I don't know...the ugly toilet seat

I really don't know what will become of today. That sounds depressing. I wish I had more than that but I don't. I really don't. "Live for today" "Make today better than yesterday" but what if sitting on your couch seems better for today. Maybe I compare myself too much to what others are doing. And maybe as long as I enjoy my day then it's all good. What is really weird is that my actions show that I am doing better today than yesterday but my mind and words seem so negative. This week I made a 2 week calender of meals for dinner. I bought everything I would need to make each meal. Now I will be more prepared for the week. Monday through Thursday have become really busy. KK is now in tutoring and I have amazingly continued to go to the gym each night even now that school has started!! Woo Hoo high 5 to me! I found a template made in excel with cute little veggie clip art found at thenourishinghome.com
 Just having a template to start with really helped me get focused on making a plan. Today, will be better than yesterday. My family will be feed.

For another affirmation that I am not always negative, I was told by my BFF that I should have been a cheerleader since I am always smiling and happy. And when she saw her daughter shaking it out on the field it reminded her of me....she knew that I would have gotten into it and I would have. Having a family doesn't allow you to go to places where shaking it is acceptable. And I love to shake it. So, now I do Zumba. Geez..I am old. ZUMBA...ZUMBA has replaced salsa clubs...Wow! Wait.. I will take Zumba..less drama! So yes I am a happy person. When I see people I am happy. I am truly excited to see them. I want to know about their day. I want to know their happies and their sads. I really do. So maybe when I am writing I am alone and being alone makes me negative? I wonder why? I believe I like myself. I believe everyone should live as I do (not really..but kinda) Only because I do try to live the best that I can. I appreciate everything I have. I believe I have way more than I need. I want to give more (but do I give to my kids and they become spoiled or do I help others who are struggling just like my college boys). I manage my money to the best of my abilities. I really try not to be wasteful. When I see my husband grab a plastic spoon to eat at home it drives me insane! really insane.

Parties, office kitchens, food courts is where plastic ware is acceptable. Not in a home with a dishwasher. I must get all plastic out of my house. In order to do that the mother in law must move out. Yes, she lives with us and I allow her to run my house. Why? Well, because she loves things a certain way and I don't want to fight over it. It makes her feel comfortable and my husband less stressed if we are all getting along. And if I make a big deal on what type of toilet seat I would like my guest to sit on...well. It makes him miserable because the MIL wants a plastic cushion seat and I want a nice heavy sturdy seat. Guess who lost the fight? Me. It's not hard to make someone feel selfish and stupid when they are crying over a toilet seat. So, she got her ugly toilet seat and my husband still has some of his hair left. And for me well, I stopped worrying about it and moved on because I do realize I have been blessed with a lot. And unfortunately, she is a widow with no place to go. This situation becomes such a reality when we argue over little things. Actually, I only argue with her in my head. We never actually argue. We push everything through my hubby. Poor guy. She has lately tried to make smart ass remarks to me but I always come back with "what did you say?" in a nice voice. This to me gives her the opportunity to realize what she thought in her head actually came out of her mouth. And she can either rephrase what she just said or repeat it with more force. Thankfully, she has chosen to rephrase it because I really don't want to fight with her. Don't get me wrong I have some very selfish feelings about all this that I push way deep down. I want my house to myself. I want to wash my dishes and clothes the way I want to. With the music blaring through the house. I want to sew all hours of the night and not worry about keeping her awake. I have worked hard for my very own cottage.

 I deserve all those things. I do. And I want them. But at what price? Maybe I want everyone to like me because when I think of "at what price"....I see myself on the stake like Joan of Arch being burned to death. And everyone in my family chatting on "You deserve to burn for washing your own dishes" ...."How dare you expect to pick your own toilet seat!" Yes, a little dramatic but I do feel that way. Who knows I am now 40 and maybe with age I will learn to fight with kind words to get my toilet seat. (Just so you know....she picked out the dryer recently too.) Right now the only words that want to come out of my mouth is that "This house is mine..mine..mine" Ha..Ha yeah right! Reality is that she will live with us until one day she will decide to move out...and then we will be sad when she is gone. Why? because it's not everyday that we need a new toilet seat or a new dryer. She is my family and we need to stay together. In the end that is all we have. One day I will travel the earth and admire it's beauty and forget all about the ugly toilet seat. And remember how for more than a couple of years KK got to spend time with her Granny. So, for now if you come to visit beware of the cracked cushion toilet seat in my guest restroom. It will probably scratch your butt...so Squat.

