The Glue Stick Chic

Journaling

2011-11-11T20:53:00.000-06:00

I love to look back and read old journals. It's great to see how I made it through tough times and to see the growth I've made in my life. It's great to reflect on my thoughts at the time and to stop and ask myself what in the world was I thinking? It's also great to relive happy moments and see if I still appreciate what made me so happy back then. I barely ever journal anymore. I get on a kick where I am going to make myself do it every day or at least a couple days a week and it kinda goes out the window. It's kinda like a diet. If it's not fun, I lose interest.

I struggle to journal in my scrapbooks too. I know this is something I really should do since I'm hoping my scrapbooks will be around a long time after I'm gone. There's something about a person's handwriting that is better than looking at their picture. It's our own words conveying our thoughts on whatever and I think it captures so much that would otherwise be lost over the years.

I have some of my mom's recipes written in her own handwriting. I treasure those and plan to get more to put into a recipe scrapbook I want to make of our favorite family recipes. Years from now when my mom is gone I know I will pull out one of those cards and she will help me through that recipe. I will probably cry and wish she were there cooking with me but at least I will have her handwritten recipes.

I feel complete again

2011-11-10T22:01:00.002-06:00

There is no greater feeling than having your family together again. My son has been living in California for 9 months and today he came back home. The four of us went out for pizza and had a great time. I missed that so much.

Hoarding or Gathering?

2011-11-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

A lot of people have seen those shows about hoarders who are living in complete disarray because they are attached to their "stuff" whether it be collectibles or old pets that they just can't bear to part with. OK that's an extreme example but you get the point. I feel like I have become a hoarder when it comes to my scrapbook supplies. Over the past 10+ years I have collected many items that I have found on clearance or I have just bought beautiful supplies that I planned to use for a special occasion. Then of course there is all those left over supplies from projects I have done, whether it be pages or books I've made for other people. I am left with weird stickers or embellishments that really don't go with anything else I happen to be working on. I can honestly say I am not a hoarder in any area of my life other than the scrapbooking area. I actually feel neurotic when I see too much clutter around the house. Usually a good donation to Goodwill cures it. Still, the scrapbook stuff piles up. It's gotten to the point where I feel unorganized and like I have too much actual scrap. I am definitely a thrifty person but how much scrap do you need. I think if it hinders you from enjoying your craft then it's time to downsize. Sometimes I spend way too much time searching through piles upon piles of paper just to do one layout. Along the way I come across other paper I have held onto for whatever occasion and then I start thinking about that project. It's like Scrapbooker Attention Deficit Disorder and it's really SADD! (Hmm, I think I finally found the name for my disorder.) Yeah I think I will definitely put some effort in for reorganizing and downsizing this weekend so in the long run I have more time for my craft. The cold weather is coming and there's nothing better than having some hot cocoa, listening to some music and preserving memories.

Garrett's Popcorn

2011-11-08T22:39:00.003-06:00

Do you ever get that craving for something that keeps bugging you for months and the longer you wait the louder that little voice is in your head to get some? Well I have been craving Garrett's Popcorn for months and one of my co-workers brought some in specially for me yesterday. I have been wanting to drive to Chicago just to get some but I just didn't justify the trip just for popcorn. Well she cured me and I ate almost an entire bag by myself! It was worth it though. I think I'm good for awhile now but I am secretly plotting my trip downtown to get some more. I think the hubby and I should go see the Christmas displays anyway and hey while we are there...

Get Closer Tour with Keith Urban

2011-11-07T22:29:00.001-06:00

Here is one of the layouts I did over the weekend : ) Not sure why the sides of the image aren't showing complete but the important stuff is in the middle anyway!

Fast

2011-11-06T20:56:00.004-06:00

That describes my weekend completely! It went by too fast and I was ticketed for driving too fast. Furthermore, my darling daughter did too. Didn't I mention recently that she picks up on some of my not so good traits?

I guess I will be driving like Gertrude here for awhile. At least until the memory of paying for the speeding ticket fades away.

Emma

2011-11-05T17:56:00.004-05:00

This is Emma. She is at our scrapbook retreat. She was here last time too. I thought when I first saw her that maybe her owner came to the scrapbook weekend and was working on some sewing instead of scrapbooking. I later learned that Emma was a guest here too. She stands proudly next to her creator while she scrapbooks. It's raised a few eyebrows and has caused some whispered questioning of her creators sanity. But who am I to judge, I named my Cricut. Ok so it's a little out of the ordinary but I love the originality. I went over to Emma's creator, whose name I don't know, and asked if I could take a picture of her dress form friend. She eagerly said I could and that Emma LOVES to have her picture taken. I quickly bit my tongue so the "Really??" that I was thinking didn't come out. But hey I can definitely appreciate all kinds of humor so kudos to Emma and her creator.

D is for Determination

2011-11-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

Sitting at my scrapbook retreat working on a monkey themed baby album. Although I love scrapbooking, I'm not enjoying this project because it's for someone I don't know. My mom asked me to make it for a friend's daughter. I said I would do it but really didn't want to. When you are expected to do something, it's just not fun. So I am going with my determination to finish it tonight so that I still have tomorrow and Sunday for my own personal projects. If I don't see another monkey again for a few months, I will be totally OK with that.

Oh and I am determined not to miss this daily blog either! I will go ahead and give myself a pat on the back now, LOL! Oh and I made a new friend, Denise : )

Janet, my Cricut

2011-11-03T22:47:00.005-05:00

We're getting all packed up for our scrapping weekend in Cedar Lake. I'm so excited because I haven't had dedicated scrapbooking time in way too long. This is also Janet's first swarm. I know it's cheesy but that's what they call it when you have two or more Cricut's going in the same room. I look forward to a weekend of working on my favorite craft while the room is filled with the buzz of Cricuts.

Well Janet has her bag packed but I have tons of other stuff to get packed up. I think it's the unspoken rule of a scrapbooker that we pack more for a crop than we would on a week-long vacation. Now let's hope I don't forget anything!

Counting my blessings

2011-11-02T21:13:00.005-05:00

My God who provides every possible thing I need and the faith that everything will always be alright according to His plan.

My husband who is my world.

My daughter who is dependable, loving, funny, and does just the right things to bring me back to my youth or says something to remind me that she's picked up a lot of my good qualities and even some of my not so good traits.

My son who is a charming, fearless, too handsome for his own good, boy who makes me crazy at times yet every once in awhile says or does something to let me know that he's been listening to my motherly guidance.

My mom who has taught me what blessings are and to not take them for granted.

My job which demands a lot of me but reminds me that I never take anything I haven't earned and that my workday is never dull.

My friends who I cherish for their individuality, moments we've shared and the understanding that no time or distance comes between a true friendship.

A...where ya been?

2011-11-01T06:01:00.009-05:00

NaBloPoMo Time Again

Yeah I know I haven't blogged in over a year and here I go taking on the same challenge again. Maybe this year I can beat last year and make it to November 18th? It could happen.

So my blogging friends and I have decided to do random topics starting with a letter of the alphabet and also have a few free days thrown in there to fill up the whole month. The possibilities are endless right?

Today's letter is A. A lot of "A" words came to my mind on this one but the one that stuck was adhesive. Funny thing how sticky that adhesive can be. It also made me reflect on the fact that my blog is titled "The Glue Stick Chic" yet I think I have only had one scrapbook related post. I think I need to start living up to that title and gear my blog more towards my favorite craft. So tomorrow that will "B" my mission. I also have a scrapbook retreat coming up this weekend so I should be in my element for lots of ideas. Hey I may even post a tutorial or two : )

NaBloPoMo Topic: Someone gives you a million dollars with the only stipulation being you must spend it frivolously

2010-11-17T22:22:00.003-06:00

That would be hard in this economy. Spending any amount of money frivolously is difficult without feeling like it could be used elsewhere for a better cause. But since the topic is to spend it, then here is what I would do.

After making sure it's legit, I would pick 3 family members and 3 friends to help out financially based on who needed it the most. I would hire a contractor to come in to refinish my basement, gut and remodel my bathroom, redo the landscaping in the front and back of my house, add a deck and do some other home improvements we have been wanting to get done. I would buy my son and daughter both a new car and buy Michael a motorcycle. I would also take my family on a vacation to somewhere nice and warm. We would spend an obscene amount of money in Best Buy buying the latest electronic gadgets and if I have any money left I would take my closest friends and family to the casino and let them all play away the rest.

Hidden cameras: one place you'd like to put one and one place you'd never want to find one

2010-11-16T20:19:00.000-06:00

Today's NaBloPoMo topic makes me think of how many places there are that have cameras these days. Just the other day hubby was showing me some app on his phone that shows all these surveillance cameras in random places that you can just sit and watch from anywhere. I was disturbed by this because they were public places and businesses. One was a camera off of a hotel in Myrtle Beach. I'm sure their guests would not be pleased to know they are being shown across the internet while wearing a skimpy bathing suit or something. I know I would take my business elsewhere. Maybe they don't know this is happening. Can video cameras be hacked? I guess they could but that is just so wrong. If they do know it's streaming on the net then it's a shame that they would invade the privacy of their guests like that.

I sometimes thought it would be nice to have a camera at home for when the kids were younger and they had that time between getting home from school until I came home from work. I thought it would be nice to have the peace of mind that they weren't misbehaving or doing anything dangerous. Still I never set anything up because I felt it would be too invasive. Kids will be kids and that's all part of growing up.

One place I would like to attach a camera though is on the back of our dog, Sable. Sable is an 80 pound Lab and likes to get into trouble when we aren't home. Recently she pulled a crock pot of leftover pork roast grease off the counter. She ate some of the glass lid that shattered on the kitchen floor too. She also knocked down and busted my indoor grill from the counter. The funny thing is she has bad hips and walks a little funny. I think it's just an act, lol. I would love to see how she spends her time while we are away. I wonder what else she has attempted to do. Hmm maybe I will get that camera. Never mind, she will probably eat it.

Grampy: Christmas Comes But Once A Year, (1936) Max Fleischer Production

2010-11-15T20:14:00.000-06:00

Although claymation has gotten better over the years I still prefer animation. Not really sure what else to say about it but it's today's NaBloPoMo topic and I'm just going with it. Yeah if I was being graded on this I would probably get an "F." I guess it's better than an "Incomplete." I CAN still turn this in right? ; )

And now for my favorite Christmas cartoon of all times....

NaBloPoMo Topic: Refrigerator art

2010-11-14T19:04:00.012-06:00

Is this topic referring to those forgotten items on the bottom back shelf that are no longer identifiable? Or is this that cute artwork your kids came home from school with that you proudly displayed on the fridge? Could it be the mess of pictures, coupons, phone numbers and other random stuff that is only there because you want to find it quick?

Well let me tell you what's currently on mine. Perhaps it will help me clean off some of the junk in the meantime. The side of the fridge that you see when you walk into the kitchen has an expired Railcats game schedule whose only purpose is to hold up an old picture taken at one of the games.

The front side holds the meal plan for the week which as you can is currently blank. I try to work on those during the weekend but kinda slacked off on that. We got a couple of magnets we picked up in Myrtle Beach, grocery list, some "foot" notes and a coupon for a free sandwich we probably shouldn't be eating anyway. It's probably expired.

The hidden side is where all the extra magnets, phone numbers, old pictures and random recipes hang. Since it's the spot next to the counter space I use for cooking it helps to have those magnets holding those recipes up out of the mess. Not really artful but useful. Oh I forgot about those Peppermint Oreos up there. See ya ; )

Movies/TV shows you can quote

2010-11-13T18:55:00.002-06:00

I know this blog entry is going to date me but I guess they aren't too far back. Some of my favorites to quote are:

Karate Kid (the original)
Little Mermaid
Pretty Woman
Breakfast Club
Grease 1 and 2
Sixteen Candles

I am sure there are more but my current memory database is bogged down by all the useless movie quotes I'm carrying around ; )

NaBloPoMo: One decision in life you'd change and why

2010-11-12T18:29:00.004-06:00

This topic is a hard one for me because I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and at the perfect time. Even the mistakes that I made helped me to be person I am today. I don't regret any of the decisions that I've made. Good or bad they were my learning experiences.

Most interesting accomplishment of 2010 so far ...

