Follow Me Fridays

Life is crazy busy right now for me.  I hope to be able to add a post with some substance tomorrow or at least some time this weekend.  In the mean time I wanted to point you in the direction of some sites where you can find some new bloggy friends. I have found some fabulous blogs through Follow Me Friday.  Please stop by these blogs and check out the other ladies who signed up for Follow Me Fridays.  All you have to do to get there is click on one of these buttons  Happy blog following!

Shoot Me! 8 of 52

Today is my birthday so I'm kind of taking the day off from Shoot Me!  BUT I did want to share one of my favorite pictures of myself.  Granted this was a couple of years ago and more than a couple pounds lighter, but it is one of my most favorite pictures of me.

 

Hope you have a fabulous Thursday!

Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

Wordless Wednesday 02/24

The story of my life!

Two Things I Love 02/23

It's time to share a couple more of the things we love around our homes.  I'm not sure if what I have to share falls under "two things."  I guess it's more like a"set of things."  This set is not only something I love.  It also falls into the categories of birthday present and fabulous find!  Without further ado, here's my new comforter set...

My sweet husband bought this for me for my birthday while we were shopping the other day.  We love a bargain and so I'm excited to tell you that I found this king size comforter set for only $22.00.  Isn't that great?  So, tell me, what do you think? 

Don't forget to check out everyone else' favorite things HERE. 

Friend Makin Monday 02/22

This week's question for Friend Makin Monday is... 

What did you do this weekend? Confess it. 

Friday

I volunteered at our church to help our new secretary learn how to run the membership software.  While I was volunteering hubby was with our youngest "C" at a late Mardi Gra parade they put on for one of the local nursing homes.  They were originally supposed to do it the week before, but got snowed out.  That afternoon/evening we went to the day 1 of M's softball tournament.  The team did a great job and won both of their games on Friday.  It was really cold outside and we didn't get home until after 11PM.

  

Saturday

M's tournament continued on Saturday, but we weren't able to be there because K & his band were scheduled to be part of a talent contest - Battle of the Bands.  We sent M with a fellow player and they finished up the tournament with 3 wins and 1 loss.  They came in 3rd place.  We spent the morning with K doing a run through of their performance.  When I say we I mostly mean my husband. I mean I was there, but I know nothing about musical instruments or sound equipment.  K and the band should be so thankful that his dad is gifted this area - I know I am! After the rehearsal we grabbed lunch and then spent the afternoon doing a little shopping.  I found a fantastic bargain on a new comforter set.  I will be making a post with pictures to show you soon. K & the guys did great in the contest.  They didn't win, but they had a great response from the audience and they handled themselves so well.  I am very proud of them.  It was a long day and we didn't make it home until around 12:30AM.  

Sunday

Sunday is always church for our family.  I had the privilege of spending time with the little ones in the nursery.   I always miss being in the service, but I am glad to help others who have little ones.  I remember what it was like for us when our kids were that age.  The nursery was a life saver! After church and lunch and I grabbed a much needed nap.  Had an afternoon meeting at the church.  Last night was the typical Sunday evening round up trying to make sure everyone had clothes and everything they needed to return to school/work today.  

It was a very full and exhausting weekend.  A weekend full of memory making!  

Want to see what everyone else did this weekend? Hop on over to Amber's blog and visit the other blogs listed there!

 

Getting to Know You 02/21/10

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

I don't have a set schedule that I go by but I would say probably every couple of weeks.

2. When is your birthday?

It's funny that you asked - it's THURSDAY - February 25th.

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

I know there is one bloggy friend I have met in real life, but I originally met her through another web site (not through blogging). I would love to meet more of my bloggy friends in real life.  That would be sooo much fun!

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Neither really.

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

Right now one thing I would LOVE to have done is laser hair removal.  Now that I'm getting older I have way to much unwanted hair and I would love to get rid of it.

6. How often do you wash your hair?  

Usually every other day.

7. Do you have pets?

We have one dog - Taz.... see...

 

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and I belong to a site for pastor's wives.  If I had to give one up the first one to go would be twitter.  It's fun, but I could live without it.

Shoot Me! 7 of 52 - Then & Now

THEN

 

NOW

Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

Wordless Wednesday - A Look Back

 

  

  

These are pics of my babies when they were babies.  

