New Years Eve

and time for some football. I really slept late today so I am getting a late start on things. I have a little work to do with my school stuff but after that - FOOTBALL!!! Go Sooners!

Hump Day

You know, that is the perfect description of a Wednesday! Did some shopping today. Finally got the new lighting for the dining room, kitchen table and entry way. We still can't decide what to do in the actual kitchen. Darn those vaulted ceilings! Did some grocery shopping before the rain/sleet hit, made some yummy homemade nachos and tacos and am now settling in for the night. Family made it home to Oklahoma despite the winter weather there. I love having my family visit and hate it when they leave! I will post a couple of pictures that you will probably see in next years newsletter. I think we are playing games tonight once I see which child wins the argument!

New Layout

Boy this color is bright and hard to see but it is the only New Years background I liked. I will have to change it in a few days anyway. I like the color combination but it is hard to read. I finally managed to get the tickers up and working. They start on New Years Day so I will try my best to keep up with those as well. Off to bed with my new Steve Berry book!

Blog losing to Facebook!

I started using Facebook and have been neglecting my blog. I am going to try to do both. I changed the layout to V-day because I really couldn't find a cute New Years or Winter layout. I will keep looking. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. What did everyone get? My favorite gift was having some of my family here from Oklahoma to share Christmas with. They left this morning - always sad. My dd turned 20 on Christmas, no longer a teenager! We don't have any plans for New Years, except to watch some football. I plan to stitch some before the semester starts back up. I officially was accepted to the PhD program at GSU this fall. I plan to take at least two classes this spring. I can't enroll until the first day of classes though which makes finding classes a challenge. Ashley has 4 classes this spring and we will still be able to carpool at least one of the two days we go to GPC. The New Year will bring a start to a healthier New Year. We are converting our study into a workout/reading room with a bike and treadmill. The weights are going to stay in the garage for now. I plan to update my tickers and add one for the family as a whole. This is now a family effort. Not sure which program we are going to follow but I know what works for me so we may keep it or try something new. I did get the Biggest Loser Wii Workout so I am excited about that. Well, off to do some returns and get new lighting for the kitchen - after that, with the exception of the flooring, the kitchen will officially be finished!!!

Ugh!

Wouldn't you know it - as soon as I start this again, I get sick! It is really just allergies but yuck! I will weigh again next week to see how things went this week. All I can hope for since I can't do much exercising is to stay constant or to loss a little. The walking has not been possible because of all the rain and flooding. I think I will have to get a Walking DVD to do in the house. Patience.....

It's been a while....

Well, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted to my blog. I have decided it is time to start my weight loss journey again. I put it on hold until my shoulder was better but I can't wait forever! It is really not getting any better so I have decided to move forward as best I can. The only exercise I can do is walking and riding my stationary bike (assuming it is still working). I have to keep my arm immobile so it will be fun but I am going to give it a shot anyway.

I removed my tickers and plan to create new ones starting in the morning. I know this will be a very slow process but it took 45 years to get to this weight so it will take a while to come off. It will be even slower without my FIRM workouts now. But as long as it is in the right direction, that's okay.

Till tomorrow...

What a day!!!!

First of all, I lost 3 pounds which is what I gained last week with the 12 inches lost. So, I am where I was 2 weeks ago but that is okay because I feel great.
The best news is I received my acceptance letter to the PhD program at GSU...I am so excited and can't wait to be a student again!!!!

WOW!!

I can't believe it but I have lost 12 inches in two weeks. That is amazing. I can sort of see it but I am starting to feel it. I have so many more to go but this is a great start. I added an inches lost ticker too - a mini version.

I haven't been able to stitch much since I am out of the correct color to finish the design. I did frog and fix a year today though. I plan to get the thread tomorrow so I can finish this within a week!

Off to the grocery store. Planning every meal is a pain to do but so much easier later.

Almost finished

I only have one more generation to add to my stitching project then it's off to the framers. I have been working on this project for almost a year. I am so glad it is almost finished. I am really wanting to get back to my L&L Angel that I am about 60% of the way through. I can't post pics since it is a gift but I will after the event.

Another 5 pounds down....

And it was a zero buster so I am treating myself to a new DVD and day and evening with my hubby!! So, no stitching today but I will tomorrow. Off to ds Pine Wood Derby Race!!

I Stitched!

It has been a while since I picked up my needle but I did last night. I was so burned out from having to frog so much but I am getting back on track. I am so close to finishing this monster!! I am dying to get back to my Angel. Today is Friday for me so I plan to stitch and watch movies tomorrow afternoon (while doing laundry of course).

