saturday is dinner with my friend, Kate, and her boyfriend (fiance???? not sure if that's happened quite yet), then Sunday is Easter. Not sure what our plans will be for Easter dinner. We'l have to see how Mom feels after tomorrow's round of chemo.

That's it for now. I need to get to bed!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It needs to stop raining. We are having massive flooding all over the southeast Missouri area. My parents are staying at my grandma's house because both of the routes to their house are closed. Greg's parents had to go 2 hours our if their way to get home from Nashville. I only had 7 of my 12 students in class tonight. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow too.

My seven-year-old nephew, Andrew, had hip surgery yesterday and he's in a lot of pain. He'll be in the hospital in Nashville, where he lives, for several more days. He has a degenerative hip condition, so he may need more surgeries in the future. Keep him in your prayers.

My mom had her second round of chemo today and had no side effects! Yay! She goes for another round on Thursday.

Greg and I had a great time at the Mark Schultz concert on Friday night. It's always fun to go to a concert when you know all the songs and everyone sings along. Here are a few pics:

Greg looks a little scared. The concert was at a huge church in St. Louis. There were several hundred people there. We had great seats because another couple was nice enough to offer us a spot next to them in the second closest section of pews. Wasn't that nice?

Here's a picture of Mark Schultz. He's funny and just an all around great guy. You should buy all of his CD's. I know you'll like'em. This was our third time to see him in concert.

We stayed at the new Forest Park Drury Hotel. It's very pretty. We slept in and then came home and got ready for our friends, The Moores, to come over for dinner and some Wii games. The boys had fun playing together and we had fun seeing how smart we were on Big Brain Academy.

On Sunday we stayed home and I surfed the internet basically all day. I got caught up on all of my blogs and read tons of info on the DisBoards for our trip. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Yesterday I worked in the office and went to see one of my therapy babies after work. I stayed home today since Greg's parents were in Nashville for Andrew's surgery and I didn't have a babysitter for Carson. We watched the rain and Carson got to watch movies in my bedroom while I worked on prep for my class tonight. He was thrilled.

It will be interesting to see if we can get to work tomorrow with all of the flooding. It looks like we're in for a wet Wednesday. Stay dry if you're one of my local readers!

It's Thursday!

Mom's chemo went well. She had a few side effects, but they were manageable. She was having "ice cream therapy" at Cold Stone Creamery when I talked to her at 4:30. She was finished in far less than the 8 hours they had predicted.

I had a long day at work. I worked in the office all day, then tonight I served on a panel discussion of resources for parents whose children have been newly diagnosed with autism. I have a pretty good idea of what these parents are dealing with and it's not a fun place to be. They still had the deer in the headlights stares and seemed to be afraid to ask too many questions. I'll expect some phone calls next week after the information sinks in. It's still weird to me to be presented as an expert on anything, much less autism, but I am so glad to help these parents get the services their children need.

I completely forgot to stop by Bunco to hand out the prizes after the panel discussion. I didn't remember until I was in my driveway! Greg's mom delivered my snacks and prizes and the girls made it just fine without me. Hopefully I'll actually get to play the next time I'm scheduled to host Bunco. Oh well!

When I got home I had a message from one of my sister's best friends, Marge. She is having Greg's mom make her wedding floral centerpiece and wanted to drop the flowers off with me. She also asked me to be a server at the wedding, which was unexpected, but very flattering. I love a party! I've got exactly three months of Operation Skinny Minnie before the wedding.

Carson and I are hanging out at home tomorrow, with a possible run to the library. I'll be dropping him off at my grandma's house, then picking Greg up at work and rushing to the Mark Shultz concert in St Louis. I can't wait!!!

Skinny Minnie Stats: no exercise today due to blisters from the previous 2 days! Weight watchers points are entered.

Change

I've decided that I can safely unveil my new plan for reaching a healthy weight. In the past, I've started telling people that I was on a new plan before I was truly committed, and then ended up not sticking to it and feeling like a huge failure.

This time, I've been at it for 4 weeks and can safely say that I'm back in the "loser" mindset. On the way home today, I realized that I was looking forward to stopping at the park for a walk. That hasn't happened in a couple of years. The exercise has been very rough, but I was noticbly less winded today. I still don't "enjoy" the actually act of exercising, but I am starting to get the craving for that feeling that happens when I push a little harder.

I have tracked my Weight Watcher points faithfully for 4 weeks. As of Monday, I was down a little over 8 pounds. I've averaged about 2 pounds a week, which is the way I need to do it to keep it off. It's amazing how my cravings for sweets and snacks have disappeared since I started journaling all my food again. It's so much easier to back away from the Cheetos when I see that one little bag will cost me five points. I could have 5 apples for the same number of points.