*Sigh* I miss those days!

A Special Valentine

17 years ago today we found out that we would be receiving a very special valentine that year.  That was the day that we found out we would become parents for the first time and welcome "K" into our family.  Special indeed!

Snow Day

Today was a rare snow day for us here in Southeast Louisiana.  I had hoped to catch up on my blog reading and get a good post in, but since we live in the sticks and we have our internet service via satellite we were without internet service most of the day.  I just thought I'd pop on and share a couple of pictures from today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Shoot Me! 6 of 52

 

Me & My Boys! 

Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a new picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

Wordless Wednesday 2/10

These shots are from last year. I should have some from this year to post soon.

 

Two Things I Love 2/9

ere are my two things I love around my home...

 

These are both things I love.  The first is a wooden quilt rack that was given to me by a dear friend. Sorry I didn't think to take one closer up.  The second is a quilt that was made for me by my mom.  The picture in the middle is my maternal grandparents.  All the hearts are made out of scraps from the clothes they wore.  In the hearts are the names of all of my grandparents children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and spouses.  She left room to add names as our family grows.  Here's a closer look...

Got anything around your house that you love?  Make a post and share!  Hop over here, link up, and show us!

Discouraged

I wanted to participate in one of the fun Monday blog hops.  But the truth is I have the blah's and I just really don't feel like it.  I'm discouraged.  I did so good with my eating and exercise last week.  Got on the scale yesterday and my weight is the same!  It's not just weight loss though.  It's just this reality that no matter how hard I try it's just never enough to keep up with everything.  Something always suffers.  Someone is always disappointed.  It's never enough.  

This time of the year I'm always a little down.  My birthday is coming up and before we moved to Louisiana I always had a special tradition of celebrating with my besties (we all had birthdays around the same time).  The first year after we moved here my sweet husband arranged to have them come out for a weekend for my birthday and surprise me.  It was awesome!  Every year since then my birthday just seems to be a reminder that I'm away from them missing out on the special birthday celebration.  For some reason my birthday every year since tends to bring bad news, frustration, or disappointment of some kind.  Last year brought one of the biggest fights my husband and I have ever had.  I spent the entire day crying.  So, I guess I'm right on target for this time of the year.  My birthday is only a couple weeks away and the discouragement has already set in.  Maybe I should just skip the birthday this year cuz I'm really not in the mood! ;)

Sorry for being a downer this morning.  Does anyone else ever get like this?  What helps you get out of the funk?

I Have A Confession to Make

I don't like Russell Stover chocolates.  There, I said it.  I know that most girls love Russell Stover's chocolates.  I'm not really much for chocolate with a filling inside, much less never knowing exactly what you might bite into. 

 

A much better option would be Dove Milk Chocolate.

 

OR Hershey's Kisses.

  

OR my favorite kind of chocolate - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

What would be your favorite kind of chocolate to receive for Valentine's Day?

Five Question Friday 02/05/10

1. What are you most afraid of?

My biggest fear is something happening to my children or my husband.  Losing them would be the worst thing I could imagine. 

2. Do you use a flat iron or curling iron?

I used to be a curling iron girl.  But now?  It's straight iron all the way!

3. Hands-free or phone to the ear?

Phone to the ear.  I need to try for the hands free thing, but it feels awkward.  I could probably get used to it if I tried. 

4. Do you have a matching bedroom set?

Yes, I've always loved Cherry Wood and a little while back we splurged on a bedroom set made of Cherry Wood.  I am hoping to get a new bedding set for Valentine's Day.  Hopefully after that I can post some pics.

5. Do you believe in the paranormal?

I am stealing Cop Mama's answer because she said it so well...As a Christian, I believe in angels, good and bad. I also believe Jesus is omnipresent. I also believe Satan is at work in this fallen world and that is why prayer is so important.  

There you have it.  Wanna join in the fun?  Just link up!

Shoot Me! 5 of 52 - The Long or Short of It

Which do you like better?  

I like it so much better shorter, but my husband and daughter both say longer.  What do YOU say??

Post a picture of YOU (yes YOU) with a child, spouse, friend or even by yourself every Thursday. You'll be glad you did!