To Blog or Not to Blog??

So to Blog or Not to blog...New blog or use the same one? Do I write for myself or for the world? Those are a few questions that have kept me from coming back here for so long. I need to write. It's in my soul. It's me. I have been writing in my journal at work, lots of doodles and jotting down things that are happening but not much more. And of course about budgeting.

 I defiantly can become obsessive about money and paying off bills. I feel like a bad ass when I take out a bill. Like I am punching it in the face for a total knock out. I thought this was a good thing, I thought I was making life changing progress for my family. And I still believe that but I was also driving my husband crazy by constantly talking about saving and paying off bills.

 No eating out...we need to cut back. How much did that cost? How much over time have you worked?

 And I guess that got old really quick which I understand because we were no longer having fun. I was preaching money doesn't matter but totally being a crazy woman for more of it. I thought it was okay since it was to pay off bills. I guess I am thinking suffer now enjoy later. What if later doesn't come and my husband loses so much family time that he can't get back. Then what?! I read one christian book and it tells me to pay off bills fast due to interest and to gain financial freedom. Then I go church and they preach live for today. Enjoy the blessing God has given us. I know I am so blessed but am I enjoying them? Or I am sleeping through life trying to get to the next day.

 I work a 40 hour a week job plus I have a 3rd grader. Which comes with homework and her own life expectations. I don't want to plan our week full of activities but she needs tutoring twice a week. Then she has gymnastics twice a week. Now she wants guitar lessons. I know she doesn't need the extra but what if playing a guitar is her thing. She will be learning a skill I can not give her. What if she can become the next Taylor Swift and I am keeping her from learning the guitar. (crazy thoughts)

Okay, back to blog or not to blog....

 I am not really sure what direction this blog will go. I hope though I will continue to keep it. Just beware that you may get the happy positive me, crazy Mom me, the negative Nelly or just completely rambling on for days me. It will be me though...the true Raw me. I worried for a long time that I must always be positive..no one likes to read about negative things...I must post about rainbows and awesome healthy recipes. I realize now that it just doesn't happen as often as I'd like to write. Today I am tired. Why because I had an awesome weekend with friends and family.  Went to Top Golf, stayed out way past my bed time. Then had a small Texans/Cowboy party for my Moms Birthday. Today is Monday and all I want to do is jump back into bed....but I will not! I will go to Body Pump tonight and read a book with my third grader at bed time. I only pray I stay awake to hear the end because yes I fall asleep sometimes when she reads.

It could be too late...

I finished quilting and binding Devin's quilt last Friday. I had hoped to add it to some whip up friday blog but it has been raining here daily and I wanted to take the perfect picture of it. You know a picture of it hanging off the fence or across a pinic table. And then I would run it up to Md Anderson to give it to Devin. I had planned on taking a picture of me and him togeather with the quilt. I was going to read the scripture verse to him. Hoping it would provide comfort. But it rained all weekend and family came in from out of town. Then Monday came which was my Bday. And that is when they called to tell me that Devin had went into diabetic coma. My heart is heavy and my brain is confused on how this could happen. Since then he has flat lined twice and they are trying to cure him of an infection. Tuesday we went up to the hospital to be with our family and wait it out. I was hesitant to bring the blanket because I did not want attention focused on me and plus whom should I give it to. I feel terrible that I am so protective over the blanket. But it is the first quilt I have ever completed and it is made with my Dad's shirts. I asked his Mom (my Dad's sister) if she felt it would be a good idea if I brought it in. I didn't want it to get lost in the mist of all the confusion. She said yes, she wanted him to be covered with it while in ICU hoping that he would feel my Dad's warmth. That made me feel so much better knowing that it was going to be appreciated it. So I brought it in. Mostly all of my Dad's sisters were there to see it. It was so nice to see the love they all had for my Dad. I am so happy that I parted with it. I pray that it will give them comfort while they are there. It is now Thursday and I don't know if it has made it to Devin. I was unable to give it to him since I had a cold. But all I can do is hope that each of them will feel the warmth of my Dad.