I've got several motivators to get the weight off this time. My mom's cancer has been a huge wake-up call. Being overweight and eating a diet high in animal fat are huge risk factors for cancer. I'm also hearing that little biological clock start to tick a little louder and I really want to be on as little medication as possible and have my blood pressure under control before I get pregnant. The last motivator is that I'll be damned if I'm going to Disney World at anywhere near my current weight. I want to be able to walk all over the parks without my feet killing me and I really want to be able to get some cute clothes to wear on our trip. I have therefore decided to call my new plan "Operation Skinny Minnie." Disney World, here I come!

My mom starts her chemo tomorrow, so please keep her in your prayers. She'll be receiving the chemo drugs for about 8 hours tomorrow. It will go more quickly the next time. She's ready to get started and get finished.


Skinny Minnie stats for the week so far:

pounds lost=2.6
Minutes walked=60
Miles walked=3.25


“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Weekend Update

I had a fabulous time at Michele's party last night! We met at her house for predinner drinks, then headed to Port Cape for dinner and some games, then back to her house for dessert. I opted to ride the party shuttle, which was a good thing since I hadn't had that much to drink in quite a while. Those Electric Popsicles and Incredible Hulk cocktails went down pretty well. :) I am so happy that Michele has beaten cancer and is back to living life! Here are some pics from last night:
Michelle and Me

Tasha and me

The Whole Group

Scrapbook pages I made for Michele

We decided to cancel the trip to Springfield until April. It seemed a little silly for Greg to miss work without pay for a nonemergency appointment. We'll go when he gets more vacation next month. My plans for tomorrow are to stay home and get everything in order for our taxes. Fun.

Today Greg decided to clean house. (Are we in another dimension?!?!) I sat and watched him dust, vaccuum, mop, and put the laundry away. It was awesome. After that, he and his dad assembled our new entertainment center. It's actually a hand-me-down from Greg's uncle, Floyd, but it's a lot newer, nicer and bigger than our old one. Floyd is getting a new plasma TV, so he no longer needed it. It looks great and has plenty of storage for my scrapbooks, something I've never had before. I love freebies!

This week I work out of town on Tuesday and in the office Wednesday and Thursday. I somehow literally scheduled myself to be in two places at one time this Thursday night. I'll be setting up for Bunco, then walking across the street to the nursing building to be on a panel discussion about autism, then running back across the street to hand out the prizes for Bunco. Crazy! Friday night, Greg and I are headed out for a little getaway. We'll be going to a Mark Schultz concert, then staying at the newest Drury hotel at Forest Park. I am ready to get away!

That's it for now. I am determined to finish Nineteen Minutes tonight. It's a great book if you're looking for something new to read. Have a great week!

Tagged and Turkey Time

I was tagged by Brooke!

The rules: Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



1. I would love to be a morning person. I'm just wired to be a night owl.



2. I will not eat wild game of any kind. I know it's crazy, but those animals have not had their shots and may be carriers of some crazy disease. I never said I was rational.



3. I used to have to have perfect conditions to fall asleep. After being in the hospital and living at the Ronald McDonald House when Carson was born, I can sleep anytime, anywhere.



4. I love to daydream about all the people I could help if I won the lottery.



5. If I had the money, I would be all about some plastic surgery. New boobs, butt, thighs, and a tight tummy.



6. I really want to build a house with a wraparound porch.



7. I loaded my ipod with tunes from the Go-Go's. I love'em!

I am tagging Becky, Dawn, Rebecca, Theresa Marie, Heather F, Lilian, and Shannon

I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I slow cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot all day, then made cream cheese mashed potatoes, cheesy vegetables, and hot rolls. Yummy! So far, I've been doing ok with eating small portions of what I want and still losing at Weight Watchers. Hopefully, this will continue to work. Here's what I made:

Tomorrow I need to work on a little gift for my friend, Michele. She has just finished her chemotherapy and has beaten colon cancer!!! She is hosting a huge girl's night out tomorrow night to celebrate. Should be fun!

The ABC's of Amy

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: I am blesssed with great girlfriends
C- Cake or Pie: Apple pie
D- Day of Choice: Friday-my day off with Carson
E- Essential Item (s): computer
F- Flavor of ice cream: cheesecake from Marble Slab Creamery
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears.... I'm not real big on gummy anything
H- Hometown: Jackson, MO
I- Indulgence(s): pedicures
J- January or July: July
K- Kids: Carson, age 5 and maybe one more baby next year
L - Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: I can't remeber
M- Marriage Date: May 22, 1999
N- Number of Siblings: 2 Jeremy is 28 and Julianne is 23
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples
P- Phobias or Fears: Open water-I like to see what I'm swimming in
Q- Quote(s): "I get up every morning determined both to change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes it difficult to plan my day."
R- Reason To Smile: I'm going to Disney World!
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Four: Becky, Rebecca, Heather, Dawn
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I secretly want to be a chef
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I go through phases where meat grosses me out, but sometimes a girl has to have a cheeseburger
W- Worst Habit: Cussing..I'm working on it
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.. I had them round the clock when I was hospitalized before Carson was born
Y- Your Favorite Food: Fattening Southern Food..Chicken and Dumplings, Kettle Beef, Fried Chicken, Pecan Pie
Z- Zociac: Taurus

My back finally stopped hurting! I went back to work today and surprisingly didn't have too much to catch up on. I was able to clean and tidy my cubicle and begin preparing for the training I have on Saturday.