2010-11-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

It was probably doing my first 5k back in March 2010. It was the "Penguin in the Park" where I met the author/runner who inspired me to listen to my inner runner and just go. That was only 8 months ago. That same annual race is coming up again in March and I can't wait. Although my running habits have been on again off again, I have a definite goal of beating my previous time at that race. I guess I better get busy!

When it rains I like to....

2010-11-10T18:11:00.000-06:00

Sit on my covered front porch and watch traffic go by. If it's raining really hard and the street starts to flood it's somewhat enjoyable to watch speeding cars hit the flooded area and try to slow down at the last second. Mostly it's just therapeutic to listen to the rain and be happy that I am at home instead of out driving in that.

When my son was little and was scared of storms he would hide under the coffee table. I would show him how cool I thought those downpours were. I told him this was God's show and that God is watering the grass and trees and doesn't want us to be scared. I would rave about how loud the thunder was or how bright and far the lightning shot across the sky. It didn't take long for him to get excited to see the storms. I knew he was cured when he said, "Hey Ma, let's go sit outside and watch the storm."

NaBloPoMo Topic: Today is brought to you by the letter "s"

2010-11-09T21:23:00.004-06:00

Slacking scrapbooker sharing some "S" supplies since some spectacular scoffer shared sucha silly suggestion.

NaBloPoMo Topic: The Clip-On Tie

2010-11-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

I am thankful to be a girl and not have to wear ties. The thought of having something tied around my throat just doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps if I were a guy I would want a clip-on to take that choking feeling out of wearing a tie. I can't imagine there are many styles to choose from though. When my son, Christopher, was little and first started wearing a tie they were clip-ons. They came with those little 4 piece sets with the dress shirt, pants and sweater. Cute stuff. Then when he got older he got help tieing a real tie. I still remember Michael showing him how to tie his tie and offering him those secrets on how to make it perfect. Now Chris ties his own ties and does a darn good job at it. I remember when he went to get his prom tux last year and asked the lady for a regular neck tie instead of the bow tie. I was surprised. Apparently the clip-on bow tie went out of style some time ago, lol. Well, that's what guys from my prom wore! Good thing this kid keeps up on what is "in".

What's your favorite food at Thanksgiving?

2010-11-07T18:09:00.003-06:00

That one is hard to narrow down. Since I usually host Thanksgiving dinner I make all my favorites. My family's favorite would probably be my baked corn casserole. There's usually nothing left but a spoonful of that once the dinner dishes are being cleared away. I guess my favorite traditional food of Thanksgiving is the turkey sandwich the next day. This is best consumed after a LONG morning of Black Friday shopping. I come home, drop all the bags by the front door and head to the kitchen. I toast a couple pieces of wheat bread, top with Light Miracle Whip (mayo won't do) and top with leftover turkey breast. Eat in front of the tv watching something boring. Let the turkey sleepiness set in and just crash on the couch for a good hour. Wake up and go out for another round of shopping or start wrapping gifts. Sit back and smile because it's only Friday and you still have Saturday and Sunday off.

My Guilty Pleasure

2010-11-06T08:45:00.003-05:00

Yep, Appletinis. Obviously not something I partake in every weekend but here and there is good. Should I feel guilty? Probably not but I do a little only if I can't function the next day. The guilt leaves with the hangover though. I drink responsibly so what the heck. Cheers!

NaBloPoMo topic: 40 Things I want to do before I'm 40

2010-11-06T00:18:00.008-05:00

The following list is no particular order of importance. Some are more important than others. Some are just fillers because I really had to do a lot of thinking on this.

1. See my son finish his high school education
2. Be car payment free. Only one payment left and God willing me and my car will stay safe.
3. Run a 1/2 marathon.
4. Run a full marathon.
5. Thank John Bingham again for his inspiration to get me running.
6. Weigh less than 200lbs.
7. Go to at least two scrapbook weekend retreats. One is already booked.
8. Travel to a new place with Michael.
9. Put in a new shower and pipes in my bathroom. Well hire someone to do it ; )
10. Remember when May Day comes around and leave surprises like were left for me this past year.
11. Cut my hair shorter than normally.
12. Do the walk across Mackinac Bridge.
13. Make the cement stepping stone kits that have sat in the garage for 5 years.
14. Ride my bike for a long distance. Leaving in the morning and returning at dusk.
15. Do more for recycling and less waste.
16. Go to the Covered Bridge Festival.
17. Go see a play.
18. Buy a new entertainment center
19. Go to a White Sox game
20. Go to more Railcats games
21. Go out dancing a few times
22. Get together with old friends
23. Invent a new martini
24. Create scrapbook baby album templates for gifts or to sell.
25. Take my daughter out drinking for her 21st birthday
26. Go to a new lighthouse I haven't been to before
27. Limit my facebook addiction
28. See Danny Gokey again
29. Get a massage
30. Visit relatives
31. Build a pond in my backyard
32. Complete another Rock Band 6 hour Marathon
33. Read books by a few more authors
34. Volunteer at a race to cheer on every last person to cross the finish line.
35. See Brad Paisley
36. Go to a museum that I've never been to
37. Get my sewing machine in working order and make something
38. Master my chicken marsala recipe
39. Go horseback riding
40. Go fishing

I wonder how many of these I will accomplish. Perhaps I should print the list and hang it on the fridge so I can see it every day. Hmmm, maybe for my 40th I can post an update to let ya know how I did. OK so a few of these aren't realistic. I'm deathly afraid of heights and bridges. Do I really think I can do the Mackinac Bridge walk? I would love to fight the fear and do it. We shall see!

My prediction for 2011

2010-11-04T10:00:00.005-05:00

I will run the Chicago Marathon. The idea consumes me. I have to do it. My inner runner is screaming to do it. It's the only thing I can visualize in 2011.

Today's NaBloPoMo topic: I wish I could be more like...

2010-11-03T21:57:00.004-05:00

I can't really think of a particular person that I would want to be more like. I am quite happy being me. I feel like am blessed with my health, a great husband, family and friends who love me, a great job, and much more than I need.

I do recognize qualities in others that I don't possess such as people who are a better cook than me, have the perfect body, have better time management skills, decorate their homes better, etc. Those are the people that inspire me. I may tease them and tell them they have a touch of OCD or call them an over achiever but it's just who they are.

We all have our own qualities that other's may look at and think that we have it all together. Does anyone ever? I don't know a single person who is perfect at everything they do. I know I would never want to be that person. My flaws give me something to laugh about and something to work on.

You just opened your own restaurant. What are your featured items?

2010-11-02T19:09:00.005-05:00

This is the second NaBloPoMo topic for the month. Just wanted to throw that reminder up there just in case someone thought I lost my mind and opened my own restaurant ; )

I give all the credit in the world to people who can run restaurants smoothly. For me cooking dinner after work can sometimes turn into an episode of Hell's Kitchen so I know I wouldn't have what it takes to cook for an entire restaurant. But, if I did, I would make it into some type of healthy food only restaurant.

It's difficult to go out to eat when you are trying to be conscious of what goes down the hatch so that it doesn't go straight to your Ask me I know ; ) Too many times just ordering a simple chicken salad turns into some fried breaded hunk of greasy chicken, sitting on a bed of oiled down lettuce, smothered in shredded cheese. A lot of people don't want to be a picky customer by adding a lot of instructions to their food prep. I will go as far as saying "Dressing on the side, please" but that's it. Anything else and I'm sure they are spitting on my food in the kitchen.

My restaurant would be designed to be the best place to go to have the healthiest dining out experience possible. All the meals would be designed to be completely health conscious. The food would all be made fresh to order. Nothing frozen or reheated. The cooks would be trained to make all foods with healthy substitutes for fattening ingredients. The menu would show complete ingredients and nutritional information for every item. My customers would know everything that went into their food and wouldn't have to guess the caloric intake.

My featured items would be: Garlic Shrimp served over angel hair pasta, Loaded veggie burgers with any vegetable topping or cheese that you desire, and stuffed peppers made with ground turkey and brown rice.

Of course we would have some soft serve ice cream and fresh baked cookies for dessert that taste great yet don't have any fat or sugar in them : )

What do you think your calling was/is?

2010-11-01T19:38:00.003-05:00

Ahh it's the first of the many random NaBloPoMo topics for the month of November. I love it and I hope my 2 or so readers will as well ; )

After receiving this blog topic this morning I have been racking my brain on how I would write my entry. I guess I didn't think that far ahead when I threw this topic into the mix and now I just have to deal with it, lol.

I never really thought I had a specific calling for anything. I have had people tell me that I am already doing what I was "called" to do just by having a "melodic" voice to answer patient calls and help them resolve their aggravating medical bills. I love my job and love helping people so I guess that applies.

Another calling that I have is to be a runner. The voice of the runner inside me has gotten louder over the past few years and has got me moving in the right direction. Maybe I am being called to help inspire other overweight people to get moving. Definitely not a bad calling especially if it changes someone's life so drastically.

I asked my husband what he thought my calling was and he instantly said counselor. I thought wow a counselor? He said he sees it when I'm dealing with my teenager. It amazes him how calm and cool I am when dealing with the teenage attitude and issues at hand. I explained that's just being a mother. He disagreed and said many of parents would have gone off! Well maybe that is just the Libra in me always trying to find balance.

Other than the things I listed above I feel like my purpose is to help people in whatever capacity I can. Whether it's contributing to a cause, volunteering my time, saying a prayer or just being a clown to get someone to laugh it's all part of that purpose.

What do you think my calling was/is?

This blog needs some action

2010-10-26T11:29:00.002-05:00

I know. I have been slacking. Even my blog is telling me I have neglected it. I will be back soon though. Although I haven't updated to show the other running events I did I still have pictures and memories that may eventually make it to a blog entry.

Next month is the NaBloPoMo again. It's National Blog Posting Month. This idea stems from NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month. I don't know who came up with it but I guess people have more free time in November to be able to keep up with it. Anyway, last year I joined a group of friends to do the daily blog posting for the month of November. We all pitched in topics to write about and one person picked the topics and sent a daily email to let us know what the topic was for that day. It was fun because it was so random. Probably not topics you would expect to find on a Glue Stick Chic's blog but hey you may not expect the stuff about running either.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know (you meaning anyone who may still be linked to my very lame and inactive blog) that I will be back into blogging here very soon. Also if you want to throw in some topic ideas in the next few days I will be happy to submit them to the blog group and see if they get selected. OR if you would like to join in the fun, send me a message so we can add you to the group. It's fun, it's easy and it's a great to see how one topic can be translated by all different people.

Hey look I blogged today!

Crown Point Hub Run 2010

2010-06-27T12:41:00.012-05:00

I had hoped to keep up on my blog and post updates and pictures as I completed events. Since that didn't happen I am going to try and get caught up now and tell you what I have been up to.

My third running event for 2010 was very special to me. I guess they all have been "special" in their own way but this one was because it was my hubby's first 5k.

It was held in the afternoon and was pretty warm outside. I had made the mistake of trying to catch up on some weeding the week prior so I was very sore and in no mood to run. If it wasn't Michael's first race, I probably would have skipped it. I'm glad I didn't though. My running partner, Jennifer, Michael and I started out the race together and got to the point where we all split to go our own pace. I never want to hold anyone back and never want anyone to hold me back either. Jennifer took off that day after I promised her it was cool and that I wanted her to go ahead. Michael made me go on at my pace because he was sure he was fine although I hated having him do the first one alone. He had his tunes to keep his company and off I went.

The course had a couple of big hills through the neighborhood. I loved that they had people sitting out on the their front porches or on the side of the road cheering you on. There was a water stop every mile along the way. There was a nice group of people handing out ice at the top of the last big hill. That was a lifesaver. Ice on the back of the neck and down the shirt really helps cool ya off!

My walk/run time wasn't as good as I hoped due to my soreness but I pushed through to the end in the same amount of time it took me to do my first 5k. The heat really drained me and I was so glad to be finished.

Jennifer set a new PR that day and I was so proud of her. She got there to get the pictures of the rest of us coming in. Kelley and Nick made great time too.

It was great when I saw Michael coming around the corner. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see him finish. I knew that he could do it but was so proud for him to actually experience it. He said he did it for me but had no clue on how much he needed to do it for himself.