This is not the best or the most recent picture of my Dad but I wanted to post one. The shirt he is wearing is on the blanket. 

My first FMQ attempt

A month ago I started a beginners class for piecing a quilt at Calico Cats. I had so much fun and  met some fun ladies that were just as interested in quilting as I was. I have really had a hard time finding people in my circle of current friends. So being around people who had the same goal and interests as me was comforting and exciting. In the class we completed everything from piecing to sandwiching the quilt. As for the quilting  and binding, we were given some guidance and practice but it is up to us to finish it at home.

I started off with simple straight lines using my walking foot and a grey varigate thread. But once that was completed I just knew I had to try FMQ. I have been admiring (stalking) Leah Day's The Free Motion Quilt Project  for a while now. And she says practice is the key. Soooo, since this is my daughter's quilt I figured this would be the best time to practice, practice, practice. After all, I am hoping to be able to look back at this quilt and see how much I have progress as a quilter.

 First, I attempted the claw, but I would get side tracked and ended up making all kinds of waves and shapes.

 So I decided to set my goals

 1.  not to cross stitches (which I have)

2.  stay in the block (which I haven't)

It's all learning and so much fun! 

Now I am not sure what you would call this design but it was fun. My goal here was to learn control and to get 7 to 9 lines per triangle.

When starting to learn to FMQ I really think it helps to set small goals. Your first goal should be

how to control your hand motion speed and your foot pedal. I told my husband it was like driving a stick shift. It's all in the timing.

Once you get that down, then you will find yourself going wild in every direction. That's when you need to make small rules/goals. Trust me it's fun to go wild and crazy at first but like anything it gets out of control quick! 

Tonight I will be heading back up to Calico Cats for a Finish Up Friday! I am hoping to get help sandwiching Devin's quilt and maybe finish the quilting. I was always so scared to ask for help but now I am finding that is the only way I am going to learn. 

Have a great Weekend! A. 

Strength in the LORD...and its hard to let go

Devin's quilt top is completed. I am amazed and excited that I completed it and I am disappointed that I don't want to let it go. I look at it and pray that I will find the determination to make another quilt with my Dad's shirts. There are so many other projects that I want to try that I fear it will be pushed aside. But any whoo... I will let it go and I be will thrilled to have had the ability to do so. 

All this talk about letting go and I still need to quilt and bind it! My plans for quilting are simple straight lines horizontally across approximately 2 inches apart in a navy blue. The only undecided factor is if I will quilt through the bible verse or around it. I leaning on around it. But then how do I transition it??? I guess I will figure it out once I am in the process. Making decision on the whim always seem to work best for me. No stress....Just do it. Then decide to love it or hate it! Happy Day!

A Quilt for Devin

Yesterday while driving home from work I decided the first quilt I will make out of my Dad's shirts will be for Devin. Devin has recently been diagnosed with leukemia and though I know he will make it through this, I know he will have tough times ahead. So, while he is getting chemo I want him to have a reminder that God has place a strong loving angel to watch over him, My Dad. I pray that he will dig deep and find the strength to get through his rough patches and fight on.

Please bare with me through the design process, this is my first quilt without a pattern and only my second quilt.

My Plans for the quilt: I gathered 14 shirts and cut  28 6 1/2 x 5 ? rectangles. I wish I would have made them square but after I cut the first two I just couldn't bring myself to waste the fabric. So I cut the rest of the 26 rectangles using the first rectangle as a template.

 This is my original idea of what I was hoping it would look like.

 This is my second pass

As you can tell my paint software skills are a little better the second. LOL Sorry for the horrible pictures but unless I spend $100 plus to get quilting software this the only tool I know to use.  Maybe I should research for free software.

