What I've learned....in the last 12 months.

We changed out our closets this week. You know, that whole transition from spring/summer clothes to the fall/winter ones that it isn't quite cold enough to wear yet, but you are afraid of an artic blast pressing it's way through the South so unseasonably, and being caught with nothing warm to put on? It was this transition last year that convicted me to begin my 12 month shopping fast. This means...I have 3 weeks left of my fast. It ends October 11th.
I am feeling many emotions..relief...pride...guilt...fear...anxiousness...impatience...I am relieved and ready for this to be over..but at the same time, I'm scared to not have that discipline anymore. I don't want to return to being a shopaholic!! Now, I am looking forward to buying myself a few new essentials and I have my eye on a pair of new boots. But I want to stay focused and maintain my attitude of shopping for necessary items as opposed to shopping for wants. I am celebrating with a couple of friends by going to Atlanta for a shopping weekend in November, and I'm limiting what I can buy for myself-it will mostly be a Christmas gift shopping experience.
In the midst of this fast, my husband and I have refocused our budget (we did Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace back in the spring) and there is a small amount in there for shopping. I have two children that are growing at a ridiculous pace, I can't buy my son more than a couple of items of clothing at a time because he outgrows them too quickly. Most of that shopping budget is directed towards keeping them covered.
Last year, when I set this goal for myself, I also wanted to downsize my wardrobe. I got rid of about 3 large trashbags of clothes last fall. All in great shape, and was able to donate them to a women's shelter. This year, as I went through the spring/summer things that I was taking out of my closet, and the fall/winter things I was putting in, I got rid of anything that I didn't wear this past year, which happened to be quite a bit. Things that are in great shape, but not "my shape" I piled into two large boxes and I'm delivering them to a new home today. Things that were just ratted out I threw away. My closet is still full of things! I am not in NEED of anything other than some new long sleeve t-shirts.
I want to keep that focus and be a good example to my children of knowing the difference between need and want. I want to continue to be thankful for the things that I have, and not search for happiness in some new trendy item. This whole thing has kind of been like hitting the reset button on my outlook of what is important and meaningful in my life, and while I am really going to enjoy getting a new pair of boots..my life is not going to end if I don't buy them. And chances are, if I don't see some that I just fall in love with..I will talk myself out of buying them. I don't want to view it as a reward. The reward I have recieved from this is the way God has worked in my life over the last 12 months. The way He has worked on my patience, my self image, my gratitude for the blessings in my life, the way I view what is a blessing...I am proud of myself, but in many ways, I'm still ashamed of what led me to do this in the first place. It's somewhat embarassing to admit to being a materialistic person!!! And I know that I still have some materialistic roots in my being. It is a work in progress, and while I feel like I have made much progress..there is still so much room for growth. So, these next few weeks, I am going to be praying steadfastly for God to really instill the things I have learned over the last year so that when the calendar flips to October 11th, and I know Satan is going to be waiting for me (he has been taunting me the whole last year), I will be able to look him in the face and tell him to back off. Will you all say it with me?
"BACK OFF!!!"

09/11

Eleven years ago today, September 10th, 2001,  my son was about 8 months old. We were gearing up for my husband's first deployment away from us in his military career. He was scheduled to leave on September 20th.  I was nervous about the separation and how it would effect each of the three of us, but I was relieved that we were living at home (Louisiana) at the time, and my family was close by to help support us. The word "terrorist" and "terrorist attack" were not things that consumed my thoughts or dictated how I planned ahead for trips. I knew they existed, but they seemed like such a foreign concept. Those kind of things just didn't happen on our soil. I thought of them much like people think of any other tragedy they hear about, as something that happened to other people. I went to bed that night counting the days that we had left before Richard was scheduled to leave and thinking about the things we had left to tend to before that day arrived. The next morning arrived and our schedule was as usual. I was a stay at home mom at the time, and went about tending to Brian and our normal morning routine. I fed him breakfast and let him play for a while, I think I was reading a book while he played. It came time for his morning nap, and just as I was laying him down in his crib the phone rang. Richard was on the other end and he asked if I was watching the news. I turned it on while he filled me in that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. It didn't make sense to me, I couldn't process what was happening..then as we were on the phone talking and watching the news, the second plane hit. We saw it hit. Richard said "I have to go, this is a terrorist attack." I remember just standing there with the phone in my hand staring at the TV and trying to understand. The next few hours are a blur and kind of surreal. We were living on base at Barksdale AFB then, and the base was immediately locked down. You couldn't get on or off the base. I was on the phone with my parents filling them in, they didn't have TV's at their workplace. I called my oldest sister, a high school teacher, and told her to get a TV in her room. And then I remember thinking about the fact that Richard was supposed to leave in a few days. How the idea of that had all ready been scary, but now it was...terrifying. I remember seeing the smoke and ash covered faces of people that had made it out of the building. Seeing those that were stuck in the building that felt they had no other choice but to jump. The tears coming down faces. The faces that were obviously in shock. Hearing about the plane that hit the Pentagon. Hearing about the plane that crashed in that field..and everyone on board dying. My son waking up from his nap and wondering what kind of world he had just woken up to..and realizing he would never know anything different. Those next months went by slowly, as we sent Richard off to his deployment and then welcomed him back home. Shortly after, we found out we were moving to England, and while I was excited about the opportunity ahead of us, I was terrified of the unknowns and what could happen. There were two terrorist attacks on the tube in London while we lived there. A friend and I went to London between the two bombings. We rode on the tube and I remember looking at anyone with any bag bigger than a lunchsack with fear and suspicion. My daughter was born there in 2004. Neither of my children, as so many others, will know a world where 09/11 doesn't have the terrible memories that it does now. Will it end up being a memory like Pearl Harbor is to those who didn't live through it? Will complacency take over again? Has it all ready? Our world is forever changed. The lives taken that day will never be forgotten by those of us that witnessed the events unfold. The victims and their families are forever in our thoughts and prayers.
Never forget.