Mother's Day Race 2010

2010-05-12T22:24:00.006-05:00

I completed my second official race. This was the Mother's Day race for Breast Cancer research held in Barrington, Illinois. This one was a little bit harder for me mentally at first. I was sick on Saturday and just didn't want to do anything. If I didn't have the commitment to my other friends going I would have probably canceled. I'm glad I didn't though. It turned out to be a great day. Most of the race was just a speed walk though. Although they didn't have official chip timing, I did just as well, if not better, than I did at the Penguin. My theory is at the Penguin I ran more and then slow walked. The speed walk actually pulled me along just as nicely without the stress on my joints. Hip hip hooray for not being sore the next day!

My friends, Marisol and Anabel, came out for their first 5k. I was so happy for them. They walk that distance all the time so I knew they could do it! There's something about doing a race that shatters some of those self doubts that you just aren't able to do something. Never underestimate the power of a determined woman.

I am also pleased to say that I am down 35 pounds since December 1st. The best part is that I haven't really focused on losing weight. I have just fed my passion to run and the weight loss has been the icing on that big fat-free cake!

Next run this Sunday. Stay tuned for pics and race results.

It was kinda like Christmas morning...

2010-04-17T14:37:00.003-05:00

A few nights ago I had hubby dig out a bin of old clothes of mine that were in storage. I had packed the bin a few years ago with summer clothes and clothes that I couldn't fit into but "some day" I would.

It was kinda like Christmas morning as I went through the bin. There were clothes in there that I haven't wore in 5 years. I was able to fit into some of them but most of the summer ones are too small. Summer hasn't even gotten here yet so I still have time to fit into them this summer. Some times all it takes is an outfit to keep us motivated! So all day long I have been doing laundry to freshen up everything.

I also went through my closet and dresser and made a goodwill pile for clothes that were just not my style anymore or were too big now. Everything is so organized. The top shelf of my closet has stacks of jeans, shorts and tops that I can't get into just yet. My nicer clothes for work are hung nicely including a few things I can wear again. All I need now is a new pair or two of nice dress shoes to compliment my wardrobe. It will be nice to let go of some of the big old frumpy clothes.

It feels good to dress nice with things that actually fit and show your progress. Whether it's buying something new or acquiring some hand-me-downs in a smaller size, it's a great way to help you feel that your efforts are paying off.

I can't wait to put on the outfit I wore the day I met my husband. He thought I looked great then. I can't wait to blow his mind even more!

Do you have a particular item/outfit that you can't wait to wear? I would love to hear about it!

I haven't disappeared....

2010-04-14T21:12:00.003-05:00

Well not technically I haven't but 27 pounds of me has! I am celebrating hitting my first goal of 275 pounds. Check out those tickers! It's been a very slow process but I am not killing myself and I am continuing to run. I am getting there one ounce at a time. We also started riding bikes again. Thank God for nice weather! My knees hurt after the biking but it usually goes away in a couple days.

I have also signed up for my next 5k on Mother's Day morning. I couldn't think of a better way to start my day. I've been told that I have inspired some people to get moving again. That's encouraging and also tells me people are watching so I don't want to let them down. There is definitely strength in numbers. Surround yourself with people who are making healthy decisions and encourage those who aren't.

Penguin in the Park 2010

2010-03-28T10:47:00.014-05:00

If you have been following my blog you know that I signed up to do this Penguin in the Park race and that it was my very first 5k. I have had this deep desire to start running for quite a while now and then after reading the book "The Courage to Start" by John "The Penguin" Bingham I was so much more inspired to run.

So my fellow penguin friends and I drove to Decatur, Il to run the race. We were all first timers. We got there the night before and unfortunately all had a crappy night sleep away from home. I was also blessed with that lovely time of the month where I don't want to do any physical activity. But I made the decision to run this race and I knew that nothing was going to stop me from doing it.

So we get to the race and picked up our registration packets. We got some really cute bright green penguin race shirts and our racing number bibs. They also supplied a chip timer that you wore around your ankle to time you from start to finish line. There were a total of 398 participants. I would say the weather was a chilling 35 degrees or so. For that reason alone I couldn't wait to get this race going.

Once the race started we all took off. Since I had never ran this path before I didn't know what to expect. It's funny how I assumed it would be a completely flat surface to run the whole time. I hadn't even started adjusting the incline on my treadmill yet. So the hills were a little tough but the other side coming down made up for the speed.

We had a great time along the way. We talked and pointed out things along the way. We checked on each other and lended a hand of support on those uphill parts. We were at the back of the runners but weren't last. Leading up to the race I just prayed that I wouldn't be last and that I would finish in under an hour.

As we came over the last hill and could see the finish line, I started getting choked up. You could hear people there yelling out their cheers for each runner as they finished. I wondered if John Bingham would be standing there as well. I thought about the fact that I totally changed my life that day. I believed in myself more than ever. I fought back my emotions and just put one foot in front of the other. My feet hurt and I wished my lungs would expand more so I could breathe normally but I just kept going. I crossed the finish line at 52:20 and heard John say "Great Job!" as he stood there clapping. It was one of the best moments of my life. Everyone received a medal for finishing. They have a penguin on them with John's quote, "The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start." It felt amazing!

After a quick trip to the car to grab the camera and my book we headed over to the gym for the post-race party. Inside the gym is filled with people sitting around tables and all along the bleachers enjoying the post race food. We got in place in line when I spotted John autographing some one's books. I walked over to him and asked him to sign my book. I choked back tears as I told him I was there today because of him. He graciously said thank you and signed my book. Kelley snuck up with her camera too and got a picture of us together. It was perfect.

After that we had some food and watched as John said thanks to the crew that put this together and everyone that sponsored it. They gave out some awards for the best runners in their categories and then we got ready for that journey back home. We all agreed that because this was our first that we should do this one every year. Of course I will do other races too but this one will always be the most special for me.

Day 3 of this morning business

2010-03-24T18:54:00.002-05:00

Today was my third day of getting up at 5am to jump on the treadmill. My body seems to be going along with this change. There were a few things that I noticed I needed to pay attention to so I made a few changes. I noticed that getting up and jumping on the treadmill on an empty stomach made me worry about getting light headed once I got into the zone but I didn't want to waste time eating and then waiting to digest before working out. I also noticed that because my metabolism was cruising much higher in the morning that the bowl of cheerios was not gonna cut it until I had lunch at 12:30. I also forgot to take my vitamins since I started this new routine.

So last night I decided to set up the juicer, the cutting board, the coffee pot, a skillet, spatula, plate and fork, and all my daily vitamins. The workout clothes were also sitting ready in the bathroom so all I had to do is go in there and change without turning on the bedroom light or fumbling in the dark. My running shoes were positioned and ready to go in front of the recliner. I rolled out of bed at 5am, changed clothes, made and drank some fresh carrot/celery/apple juice, worked out for about 40 minutes, showered, made breakfast consisting of two scrambled eggs and a whole wheat english muffin, drank coffee, took my vitamins, checked my email and facebook, and then went to work.

If someone would have told me I would be doing this someday I would have laughed in their face and reminded them that I am not a morning person. I did feel pretty good today though knowing that I started my day off well and only yawned once at work all day. So far so good.

Changing the schedule

2010-03-22T20:14:00.003-05:00

So lately at night I haven't been able to sleep well due to my evening workouts. By the time I get home from work, make dinner, digest a little, it's about 8pm. Working out for an hour and then trying to go to bed an hour later doesn't give me enough time for my heart to slow back down after the work out. So the plan is to start getting up at 5am and giving myself enough time to workout and shower before work. This is going to be a major feat if I can accomplish this. I am so not a morning person. My husband would probably be willing to testify to that. I've always been that way. I have my crabby til caffeinated time and then I am fine. So this morning I tried it out because I was off today. I thought if I get too tired late in the day then I will just take a nap. It took awhile once I was up to actually make it on the treadmill. I set the coffee to brew so I could have that as incentive to get my workout done so I can have some coffee and breakfast. Hubby kissed my forehead and did his typical "I'm staying out of your way so you don't kill me in the morning" routine. I made it to the treadmill and had a great workout. After coffee and breakfast I fell asleep in the recliner. I didn't feel too guilty since after all I was off work today. Tomorrow will be another story. I figure it will take me a week or two to get into this routine but it will be worth it if I can pull it off. I will keep you posted.

Disclaimer: My husband was not harmed in the trial run of this routine ; )

The hard slap of reality

2010-03-21T10:28:00.002-05:00

Since joining the blogging world I have really enjoyed venturing out to read what others blog about. Mostly I have stuck to reading about weight loss because that is my main focus right now. This morning I came across a blog about a girl who had the same weight loss struggles that so many of us have. Friday she lost her battle with a heart attack. She was only 33 years old. She leaves behind a husband and two children. She was working towards making a healthier lifestyle for herself. She was frustrated when the scale wouldn't move. She tried weight watchers and tons of other ways to lose weight her whole life. How many of us can relate to that? I know this is nothing new. People die of heart attacks all the time because of their weight. I just feel bad for her family because she really wanted to change it and just ran out of time. This is her blog address if you would like visit and leave a comment. http://bethanymcdonald.blogspot.com I hope that her family has some comfort in knowing that her death will inspire so many people to just stick with it and stay on that path to a healthy lifestyle.

Where's all the glue?

2010-03-19T23:11:00.003-05:00

When I first put this blog together I thought I would post mostly about my hobby of scrapbooking. The funny thing is that I think I have only made one post about it the entire life of the blog. In the beginning I got swept away in the random topics of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and then right after that it became all about fitness. I have found so many inspiring people who blog about their weight loss and it just fuels my desire to be as healthy as I can possibly be. Right now I am more obsessed with running than I am about scrapbooking. I think it's great that my hobbies balance each other out as opposed to having one hobby where I just sit on my booty and crop.

There will be a blog about scrapbooking coming soon though. I plan to take entries from my blogs to put into my scrapbook on my weight loss. It's going to have lots of pictures of my progress along the way and my little notes of encouragement from my followers. Behind every good woman is a whole bunch of people who rooted her along the way!

My first 5k

2010-03-17T21:27:00.005-05:00

Even as I type that blog title I feel like it's not really happening. I kinda feel like I am in this really cool dream and that I will wake up and feel none of the motivation I have right now. I have expressed in a few of my previous entries that I have this desire to run. It has embedded itself into my soul and my body will not allow me to shake it loose. Not that I am complaining! Since December when I decided that I was going to start taking care of myself, again, I have been doing my run/walk workouts. I started out running about 30 seconds before stopping to let my lungs catch up. Now I can do about 2 minutes at a time. Still a long way to go but I have already improved 300%. No where near ready to run a marathon by all means! Well I could if they would let me have a week to finish it. Anyway, thanks to my friend Patti, I was introduced to the book, The Courage to Start by John Bingham. It's got me running more and has done a great job to keep me motivated. I subscribed to a runner's magazine too and also picked up a few other running related books. I have just been trying to sponge up as much information as I can. Since there are Facebook pages for practically everything I thought I would look to see if John Bingham had a fan page. Sure enough he does and linked to that was another facebook page for the "Penguin in the Park 5k" on March 27th. John refers to himself as a penguin because he doesn't run extremely fast and he does the running for enjoyment. I think this is why I related so much. I don't want to be competitive. I just want to move and of course losing the weight along the way is a definite bonus. So anyway I thought wow that's so neat but it's all the way in Decatur, Illinois. OK so it's 3 hours. No big deal. I am no where ready to run a 5k so I thought about just going to observe and cheering on my fellow penguin friends. They have a little awards show after the race that John is speaking at and I thought how cool would that be. So I email the racing committee and ask if I can go and just observe. Fortunately, they said I would need to register in the race in order to attend the awards show. I say fortunately, because they didn't give me the easy way out. Since they knew I am brand new to running they encouraged me to come and just walk the race like some others do until they are ready to run them. It was such a nice welcome but I immediately got visions of being the very last runner and everyone waiting on me. I know it's silly but I have never done this before. So I thought OK I need reinforcements here and fast! I posted on my facebook "I am looking for someone to attend the Penguin in the Park 5k with me on March 27th. It's only 3 hours away and I will drive. Anyone? Beuller?" I practically begged my daughter to go with and of course pointed out the fact that her boyfriend's college campus is only an hour from there so it could be a chance to see him too. She was easy to convince though. She has been part of my motivational force at home. She is a runner in training as well. After she was on board I was really surprised to see I had four other people express interest in going. I was flattered and thought wow there is no turning back now! A few of them are still maybes but I definitely have over a carful interested. I didn't really expect the great response that I got. I have since purchased my new running shoes (which I am currently breaking in and they are awesome) and some race day clothing. I have registered for the race and have one confirmed friend coming with too. We will see if the others can go as it gets closer. I am really psyched up about this and feel so excited and scared at the same time. I hope to one day look back at this and think wow that was nothing, I run marathons now.