I knew cutting the shirts would not be easy but knowing that it was going Devin made easier.

5 months have past....So what is cool now?

I bet you are wondering how my "New" eating habits went after reading Eat To Live. Well, I did go completely Vegan for 2 months. I will say that it was defiantly an eye opener to how my body can actually feel when it is not being forced to digest fatty meats and processed food. It felt wonderful! Now this is coming from someone who ate McDonald's at least once or twice a week. Or Chick fil A. Or Whataburger. Plus eating out during lunch everyday...Mexican, Italian, and Chinese. There was a lot of room for improvement. So when I went completely Vegan. I drop 12 lbs within the first couple of weeks, but that wasn't the best part. It was how I felt. The stiffness in my joints were no longer there. The cloud of fog was lifted...(by the way I didn't know I was living in a fog until it was gone.) Just my over all mental state was great. I did not reach this point until about the second week. And trying to decide what I was going to eat everyday on a busy schedule took planning and creativity. I would say the first month was actually really challenging. But reading Eat To Live a little bit each day gave me encouragement and reminded me of why I was doing what I was doing. By the second month I was able to find things on the menu at all my favorite restaurants  that did not contain any animal products.

 Mexican = chalupas without cheese. You can still enjoy chips and hot sauce! But if you are trying to loose weight limit yourself.

Italian = Pasta..Pasta no meat sauce. But again if you are trying to loose weight No Pasta..Have an amazing salad. Ask for dressing on the side.

Chinese = They have plenty of vegetable combinations with noodles or rice. The bad thing is that most of the sauces are high in sodium.

The best choice is to try to prepare your food at home. So then you can control what you are putting into your body.

Ok, so now to the present.

 I am back to eating animal products!!!

Ugh Why?

I don't really have an exact reason other than I got lazy or I lost to the perpressure of the world. Everyone around me focuses their meal around the meat they will be eating. And once I took the first bite and didn't feel any different I keep adding more and more back to my diet. So, now I have the fog back, I feel tired, my joints feel tight and my acid reflux is back. And after writing that...Have I decided to go back Vegan? Nope, not yet. What I am trying to do is limit my animal product intake and hoping I can completely phase it out of my life again. That is my ultimate goal. Going cold turkey diffiantly got me results faster and an overall daily good feeling. And this route I have my good days and not so good days but defiantly more good than bad days. I am starting to loose weight again. My goal is 20 lbs. I have kept 6 lbs of the 12 lbs I lost off. Yay for me!!!

The new thing I have added to my life is Herbalife. This product has helped me keep the weight off and has gotten me to an overall good feeling. I know you are thinking...you said you feel bad... but now you feel good??? When I compare myself to what I felt like going Vegan...nothing compares. But when I compare myself to how I normally felt with my old life style. I feel great!

Vegan = Amazing feeling
Herbalife = Great

Herbalife + Vegan = Greatly Amazing!!! 

Today's Menu:

Cinnabon Herbalife Shake = Formula 1 meal replacement, Protein, butter extract, butterscotch pudding powder
Herbalife Razberry Tea

Homemade Pinto beans
HEB Pico
3 cups of Power Greens (Pink bag from Wal-Mart)
Herbalife Razberry Tea

Tonight...??? No plans yet but most likely a homemade chicken wrap. Little bit of chicken and a ton of greens and cucumbers! Or maybe No chicken and I will have 2 wraps??

Herbalife Products I am currently using:
Formula 1, Protein, and Prolessa (In my shakes daily)
Pills: Cell U Loss, Total Control, Thermo Bond, and Snack Defense

Until next time....I need to post pictures of the first quilt I am making. I started a Quilting class for beginners at Calico Cats.