Non Scale Victories (NSVs)

Since I asked all of you, who are on a health & weight loss journey, to share your tips, encouragement, and experience with me I thought I would do the same for you.  My first tip is... Be sure to celebrate your Non Scale Victories (NSVs).  You will notice that I added a gadget in my sidebar for doing just that.  I invite you to do the same!  It may be something as simple as turning down that brownie, deciding to take a walk instead of watching tv, or just sticking to your plan for the day.  Having the discipline to do those small steps is what it takes to succeed.  It's a simple thing, but it's important to recognize that we succeed in other ways besides the number on the scale. If you decide to add something to your blog to show some of your Non Scale Victories, just leave me a comment, and I will be sure to come by and give you a pat on the back for your effort.  We all need as much encouragement as we can get. Oh, and if you need help figuring out how to add a gadget to your sidebar I'll be happy to try and walk you through it, just let me know!

Working Mommy Wednesday 02/03/10

Today's Working Mommy Wednesday question is such a tough one.  I look forward to seeing how everyone else handles this situation...

What do you do about work when your child is sick? Whose responsibility is it to stay home when daycare is not available? Should Mom be the typical caregiver or should Dad step in?

I have to say now that my children are older this is not nearly the problem for us that it was when they were younger.  Basically my answer is we both share the responsibility of caring for (picking up from school, taking to the doctor) a sick child.  It usually just depends on what our work schedules look like at the time.  If my work load is lighter then I usually prefer to be the one to take care of them.  If I have a  heavy work load and my husband can take the time then he does it.  We usually just discuss it and figure out which will work best for everyone.  Now that my children are older, unless they are very sick they can stay home alone and we just check on them as needed.  Most of the juggling comes in when they go to school fine and call in the middle of the day sick and one of us needs to go and pick them up.  We are blessed that we both have very flexible jobs that allow us to care for our children without regrets. 

Wordless Wednesday 02/03/10

 

Accountability

As I mentioned yesterday I am in serious need of some accountability when it comes to my health and weight loss goals this year.  This will be the third time I have lost weight in an attempt to get healthy and feel better about myself.  The first two times I used a method that melted the weight off fairly quickly.  But then I slowly crept back to my old habits and the weight piled back on.  This time I've been trying a different, slower, less drastic approach.  The problem is I have a hard time staying motivated when I don't see results.  That leads me to why I'm posting today.  I need your encouragement and accountability.  I am hoping that posting a weekly update (I think that will be happening on Mondays) will offer some added accountability and motivation.  I have added a couple of gadgets to my sidebar to track my exercise and weight loss.  Thanks to Heather over at 16to6 for giving me the heads up about the dailymile. 

I know there are some other ladies out there who are also on a health/weight loss journey.  I would appreciate you sharing what helps you stay motivated and stick with your plan.  Any tips and/or encouragement would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks to the ladies who stopped by yesterday and agreed to let me walk this road with them!  It's nice to know I'm not alone!

Not Me Monday 02/01

Not me Monday is a fun way to share some of the things about you that you are NOT so proud of.  If you want to see what everyone else did NOT do this week, just hop on over to MckMama's blog. 

First of all it is most certainly not me who has a birthday this month.  I am not about to turn 35, which is eeking ever so close to the 40 mark.  I will not be squeezing all I can out of my birthday by celebrating all month long.  I would never remind my family at every turn that things should go my way, because after all it is (not) my birthday.

I am most definitely not the person who found herself totally exhausted after a long and very busy week last week.  We did not eat take out for dinner.  After which, I did not become a couch potato for the rest of the evening and go to bed early.  It was most certainly not me who took a nap after I did our grocery shopping on Saturday knowing that my house was a wreck and we desperately needed laundry washed.  I have not avoided housework all weekend in between our running.  Now it has not all caught up with me making this week look just as busy and bleak as last week. 

Last, and most importantly it is not me who needs some major accountability with my health and weight loss goals.  I did not gain weight after starting a group at my church who's goal is to achieve balance in this area. I will not have a post entirely dedicated to this subject coming up soon.

What have you not been up to lately?  Care to share?  Just be sure to link up over at MckMama's blog.