Beating the treadmill

2010-03-13T19:52:00.004-06:00

I am still chugging along and doing my walk/run routine. I did take 3 days off because I have been experiencing some pains in my feet and legs. I have read in a lot of runner's publications that there is a fine line between training and over-training. In fact a lot of newbies actually end their running career before it ever even starts because of an injury. It felt good to be back today though. I actually increased my speed on the walking and the running by a couple notches. It sounds cheesy but I love the sound of my feet beating the treadmill and knowing that I am doing this and that I can do this. I also enjoyed the feeling of trying to catch my breath because I know that my body will adapt and it will make my lungs stronger than ever. I also have to admit that I don't even mind sweating anymore. It's sad to think that for so many years that was one of my excuses for not getting active. I can deal with the sweating now and just look forward to that shower and relaxation that comes afterward. Weigh in is tomorrow. Hopefully I will be adjusting that ticker over there in the right direction. Have a healthy weekend!

Still chugging along

2010-02-26T21:33:00.002-06:00

I haven't kept up on my posting lately but it's only because I have been too busy. I have continued to work out periodically though. My eating has been pretty good. I have almost completely cut out all caffeine. I have been avoiding sugar as much as possible and have found that my sweet tooth is actually starting to simmer down and not cause me to crave it so much. I have continued walking at work on my breaks. It really helps keep the blood flowing since I sit at a desk all day. I updated my weight loss ticker to show where I was when I started on December 1st. 17 pounds isn't a huge amount of weight loss but I am still proud of it and it helps me to know that it's 7 pounds of fat no longer keeping me from running.

The other day I posted about getting a new book about running. It's called "The Courage to Start" by John Bingham. It's his story about how he got started running. It had me hooked just reading the intro. He talks about all of his personal reasons for wanting to run and all of the thoughts and fears about not fitting in as an actual runner. He has run hundreds of races and has done it just to run and enjoy it. When I think of myself running I don't visualize myself winning any marathons or even 5ks. I just want to complete them. I want to know that I have what it takes to get me from start to finish. I want to be lost in my thoughts and just find my inner strength to push me all the way to the end. I don't want to be competitive. I just want to participate. I want to know what it feels like to have people clapping for me for doing something athletic. Right now I have increased my running to about 90 seconds and walking for 3 minutes in between. I have a really long way to go but it all starts with a single step right?

Have a healthy weekend!

So I got a new book today

2010-02-20T01:36:00.002-06:00

I got a new book today to help inspire my desire to run. Thanks Patti, I took your recommendation. I only had the time to read the introduction so far but already I can't wait to read more. I will tell you all about it later and hopefully be able to share with you how it changed my life.

Have you read any good books lately?

5k Some day

2010-02-08T19:59:00.002-06:00

I have had this burning desire to run for a long time now. I feel like there is a runner inside who is dying to get out of the fat suit. I can run for about 30 seconds on my treadmill and then stop because I fear I will pass out from not being able to catch my breath. I won't give up though. I will continue walking until I can run. When my body gets lighter and my feet and lungs can handle it I will run. I look forward to the day I cross that finish line and know that all of my self discipline and hard work paid off.

Regrouping

2010-02-07T15:11:00.003-06:00

The meal planning progress in underway. I have the next two weeks worth of dinners planned out AND I bought plenty of healthy sandwich stuff for lunches and also some frozen entrees. Part of the battle has been won! Next I want to sit down and plan the complete days menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack with calories all calculated. Since I hate writing down and calculating all that stuff every time I eat, I figured I will do it every two weeks and know ahead of time how many calories everything will be for the day. If things get modified a little it won't be a big deal to adjust it. I plan on using a couple of websites that help calculate calories and serving sizes.

I weighed in today and actually saw my weight finally go down into the 280s. It was 288.8 so I just rounded up to 289. I was quite happy with it. It was the goal I wanted to be at last weekend but it's better late than never. I guess playing with the Wii is making a difference. Realizing I was putting too much pressure on myself was stressing me out. Once I let go of the idea the idea of being at 275 by Valentine's Day I was able relax and just do whatever I could day by day. I am still feeling a bit "off" but I am slowly finding my way back. I think alot of it is mental. My brain is so used to doing the old routine things that weren't so healthy that it's not responding well to the changes. I am sure that will take some time too. I have over 30 years of brain reprogramming to do. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just download the new and improved program and start using it right away?

Having the meals all planned out ahead of time will really help my nightly after work routine. It will definitely help the stress factor. I hate that preparing dinner is expected of me but I am glad that I am the one who controls the dinner we will have. I thought about making up my workout routine too but I don't want to over do it with the planning stuff. I did set a goal though of 5 days per week. My doctor said 5 days a week and not less than 45 minutes of cardio so that's what I plan on doing as a base and then moving up from there.

OK I am off to finish this meal planning stuff. Wish me luck!

Seriously needing a schedule

2010-02-03T22:21:00.002-06:00

I have sat down and started a new blog entry a few times already and never posted them because they were either unfinished or way too negative. I have been in a funk lately where weight loss is concerned. I feel a little "off" but just can't put my finger on it. I worked incredibly hard to eat healthy and to exercise multiple times during the past couple weeks and got absolutely no results. It is frustrating. I have already thrown the idea of being at 275 by Valentine's Day out the window because there is no way I will lose that in 11 days unless I caught off an arm. Since I need both of my arms I have decided to regroup. In the back of my mind I keep hearing the little voice of my doctor saying it's time to do the thyroid labs again. Another voice tells it to shut up and quit looking for excuses. I've never taken medication for any thyroid issue but the last time I got it checked they said it was a points under where it should be for normal. It's hard to believe something so small can be such a major pain in the butt.

I am overwhelmed which is easy to do when you are trying to balance work, home, and self when you have never achieved balancing it before. Being the Libra that I am you would think I would have it figured out by now but I don't. That is why I am so overweight. I will always put the family and job ahead of my weight loss goals. Everyone else is my priority. I hate that after 38 years that I still allow that to happen. I definitely need to break this funk and get into a routine and just stick to it.

I like working out in the evenings when no one bothers me. I like to do it alone. It takes me a long time to get into the zone where I am actually burning calories and not just forcing myself to exercise. Any distractions from that and it's over for me. My treadmill is in the basement where my son's room also is. If he is there or has friends over I can't get into the workout mode either. On the brighter side of things I did just get a Wii. (It's upstairs) I got the Wii Fit with it and have played with that the past couple of nights. I have been trying different things and find it very enjoyable. It will take some getting used to before I can count it as an actual work out. Of course I did order the Jillian Michael's game for it so hopefully that will give me more motivation too. I may get the Biggest Loser one too but we will see how these other ones go first. So far I am proud to say that I am gaining some coordination. I am enjoying the stepping part of the game.

My support system isn't what I wish it was but sometimes I am not even sure what I want it to be. I guess sometimes I want to be noticed for my many efforts made and not so much on a single bad choice I made. I don't want to be reminded of the many times that I failed before. Change happens so gradual that I can't go from overweight couch potato to fitness diva in just a few days. Watching people in my circle working hard towards their health and fitness helps me. Sitting on the sidelines cheering me on isn't as effective. Words are nothing more than BS unless they are acted on. I know that 95% of my support has to come from me. This is my goal, my burden, my race to win. I buy the groceries for the house and prepare the majority of everything eaten. I hate to cook after working all day but I don't have a choice. If I don't cook we will all eat crap.

So I have done a lot of "woe is me" in this entry. I may have to delete this one too. I know what I need to do is plan. As much as I hate logging food eaten and exercise done, I think it is necessary to move toward my goal. I am going to set my workout schedule and stick to it as much as humanly possible. I have to plan the meals for the week and use the many tools that are out there for meal planning/grocery shopping/food logging.

My favorite low cal snacks

2010-01-23T22:08:00.002-06:00

Low cal snacks make it all worth it. Knowing I can enjoy what I eat while losing weight is the glue that holds it all together for me. Here are some of my favorites:

Clementines~yum! They are so easy to peel and have no seeds. Love the sweetness and know that I am eating something healthy.

Yogurt~It's my "I need something to eat right now and I just want to grab it and eat it" food. Either something fruity or whipped, I love them all.

Fudge bars~Nothing else can stop my ice cream crave like these do. They come in fat free or low fat and are usually around 100 calories. Can't beat it. Ice cream and chocolate all in one treat works for me!

Extra Gum~ Not to sound like one of the commercials on Biggest Loser but this gum is awesome for controlling those sweet tooth cravings. So many flavors to choose from!

Applesauce and cinnamon graham cracker sticks~ I like to buy these in single serving sizes. Dip those sticks into a little container of applesauce and it's like eating apple pie without having to do the work.

Cereal~ When the pantry is running low on snacks I like to have cereal. Sometimes it's just enough to keep me from eating a bunch of junk. Cut up a banana into some cheerios and I am good to go.

Hummus~I tried hummus for the first time about two years ago. It is pretty tasty! I love cream cheese and crackers but obviously can't afford the fat and calories. Hummus and crackers is a good substitute for that.

I am always looking for new ideas too so if you have a favorite please let me know!

Dear Dairy Queen, I miss you

2010-01-20T22:06:00.005-06:00

My biggest weakness is ice cream. Not just any ice cream. Mostly Dairy Queen. I was on a roll for a while of getting it a couple times a week. I knew that no one in the family would say no because they all love it too. As soon as I got at least one other person to agree we were on our way. I LOVE it. I know that probably 50% of my weight is due to ice cream alone. I am not crazy about meat, potatoes, chips, cookies, cheese, pasta, or any other fattening food you can think of but ice cream is my crack. A few months ago I told Michael that I can't have Dairy Queen anymore. I told him no matter what, do not let me get it. He said yeah but what if you get really mad and bitchy. I said well then I just have to get over it. So....the first few times I threw out the "Hey let's go get some DQ" and he responded with a flat no, I have to admit I was a little taken back. Immediately my ego kicked in and said oh well just go anyway, he doesn't have to have any, he will forgive you, he knows it's your biggest weakness, he eats cheese ALL the time, he feeds his POP addiction on top of having HBP, go have your ice cream, you deserve it. As much as my ego tried to convince me to go anyway I realized that if I don't have a partner in crime I don't want to go. Saturday night I mentioned how I wanted to get some ice cream. I was miserable with cold and back ache. I couldn't work out and I just wanted to feed my pathetic self. Amanda was sitting next to me (one who I can usually convince) and she immediately said "count me out." It stung a little when she said that but it's what I needed to hear.

Since then I have purchased my Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffel bars which are only 100 calories each and also some fudge bars that are only 90 calories. One of those are my indulgence in the evening. My treat for eating good and staying on course. I still would prefer the big DQ peanut butter cup blizzard or chocolate dipped waffle bowl sundae but those won't get me to my goal. I look forward to the day that I no longer crave them. I haven't had DQ in probably 3 months at least. I still want it but I want to lose this weight even more. I can't wait til the craving stops!

What keeps you going when you just want to quit?

2010-01-18T05:45:00.000-06:00

There are alot of little things that keep me going. Most of it is psychological. Let's face it who knows us better than ourselves? We know those little triggers that make us skip a workout or eat that food that we know is bad for us. I find that constant reflection on the goal we are working towards will help. It's hard to break habits that have been around as long as we have been living so we need that constant reminder of change. When I feel like slacking I do whatever it takes to psych myself up. I remind myself that I have done this before and lost 50 pounds. I remind myself of all the people I know that have done it with hard work. I remind myself of all the people on the Biggest Loser that overcome so much. I imagine that I am the one crossing the finish line at the end of a marathon. I think about the health risks I have inherited and have also created by my lifestyle. I remind myself that I have the chance to change them and break the curse.