My boy

That's my boy. My little boy. My little boy that will be 12 in January. TWELVE. He is about an inch shy of being as tall as I am (I am 5'6"). We bought him men's size 9 cleats about 4 weeks ago and they are too small all ready, as are the men's 29x30 uniform pants we bought him a week before school started. This is why I only buy him 2 pairs of pants at a time. He is a bottomless pit when it comes to food, and is a meat and bread kind of boy. No veggies getting snuck by him!

Tracking the Outdoors In

This past weekend, Richard and I took the kids to the Buckmaster Expo here in Montgomery. While there, we got an upclose and personal peek at some well known folks such as Troy Landry from Swamp People and his sons and Mike Waddell from Bone Collector, even Jackie Bushman, the head hauncho of Buckmasters. But the person I was most thrilled to meet and even had a very friendly conversation with, was Stacy Harris, in the picture with me above. (Ignore my horrible posture and pale face and sloppy outfit...focus on Stacy's beautiful hair and slim figure..did I mention she has 7 children?). Stacy recently released a cookbook called "Tracking the Outdoors In", and it's stuffed full of recipes that focus on wild game...right up my alley! She has a website, www.gameandgarden.com, where she blogs and shares recipes. She's beautiful and very sweet to visit with us and even signed my cookbook!

Back To School...

My children started back to school over the last few weeks..Brian on the 13th and Rachel this past Monday. Here's a few pics of them on their first day of 6th grade (Brian) and 3rd grade (Rachel)....

Showing off the feather she got while we were at the beach a few weeks ago. Have I mentioned how much I didn't want her to get one? Then I reminded myself to choose my battles wisely...

Mimi called to wish her a good day at school right when we were getting ready to leave..

Look at how grown my little boy is!!! And handsome! Plus he's really sweet and kind.

And there he is with my handsome husband. He gets all his wonderful attributes from that man! Love them!

Anyway..I had forgotten how stinking busy it is when they are in school! Between school, cheer practice and football practice, we are all worn out by 8pm every night. Getting back in this routine is tough, but necessary. This is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year, and this August has been a delightfully mild one. I'm hoping that means we have a great winter in store!

Brian's football Jamboree is this Saturday, I'm looking forward to cheering him and his team to victory. I think I'm going to be that mom that gets a t-shirt with my son's face screenprinted on the front, and perhaps a large button that says "I'm #67's Mom!"

...I hope his number is 67...

Pray for my man as he is here next week with the kids on his own. I am heading to New Mexico with my father for an antelope hunt! I'm so excited, I can't stand it! They have gotten one each year they have gone, I'm hoping that I don't break their luck!! I'm sure I'll have great stories to share when we get back. In the meantime, I hope everyone's having a good back-to-school season!

Sum-Sum-Summertime!!

It's mid-July and feels like summer has flown by and I don't have a great tan to show for it!! I started out with a decent one back in May, but then June hit and we had to move and I've had no free time to soak up the sun! However, this Friday, my mother, sisters and our sweet children are heading to the beach for a few days of relaxation and sun-soaking! I am looking forward to a peaceful, relaxing visit. Then a week later, my husband and I are taking our children and going back to the beach for a full week of more relaxation and sun. We have been going non-stop since the kids got out of school in June and are about 95% settled into our new house.
We have loved the transition of life to taking care of 28 acres, however, my body is trying to figure out what the heck is going on! My arms are so sore from trimming tree limbs, re-doing flower beds, sweeping porches, not to mention all the boxes that have been opened, unpacked and broken down. Clearly, subdivision living did not provide the proper exercise level through daily chores for my poor limbs! All that said, we are very ready for guests at the new house, even have a sweet guesthouse for visitors to stay in:

We also have a new addition to the family, a bloodhound and Great Dane mix named Rebel. This picture was taken yesterday..he is 15 weeks old and huge all ready! He is a great dog and the kids love him tons.

Look at those feet!!

