Courtesy of Wedding Window

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy 2014!


Happy New Year everyone! I'm thankful for everyone of my family and friends that I have shared this past year with. God knew I needed you guys, and He allowed me to know each and every one of you. I hope you are truly blessed in 2014.

Just like most people, I'm starting this year off with...

Normally, my resolutions are about losing weight. Every year. Lol. Well, not this year. I've really done some soul searching lately, and I've decided on two resolutions. And let me tell you, I'm going to keep these. I mean it.

1. I'm going to be okay with me. No, I'm not at the weight I want to be. Yes, I have insecurities. But, this year, I'm going to get over myself. I'm going to like me, for me.

2. I'm going to take at least one picture of myself, and post it on Facebook (or here), every month. And this is a two-fold resolution. I'm also going to take at least one picture of my kids every month. Count on it.

That being said, here's to 2014! Happy New Year!


Sophie And The Birdies







Sophie. Oh, Sophie. She looks all cute and innocent doesn\"t she? I know, right? Well, guess what? She is also lonely... apparently.





The other day, after I went to work, Sophie must have decided that she was lonely, or bored, and so she brought a little friend in through our cat door.





Sheridan woke first, and heard something rustling around in the kitchen. Something that was NOT Sophie. Did she get up to find out what it was? Umm... NO. She guessed that it was a SQUIRREL (wouldn\"t that be just awful??) and decided to just go back to sleep instead. Haha! Gee, thanks, Sher.





Next, the sound woke Wade up. He was braver than his sister, so he got up to investigate. He found...





THIS!







Cute, but unfortunate. There was bird poop everywhere. Ugh. But, thankfully, it wasn\"t a squirrel... or a raccoon... or a skunk. Yikes!





Wade opened all the doors, and after a few tries, the bird flew outside. Whew!





When I came home, the kids were full of stories, telling me all about Sophie and her bird. A little later, I went into my bathroom and found...





THIS!







Now, either that bird that Wade let out lost a whole bunch of feathers before it was let out, OR... this is the murder scene of bird #2... that has either been completely eaten, or has been hidden under my bed. ICK. So far, no smell, so I\"m assuming it is gone. But, with the way my luck goes... I\"m not counting my (birds) just yet...












Sunday, December 22, 2013

My Pants Fit!


MY PANTS FIT!










Woo Hoo! Happy Dance!





Okay, no, that isn\"t me. But maybe by next year I\"ll be brave enough to post my own pants, on me. But, I\"m still thrilled... they fit!





Wait. Why is this so exciting? These are the same pants that I normally wear...





It could be that I\"m happy I haven\"t gained any weight over the holidays so far. 





Or, it could be that I\"ve "put on my big girl pants and dealt with it".





But, no, it\"s neither of those things. It\"s because...





I didn\"t have to lay on the bed to button them! And, I didn\"t have to use pliers to zip them!





Haha! Okay, so the pliers part is because the zipper is kind of broken, not because they were that tight. Oh, they were tight, but not that bad.(But that leads to the question... why is the zipper kind of broken? Ugh.)





And as for the laying on the bed part? Totally, completely true. But not because they are the skin tight, show everything you\"ve got, kind of tight. Just the stupid waistband... because of my stupid waist.





But, not today! Yippee! Merry Christmas to me!





Just remember...







These show you what a pound of fat looks like size-wise










And here is what a real pound of fat looks like!





Yuck! I sure don\"t want to add any more of that this Christmas. I\"ll let you know how that works for me...




Sunday, December 15, 2013

Include Yourself In Family Photos!





I have always hated to have my picture made. Okay, well, that isn\"t exactly true. Since being over-weight, I have hated to have my picture taken. So, I avoid cameras like the plague. And if by chance my photo actually does get taken, I almost never post it... and pray that no one tags me in theirs.



Yesterday, I bit the bullet and posted a family picture of my kids and I. Why? Why did I decide to post now? Here\"s why:



When my Dad passed away, we went through tons of pictures, looking to make memorial boards to display. What I found was, when Dad was younger and thinner, we had lots of pictures of him. As he got older, and gained some weight, he was reluctant to have his picture taken. Most of the time, he found himself behind the camera instead of in front of it. Hmm... this sounds strangely familiar. 



Also, I recently saw a blog post about family pictures. Awesome post. You really, really should take the time to read it.



http://myfriendteresablog.com/so-youre-feeling-too-fat-to-be-photographed/



That blog post completely changed my way of thinking. Have you ever felt too fat, too old, too tired, too out-of-style? Have you thought you had a weird nose, eyes, teeth? Double chin? Bad hair day?



Yep. I just described every single picture I see of myself. And you know what? That isn\"t going to change. I\"m still going to see the weight, the wrinkles, the bad hair, bad clothes, weird teeth.