Having this blog is another thing that helps. I have made a commitment to my friends and followers that I am going to do this. I have committed that I am going to lose 20 pounds by Valentine's Day. I constantly remind myself of how much I will feel like a failure if that doesn't happen. I hate the feeling of thinking that others don't believe I can do it. Once I psych myself up enough with that then I kick into high gear. Isn't it funny how if you tell yourself you can't do something you probably won't but let someone else tell you that you can't and it's ON!

Another thing that helps is health problem symptoms. Either hubby or I will have some weird chest palpitation or feel a sugar rush from eating too much crap and it's a great reminder of why we need to get healthy and FAST. The thought of losing him would devastate me and since I am the one who buys and cooks the food he's eating I would never want to live with the feeling that I could have changed it and I didn't. I also don't want my kids eating unhealthy and shortening their life either. I know I have fed my family with the same bad habits my mother fed our family. Mom's cooking sure is good but let's face it alot of it wasn't healthy. I notice myself buying lots of groceries the way mom did. Sometimes throwing it out because it went bad before we ate it. Most of the time it was the fruits and veggies that no one ate that went bad. Next shopping trip I would buy more because we needed to eat better. If I had a dollar for every pound of fresh produce that rotted in my fridge I would be a very wealthy lady!

Losing momentum is the worst

2010-01-16T22:18:00.003-06:00

All week long I have been inactive due to hurting my back. I was moving some things at work and pulled it out of whack. Even though it was bothering me Monday I still worked out. Tuesday through Friday I was hobbling like a crippled woman. Today it finally started feeling better and I got through the day without a single ibuprofen. I could have worked out today but instead got a cold that made me laze around all day long. All I did was go grocery shopping. My daughter came with so I didn't lift anything. Even though I was feeling miserable I didn't get any junk food. It was all pretty healthy and good for the meal planning for next week. It's so hard getting myself psyched up enough to work out that when things keep me from doing so I get frustrated and feel like I will lose my focus and give it up all together. I won't though. I will be back in the swing on Monday.

5's

2010-01-11T20:34:00.003-06:00

So today I got up early so I could be to work by 5am. We are having our office painted at work so I needed to get there early today to hook up the computers back up so the girls could start work on time this morning. I was really amazed how fast the day went but boy was I ready to get out of there at 5pm! All the way to my car and on the ride home I had a little chat with myself. Knowing my triggers for blowing off exercising I had to give the old pep talk. It's almost like I am talking to a child. I told myself, "OK I know you are tired and that it has been a long day and you were quite productive at work but it doesn't count for your workout today. It doesn't matter that your back hurts because you can always sit on the bike and have good support from the seat. Yeah I know you are tired and would rather just do it tomorrow but procrastination will not give you results on the scale Wednesday. " This went on the whole way home. I made a big pot of chicken soup yesterday so I knew I wouldn't have to make dinner. I also had set the goal of meal planning for dinners tonight. I planned meals for the next five days. Once I got done with my soup I worked on something for work and then went into the gym. Since I was doing a bunch of things in 5's today, I decided to do a total of 5 miles today on the equipment. It ended up being a mile on the treadmill and four on the bike. I wanted to quit the entire time but I kept on. I don't always have such self discipline but am happy when it comes along. It sucks having to kick my own butt into gear all the time. I look forward to the day when it becomes a habit and I look forward to working out.

Not the healthiest weekend...

2010-01-10T20:39:00.004-06:00

So the weekend wasn't as healthy as I would have hoped but it could have been much worse. Friday night I decided it was "Melanie deserves a few beers night" so I did. Saturday we had a few friends over and had some unhealthy snacks that I just had to have. Or thought I had to have anyway. I gave myself the night off from worrying about what I was eating. Not the best move but I didn't eat as much as I normally would have. The fact that I didn't work out at all this weekend means that I didn't even try to counteract those calories. I believe it's because I haven't established a routine yet. During the week I have been exercising alternate evenings but plan on doing it nightly. I need to form the daily habit of doing it so once the weekend comes it doesn't get thrown out the window so easily.

So my goal for the week is to develop my routine and carry it out. My other goal for this week is meal planning at least a day ahead. I made a big pot of chicken soup tonight so there is plenty for tomorrow already. I just have to figure out the rest of the week plus lunches. I have always had a better chance of sticking to my diet if I know ahead of time what to have. I hate the counting of calories every time I put something in my mouth but I feel if I plan healthy enough meals that it will hopefully balance it out.

Have a healthy week!

New Season of Biggest Loser Begins

2010-01-06T20:35:00.003-06:00

There's nothing like an episode of Biggest Loser to get me moving. Last night the new season started but I decided to watch it on Wednesday nights so I can FF through the commercials and better manage my free time. So the season starts out with the couples weighing-in in front of their family, friends, neighbors, basically everyone in their surrounding area. I have to give them credit because it takes a lot of courage to stand their half naked and let the world know what you weigh. I sat and wondered if I could do it. I guess if I was going on the show and was required to do it the choice would be easy. To just announce it in public is another thing. As I sit here and type it seems less and less of a big deal. My weight is only a number. It defines my pounds which are a lot but there is more to me than that number. I think sometimes we can give the scale way too much power. We look at the scale like an enemy when really we should look in the mirror and say "hey I love you now quit feeding yourself to death." I currently weigh 295 pounds. It's embarrassing and it's very unhealthy but it's changeable. A couple days ago I blogged that my next goal is to lose 20 pounds by Valentine's Day which will bring me to 275. I am totally on my way.
And now back to the show ~ As soon as the couples get to the ranch they all go into the gym where they immediately have their first challenge. Each team has to ride 26.2 miles on 10-speed bikes. Tiny ass seats and all. Ouch! The two teams who came in last place had to leave the ranch right away so they were all pushing as hard as possible. I thought wow that's a great idea for tonight's work out for me. I mentioned to Amanda I was going to do 26 miles on the bike. She looked at me like I was nuts and said it would take me like two hours. I decided she was probably right. I am ambitious but don't want to kill myself either. So I set out to do 13 since I am only one person and they as a couple did 26. Easy breezy right? I started out all good and remembered about 3 miles into it that I never stretched out. I have had to learn the hard way not to skip stretching. I decided well I'm already into it so I might as well press on. By the time I got to mile 10 I had a cramp in both calves and my right foot. It was killing me and I thought about stopping but I pushed through and finished my 13.1 miles in about 45 minutes. It was tough but doable. I feel good but exhausted. Shower and book time.

In the express lane tonight

2010-01-04T20:22:00.002-06:00

I feel like I accomplished a lot today. Worked 7am to 4:30. Came home and made a healthy dinner which consisted of baked teriyaki chicken breasts along with some wheat egg noodles with fresh cut up carrots and peas in them. Afterwards I got dressed to work out and spent 20 minutes on the treadmill and another 30 on the bike. It's barely 8:30. I actually still have play time! I know I won't get this lucky every night but I am definitely going to strive for it. Now off to shower and curling up with a yogurt and the remote.

So pumped!!

2010-01-04T17:58:00.002-06:00

We are a growing group of health and fitness bloggers! It's so exciting to see people joining in. You have no idea how thankful I am for our group. I am one of those people who hate to let others down. But I let myself down all the time no problem but NOW I have you guys to make myself accountable.
I will email everyone a list of our fellow bloggers so if you would like you can put their links on your blog and they can put you on theirs. It will make it more simple for us to check on our other groupies to get/give some inspiration. If you can think of any others that would be interested please let them know about it. Strength comes in numbers and since weight loss is so dang hard to do we need all the help we can round up! I just got all southern there didn't I? LOL Well time to finish dinner but I will be back to blog later and am hitting the home gym like nobody's business. Thanks again, it means the world to me to have you guys on board!

A note from the slacker

2010-01-03T17:55:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile since I blogged. Several weeks ago I had the idea of blogging my health and fitness to keep myself accountable to others and then..... I fell off the face of the earth. Well maybe just fell out of the blog for awhile. Between the holidays and being busy at home and work, the blog just wasn't a priority. I am PLEASED though to report that even though I wasn't blogging, my plan paid off. I didn't want to wait until January 1st to start taking better care of myself. I hate NY resolutions. I was miserable after Thanksgiving. After that long weekend of eating those rich fat filled foods I decided I could not handle adding on Christmas pounds too because literally I was feeling very unhealthy and stressed. I decided that on December 1st I would set a goal of losing 10 pounds by Christmas. A lot of people thought that was nuts with all those Christmas goodies and parties going on. Did I actually think I was going to lose 10 pounds? No. Did I try my hardest to lose it? No, I was too busy at times to care. BUT, and that's a big fat but, pun intended, I did end up losing 7 pounds as of today. I figure this was a great accomplishment because if I had not set the goal to lose 10 I would have easily gained that much more between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So today I celebrate and lift my glass of sugar free, calorie free fruit punch and invite you all to join me in setting the next weight loss goal for 2010. We are already three days into the new year so we literally need to get our butts in gear.

One of the things I have done on the home front is hung up signs in the gym with my favorite quotes from Bob and Jill from the Biggest Loser, which by the way starts again on Tuesday, January 5th! Hubby is working on our Biggest Loser logos for our t-shirts. (Watch for pictures on later posts.) I would really love to do the time elapsed photos where we show how we shrink from week to week. I know it will take a long time to do but how cool would that be? Of course in the photos I will wear my t-shirt. On the show the girls wear sports bras and spandex shorts. I have taken a few photos in that fashion as well but won't scare you with those.

So the next goal I am setting for myself is to lose 20 pounds by Valentine's Day. OK let's do the math. That means I will have 42 days (6 weeks) to accomplish this. That's 3.33 pounds per week. Given my size and my ability to lose a lot in the beginning I think it's achievable. At first I thought that I should just set my goal for January and have x number of pounds lost by the end of the month but that bores me. I need something to keep me interested. Plus it means that Valentines Day goodies coming up won't be such a threat. It means hubby should steer clear from the heart shaped box of chocolates and just visit our local florist instead. I plan on celebrating my weight loss goal being met along with the love for my valentine. Most importantly though, my love for myself which is totally necessary to make this happen!

Many times I have done the math at the beginning of the year and told myself that even if I lost a pound a week I would be done 52 at the end of the year. Or 5 a month and I would be down 60, etc. The problem with that is I work better with the short term deadlines. If I know I still have 10 months to get something done, I ain't gonna jump right on it. I have to do something that tells me get my butt moving but I still have time to live too. So do what you need to do to set your goal. I would love to hear what goals you are setting for yourself! Let's keep each other accountable.

I didn't want to but I did

2009-12-09T22:07:00.002-06:00

We had a late dinner tonight. I went grocery shopping this evening and didn't get dinner started until late. By the time we were done it was already after 8. I don't like to eat late because it makes me have a rough night sleeping because of acid reflux. After dinner I didn't want to work out either because I figured then I wouldn't have any play time or time to myself. I psyched myself up by reminding myself of how I felt earlier at work. I was walking along and felt that my legs were feeling stronger from my recent workouts. I told myself wow I am getting stronger and stronger. With strength comes power to live a more active life. Fat has overpowered me for my whole life. Tonight I worked out the whole time thinking I am going to get this weight off one workout at a time. All of my thoughts centered around personal strength and the power to change this life. Each step on the treadmill and each pedal on the bike was about taking my power back. It helped and I hope it stays on the forefront of my mind at least until the next burst of inspiration comes along.

Rule your mind or it will rule you ~ Horace

Health and fitness update

2009-12-08T21:56:00.004-06:00

It recently got harder to keep up on blogging daily so I decided to try and play catch up tonight. What have I been up to since my last post?

Saturday we went to game night with our friends. We had a Christmas in summer time theme. We all brought summer food and a white elephant gift. I tried to find something bizarre to take and found some old squirrel statues. I hope they are doing well in their new home with the Stein's. So at game nights I usually eat from the minute I get there until the time I leave. This time I succeeded in avoiding any candy or sweets. Although Beth's Twinkie cake was calling, actually SCREAMING my name. I was proud I kept my strength. Ironically I won the jar full of M&M's by guessing the correct weight of it. When I got home, my son and his buddies were quite pleased when I handed the unopened jar to them and said it's all theirs.