I'm praying that this last month of summer before the kids start back to school have some slow paced relaxation in there somewhere. Brian starts back to school August 13th and Rachel on the 20th. I'll be sure to post about the beach adventures coming up!



a morning ramble...

8 months into my "no clothes shopping"** and still feel like I need to downsize my closet some more. The house we have moved into has one closet in the master bedroom, and my husband only has his shoes and uniforms in there, the rest of his clothes are upstairs in our son's (big) closet because my clothes take up more than the rest of the space.

I guess moving makes me more aware of the quantity of our belongings, and the number of things we take for granted that we have. Things that I forget we own because we don't use them on a regular basis and sometimes only see when transitioning from one home to another, but can't seem to get bring ourselves to dispose of.

We've been blessed beyond measure (and I don't mean we have ridiculous amounts of belongings, just that we have above what our NEEDS are... I suppose it depends on who you are comparing us to), and I struggle with what we are doing to give back and return that blessing. I constantly feel like there is more that can be done....Beyond that, I also feel a call to minimize, to decrease the number of things that I have come to believe are necessity. While refraining from shopping has helped to not increase the number of things, I haven't done enough to bring that number down. Sometimes I know I feel God telling me to do something, but I'm not always great at hearing the details...I need prayers for clarity and discernment. I do know I don't want to be defined for the earthly possessions I have, but rather, what I do with what God has blessed me. I want to break this cycle of learned behavior that creates a sense of entitlement.."I have worked hard for this money, I deserve to buy ________" and create more a behavior of "God has blessed me with this money or means, how can I use it for His glory, and to further His Kingdom?" Living in a society that is constantly focused on what the next best thing is and how to get it, makes it very hard to stay focused on what God's purpose is for our life. I am pretty sure that God's purpose for me does not require a vast wardrobe full of trendy items and cute shoes. But it does require a heart of a servant and the willingness to act on what He leads me to do.



**I have to make a disclaimer/confession on the "no clothes shopping". My goal was to not purchase anything for myself that was not an absolute necessity. Here are some examples of what I have deemed necessity over the last 8 months:

1) dress for my husband's work Christmas party because I didn't have an appropriate one to fit my current "physique"
2) dress for my nephew's wedding...for similar reasons.
3) new t-shirts (I bought 4 for $10 each at Target last week) to replace the ones that were too small and had ant holes in them from the ants that invaded our closet a year ago.
4) new bathing suits that are modest and fit right for this summer. I bought 4 tankinis (we have a beach trip coming up and will be there for a week.)

Perhaps some of these things could have been eliminated as not being a necessity, but I am not claiming to be perfect, only making an attempt to stick to this pledge and conviction. Before and after most of those purchases, I was hesitant and sought reassurance (read "permission") from a few of the women in my life (my mom, my sister Michelle, and my friend Amy) whose opinions I trust and who understand the commitment I'm trying to fulfill, and who I know will help hold me accountable.

Comfort Food

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."~M. F. K. Fisher

One of the many things I love about being in the South is the hospitality. One of the main ingredients of hospitality? Food!! In the South, we eat for every occasion.

Death in the family? We take a meal.
Someone sick? We take a meal.
Neighbor moved in next door? We take a meal.
Someone had a baby? We take a meal!

No matter the reason, the act of sharing a meal with others is often times the best form of comfort or support we can think of, and many times is the most appreciated! Last fall, a couple in our small group at church lost their son, Owen, at birth, very unexpectedly. One of the first things we thought of to do as a small group was organize meals to take to feed their family. From that experience, Owen's parents, Nathan and Wendy, created an organization called HALO (Honoring Angels Like Owen) that helps support families that go through the loss of a child as they did. This past Sunday, Mother's Day, a family in their neighborhood delivered a baby that later in the day took an unexpected turn and passed away suddenly. Nathan and Wendy went in support in their capacity as HALO. Wendy emailed our small group a few days later to ask if we could help provide meals for this family. Together, our group came together and is providing 6 days worth of meals (3 meals a day) for this family that most of us don't know.

Recently, our church handed out bags to fill with food to deliver to local residents in need. They had a list included with the items to buy and they included things like spaghetti sauce, pasta, tuna fish, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, crackers, cereal...and at the end of the list it suggested a special treat such as Oreos or some other sweet item. My husband and 2 children were able to participate on the morning of deliveries, together with our friend Nathan (Owen's dad) and his two other sons, Jackson and Jeffrey. They delivered bags of food to four different homes and visited with each of the recipients, mostly elderly people that were unable to get out on their own. A couple of Sunday's after the deliveries were made, one of the many recipients from that morning called the church to express her gratitude. She stated that she only has $16 a month to purchase groceries with, in addition to her food stamps, and that buying things like the package of Oreos that was in her bag just didn't happen. The joy she had over recieving such a special, unexpected treat was abundant.  

Just today, I had someone offer to bring a meal to us because my husband has been out of town. It's just part of who we are as Southerners, and I really believe, as Christians. Servants of God helping those in need. This small act of love, kindness, charity, honor...can have such a huge impact.