18 days in...on my new eating habits

In the past 18 days, I have been trying to find a happy medium on my new look on eating. I have continued to read Eat to Live and for the most part I am truely sold on what it says. But on the other part it seems just too difficult to completely to remove all animal products from my life. What I have realized is that just because you are vegetarain doesn't mean you will loose weight or be healthy. There are so many dishes which consist of cheese and carbs that I could continue to never eat meat again but be a very unhealthy size. Which has trigered me to want to stay away from animal products as much as possible. Doing this has allowed me to loose 7 lbs! Without one bit of excersise. I do plan on starting that soon but I just haven't yet. Okay... you might wonder.. Am I ever hungry? Yes, when I don't plan for a snack after work. But am I starving? NO, absolutely not. Do I miss the meat?  For the most part I don't. The only hard part is cooking for a family of meat eaters and then trying to modify the meal for myself. So what have been eating? Beans, greens, quinao, and all kinds of veggies. For breakfast I have an herbal life shake and no animal product meal for lunch. This has been working out since I am eating whatever I cooked for dinner the night before. Reciepes that I have tried:



Quinao Salad
 I cooked the Quinao using garlic powder and black pepper to taste. (15 mins) Then filled my bowl with power green mix bought from Wal-Mart. Placed a 1/4 cup each of black beans and corn on top of the mixture. Added the quinao and placed in the microwave for 1 minute. This made the greens soft and warm. Yum! This was very filling for 240 calories and high in protein.



Turkey marinara sauce and spaghetti squash. I had never made spaghetti squash before so this was completely new but so easy! All you need to do is cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and place in the microwave for 7 minutes. It really depends on the size. Now it doesn't taste anything like pasta but it is so much better. Also, next time I will not use any meat products 



Bell Pepper Salad
Again, I used the Power Greens mixture. Chopped yellow, red and green bell peppers, red onion, cucumbers, strawberries and blueberries. For salad dressing I mixed 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of vineger then added chopped basil leaves. Mixed and drizzled on the salad. If you noticed the pieces of chicken on the side, it's because I thought I had to have it to survive. But after I started eating,, the salad was so yummy that I didn't eat it.

My new purchase is the Ninja chopper. I have been going to get protein shakes every morning for 2 weeks. And that is getting pricey. So, last night I bought the machine and protein mix. I prepped the shake last night so all I had to do was mix it this morning. It was so easy. The only thing is that it didn't chop the ice. So,,,,I need to figure that out. Maybe I used the wrong attachment.

1 scoop of Target protein mix

1/4 cup of greek yogart

1/2 cup of frozen berries

1/8 cup of oatmeal

31g of protein, 15g of sugar 7g of fiber.....268 calories

Pantry staples so far:  Power Greens, Quinao, strawberries, blueberries, dried fruit, nuts, salt free seasoning

NO DIET COKES in a loooong time! I'm scared to cheat here because I'm not sure I could turn it away again.

 

I posted my Goal on the World Wide Web!!!!!!! Now I have to live by it...because everything on the web is true!

Today I took a huge leap and shared my goal of eating healthy on a forum I have been a member of for almost 2 years. Am I crazy! I did it because I think I am ready to work towards my goal of living to102 no matter what my weight may be.

My focus will be more on the healthy choices rather than weight goals. In hopes that by my healthy choices I will loose weight. Since, everytime before I have quit when I didn't see results. Or loose the weight then celebrate with a big hamburger and gain it all back after the summer. So what have I done...

1. I brought out my juicer...This purchase was a result of watching fat, sick and nearly dead. last year but I stopped after a couple of months.
2. Now I am reading Eat to Live. This book is really helping because I read it every night before I go to bed which gets me geared up to fight off McDonalds on my way to work in the morning. I am only on Chapter 5 but when I get to Chapt 9 I will get to the reciepes and list of foods I will eat. I have not peaked AT ALL. I am trying to train my brain for what  I getting ready to hopefully commit to. Or I might see the list and close the book and head to Chick fil A.

Things I have changed so far....
1. Less than one diet coke a day. (4 days)
2. drinking 2 bottles of water a day (2 days)
3. No salt added to my meals (2 days)
4. I have cooked 5 days straight 2 days without salt or oil
5. No eating out at lunch or dinner...packing healthy food (8 days)
6. Protein shakes in the morning (2 days)

Okay I realize I have not been doing this long....but the more I read the more I understand what all the high fat, sodium, sugar etc. is doing to my body. And since my goal is to live to 102 I have a long ways to go! And if I beat that goal I won't be disappointed! LOL

Oops! It's been longer than I though.....