Sunday morning I weighed in. I am down 4 pounds from last Sunday. I was quite pleased considering I have worked out here and there but I haven't given myself a good beating in the gym yet. I have started walking on my morning break at work and have continued to stay away from most sweets. I have been making nice dinners at home and the family seems to be pleased with them as well.

Mondays are always rough for me in the evening because it's early to work day. Since I get up earlier I am usually tired by the time I get home and don't want to work out so I didn't. I decided that Monday evening would be my relaxation/mental health night. I sat down and finished a book I was reading and called it a night.

Tonight was the Biggest Loser Finale. Nothing like a finale to get me motivated! After dinner I unfolded the Gazelle and sat it in front of the TV and worked out for awhile. I took a break and got back on for a little while later after I watched the show some more. These people are really motivating. I think we need all the help we can get to stay motivated. Sometimes our thoughts get stale and we forget what we are doing this for. Watching this show helps keep me motivated.

Settling

2009-12-04T23:59:00.002-06:00

I had a fantastic evening in class with Marisol and our wonderful Photoshop teacher, Mr. Rigg. We created some scrapbook pages and printed them on my new printer. They are sweet! So many ideas and so little time!

I didn't work out today which makes it two days in a row. Tomorrow I am hitting the treadmill like it or not. I did drink lots of water. Didn't eat too bad today except for the 3 pieces of frozen pizza I had tonight. Still no coffee or sugar. Tried to eat some sweetened yogurt this morning and it made me ill. I think God finally answered my prayer when I asked for me to dislike sugary things so that I could lose weight. Thanks Big G.

I am really tired so I am "settling" with this as my post for the night.

OMH

2009-12-03T20:25:00.003-06:00

Oh my head! Today is day three of leaving the coffee behind. Caffeine withdrawal is not cool at all. I have given up the caffeine and sugar fixes. I feel like a total zombie. Or like I want a zombie to come and eat my brains so they won't hurt anymore. My husbands Jonathan Coulton obsession is really starting to affect me.

I only did a few minutes on the treadmill today because as my heart rate increased my head throbbed more. I decided I would take the night off. Not a total waste of a day though. I have still increased my water, avoided the vending machine at work, and ate pretty healthy all day today. I still have some cleaning to do tonight so I won't be a total couch potato either.

Punctuation

2009-12-03T19:46:00.001-06:00

When it comes to "punctuation" I still get a little confused. I started thinking about the episode of Friends when Joey and Ross got into a fight. Instead of boring you with whatever I would have written about punctuation, I decided to entertain you by finding a clip of that episode on youtube. So here it is. Sorry for the subtitles.

So I dusted off the treadmill

2009-12-02T22:03:00.002-06:00

Last night I was determined to do something on the treadmill even though I was super tired. I actually made it on for about 20 minutes. I figured it was better than nothing. Considering I had only 5 hours asleep the night before and worked a 10 hour day, the 20 mins. was an accomplishment.

Tonight I came home and worked 2 more hours on work stuff. I was getting tired but was determined to workout again. I beat last nights workout by going 30 on the treadmill and another 10 at high speed on the bike. I have increased my water and have actually smacked my own hand when reaching for sugar. I think the sugar thing is more out of habit. I often feel like my butt is dragging because I am tired all the time. I turn to sugar to give me a boost but then I crash later and go on my sugar hunt again. It's a vicious cycle that I must get out of.

What I did on my summer vacation...

2009-12-02T21:47:00.002-06:00

I laughed when I first read the topic for today. It reminds me of the Sister Mary Elephant song, lol.

The majority of my summer was spent working on my class reunion that we had back in August. I participated way more than I would have ever liked to but felt a personal obligation to complete my duties. In the end it was a nice reunion weekend and the hard work paid off.

After the reunion hubby and I decided we needed a vacation badly! We didn't have a whole lot of funds to do this so we thought about taking our annual road trip to Ludington, Michigan and just staying there for a few days. After a visit from Michael's sister we got to talking about going to Myrtle Beach for a week. We were able to take some time off in September. Michael never flew before so I started looking into airfare. Long story short we found cheap tickets and booked our flight. We let his sister and brother-in-law know we were coming and they planned the rest. As Amanda says, Michael popped his flying cherry on September 23rd which happened to be our actual 3rd wedding anniversary. We got there in about an hour and a half and enjoyed some nice weather almost the entire time we were there. His sis and her hubby spoiled us rotten. They made scrumptious meals at home and took us out for some too. We went and did some sight seeing and spent a couple days out at the beach. Other than hubby's sunburn on his legs and feet, everything was perfect. We really can't wait to go back again.

Then I spent the rest of my summer hanging out in front of the drugstore. Well everything is true except the drugstore part.

NaBloPoMo Topic: the color blue & its potential contributions to world peace

2009-12-01T20:00:00.002-06:00

First I have to start off by saying that yesterday's blog was written out of character for me so I changed it. I still feel the same way about said neighbor but I didn't feel very good about posting it for the world to see. It's quite difficult to go from bashing a neighbor to talking about world peace. So I needed to take a few steps back in order to move forward again.

In my search for the relation of blue and world peace I found this cool video on youtube and thought I would take the easy way out and use it for my post today.

I am also incorporating my daily health and fitness progress into this blog. Some of my fellow bloggers and I have decided to keep the momentum we had from blogging in November and using it to help better ourselves in the fitness area of our lives.

I haven't gotten on my treadmill in quite some time. I go through spurts of being good and then I lose my motivation. I am hoping the blog will help keep me focused. Hubby and I watch the Biggest Loser every season. I sit and watch these people totally transform their lives yet I still lack the motivation I need. I admire the guts they have to go on national tv and leave their home life behind. I relate to their fears and embarrassment about their weight and I also cry along with them when they overcome all of it and become the person they want to be. I adore Jillian Michaels and have mentioned her in a recent post. She motivates me. Some people say she is too tough. That's what some people need though. I have (literally) done enough sugar coating.

So anyway I was thinking of setting my first goal of losing at least 10 pounds by Christmas. I thought it was a fair amount to set for myself because it will mean that I have to steer clear from most of the holiday sweets but I am not restricted from enjoying some of it. This is also the busiest time for me at work so I work longer days and it's harder to have good dinners and good workouts. So 10 pounds it is. Game on!

NaBloPoMo Topic: I have this neighbor...

2009-11-30T19:56:00.005-06:00

NaBloPoMo Topic: My three favorite words and why

2009-11-29T11:17:00.002-06:00

There are so many different ways I could go with this. At first I thought of phrases like, I love you or ice cream please. Since the topic just says three words it doesn't necessarily have to be a phrase. So here are my three individual words and why.

1. Spackle ~ The word just makes me laugh. It also reminds me of an old SNL commercial for "Crack Spackle." You just smear on to plumbers crack to cover it up. It was disgusting but definitely entertaining.

2. Knucklehead ~ It's what I use to refer to our dog Crunch. Because he is clumsy and running into things all the time. The other day he was told to go to bed. I caught him sneaking out and as soon as he saw me he tried turning and running the other direction and fell in the process. It's funny but also sad because he is such an old fart.

3. Sansizzle ~ It's my own word I made up for my mp3 player. Since I am anti-ipod I have a Sansa mp3 player. It is 8GB and has been by my side for a year and half now with no problems. Knock on wood. Since music makes everything more interesting I felt the player itself needed an interesting name too.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Immunity vs Immortality

2009-11-28T17:19:00.002-06:00

Immortality is not something that would really appeal to me. But, if I was immortal I would probably take a lot more risks in life. I would take up sky diving, mountain climbing, swimming with sharks and so forth. It wouldn't be that fun though unless my friends had the same immortality. I definitely would want someone to take with me on my death defying excursions.

I would rather live with immunity though and die of old age later. It would be great to live life without suffering from any diseases. How nice it would be to never have to do the dreaded gyne visit every year. I could get old and not have to worry about going to get the annual boob smashing done. Life would be swell. I could help people with contagious illnesses and never have to worry about catching anything.

I would definitely take immunity.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Name the person who influenced you the most growing up & why

2009-11-27T11:48:00.002-06:00

There isn't one particular person that stands out as being the most influential. When I look back at my younger days there are several friends that come to mind. I had a few friends that were bad influences too but most were good.

Influenced or not, I always tried to do my own thing. I knew when I screwed up that I put myself there by the choices I made. When I struggled with my grades the good friends motivated me to get it right one assignment at a time while the bad influences shared my attitude that most of the crap we would never use out in the real world anyway. I eventually pulled my head out of my butt and thankfully graduated with my friends.

I recall the first time I ever smoked a cigarette. I was well under 18. I did it because my friends did it. We were hiding in a garage smoking and knowing we could get into huge trouble for it but hey we were "living on the edge." Plus we looked so cool doing it or so we thought.

I was the more quiet shy type growing up. I didn't hang out with the popular kids or the problem kids. I didn't think I was real nerdy but perhaps I was. I recall just being the shy chubby girl just trying to make it through unnoticed. I had a cheerleader friend who encouraged me to go to football games and Friday night school dances. Being the shy kid that I was it took a lot for me to go out and dance in front of everyone. She even taught me a few dance moves on the weekends. Kinda like in Footloose when Ren taught Williard a few steps but not quite as cool. At the dance we did our little circle of friends thing and I always faced the corner so if anyone pointed and laughed I wouldn't die of embarrassment. After awhile though the dancing did something for my self esteem. No one ever pointed and laughed or anything that I imagined. I was able to go and just have a great time.

As an adult I am still influenced by people. Most of the time it's in a positive way but sometimes just like the old days I can be influenced by the wrong person. Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves how did we get in this mess and what will we do to get out of it. We are all human and have to learn from our mistakes. Thankfully we have free will to make our own decisions.

Gratitude

2009-11-25T23:49:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday next to Christmas. We have so much to be thankful for even when times get tough. This is an email that usually gets passed around this time of year. You may have received it already but it's meaning never gets old.

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO, BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR..

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE crazy people I hang with
BECAUSE THEY MAKE IT FUN AND INTERESTING TO BE ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

SEND THIS TO SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT.. I JUST DID.

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!

NaBloPoMo Topic: Who would portray each of us in a movie?

2009-11-25T23:24:00.002-06:00

Hmmm not sure about this one. I only know a few of us and even those I don't know well enough to complete the cast. I am not even sure who would play me. Maybe Debra Messing? Not really sure. If I was black I would say Queen Latifah because I adore her.

Sorry so short. Lots of cooking to do!

NaBloPoMo Topic: My favorite authors

2009-11-24T21:17:00.006-06:00

A few of my favorite author's are James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Frank Peretti.

James Patterson hooked me on the first book I read called "The Honeymoon." All of his books are page turners and full of suspense. I like that he doesn't spend half the book describing everything. He just jumps right into the action and it's hard to put the book down.

Dean Koontz scares me with some of the things he writes. "Intensity" is by far the scariest book I have ever read. The made for TV movie was almost as freaky. I also enjoyed reading all the Odd Thomas books he has written too.

Frank Peretti is a Christian thriller author. When I first heard of him I was a bit skeptical. I didn't want to read anything that was really religious and I was worried that the book would be watered down. His stories are amazing. He has the ability to write about angels and demons playing in the midst of human life. The guardian angels are fighting off the evil spirits while the humans are torn between doing what's right and wrong.

Of course my hubby is also one of my favorite authors too. I have several personal writings from him that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Today's NaBloPoMo Topic: Panic

2009-11-23T19:35:00.003-06:00

Panic is a word I didn't really use until probably about a year ago. I had a mild panic attack and it scared the crap out of me. The feeling of having to get out, the feeling like your heart is beating super fast and that death is near, wondering what you should do, not knowing what to do, do you tell someone or do you try to calm down, do you go to the nearest ER..... Ugh not fun!

I have been fortunate not to have any major ones but I did witness someone else having a doozey. It was during one of my son's many visits to the ER. This poor girl was there with her friends and she went to go talk to the triage nurse. She kept begging her friends not to leave her because she was scared and didn't know anybody. She was pacing all over the place and refused to cooperate with anyone trying to help her calm down. She had just moved here and was having a difficult time adjusting. She told the nurse that she was just gonna leave but then they wouldn't let her leave in her current state of mind. She was so scared about something that no one else could understand. She just kept pacing and wouldn't let them take her blood pressure or give her any meds. I felt really bad for her.