If you have the means, find someone close to you or in your community for whom you can provide a meal, or a couple bags of groceries. You never know what kind of blessing it might be to them or their family. Just a simple act that reminds them that they are not alone, and that someone cares.

P.S. What's your favorite meal to deliver to someone?

50 Shades of Grey

I find this woman's perspective on the book "50 Shades of Grey" to be refreshing. I also have several friends who have read it, but I have held off because it just didn't seem like something I would be interested in..this lady's thoughts kind of explain why I feel that way.
http://www.purefreedom.org/blog/?p=320

A Tale of Two Bridges---the Science Project...

My 5th grade son had a science project, as I blogged about recently. He came up with the idea of testing two different materials and building the same design of bridge and seeing which one would be stronger.

One held up 25 pounds....

The other didn't!!!

 Here's some pictures of his project board...

Here's hoping he gets a good grade on it!!

This song really spoke to me tonight...maybe you can get a message from it, too.

I am a new creature in Christ...

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

I recently blogged about my fast from Facebook for Lent, and the revelations I had for myself during that time. As I have continued to ponder that experience, one other thing that has been prominent in my mind is the number of Facebook friends I have that only knew me in person before I came to know Christ. Since the time period that they were a part of my life, our paths have changed and perhaps they didn't know that I became a Christian.
Disclaimer-I was baptized in a Baptist church when I was 7 years old. I have always believed in God, and Jesus, but I did not develop a personal relationship with Him until I was 18 years old, almost 19.

I often make posts on my Facebook that reflect my love for Christ, or Scriptures.. and I make plenty of posts that are not about faith as well. I can see how many that only knew me when I was in a self-destructive phase of my life might be confused, or put off by the life that I now lead. I won't bore you with the details of my past, but will sum it up to say that I was incredibly lost and seeking to fill a void and find love in so many different ways that were never sufficient, and the best way I can describe it is that I was on a path of self destruction. Satan had his hands all over my life. During that time, I know now that my mother was praying for me constantly, as well as others, I'm sure. Her prayers were answered when I met someone (my future husband) that gently steered me back to reality and helped me to see the forgiveness and love that Christ had to offer me. Love that compares to no other kind of earthly love. That said, I know I have a dirty past. A past that I am not proud of owning, but a past that I am so grateful for being saved from. I don't believe that I am better than anyone, other than the person that I used to be. I am not perfect, I am still a sinner, but I gave up choosing a daily life of sin, to choosing a daily life of seeking Christ and trying to walk like Him. I am by no means sinless or perfect. But I am a new creature in Christ, and I can't imagine not having a life without His love ever again. That said, if you only knew me before my relationship with Christ, I can see how you might think I am a hypocrite. I'm not a hypocrite, I was just once lost, and now I am found. I don't deny my past, but I have claimed my future with Christ.

Why there are two parents...

Among many other, very important and normal answers to that question...I have this to add:
There are two parents so that the one that isn't good at research papers and science projects (in this case, that would be me!) can rely on the other parent to take up the slack.
What?! Like you haven't been excited that your spouse was around to help out in those situations because it's not really your forte. I'm am quite certain that my children's teachers know when the creative parent was around and when he wasn't due to the finished product they submit. My son has a research paper AND a science project due in about 4 weeks. I refuse to hold his 5th grade hand and ask him every night if he is doing the work required for each project. I am actually quite impressed that his teachers have given them detailed suspense requirements that they have to meet. I think it's a great way to remind them they have to do a little bit at a time to get it finished. The research paper he is doing good on...the science project hasn't been touched. It's due May 17th. I'm scared. I'm scared of getting stuck with a panicked attempt to throw something together at the last minute...and my husband not being here to help. I'm pretty sure I will have nightmares about this very thing until the projects are turned in. To give you an idea on how creative I am...I did a "science" project in middle school on textiles. There was no scientific experiment or comparison...I wrote a little paragraph about each textile I had a sample of, there were like 8 or 9 that I used, and stapled them to my project board. They didn't grow mold or crystals or spew lava or generate electricity. They just hung on the board for the judges to feel of and read what they were used for in our society. I'm pretty sure I did not place in that science fair. Another year I used my older sister's project on constellations that she had used at a different school. I wrote a new report, but used the same display that she had. Again, there was no objective or experiment. My kids are doomed if they have to rely on my scientific expertise!! Thank God for Google and the internet for ideas!! Bud's teacher sent home a few links that provide ideas for science projects...one was http://www.sciencebuddies.com/ and it has tons of suggestions. My other biggest fear is duplicity in projects..I want him to have something original and unique. Suggestions are welcome and appreciated!!! Please pray that he has something better than a board of fabrics or poorly displayed constellations (think blue spraypainted plywood with those silver star stickers as the constellations..see how scary that could be!?!)

Source: someecards.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Because we have all thought it at some point or another....

I gave up Facebook for Lent.