Okay... so it's been a while since I posted. So much for documented daily happiness. =) That was probably wishful thinking on my part anyways. Life is always full of twist and turns that it is hard for me to stay on schedule.

Things that have changed....

1. My mother in-law now lives with us. Which has mostly been great once I realized that having help around the house is better than taking claim to every inch of my house.
2. My sewing room became my mother in-laws room. Which got a complete make over. New floors and textured walls. Fresh paint and trim.
3. My son's room also got a complete make over and became a shared room of his stuff and my sewing stuff. I wasn't thrilled about the idea but once I realized I get better natural lighting. I don't think I will ever move out of it.
4. We got new carpet through out the house! Now that is a big deal!
5. My hubby finally got a new work car. No more watching him sit on the recliner searching for a car. (That was too much time wasted)
6. X got his drivers license and a car.

As a result, I have not thought much about sewing or crafting. I do have over 200 pictures sitting a Wal-greens waiting to be picked up so I can start a yearly photo album. I am thinking I would like to do a mobile phone album. Then each year I can delete everything on my phone and start new. That would be cool!

But anywho what started this post was....

I have been tempting to juice more for health. I bought a juicer last year. Which after a couple of months it ended up in the cabinet not being used. But I pulled it out over the Christmas break and I am ready to start again. Even KK is enjoying it this time.

So trying to get inspired I found a blog about juicing. http://dishondesigngal.com/ Which she is now trying this out.... We have the same hopes and ideas but I believe she has more will power than me. Since I have never juiced for 30 days. To me that is scary!  Not because of health reason but because I love food! This diet is more of eating your healthy food than juicing them. Maybe the two combined will be more realistic for me. Since I love cruchy foods!

I have also bought a 5 year diary. One for me and one for my Mom. That is the one thing I wish my Dad would of had when he past.....a diary of his thoughts. I miss him so much and wish I had a small idea of his thoughts. Hopefully, she will do it for me. Even if its just for one month....at least I will have one month of her thoughts.

My little French Girl......

Wee..Wee! KK was totally digging this cute little hat at AG store. I just love being a Mom to this wonderful little girl! We have so much fun togeather. She is spontaneous and witty. You just never know what will she will say.....Her teacher just told me "She is like a little person, inside a little person." I am assuming she meant she is a little adult inside a little person's body. Here are a few more pictures of shopping trip to AG store....

I think the bags were a little heavy...LOL

JSL Charity Ball 2012

Isn't my hubby the cutest?

 We had such a great time...80's music, great food and open bar. And all for a good cause...Military wifes.

#4 Sundays

Lately my favorite day of the week has been Sundays. This past Sunday was as perfect as the last one. I don't know if it is the cool weather, relaxing with my hubby and kk, or church. But they have just been wonderful. KK had her bestie over and they played so good while Ricky, my Mom and I watched the Texans game. I made baked chicken and pasta salad, we ate until we were completely satisfied. Lovely.

This was my happy moment in the day. The girls were playing with their dolls. Even Zoey was playing with Smokey the Bear...or shall I say chewing. Soon after this photo kk noticed and took the bear away from poor Zoey. I pray life is always this simple.

A Small Piece of My Paradise

When you look at this picture you might see a mat that needs to be straightened or leaves that should be sweeped but I see a little piece of my heaven. This is my Uncle Chris's porch. I rarely visit but it's a place where I feel home. It's where I enjoy drinking coffee in the morning and a bud light at night. There are no busy streets. Just dogs barking or strolling the street and the occassional smell of street dust as a truck drives by. I truly believe that when we go to heaven we will be surrounded by all the things here on earth that bring us peace. I know that it is said that there will be streets made of gold in Heaven but what if dirt roads are what I perfer?

#3 If Life gives you Lemons

Make Lemonade!

KK and I spent part of the afternoon picking lemons off the tree in hopes of giving the tree some rest. The tree just looked to darn tired from carrying the weight of the lemons. I could hear the tree go aawww! As it's limbs were relieved. We picked 32 lemons just off the bottom limbs! Whew...that's a lot of picking when you are swatting mosquitoes in the 98 degree weather.  We rewarded our self with Lemonade.