Tomorrow is a luncvh meeting, then finishing the prep for my training. My laundry has gotten way out of control since my back was out, so it looks like Friday will be spent at home catching up on the laundry.

On Sunday we leave for Springfield, MO to get a second opinion on Carson's eyes. I just want to make sure he really needs another surgery. We've never been to Springfield, so it should be an adventure. It's about a 4 hour drive from here.

Carson is calling me to the bedroom to watch the Disney Vacation Planner DVD again. He's as addicted as I am! Have a terrific Thursday!

Craziness

Sunday: High of 73. Sunshine. Moderate winds.

Today: Ice on trees. Snow/sleet/freezing rain. High in the low 30's.

The power has gone off 3 times so far today. Right now it's on. Cross your fingers.

Missouri is a crazy place.

I am home today. My back still hurts and it's driving me insane. The heating pad is my friend.

I just cancelled class. My students probably wonder if we'll ever get back on track.

I'm going back to bed.

It's Official!

Carson and I went to AAA and booked our Disney World Trip on Friday. We will be staying at the Pop Century Resort for 8 nights during the second week of December. We watched the planning DVD that the travel agent gave us today. Carson screamed, "Yeah, Baby! Yeah! I'm gonna ride that!" for every single ride that was shown on the DVD. I think he's a little bit excited.

Our weekend trip to St Louis went well. I got this ipod. I spent this afternoon loading it up with my favorite tunes.I hurt my back this morning and it's still killing me. I went for mile and a half walk, thinking that might help loosen up the tightness in my back. I also didn't want to waste another day of potential weight loss by not walking. It helped for a couple of hours, but now it's killing me. I'm headed to bed in hopes that I'll feel better in the morning. Make it a great week!

B-I-N-G-O!

My girls and I spent the evening at Bingo World! It was my first time to play Bingo, other than on our cruise. I had no idea it was such a serious game. There was no time to talk for fear of missing a number. We had a lot of laughs over the gentleman seated next to me who had tpo announce to everyone what numbers he was lacking at the end of each game. He was crazy.

We didn't have any winners in our group, but we're ready to go again! Who says there's nothing to do in a small town?!?

Ten Things I'm Thankful For:

10. warm blankets-it's cold here tonight
9. quality lip balm-my new lip balm from BeautiControl makes my lips so soft
8. Greg's parents' willingness to let Carson stay over whenever he wants
7. good friends-I'm lucky enough to have several of them
6. New nightshirts-Greg's mom gave me a new hot pink night shirt that is so comfy
5. a good book-I've read three of them in a row
4. Greg's job- you can't beat getting a $130 hotel room for the $29 employee rate. We made three St Louis reservations today
3. payday-Friday cannot come soon enough
2. maturity-things certainly look different at almost 32 than they did at almost 22
1. flannel sheets-they're calling my name tonight

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Tiny Fingers, Tiny Toes

I took my class on a field trip to a local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tonight. The students enjoyed the trip, as always. It's always interesting to watch their reactions. I can ususally tell who will continue on in the field and who will realize that this is not the careeer for them. Seeing tiny sick babies for the first time is pretty unnerving. I have been in the NICU many times since Carson was born and tonight was the first time I was able to look at the tiniest babies and think I could do it again if I had to. Hopefully I'll have a normal pregnancy when we try again, but if not, I realized tonight that I could handle it if things didn't go as planned again. We'll see what the year brings. No, we're not ready to try again quite yet. :)

We celebrated my dad's birthday on Sunday with a celebratory dinner at Pizza Inn. Grandma treated us all to dinner. My aunt, uncle, cousin, and his girlfriend joined my entire family, and we chatted and ate for an hour and a half. We stayed so long that Greg sampled just about every variety of pizza offered on the buffet. We're done with birthdays until mine in April.

I don't have any travel for work this week, which is a nice break. We'll be taking a quick trip to St Louis this weekend to get Carson some shoes to wear with the braces he is getting tomorrow. I need to pick up the Bunco prizes for March, so some other shopping will be in order too. Yay!

I've been spending lots of time researching our vacation. I think we'll be booking very soon. I have no intention of going to Disney World pregnant, so I'm looking at at least 11 months or so to really get in shape. I've been doing well with Weight Watchers and have reconnected with a friend from high school at my meetings, so I am motivated to become a Skinny Minnie for Disney and a baby! I even snuck in some exercise yesterday. Anyone local want to walk with me?

I finished Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult and it was a great read. I picked up another Jodi Picoult book, Nineteen Minutes, at the library, so I'm off to read a little before bed. Leave me a comment about any great reads you've found lately and I may just have a little drawing for those who share a book suggestion. Thanks for checking in!