Now that Lent is over, and I can peruse Facebook again..I am processing the last 40 days of life without Facebook. Yesterday, my daughter asked me "Mama, are you happy you can get on Facebook again?" I realized I didn't have an immediate answer for her and just told her "I don't know, I'm still thinking about that. Here a few things I have decided about Facebook...(keep in mind this is my personal outlook and the result of fasting from it for 40 days, after having been an avid daily user for several years now)

1) It gives you a false sense of friendships. I have 619 "friends" on Facebook. These are family members, friends that I grew up with and friends that I have made as an adult. During that 40 day fast, I can count on less than 10 fingers the number of those "friends" that I had contact with. And to be honest, in a regular week of using Facebook, I don't have real conversations with most of those people. I actually renewed an old friendship with my friend Amy, who also gave up Facebook for Lent. Our daily contact and random texts with our "facebook thoughts" quickly turned to more personal conversations about things that we probably would never have posted on Facebook for everyone to see...which leads me to....

2) Facebook is a form of permissive voyeurism. When you add someone as your friend, you are permissively allowing them to be privy to any part of your life that you share in that forum. I know entirely too much about some people's personal woes due to the freely shared information on their pages. (This could be the same for blogging, although, you don't have as much control over who views your blog, as this is open to anyone that might google a topic you have blogged about.)

3) I can get a lot more done around my house without Facebook in my daily routine. How stupid and silly to say that I have allowed Facebook to consume so much of my daily life. But I can honestly say, I wasn't aware of it until I removed it from my daily activities. I got way more laundry and housekeeping done! I had lots more real conversations with my children because I wasn't distracted from checking everyone's posts. Really? What could anyone have to say on facebook that could possibly be more important than the conversations I could be having with my children?

I'm still processing my hiatus from Facebook, and I may come up with more revelations, but for now these are the top 3. Am I going to give up Facebook forever? Probably not. I do enjoy keeping in touch with long distance family and friends in this manner..but I do know that the last 40 days definitely made me re-evaluate my priorities, even the ones that I didn't realize I was making priorities. I know who my real live friends are that I can contact for the good and bad in my life. And my laundry pile is considerably smaller now than before Lent. I don't feel the need at this point to fill my mind with other people's random thoughts on a regular basis, and am kind of embarrassed that I didn't realize that was what Facebook was to me...a way to fill the silence. There are many things that the Lord dealt with me during this time, and I know it's because I finally gave Him the time to consume my thoughts instead of pushing Him to the side. I don't want to give that up and go back to replacing Him. I will have Facebook...but it will continue to be in a limited forum. And if I feel myself getting back into that rut, I will fast again.
This is the first time I have fasted from anything for that amount of time, I'm wondering what else in my life I could fast from and find God patiently waiting for me?

Wonderful Easter Weekend!

This weekend was fabulous! We didn't travel anywhere, and didn't have any family visit, so it was just the four of us; and while we missed seeing family, it was really nice to have some downtime just for us. Friday, the kids were out of school and they got to hang out with me all day.
Saturday started out with us going to the country house to fish the pond. We were there for about 2 hours and caught about 15 fish, to include bass and bream. We kept 8 of the bass, and threw the rest back. My husband is in charge of the status of the fish population in that pond and decides what we keep and what we throw back. I will try to get him to write a blog soon that explains the rules of this game. Anyway, after fishing, we came home and got cleaned up to head out to the Easter egg hunt at our church. Here's a few pictures from that:

Rachel patiently waiting for the start command...

It was a mad dash to pick up eggs...no real hidden ones on this field..

It's hard to get Bud to smile right for pictures these days...

Sunday morning, my sweet daughter helped me make beignets for breakfast. She read off the instructions, and I quickly learned that she is not real familiar with how to read fractions yet (1/2 tsp of baking soda became 1 1/2 tsp...)

She used a biscuit cutter to cut them out...

We had a huge plate of them when we were finished cooking...

My husband read us the Resurrection story from the Bible, and we discussed the events of that story with our children. We talked about how hard it must have been for God to give up His only child to take on the punishment for our sins and give us the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven. It's too big for me to fathom as a mother. The kids asked lots of questions, especially Rachel...who also professed her love for Jesus and said that she wanted to pray the prayer of salvation. I couldn't have asked for a greater blessing that morning that to listen to my husband lead her through this prayer and listening to her ask for forgiveness for her sins and asking Jesus to come into her heart and lead her through life according to His will. Amazing.

After the excitement of the morning, we quickly realized that we were going to have to go to the late service at church. Here's my sweet babies with the obligatory "sun is in my eyes" Easter picture. Aren't they precious?