Recipe:

 3 Meyer Lemons

1.5 cups of sugar

2 quarts of water

Rocker Chic

KK's doll was feeling a little wild this weekend and needed an outfit to fit her mood. We decided to make her a fringed jean skirt with a  fitted skull and chain sleeveless top. We are hoping it's just a phase she is going through or she is just preparing for Halloween.

Capturing Happiness #2

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy moment!

My oven is working after 1 month and 7 days of craziness. My parent's wonderful friends and my hero's came and fixed the outlet for my oven. Which means....I don't have to buy a new one....And I have $850.00 in a Lowes gift card to go on a shopping spree! I guess it does pay off to buy the warranty! Sometimes their negligence works in your favor. Whoo Hoo!

Capturing Happiness #1

When it seems the day could not get any worse, it is important to find a moment of happiness. It's important because when you find yourself dwelling on the negative of the past and dread what the future holds you are not enjoying the life God has given us. One day of staying negative could become two and two to three, and it is said once you do it three times it is yours. So instead of owning negative thoughts and spreading negative moments I want to share and own moment of happiness through pictures. I plan on doing this daily as long as I can.....So here we go!

This is my happy face! Trust me I can look at this picture and critique my eyes, smile, freckles, teeth....but this is me! I will love me just the way I am. Try anyways....LOL

9-9-2012

Today is my Birthday and God delivered the most wonderful weather! For some reason it just made my whole day great! I love feeling the cool breeze. It gives me pep in my step. I have more energy and patients for little things.

10 Great Things on MY Birthday

1. My hubby was in bed with me when I woke up....instead of at work.
2. KK was so excited to tell me Happy Birthday and give me her gifts that she picked out. A heart necklace and 3 sets of cubic earrings. Wore them to church
3. Made it to church on time without any hiccups. The message was awesome. KK was able to show me where in the Bible the book Peter is and what it was about. I love church!
4. My brother remembered my age 32, unlike everyone else who thought I was older. crazy people!
5. My Mom stopped by to give me more jewelry and brought over a cake. It was so good.
6. Dana stopped by to pick up KK which gave Ricky and I time to go to Lowes and buy flowers
7. Planted flowers ....did I mention the weather was amazing!
8. We shared the first valley lemon off the tree for the season.
9. Watched Army Wives season finale...relax
10. Talked to Xavier and his roommates on Skype....It was so good seeing him.

So this is my Wally World moment.....Friday night we got to the Pleasure Pier they were closing. I seriously was disappointed. I was looking forward to riding the rides with my friends. But it was a no go. Maybe next time.

We did make a terrible mistake and ate at Bubba Gumps. The food was overpriced and horrible. The atmosphere on a Friday night was a downer...the food was surely not fresh but frozen. Hello! It's located on the water and they couldn't have fresh seafood. I am still amazed at how bad it was. We ate at Fish Tales the next day and that was so much better!

 And here is a picture of our victim. The first Valley Lemon off the tree for the year. Now what are we going to do with the other 40 of them.

Today is Yucky Icky Day

Well, I debated if I would blog this today....but this is my life and it is not all positive. And I feel like jotting a little right now...So here it is "I feel like Poop today!" I have had stomach issues all week long and today I am just feeling groose. But in the spirit of stayin positive. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND! We have planned to stay the night in Galveston at Moody Gardens. My Brother in-law has given us a Suite. Heard it's as big as a small house. Yipee! We plan on going to Pleasure Pier which has tons of spinning rides that on a normal day I would be thrilled but today....ugh...I hope I can survive it. We don't get to get out much so I am putting a smile on my face and committed to having a great time! I plan on taking tons of pictures, hopefully none of me vomitting. But if it happens Oh Well, I went out  celebrating my BDAY! I really do hope we make it to the antique shops tomorrow afternoon. I love going down to the strand just looking in all the shops. But that will all depend on little Miss KK. If she starts calling us home we will loose our relax mode and head on home. Fingers Crossed!