But now... I\"m going to take them anyway. And also, I\"m going to post them anyway



Because someday, I won\"t be here anymore. Someday, parts of my family will be forever gone, like my Dad. I wish, wish, wish that I had taken a picture with my Dad in the last few months he lived, no matter how awful I thought I looked. I have pictures of him from that time, just not with him. And that truly, is my loss... one that I will forever regret.



So here are a couple of pictures that I should have posted before. You know the worst part? I have none with just my daughter. None! And that would be my own fault. I\"ve passed on the "don\"t like to be photographed" gene to my kids. Oh my gosh. I will remedy that ASAP. I\"m tired of living life behind the lens because of weight. And wrinkles. I\"m done. Bring on the photos!






Me and Wade last night @ the Christmas Dinner, 2013









Wade, Me and Sheridan at the Hollywood Bowl, 


Summer 2012









Wade, Me and Sheridan, shopping on Rodeo Drive, 


Hollywood, CA, Summer 2012









Bob, Wade and Me @ Wade\"s graduation, May 2012 


(We may not be married anymore, 


but he is a product of the two of us!)









Me, Wade and Sheridan, December 2013


Monday, December 9, 2013

Don’t Blink…


Friends... don\"t blink.











Wade - Fall of 1994






Sheridan - 1st Christmas 1997



It absolutely feels like yesterday when my kids were little, running around, playing, having fun... making messes... making me crazy some days. 



Now, I spend most of my time by myself. They are pretty much grown. Yes, they still live with me, but usually, they are in their rooms, or off, doing their own thing.



Trust me, I really do understand that when they are little, you feel frazzled, frustrated. There were times when all I wanted was to take a bath without someone coming in, or banging on the door. Sometimes, my whole wish was to just get my hair fixed. I really do understand that. At the time, I could not wait for them to get a little bigger, be a little more independent.



Now... I miss the days that they were excited about Santa coming. 





Those days when they just couldn\"t stay in their beds because the Easter Bunny surely came and brought their baskets full of treasures. 





Those "messes" they made when playing dress up. 









The stinky, smelly little kids that came in from outside playing. 






I miss them.



Yes, I am thankful for my bigger kids. There are different fun things, different experiences. I love it now when we share funny things. I love to laugh with them. I love having kids in school. I feel so proud when they accomplish something that they don\"t feel like they can. I feel good when I see the kind, caring people that they\"ve grown up to be. 



And yet... I still miss those little kids. So friends, don\"t blink. The day will quickly come when you look around and realize they are all grown up. And trust me, you will not believe how it could have happened so fast. At that point, you will miss the messes, the frustrations, the craziness. 




Don\"t Blink by Kenny Chesney  (click on the title to listen)





I turned on the evening news
Saw a old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what\"s the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is."

[Chorus:]
Don\"t blink
Just like that you\"re six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you\"re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don\"t blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you\"re praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don\"t blink

I was glued to my TV and it looked like he looked at me and said
"Best start putting first things first."
Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can\"t flip over and start again
Take every breathe God gives you for what it\"s worth

[Chorus]

I\"ve been tryna slow it down
I\"ve been tryna take it in
In this here today gone tomorrow world we\"re livin\" in

[Chorus]

Now, don\"t blink






Remember this:






Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Spice Cabinet


LET'S TALK ABOUT SPICES!

Recently, a friend of mine posted a link about organizing/cleaning out your spice cabinet. Great article... 


After reading that article again today, I decided it was time to check mine out. I am a really organized person... my spices are organized on turntables in my cabinet. Okay, so those turntables are stuffed full, but they are organized none the less.

What a surprise. The first bottle I looked at showed me this:


WHAT?! 2008? I had to get my glasses out, just to make sure I was seeing that correctly. Yikes! I had just used that seasoned salt recently. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not worried that it will make us sick or anything, but seeing as how I'm not the best cook out there, I need all the help I can get, and spices that are 5 years old are not going to help me. Ugh.

Well, that got me going. Spice after spice, I checked each one out. Happily, I found several that gave me hope.

 Weber grill seasoning. I've had this for 2 years, and was pleased to find that it is good until 2015. Yay!


McCormick crushed red pepper. I've had this for probably 3 years or so, and it is good through 2016.


Generic (from Big Lots!) brand onion powder... good through 2016! Woo Hoo! Yay for generics!

Some of the expiration dates were elusive. Really hard to find. Here are a couple of hints.

Check the bottom of the bottles really carefully. Usually the writing is there, but even with glasses it is hard to read.


Also, make sure you read the strip right below the cap.


And I have also found the dates right beside the bar code on the labels. Those are the hardest ones to find.

After cleaning out my spices, I put back all the good ones. And these.