Planning Ahead

This past week was Spring Break for my kids and my husband from school. It was a rather boring one for them since we didn't go anywhere special, mainly because I had sinus surgery on Thursday to repair 6 of my 8 sinuses. We had originally planned to go visit family in Louisiana the last part of the week so that I could help my mother with hosting a bridal shower for my nephew's fiance, but when I had my visit with the ENT on the 20th, he squashed those plans with the news we had kind of expected. So anyway, I have spent the last few days recovering from the surgery, which I pray I don't have to repeat. I was lucky in that he didn't have to touch my septum, so the facial pain has been a minimum. Mostly, the discomfort I have had was from not being able to breath through my nose the first 24 hours post surgery due to the packing, and then from removing the packing and the irritation it created in my nasal cavity. Ouch!! I have to admit, I cried when I had to take it out and I hope it's something I never have to do again. Anyway...today I am feeling somewhat back to normal, but trying to take it easy still. (I need to be able to work tomorrow!) So, I stayed home from church this morning and embraced the new plan we have for budgeting for our groceries, and created a supper menu for the next two weeks, along with a shopping list. The first week of the menu is based off of the meat products I all ready had in my freezer (boneless-skinless chicken breasts, a pork shoulder, tilapia filets, boneless country style pork ribs, a whole chicken, and shrimp). Easter Sunday and the second week will be items that I will be purchasing on this shopping trip.  Here's my menu:

Sunday 04/01-Fried Chicken, green beans, rice and gravy, salad and rolls
Monday 04/02-Crockpot pork shoulder, Lima beans, rice and salad
Tuesday 04/03-Tilapia Tacos with carribean style rice, guacamole and chips
Wednesday 04/04-Chicken Parmigian, Salad and Garlic Bread
Thursday 04/05-Leftovers!! If there aren't any, we'll have sandwiches
Friday 04/06-Grilled Country Style Pork Ribs, baked potatoes with fixings, and salad
Saturday 04/07-Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya, garlic bread and salad
Sunday (Easter) 04/08-Smoked Brisket, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, homemade macaroni and cheese, rolls and apple pie
Monday 04/09-Leftovers from Easter
Tuesday 04/10-Chicken Alfredo Tortellini, salad and garlic bread
Wednesday 04/11-We'll eat dinner at church this night
Thursday 04/12-Grilled ribeyes, Pioneer Woman's creamy rosemary potatoes and salad
Friday 04/13 (oh, just realized that's Friday the 13th!!)-Family night out for dinner
Saturday 04/14-Crawfish Pie, salad

I have made menus and coordinating grocery lists in the past, and I always find it makes my week so much easier knowing ahead of time what I'm planning to cook and I tend to stick to the shopping list much easier than going in the store and blindly purchasing food items without a real plan for them. It also cuts down on the time spent in the grocery store because I get what's on the list and only what's on the list. Something I did this time that I don't normally do is clip coupons specifically for items that are on my list. We don't get a Sunday newspaper, so I did all my coupon clipping online. I plan to go to the grocery store tomorrow (not quite up for it today), and I'll let you know how much I spent and how much I saved with coupons. I haven't quite figured out the art of coupon shopping that maximizes the use of a coupon, and can't say that I'm interested in shopping mulitple stores to find the best savings. I plan to purchase my meat products at Costco and most of the produce, dairy and other food items at Walmart. I like the quality of the meat at Costco, and I like the idea of buying them in bulk, as I recently blogged about, and re-packaging them in the portion sizes I will use later.

So that is the plan, and I am really hoping to stick to it! I also have a recipe from Southern Living for a lemon-blueberry cream pie that I plan to make at some point this week, possibly tomorrow. I have been craving something lemon...this beautiful spring weather must be responsible!

what do you wear??

I have to get something off my chest (it's not big and can't hold alot).

I hate when women wear clothes to church that are more designed for a night on the town. There. I said it. I don't think things like spaghetti straps, strapless tops, mini skirts, one shoulder tops, etc. are meant for God's house. I just really believe that when you are there you should be modest. I don't care what season it is, you can find something cute and comfortable that will cover you up. I find it especially distracting when I am sitting with my husband and another woman (or sometimes young girls) sit in front of us and their undergarments are hanging out, or I know suddenly about all of their moles on their back, or that they aren't wearing any undergarments. I mean really, ladies, didn't your Mama teach you better??? I'm not saying you have to go to church in a turtleneck and ankle-length skirts, but you should atleast be covered up. I don't think exposing your thighs, bare shoulders, back, cleavage, or butt crack in church (or many other places, for that matter) is appropriate. For one, you are supposed to be in church for worship. A time to honor Christ and be there to honor His place in your life. Not to look like you didn't have time to change out of the outfit you wore to the bar last night. Maybe you don't have friends in your life that will tell you that this is not appropriate...let me be that friend. IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE. You might say that my husband shouldn't be looking at you. Well, guess what, when you go around half dressed...everyone is looking at you, and if you didn't know that all ready you have been under a rock. It is possible to dress modestly and look cute for church. I do it every Sunday. Just sayin'. Think about the image you are creating for yourself, and the place you are going to wear it, and who might be sitting around you. Would you really want to be wearing that outfit to meet Jesus?

Whew...I feel better now.