Okay....Time to document life through pictures!

My Babies Headed back to School 2012

Miss KK she was also so excited about going back to school. She has this back pack that lights up when she walks. She totally loving life right now!

 



 

The XMan setting up his room in college for the first time. He is so excited and I am thrilled for him. I just hate that he is so far away. It's been 2 weeks and it is still freaking me out!

 

Okay down below is a coral snake I killed the 3rd day of school. KK and her friend walked right up on in on the way to the car. Talk about freaking out! This day could have totally ended differently if it wasn't for the girls being smart and running like crazy. I hate even thinking about it again. Scary!



 

Ricky and I fishing on our new boat! Life is good! I love that MAN!

  



Days of Summer....

Well we are now counting down the last days of summer! And looks like KK has found a way to cool off! I don't know how she has managed to get herself in there but she is having fun! That silly girl.   

Well, here is the proof that I completed a project! I think it looks perfect in her room! I did have to nail the "K" and the "N" down since the ribbon tugged them into awkward positions.

Next Monday is the begining of school so I have lots to complete till then! I will be taking X off to college 4 hours away. I am so scared I will forget something. I realize the world will not end if something doesn't go right but why? Do I feel like my head is spining out of control?

HTD Block Letters

So I bought this design from Hang To Dry Applique....WAY long ago! And I have totally been putting it off due to fear and the unknown. And oh my goodness they are so dang easy! It literally took me an hour or less to stitch them out. Now to put them together and hang them in KK's room will be another accomplishment on its own. KK picked out the pink and black polka dot ribbon.....not my first pick but it works!

KK moment:
So the other night I was in the need of some "Leave me alone in my studio so I can find peace Moment" and KK was in the need of "I'm the Princess and I want you to sit and watch another episode of Jesse with me Moment"

KK: Mom I want you (tired eyes)
Me: I will be there in a minute. Just go lay down.
KK: I want you now.
Me: Just give me a minute and I will be there
KK: No, I want you with me
Me: KK I just need a minute and I will be there OKAY! (angry face)
KK: WAAAAAAAAAAAHH! running down the hall way.

I was thinking OMG...Please. All I need is a minute to wind down. UGH! Now I can hear her crying and screaming "I want you" "Daddy, I want you"
Huh? I guess she doesn't realize her Daddy is at work....she's not getting that either. Oh well,  she will get over it.  Then I hear "SHE IS SO MEAN! I want you now DADDY!" I immediately get up to see who she is talking to.  She had called her Dad using Skype from her Itouch! LOL Really?! Tech Savy at 6 years old. Wow!

LMAO! Boy does time Fly!

Okay, let me give you an update! I still have not completed the Waldorf Doll. I finished the head.....which came out really cute! But that is it.....Still no body or hair! The head currently lives on my night stand waiting to come alive. I figured if I see it every day it would remind me that I need to finish or inspire me.

So what am I doing now? I stayed up until 2 am working on a cheer uniform for my daughter's American Girl doll. THAT I know I will complete. Since,  I am under contract by KK. I have finished the bloomers and the skirt. The shirt still needs some work but I am waiting to here back from the cheer coach to find out what KK's uniform will look like. So hopefully tonight it will get completed.

Me: Guess I'm heading back to the Sweat Shop
KK: Mom why don't you just get a fan?

I love that girl she has all the answers!

So for the sake of documenting my life through photos here are a few of my favorites:

Here are two towels I made while going through the hood towel craze! The designs came from Applique Corner ! I believe I bought almost all the designs. Yeah, I went crazy shopping not making. LOL

                                         
I made this shirt for 4th of July. Another awesome design from Hang To Dry Applique Crissie and Scott design so many wonderful things it is almost impossible to create them all. This one is my favorite!



This is my 1st place Trout! 6.9 oz 28 inches
Check out my bobber shirt! I got plenty of stares.




This is my hubby in the pouring rain hoping to catch a winning fish. I'm in the boat covering myself with a towel eating a snickers.


The pictures were taken during two different tournaments...So No I didn't beat my hubby.  LOL