I have been doing the FIRM for over a week and LOVE it!!! I did my first complete with weights last night and tonight. A challenge but fun!! I also posted a weight loss ticker to my blog. I need to lose more than the ticker shows but I can only fit a certain size on here with the layout.

More later...going to read and then to bed!

MIA...

I had no idea it has been this long since I posted. Not much new going on here. No stitching recently, got burned out after having to frog a generation - 3 times, maybe this weekend.

I started doing the FIRM and lost 5 pounds the first week. I hope it continues!!!
More later...

Love this and it is so true!!

You know you're from Oklahoma if:

1. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah, and Chickasha.
2. You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are
sissies.
3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look
for a funnel.
4. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on
the highway.
5. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
6. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by
the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
7. Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
8. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
9. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
10. You measure distance in minutes.
11. You refer to the capital of Oklahoma as "The City."
12. It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in
an airplane crash
13. Little smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.
14. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
15. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
16. You know cow pies are not made of beef.
17. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding
date.
18. You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your
fist.
19. A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a
four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other
go first.
20. You know in which state Miam-uh is and in which state Miam-ee is.
21. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all
in the same store.
22. Your "place at the lake" has wheels under it.
23. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F350 4x4 is a GT.
24. You know everything goes better with Ranch.
25. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
26. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin" to send them to your
friends.
Finally, you are 100% Oklahoman if you have ever heard this
conversation:
"You wanna coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."

Family Day!!

We had such a good day! We got up and went straight to the King Tut Exhibit. That was amazing. It was so hard not to touch the artifacts. I was actually more interested in touching the rock part but they still wouldn't let me. Some of the pieces are simply beautiful and others are plain but elegant. We finished up in the bookstore where ds#1 bought a scarab and a stuffed bear for Greyson.
After walking almost 8,000 steps at the show alone, we were exhausted so we went to Durango's Steak House in downtown Atlanta. The one by us closed a few years ago and it is one of our favorite places to eat...pepsi products and yellow queso!
We then headed over to Sam's to pick up Greyson's cake and few other items and then home to drop stuff off and let the poochies out for a bit. We then piled back in the van and headed to the movies. We saw Inkheart which was really cute! I love Brandon Frasier. Ds#1 loved these books so, needless to say, he loved the movie too. We then stopped for a quick sandwich and came home.

We sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice cream...a real treat! The pictures are of the cake and Greyson's Memorial Candle. Almost 15,000 steps later I am pooped!! So I am posting this and sitting down in my comfy chair to frog some stitching and rest my barking dogs!

The Weekend!!!

Yeah, it's Friday. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate Greyson's birthday. We are going to see the King Tut Exhibit, lunch as Durango's, a movie and then some Wii Sports Family Competition. I ordered the sweetest cake for him. I will post pictures tomorrow. I plan to stitch some tonight on my "gift". I may get finished in the next couple of weeks. We are going to start painting the house next weekend so I want to get as much done as possible.
Classes are in full swing now. All my classes are packed. I actually had to have a student sit on the floor this week because there were not enough chairs. I really felt bad but I bet he gets there on time from on to avoid sitting on the floor again!
I can feel Spring coming and am getting excited about the new exercise program. Once dd foot get heals we will be able to do it together. She has been doing the upper body workout on our new gym. I just ordered my first Firm product and am anxious to use it. I have a major aversion to sweating (probably because I do it all the time) but I have decided TOO BAD!! I have also really been increasing the water and will do my first weigh in tomorrow so we will see how it is working.
Off to stitch - will post pix tomorrow.

Smokin' Needle

Wow, I have been able to stitch like crazy today. I am doing laundry and anything else I can to avoid any of the "inauguration" stuff aka the beginning of the downward spiral of American Freedom and Individual Rights. The crowds reaction to President Bush and his family is a direct reflection of the people responsible for this election. The double standard and disrespect is pathetic. I can say that I will give as much respect to BO as President Bush was given throughout his presidency. So, I guess NONE!
On the bright side, I have been able to get a lot of stitching done which is great since I need to finish this project asap. I can't post a picture since it is a gift but I can say it is the most impressive piece I have ever stitched...and the most time consuming. I will post a picture after the recipient has it.
Back to stitching and folding...