We take our peace of mind for granted sometimes. I remember a point in my life where I thought meditation is for strange people who sit in the corner and hum or something. Now I am interested in learning about meditation and stress relief techniques to obtain that inner peace. I think as we get older and have more things to deal with that we have to de-stress however possible. Take time to smell those roses. Say no once in awhile, it's totally ok.

Shalom

NaBloPoMo Topic: What are you most passionate about at this time in your life, and why?

2009-11-22T18:50:00.018-06:00

My biggest passion right now is scrapbooking. It began about 8 years ago and has continued to hold me captive. Hence the blog name "The Glue Stick Chic." Over the past 8 years I have scrapbooked many different occasions involving my family and friends. I have made albums for gifts, helped friends with their albums and made countless crafty things with my tools and supplies. I love coming up with creative projects and I love inspiring others to do the same.

My scrapbooking area used to be in my kitchen. I had a few plastic rolling carts to keep my supplies in and the kitchen table was my work space. Over time it got to be a hassle to keep cleaning up my current project in order to make room for dinner. I tried to limit myself to just scrapbook on weekends to allow more time for setup and cleanup. That was a pain too. Sometimes when we are inspired we have to act on it at that moment or we lose it.

So I ended up moving to the basement where I have my own corner. It's my happy place. I literally get lost in this space and can forget about work, life or any other daily stresses. It's also where I blog nowadays. It gets a little cold in the basement sometimes but it's nothing that my space heater and nice hot cup of cappuccino can't fix.

Some people think I have gone a little overboard with the scrapbooking but if it's a passion can we be too excessive? I don't think it's possible if it's a positive thing. I am passionate about my husband too but I doubt he would ever complain that I love him too much.

So this is the home of The Glue Stick Chic who is patiently awaiting her new addition, the 12x12 printer that will arrive later this week. After all, I need something to fill in the hole between the computer tower and my Cricut. Thanks to my sister for finding me such a sweet deal!

NaBloPoMo Topic: If I had a....

2009-11-21T22:50:00.003-06:00

Earlier today I had my mind made up that I would blog about the 12 by 12 printer that I wanted and all the wonderful things I would do with it IF I had one. Then, out of the blue, my sister calls and says she found an awesome deal on a large home printer that prints 12 by 12. She had gotten one already and said she thinks I should have one too. She is older and wiser than I so I took her advice and she ordered me one. So... maybe I can talk about the printer in tomorrows blog about something I am passionate about.

On with the blog....

If I had a million dollars that someone gave to me and said that I was required to spend it on entertainment purposes only...Wait that would get me into trouble. Start over.

If I had a crystal ball I would love to look into the future and see my kids are ok... Nope that's not a good topic either because then I will go into how I worry about my boy and that would be an absolute downer for my readers. Start again.

If I had a personal workout trainer I would want it to be Jillian Michaels. I would want her to kick my ass. I would want her to be so mean to me and make me cry until I got my butt in gear. I want her to scream, "Unless you faint, puke, or die, keep walking!" I would love it and hate it all at the same time. It would be fantastical.

NaBloPoMo Topic: My favorite book

2009-11-20T01:00:00.001-06:00

I have many favorite books but the ones that bring back memories are the most special. Oh if only I had a dollar for every time I read a Dr. Seuss book to my babies. Oh Mr. Brown Can Moo (and do all those other cool sounds that I can still recite after all these years.)

My most favorite book though is "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. It tells the story of a small boy growing up and using the tree for many things throughout his life. As the boy grew and his needs changed the tree provided everything for him. "And the tree was happy."

Now that the kids are grown up and I have time to read my own stuff. I went through the Nicholas Sparks books stage but got burnt out. There's only so much of that romance stuff I can take. I need something I can't predict. A few years ago I got introduced to Dean Koontz books and realized I liked having the crap scared out of me while I envisioned what he was writing about. It has resulted in some messed up nightmares but it keeps things interesting and makes me appreciate my reality that much more.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Grammar Police - an idea whose time has finally come?

2009-11-19T20:11:00.005-06:00

Most of the time bad grammar doesn't get to me if it's just on Facebook or something like that. There are tons of grammatical errors there that are just overlooked. I crack up when I see people ranting about something or someone and they can't even spell the words. It's sort of entertaining. Especially when their word usage means something totally opposite of the point they are trying to make.

Newspapers, letters, memos, etc. should have another set of eyes to look them over to avoid silly mistakes that we overlook. Should we call the police about it? I guess it depends on how serious the written object is. If I had this guy's tattoo I would be pretty upset. Somebody should call the grammar police because he just got robbed.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Which would you rather get first: your peg leg or hook?

2009-11-17T21:49:00.005-06:00

I guess that topic implies that I will eventually become a pirate and have to get a hook and a peg leg at some point. Darn I should have listened to my daughter's pirate banter a little closer so I would at least know how to speak.

Since my knee has been acting up today I would select the peg leg first. Then I guess I will get my hook although it's going to make scrapbooking quite difficult. Perhaps I could get a crochet hook instead and take up knitting?

So after I have my pegleg and hook I shall get the eye patch and a bottle of rum to complete the look.

NaBloPoMo Topic: The Present

2009-11-17T21:31:00.003-06:00

Like the church sign says, "Today is a gift and that's why it's called the present."

Today really was a gift. One that will never be returned or re-gifted. A gift that didn't cost anything but a little bit of time. A gift that brought hope where there wasn't much left. Thank you God for today.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Write a haiku

2009-11-16T05:05:00.002-06:00

Monday mornings suck
The weekend just slipped away
Gonna need coffee

NaBloPoMo Topic: What color hair would you really want?

2009-11-15T12:13:00.004-06:00

I really want my hair to stay it's natural brown color. I really do not like getting gray hairs. They seem to be flooding in these days. I wish women didn't have to be covering up their gray all the time. I think when a man grays and gets that salt and pepper hair that it looks distinguished and sexy. Richard Gere for example. Ladies going gray just look grannyish. I am a low maintenance kinda girl and hate having to do the hair dying. There is nothing attractive about seeing the gray roots grow out. Maybe some day when I am fully gray I will shave my head and throw on a wig. This way I can change my color and style all the time without all the trouble of stinky hair dye and fried out over-dyed hair. I could go blonde, red, black, whatever. I will just ask my hubby what he prefers that day and go with it. Something tells me he won't mind ; )

NaBloPoMo Topic: 5 Ways to Lose a Fight

2009-11-14T22:15:00.003-06:00

This is a tough one. I guess it depends on what kind of fight it is. If it's an argument I can honestly admit that sometimes I will argue until I have proven my point but only if it's something I feel very strongly about. Most of the time though I will pass on the argument and not even give it any energy. As far as anything physical I wouldn't participate unless I needed to protect myself or a loved one from physical harm. Most fights are over stupid things anyway. I decided to list the 5 ways to lose an argument instead.

1. Swearing at someone
Calling a friend or loved one a name is a very low blow and very hard to get over even after the argument is done. No matter how upset we get we should never ever do this.

2. Lie or BS your way through the argument
Not telling the truth is such a major pet peeve of mine. The truth always comes out so might as well do it from the start. Sooner or later it will be in your face and you will lose.

3. Keep bringing up past arguments
The past should stay in the past and not brought up every time we are upset about something. Resolve it and move on. Why keep rehashing and rehashing?

4. Not listening
Unless both sides get their issue vented it will never be resolved. Try to see things from both sides and have the common respect to at least try to understand that point of view. Agree to disagree. It's ok and both sides win.

5. Talk with an attitude. Our tone says everything. No one responds well to a crappy attitude and you are just wasting your breath if you think its going to do any good. Speak in a tone that gets your point across and isn't degrading to the person who has to listen to it.

I feel arguments and fights should be avoided as much as humanly possible. We all need to love our neighbors as ourselves even when it is difficult to do so.

NaBloPoMo topic: Cause(s) close to your heart

2009-11-13T16:37:00.003-06:00

The causes closest to my heart would be any that I can see immediately helping people. I like to donate things to Goodwill because it helps provide jobs, it helps people stretch their hard earned dollars out, and it helps us clean the house and earn a tax deduction at the same time.

Recently we helped my mom relocate to my sister's house. My mom had been in the same house for the majority of her life and she is around 67 years old. Needless to say mom accumulated quite a bit over the years. There were tons of things that were in brand new condition that she just never got around to using. Some things she kept, some things the family saved, and some we put in a garage sale. We made numerous trips to our local Goodwill stores to drop the stuff off. It felt good to help her get this move done but to also help people buy some things for pretty cheap.

Once a year I like to go through the house and declutter some of my stuff. Clutter makes me neurotic. I have seen those hoarder shows on tv and they scare me. Besides donating to Goodwill I also like to shop there for that one thing thing I just have to have that will cost practically nothing. I have found some pretty cool scrapbooking items there in the past along with some great books. Plus it's like a big indoor garage sale that you can go to all year long.

NaBloPoMo Topic: how has your life as an adult turned out differently than what you had anticipated in high school?

2009-11-12T06:50:00.002-06:00

I think it turned out better than I had anticipated. Back in the high school days I didn't take too much seriously. I was scared to death when I graduated high school and had to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. That is a question that most people don't know when they are 40 let alone 18. I had only just begun to live. I was still naive and certainly not yet prepared for all that life had waiting for me. I'm still not prepared for everything, but I take it one day at a time. Having my children at a young age really got me into gear for taking responsibility and getting my life in order. After college, to become a "secretary" (yeah I know, boring, lame choice at the time) I worked a few different jobs starting out. I moved on when I found something more suitable to me. Now I have been at my current job for almost 11 years. No, I am not a secretary but I definitely get to use my skills. They say I can type some pretty good letters. I love my job. It fits. I am happily married. I have two teenage kids that are going through the same junk I did at their age and I am still young enough to remember it. Hubby and I will be empty-nesters in just a few years. Although it's hard to believe those days are just around the corner, it also excites me with the time I will have to work on things that as an adult I am sure I want to do now.

NaBloPoMo Topic: The most interesting thing that happened today...

2009-11-11T19:02:00.006-06:00

Nothing really interesting happened today.

All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl.

Just kidding. Don't worry I'm not flippin' out on ya. Just sorta got stuck on this topic. I didn't want to bore you with the most interesting thing that happened today for me was watching the CMA awards. I was "interested" but not anything to write home or a blog about. OK maybe there is something I could say about it. I would just like to vent a slight frustration that Taylor Swift won practically everything. I like her but I'm getting tired of seeing her everywhere I turn. Jeez can we share the wealth with some of the others?

NaBloPoMo topic: what 7 songs would be on the soundtrack of your life?

2009-11-10T21:01:00.002-06:00

I have lots of favorites that fit into my life one way or another so I will pick seven off the top of my head. These are all random and in no particular order.

1. My Wish For You by Rascal Flatts ~ This was the song I picked to dance with the kids at my wedding. One of the happiest memories in my life is dancing with my son that day.

2. I Need You by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ~ Since hubby already put our wedding song on his list I thought I would put something different. This song reminds me how much I need him and also how much I still want that damn cigarette, lol.

3. Good Time by Alan Jackson ~ Because everyone needs that Friday night song after a long work week.

4. Let There Be Rock by AC/DC ~ It brings out my inner rocker.

5. Coming Out of the Dark by Gloria Estefan ~ because it helped me through some dark days.

6. Anyway by Martina McBride ~ A good song to listen to when you get stuck or just need some inspiration. Plus it reminds me of my daughter : )

7. Believe by Brooks and Dunn ~ This song reminds me of an old neighbor/Sunday school teacher I had named Mrs. Pierson. She was such a good person with the biggest heart.

I'm so thankful for music and all that it creates, inspires, and brings back.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Past

2009-11-09T20:13:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Facebook and my recent class reunion I have gotten back in touch with a lot of old friends. It's amazing how reconnecting with old friends can bring back so many memories. I usually can't remember very much about elementary school or even middle school. It's really quite a blur. It's quite entertaining when your old friends can tell you about things you have long forgotten about. They can bring up funny or even disturbing memories that you've tried to bury.

One of my recent friend re connections was with my friend Flora. She reminded me of the time I stepped on a goldfish in science class and I slid across the door on the dang thing. She stood there laughing and pointing out the fact that I killed the poor fish. It was just some random fish that apparently jumped out of the tank and landed right in the walkway to my desk. I know to step over dogs in the floor but fish I don't look for. So anyway we had a good laugh about my fish surfing.