Bulk Shopping

I can't quite figure out why wholesale warehouse shopping is so appealing. Perhaps it is because that is the only place you can purchase a package of toilet paper that contains 83 rolls. Or a 165 count of bandaids divided up in 3 different handy plastic dispensers. Or a box of 750 sugar-alternative packets. Or maybe, it's the people standing at the end of the aisles with their hot plates cooking up some tasty bite for you to sample. My kids love that part. Whatever it is, I absolutely love going in there. I feel like I have accomplished something important when I walk out of there and have massive quantities of product that I can't possibly ever run out of for a really decent price. We moved from England to Virginia in 2005. When we got there, we promptly got a membership at one of these warehouses, and my first purchase included a package of restaurant quality saran wrap that had 2 boxes of the stuff, with 500 square feet on each roll. It is 2012 now, we have moved 4 times since then, and I am still using that same saran wrap. I'm on the second box of it, and the container is about to fall apart, but it just keeps unrolling more saran. I think I paid about $11 for that package of saran wrap. I can honestly say, it has been worth every cent. I may cry when it is empty, because it is really good saran wrap!
Today, we went in to the local warehouse, and I purchased shampoo and conditioner that is in a 400 oz bottle with a pump on top for $7.88 each. I wonder how long it will take me to use up that shampoo...or if it will just miraculously keep pumping for 7 years? Probably not, but I will be anxious to see how long it lasts.
I also really like the meat departments in these stores. You can find really great deals on bulk packages of meat and bring them home and re-package in freezer bags the portions you will need to thaw out for a family meal. I got a package of 1 inch thick pork loin chops today for $13 that had 9 chops in it. I brought it home and divided it up into two bags and stuck it in the freezer. I also picked up a really nice looking package of ribeyes that were 1 1/2 inch thick, $26.85 for a package of 4. They generally have a great selection of produce and the bakery products are really great quality.
I guess I felt especially good about the purchases I made today after having gone to a local store yesterday that I have decided is for rich "earthy" people that are really into organic and have special dietary needs. I had a store coupon for a free organic chicken and a free block of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese (my favorite), so I decided to go in and check out their selections. I picked up two different organic chickens, and chose the one that was $9 because I just didn't feel right taking the $14 one for free. $14 for a CHICKEN!!! And it was dead!!!! I picked up a few other produce items in there, and mostly just browsed around looking at what all they had to offer, and decided this wouldn't be a store I would shop at on a regular basis for primary groceries, but have to admit that there are not many stores that you kind find white truffle oil in, and they had a variety of them, along with other specialty gourmet items. Their meat counter had lots to offer, and the steaks looked really nice...for $13.99/lb. They also had a really nice wine and cheese section, with so many different kinds of cheeses it was kind of overwhelming for a novice like me. I also thought it odd that the website for this store boasts that they like to sell products that are made within a 100 mile radius of the store, but the shrimp they had in their freezer section was from....Thailand? (I have a little bit of a problem buying seafood from a foreign country when we have excellent seafood that comes from right here in the good ol' USA...and did I mention I live in a gulf state??) Anyway, I think I will stick with my regular grocery store and keep that store in my back pocket for special occasions.

Random thoughts....

1) I discovered today that when you sneeze while applying mascara, it doesn't really pull off the look you are aiming for.

2) Technology is so cool. My 11 yr old son is able to chat via Facetime on his Ipod Touch with his best friend in Louisiana. They had a very stimulating 15-20 minute conversation about video games and school. I have a feeling they will be communicating quite a bit more, now.

3) Alabama weather is identical to Louisiana weather, just about a day and half later.

4) Don't forget to change your time this weekend, we spring forward an hour Saturday night.

5) I could really go for a loaded baked potato right now.

6) My need for something carb-like prompted me to through together a pasta dish tonight. Low Carb Mac and Cheese, if you will. Except I used rotini, the Dreamfields brand that has 5 grams of net carbs per serving. Then I melted half a wedge of Brie and a whole block of cream cheese and stirred in half a jar of pesto and mixed it all up with the cooked pasta. Oh my goodness. Low carb...definitely not low fat. But it served it's purpose! We are having it alongside grilled deer steak and a big salad.

7) This morning I weighed, and I have lost 5lbs in 11 days. About 6 more to go to reach my goal. Woohoo!!!

Favorite Book Character

This week, my childrens' school has been celebrating Dr. Seuss week. They have had something to do each day, like Wacky Sock Day, Whoville Hair Day, etc. Today they were to dress up as a character from any book they have read. Rachel dressed up as Junie B. Jones, as depicted on the cover of Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smell Bus. I think she nailed it! This picture doesn't show her feet, but her shoes and socks were exactly like the picture, as well.

Brian decided to be Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He even had the bad posture and attitude to go with it! No, his attitude was fine, but he did a good job of faking a bad one! In case you can't read it, his shirt says "I'm pretty much one of the best people I know" which is taken from a passage in the book.

Now...if I can just get them this excited over preparing for a test.....