Spelling, Stitching & Sleeping

This was the big spelling bee weekend. Ds competed against elementary schools, middle schools and high schools! We were not aware of that until we got there. Anyway, he did not make the top 12 but was in the top 50. He has been so very nervous almost sick this past week. He was very upset after the results were announced saying he let everyone and the school down. This is the first time that he has not succeeded at something and it has been very hard for him to accept. Being in the top 50 in this county is nothing to sneeze at. He was one of the youngest competitors. The words were incredibly difficult and even the pronouncer could not pronouncer them a lot of the time. They had to know how to spell words from other languages too. I believe the winning word was “dicotyledon”.
I have finished another generation on my stitching and hope to get a start on the next today. I had to frog the date and redo it but that was okay. I hope to get it finished in a couple of weeks so I get it to the framers. I am also anxious to get back to a different project, mainly my L&L angel. I am about 3/4 of the way through her and then will start on the next one.
The problem this weekend has been my sleep. Having to teach nights this semester has really thrown off my clock. I can't seem to sleep for anything. Now I know how babies feel when they get their days and nights mixed up! I am having to force myself to bed and then force myself to get up. I hope I adjust better this week or I am going to be really grouchy. Thank goodness it is a very short week for me!

We're off...

The semester officially started on Monday so I am half way through my week. I have Fridays off! My classes are packed! I swear if one of my ENVS students sneeze half the class will fall over. We are packing in like sardines! I am looking forward to getting this semester over with so I can start teaching the new hybrid courses and start taking classes myself.
I started full force on Weight Watchers again. It is really hard to do with my schedule this semester. Teaching only at night has me all backwards. I am sure I will get in the groove soon but in the meantime, its hard finding foods I can eat that are low in points but convenient. I need to find a way to increase my fruit and veggies!! The water will also be a challenge since I can't run to the potty all the time during class. As long as the scale goes down, I will be happy!
We are going to start painting next weekend. I can't stand the white walls anymore. This weekend is the spelling bee so we will be out very early for registration, 7:15 AM - like I said very early!

Pictures...Finally

Here are some pictures from Christmas including dd in her get up, dd birthday cake, ds and his OU gear, dd and her favorite video, the mess, ds enjoying his gift, the tree before the chaos, Tabitha enjoying the warmth from the lights.
I made the pictures small so they would fit on the site. It was hard trying to decide what to share. We had such a good day and dd enjoyed her birthday. I will post pictures of Oklahoma if I can find them!

I stitched today!

I actually got to stitch a little today. I am working on my Mothers Tree. I have four generations left. I can't wait to finish it. I have been working on it since last summer. I am dying to get back to working on other WIPS.
My dd set me up with a Facebook. I am still not exactly sure what it is or what the purpose is but I will give it a try. We finally got the Christmas decorations down and all thats left is the tree and moving things back to the attic. There has to be an easier way to store holiday decorations. I really would leave my tree up year round and decorate according to season or holiday but I think my dh would kill me if I did that.
I am still working on getting some pictures loaded. Everytime I think about it I am doing something like taking a shower or doing dishes and then forget when I get back to the computer.
Tomorrow is my last day of vacation. I do have a little bit of work to do before classes start on Monday but it shouldn't take me too long. My goal is to only do work stuff during my office hours. We'll see! I need to stitch one generation a week if I am going to get this project finished in time to get it to the framers.
Family is wanting to challenge each other to a game of Wii so better run...wish me luck!

Schools In!

Public school started yesterday so ds is back. Dd and I go back this coming Monday. I am NOT looking forward to it. This is the first time I have not looked forward to a new semester. Too many changes that I don't care for. Oh well, guess I should focus on the students.
Everyone is finally getting over this gunk that we have had, only ds was spared. Today my ears popped and my headache went away. So, I hope to get some pictures uploaded sometime today. We are watching TU in the GMAC bowl tonight. We cheered Texas last night, can't believe I just said we cheered Texas!!! I am nervous about our game on Thursday but for now, we are number 1!!
I hope to get completely back on WW next week and start this exercise program. I am actually looking forward to it. I really like the boxing on the Wii. I think we are going to actually look into getting a boxing setup for the house since ds likes it as well. He broke the one he got for Christmas, one punch and it was gone!
Off to get the turkey out of the oven.

It's a New Year

Well, time to get back on WW and continue the journey. Once I get over this nasty cold, flu, infection or whatever it is, I plan to continue with WW and a new exercise program. I am so ready - except for the exploding head!! I haven't had any desire to stitch even!! Wish me luck...