Other friends of mine brought back memories of the Bon Jovi concert we went to and how Richie Sambora sweated on us and we swore we would never wash it off. (Eww, I think that lasted a day.) One by one my old friends have resurfaced. We've shared our old pictures and laughed about our 80's aquanet hair and our acid washed jeans. It really took me back and made me feel young again. Sure it was 20 years ago but just to remember the simple things before adulthood obligations came along does something to you. It's sorta like a temporary fountain of youth. Even though so much time has passed, we lose touch, we don't KIT (Keep in touch) like we promised to do in our yearbooks we can still reunite and pick that friendship right back up. What's even better is that we can still make each other laugh while we go through the daily humdrum of adult life. So I guess all I have left to say is that I am glad my past has caught up to me.

NaBloPoMo Topic: Conspiracy Theory

2009-11-08T19:59:00.006-06:00

Pig Flu Shots!

For years I have been one of those people that get sick every single year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It never fails. So a few times I thought I would get the flu shot to save myself from going through all that. Well the first time I got it I felt horrible. I felt like I got ran over by a Mack truck and went through all the same symptoms of the flu. Other people I had the flu shot with thought that maybe we got a "bad batch" or something. OK maybe that was it. So the next time I got it the same thing happened and I was sick even longer. I thought this is ridiculous. This is like inducing labor to deliver a child where you go through hours upon hours of agony when you can just wait til that baby is naturally ready and get through it in a much shorter time. I really am not a glutton for punishment so I have declined any further offers for the flu shot.

The same thing goes for the pig flu shot. Perhaps I'm tempting fate by putting myself up for the risk of getting this horrible illness. It's a bigger risk since this is more serious than any flu I have ever had but hey I will take the chance. I figure since they are recommending it for children, pregnant women or older people with health conditions that it doesn't apply to me. Hey if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I watched the following video a few days ago and feel that this swine flu shot is becoming an even bigger conspiracy theory than I originally thought. There has been a lot of criticism on this lady if you check out the comments on YouTube. It looks pretty real to me. She is making some big accusations that may be hard to believe but it's just another nail in the coffin in which I placed the idea of flu shots.

YouTube - Swine Flu Hoax!! Former Health Minister Speaks Out!!

Today's NaBloPoMo topic: Orange

2009-11-07T09:56:00.005-06:00

Knock knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who's there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

When I think of orange it reminds me of that knock knock joke. It also reminds me of my love for orange chicken. It reminds me of the orange leaves in the fall and my love for the autumn season.

Orange also reminds me of when my husband, Michael and I first met on the internet. We were chatting for awhile and decided we would exchange pictures. The picture he sent had this goofy look of his and he was wearing an orange shirt. My heart skipped a few beats as I prayed to God that he wasn't wearing one of those Department of Corrections jumpsuits. So glad my prayer was answered.

Jumping the gun

2009-11-05T21:42:00.006-06:00

OK I realize that I have already posted what was supposed to be tomorrow's blog. Darn, I should have scheduled it. Oh well it's up now. I guess I am having a bit too much fun with all this blogging. I guess having my blog done means I won't need to get up early tomorrow to work on it. I could sleep a little longer and do whatever it was I did prior to blogging. I won't though, I will want to get up early and read everyone's blogs. I love the variations on the same topics. My fellow bloggers make me laugh and I can't wait to see what you will write next. OK I better get some sleep since my "Matt Moose Go To Work For Me Doll hasn't gotten here yet.

NaBloPoMo topic: health care & heath bars - any connection?

2009-11-05T20:50:00.003-06:00

Wow this is a totally random topic. I love the challenge though!

When I hear the word health care nowadays I brace myself and expect to hear a whole lot of negativism about the whole health care reform. It's a mess and will take a long time to clean up. Since I work in health care, I know this is something I need to keep up on. Until they get closer to something changing though, I would rather stay sort of oblivious. It may be the weak and irresponsible way to look at it but it also helps me from having anxiety attacks over something I won't have any control over anyway.

Sooo.... let's talk about Heath bars. Not my favorite candy but not bad in a blizzard once in a while. (Geez can I ever stop talking about ice cream?) I did a little research on the Heath bar and found some interesting facts I thought I would share with you. According to Wikipedia

"Early ads promoted Heath as a virtual health bar – only the best milk chocolate and almonds, creamery butter, and “pure sugar cane.” The motto at the bottom of one ad read “Heath for better health!” It was surrounded by illustrations of milk, cream, butter, cheese, and ice cream, and off in a special corner – a Heath bar and a bottle of soda. The latter was probably Pepsi, as the Heath Co. bottled the drink for a number of years."

So I guess there is a connection after all!

If I could have a household gadget named after me...

2009-11-05T06:08:00.007-06:00

It seemed like a neat topic at the time I suggested it but now I am stumped.

My mind is really on our little guy, Chewy. We took him to the vet yesterday because he has lost a lot of weight and now has a cough. The x-ray shows he has a very enlarged heart and some infiltrates on the lungs. He got some lab work done too but we won't get the results until today. I know his death is near but I hate the thought of having to "pull the plug" soon.

As I sat here writing this, Velvet, my favorite of the bunch, starting acting funny. She was cowering next to me and shaking. I was petting her and talking to her in my mommy loves you voice and she just sat shaking. Michael picked her up and held her for a while. She seemed better but we could tell she was walking a little funny still. I will have to keep an eye on her. The thought of our 3 small dogs being all around the same age is a reminder that they could go like dominoes. I hate that the holidays are coming and we may be missing one or more of our loyal companions.

I guess the gadget that I would want named after me would be the Melanie Rigg Animal Cuddler. It could be shaped like one of those pillows you use to sit upright in bed. It would have arms that come out and are motion censored to start petting the dog when it curls up next to the pillow. It would have a built in heartbeat and heater. It would come with the ability to record the pet owners voice. Your pet would periodically hear the loving things you say to it. This gadget of course would only be used while the owner is away and not as a replacement for real attention.

Today's NaBloPoMo topic: Frenemies

2009-11-04T19:51:00.002-06:00

I had to research the word to even know what it means. It's not part of my vocabulary and it still won't be. When it comes to defining my friends it's all black and white. I either like ya or I don't. I won't pretend to be your friend if I am not. I accept my friends, flaws in all, the same way I hope they accept me. I'm too old to wonder if Suzie likes me or not and I certainly don't have the time and energy to ponder it. I believe in the boomerang effect on doing good and evil. You get back exactly what you send out. I don't hold grudges and I am thankful for every person I met along the way. Even the a-holes helped me to get to the happiest point in my life = )

Potential New Year's Resolutions for 2010

2009-11-03T06:12:00.002-06:00

When I opened today's topic I groaned. I gave up on New Year's resolutions a few failed resolutions ago. I think the reason I couldn't keep them was because I wasn't ready on that particular day. I know you might be thinking well you have a whole year to do it but still it carries a curse. It has the smell of everyone else is doing it so you should to. It carries the unspoken doubts of your family and friends when you tell them that this is the year that you plan on achieving your weight loss goal. In the back of mind I imagine they are all like Cub fans thinking, "Maybe next year."

As the year comes to an end, I always reflect on what happened that year. I smile about the happy memories and give thanks for the tough things we made it through. I will also think about the year ahead and make little mental notes on what we will need to do. This year I will probably focus on the financial areas. I will reflect on the economic situation. I will find more ways of cutting costs to afford our rising property taxes while coping with salary decreases. I will probably get depressed and resort to eating something to make me feel better. This will of course break the unspoken resolution to go on a diet right after New Year's Day. I will then beat myself up and wonder why I can't ever keep my resolutions. Then I will decide that I will no longer participate in this masochistic tradition and just drop it all together.

In 2010, I resolve not to resolve anything. I will live day by day. I will fix problems as they arise and I will again put all my faith in God to not give me anything I can't handle.

I need a drink.

A different/unique holiday tradition

2009-11-02T05:03:00.004-06:00

When it comes to holidays we are pretty much the typical family. We barbecue and watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. We pass out candy on Halloween, watch scary movies, carve pumpkins and occasionally dress up. Thanksgiving is a big feast followed by family fun games and then we make our big Black Friday shopping plans. At Christmas time, we go to the candlelight service at church, we decorate the tree, make cookies, have a nice dinner, drink egg nog, open gifts with family, and drive around looking at the lights. We pretty much stick with tradition during the holidays.

A few years ago though, my sister and the kids came up with a new game during Easter. Since the kids were getting older they did not really care too much about the plastic eggs they would get in their baskets. They decided to use them as if they were water balloons and started bombing each other with them. It is really quite hysterical to watch. Each year the egg smashing smack talking starts earlier.
It's usually alot of Christopher telling everyone about how he is going to "treat" them when they play. By the time the game actually starts though, Chris has everyone against him and it turns into a tag team against him. There really aren't any rules to this game except you are not supposed to hit anyone's face. It all goes pretty haywire but it is a blast to watch. I'm thankful it's only an annual event. I know our neighbors probably think we are crazy. Well here is the video and you can see for yourself. Disclaimer: No animals or SMALL children were injured in the making of this video : )

My Irrational Fears....

2009-11-01T09:25:00.001-06:00

This post is the first of many for the NaBloPoMo that I decided to join on November 1st. The topics are all random ones pulled from a hat. I felt excited and anxious as I awaited the first topic. Yesterday the topic came in my email and I immediately opened it up and thought oh no!

The topic is "My irrational fear..." I thought long and hard about this and was pretty stumped at first. Hubby and I drove to DQ and along the way discussed what our irrational fears are. I remembered one of his right away which is to make sure we know what we are getting before we pull up to the menu board at any drive thru. Usually two blocks before we get there he wants all orders announced so he can memorize and mentally rehearse placing the order at the menu board. I laugh especially when he can't make up his mind and just orders a chocolate shake because he dare not say Uh, ummm, well.... at the menu board. I seriously doubted I had anything that strange going on with me. However, I was soon face to face with my biggest one.

I remembered that I have this thing about stale bread. Michael agreed and pointed out the fact that if we are having bread and butter with dinner that as soon as someone grabs a slice out of the loaf that I watch the bread until it's closed back up. I can't stand it. I sit there and think about how hard the bread is going to be for the next person. I think about how it probably speeds up the mold process and it's probable that I will get a moldy piece of bread that of course I won't discover until I am at the end of the sandwich I used it for. If the bread is not used within 3 days after purchase I will not touch it. If there is the slightest moisture seen on the inside of the plastic bread bag, I am totally nauseated. Whenever I use any bread it has to be tested by checking for softness and smelling to make sure it smells fresh. Moldy bread has its own unique smell that is a dead giveaway when it's bad. My daughter has picked up this habit over the years too. I am amused when I see her take a slice of bread from the loaf and immediately press against her nose and inhale.

I was discussing the blog topic with my son, Christopher, and his friend AJ. They happened to be in the kitchen making sandwiches. Chris reminded me of another anal thing I do which is smelling my milk before I drink it. When I was a child, I remember drinking milk after someone who had really bad breath. I will never forget how that breath smell infused into the milk taste. Since then I have always been anal about it and refuse to share my milk with anyone ever. Hubby laughs when I refuse him a sip of milk from my glass because I say it "holds breath smell." My son admitted that he too has to smell his milk before he drinks it.

It was great to identify my irrational fears and we had some good laughs about it. Especially when the boys finished making their sandwiches and AJ yelled, "Chris, quick, find the twist tie for the bread!"

What am I getting myself into

2009-09-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

Not really sure why I'm starting this blog. I guess it gives me something else to do besides wasting too much time on Facebook. My hubby, Michael J Rigg and my daughter, Amanda Taylor currently have blogs that they update periodically so I guess they sort of inspired me. I love the randomness of the blogs. I always want to journal but am usually too tired by the time I get to bed. Don't worry this won't be my diary or my place to share all my deepest darkest secrets. I don't want to write anything that could potentially be a drag for anyone. I guess I just want a sounding board for whatever happens to be on my mind that day. Perhaps the family will give me some pointers and help me along or I can help inspire them to write more. OK well that is my opening statement. We shall see where this takes me.