The Country House

That's what my kids call it. The Country House.  We are moving there in June, just outside of the town we live now. Here's a picture of it:

Isn't it pretty? I can't wait to have that porch to sit on in the evenings while the kids run around in the yard. We also will have a pond behind the house, as well as some woods that we can hunt. The pond doesn't have a lot of fish in it, so we decided since we are going to be there for 3 years, we would take advantage and stock the pond. It's not a huge pond, so it won't take much to get it going. Today we took the first step by stocking it with 300 fish, a mix of blue gill and copper nose.

Can you believe that is 300 fish? I didn't count them myself...

We had to leave them in the bag and let it sit in the pond water for about 15-20 minutes so the water temperature wouldn't shock them. Then we released them into the water.

We also had to put fertilizer in the pond. This is my man gracefully throwing a scoop of the white stuff out into the water. We have to go back and repeat the fertilizer process in a couple of weeks. This helps the pond create enough vegetation for the fish to survive.

This is Eloise. She is an outside cat that the current tenants own, and are leaving behind for us to adopt. My daughter Rachel is beside herself, she has always wanted a cat.

I'm not a huge cat fan, but I think Eloise is sweet and pretty and she's starting to grow on me. I am anxious to  see how she and Buster interact with each other!

carbs....

Today...I hate the Atkins diet.
I want carbs.
Salty carbs, sweet carbs...
I don't care carbs.
Sigh......

But I won't have them. I promised myself and my husband we would stick to this diet, atleast for the first 2 weeks. I'm only 2 days into it.

By the way, I don't think I've lost a single ounce of weight yet.

Also, did I mention how great a plate of pasta sounds right now???

no facebook...

For Lent, I decided to give up Facebook. I haven't logged on once, but did get an email today that I have over 100 notifications...mind you, this includes any posts made by friends as status updates, and not necessarily directly related to me. I would venture to say that probably none of those are actually related or directed to me...very few of them anyway. I don't feel like I'm missing too much, but do catch myself out of habit reaching for my phone to check it out, even though I deleted the app on my phone for this time period. And while I'm not on it as much as Facebook, I have found myself enjoying Pinterest alot more than usual...as well as blogging more (3 times since Ash Wednesday...that's a lot for me!).

On another note, Richard and I started the Atkins diet yesterday. Typically, I think this diet works better for men than it does women, but we'll see. The last time we did this one, I had to quit about 5 days in because it was making me sick. I know now that it was because my gall bladder was bad and couldn't handle the high fat content that you take in on this diet. But this time, I am trying to focus on lean proteins like fish, chicken and pork, instead of the red meats we consumed so much of last time. We also have a good bit of venison in our freezer that is a naturally lean red meat. It seems that they have added more vegetables to the "allowed" foods list, particularly during the first 2 weeks. Still can't have any wine during this time period, but I have been taking full advantage of the 2 cups of coffee sweetened with only Splenda, and no creamer, each day.
Over the last few weeks, I have increased my water intake and have been better about fitting in exercise in my routine, normally with the treadmill, but this week I'm also adding a routine that I found on ...you guessed it...Pinterest. Here's the link so you can check it out:
http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/post/15968075542/photoset_iframe/backonpointe/tumblr_lxwus9c3lF1ql2uvy/500

My goal is tone up, not bulk up, and this regimen seems to be designed for that.
My meals yesterday consisted of cheese omelet for breakfast, chicken salad on a no carb wrap for lunch, Atkins snack bar (pretty tasty) and grilled chicken, sauteed squash and zuchinni and a big salad for supper. Today, I had a Go Lean protein shake for breakfast, a huge salad with sauteed shrimp for lunch, Atkins bar for a snack, and for supper we're grilling pork chops and cabbage (which has like 2 grams of carbs per serving-you are allowed 20 per day), and salad. I'm sure the kids will be thrilled.

Anyway...time to get moving on the treadmill...No pain, no gain!!

Birthday Fun

Friday was my baby girl's 8th birthday. See how excited she was to turn 8?

Saturday, she took 3 of her friends to a painting class at a local studio and they painted adorable pictures of monkeys, which after the slumber party seems really appropriate! Just kidding, they were precious.

Here's one of the 4 of them all done with their pictures...self portraits, don't you think?

Then we loaded up and came back to our house where they took over our smaller living room and hours of Just Dance 3 ensued. Tip: Just Dance is a great way to wear out little girls!! They were hilarious to watch, and were super serious about getting the moves just right.

Then we did pizza for dinner, and a chocolate chip cookie cake that my awesome neighbor, Karyn, made for us. It was wonderful, I'm considering it as dessert to my breakfast this morning.

Here's the girls this morning, after staying up past midnight and waking at the break of dawn. Something to be said for sweet girls that got excited that the cups in their goodie baskets had scriptures on them. Rachel is blessed to have such sweet friends (I consider it a blessing, too!!)

And for good measure, here's a few pictures of my baby girl over the last 8 years....I'm going to get a Kleenex now...

She'll be 25 before I know it..