I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away. The cream of tartar, I use for lots of things (cleaning), not just baking. The Kitchen Bouquet makes the very best roast & gravy ever. I'm keeping it until I get some more, because I might want to cook a roast during this cold weather. And the Johnny's? Oh my. The Johnny's. We got that in a huge bottle from a friend about ten years ago. I know, right? 10 years. It is the most amazing seasoning I've ever had. You put it in any Italian food you make, from spaghetti, to fettuccine alfredo, to pizza, to garlic bread. I have no idea when I will ever get more, so there is no way I'm throwing it out... even if it is 10 years old!

Now my cabinet is "spice current". Well, except for the three exceptions above. Sadly, this is all I have left:


I guess I'll be adding to my grocery list. Now... go clean out those spices! And remember... if you have any green, rectangular McCormick spice cans, they are at least 17 years old. It might just be time to throw them out... unless they are Johnny's. If so, it's okay to keep them ;)

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Snow Days

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we\"ve no place to go..."












Everyone that has a job, of any sort, loves vacation days. They just do. However, there is no vacation day better for a school employee than a SNOW DAY! 










Snow days are awesome! I think part of the reason is because they are unexpected days off. And they are days where you can\"t do errands or other such running around. They are nothing more than forced relaxation. Someone forcing me to relax?? Yes, please! I\"m so thrilled when I get out of bed and this is what I see:












There are so many fun things to do on a snow day! First and foremost, sleeping in! Yippee! My favorite! Then there is playing in the snow, building a snow man, sledding with friends, making snow angels and snow ice cream, licking the icicles that hang from the eaves.

































But, friends, let\"s face it. I\"m old. My snow days now consist of... 


















And I\"m excited! Bring on the snow... and my SNOW DAY!










Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Grandpa Stevens and The Baked Potato


Today was baked potato day at school.  I never eat a baked potato that I don't think of Bob's Grandpa, Kenneth Stevens. 

You know, people are known for many things.  I loved Grandpa Stevens for many, many things.  He accepted me as his own, he had great wisdom and knowledge of the word of God, he had a great sense of humor, loved his family dearly, and was a really caring man.  In addition, he had an amazing talent. That man could clean a baked potato perfectly.  I don't even know if I can explain it right.  With his fork, and only using his right hand, as he would eat his potato, he would scrape the inside of the shell (shell? I'm sure that isn't the word I'm looking for, but it will work) completely clean.  I mean, there would be no more pieces of potato clinging to the inside of the skin.  NONE. 

See this? This lady is pretty good. But she's got nothing on Grandpa Stevens. Nothing.



Now, I know that is trivial, and I'm sure amusing to some, but I will never forget it.  I was always so impressed.  I am a horrible baked potato eater.  I can't clean my shell for anything.  But every time I eat one, I think of him.  And I am impressed, yet again.  I am thankful for the reminder of him today. He really was a wonderful man.   I loved him greatly.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!









Raindrops on Roses













 And Whiskers on Kittens










Bright Copper Kettles










And Warm Woolen Mittens










Brown Paper Packages, tied up with string







These are a few of my favorite things!





Along with diet Dr. Pepper, snowmen, gingerbread people, cute little baby animals, ink pens and cute office supplies, jewelry, scarves, bath & body products, kitchen gadgets, books, and organizing supplies! And no, this is not my "grown up Christmas list". Just a happy little blog post.





I love this time of the year because it encompasses all the little things I love!






Saturday, November 30, 2013

30 Days of Thankful - My Journey

Day 30:  I'm thankful for this journey.

30 Days ago, I decided to throw caution to the wind and jump on the 30 Days of Thanks bandwagon. I'm not really a bandwagon kind of gal... I usually avoid them like the plague. But this time, I decided I was up for the challenge.

What a 30 days it has been! From my kids, to my parents, to friends, to the internet, each day I looked inside to see what I felt thankful for that day. Of course, I am always thankful for the things that mean the most... family and friends. 

This has been good for me. So many times, I get burdened down with the cares of life, and I forget. I forget to be thankful for the things that really matter. So today, Day 30, I'm thankful for this challenge... this journey, because it has made me THINK.

Also, I just happened to look at the stats page of this blog (I didn't even know it had a stats page!) and I have had over 3000 views on my blog in the last 2 months. What?! That is just crazy. I love every one of you that have "checked me out". 

And finally, today, I am once again thankful for my kids. They helped me put up Christmas lights and decorations outside. Trust me, I really am thankful for their help. That is too big of a job to do alone, and last year it just did not get done. Those things make me happy when I pull in the drive at night. Here is a little preview of outside... obviously, since it is daytime, there aren't any pics of the house lights, but I promise, Wade put them up and I appreciate it a bunch.

Wreath on the front door 


 Trio of friends on the porch


 Paul the Polar Bear


 Pete the Penguin (The wind was not our friend today)


And Santa himself... in his little hidey hole 


Even Sophie got into the action... in the tree on the porch!

So, at the end of my 30 days, I want to say THANKS, to each and every one of you too! Now let's get this holiday season rolling!