One crazy kid~

Yes he is crazy- that boy of mine Preston! He really isnt a boy anymore.. heck he will be 21 in a couple months.. but for real. Sometimes I dont know if he is thinking or what is going on in his brain. hahaa. Im glad he is living life though.. that there is super important. He is still recovering from his wrist surgery and off work.. so I guess with tons of time off you just have to find moments to goof around. hahaa The photo above is of him goofing around with fake mustache and whatever that is called below his lip. hahaa He said he was just trying to grow things out.. yeah right! LOL

The other night he and Rachel took a drive in the dark.. then he called and ended up texting me for directions to an OLD burr oak in McBaine, MO. A very cool hangout spot that we used to go to for years. Its one of the biggest burr oaks in Missouri. There is lots of history to this tree, there is even a fan page on Facebook for it! hahaa. So he made it down there, but it was dark of course and they couldnt take pics.. ;( The next day he called me and said that they had spent the night in Columbia and were going back to the *big tree*.. so I begged for a photo.. this is the shot he got... I totally love it. I am however a bit disappointed that they have this now paved, but the good thing is it helps with this area since its by the Missouri River and it floods constantly!
Lastly... the kid went ICE SKATING!!!! Can you believe that???? A broken wrist with a new screw and its not even healed and he went ice skating for the first time. What was he thinking? Argghhh.. He did good, sent me a video so I could heart attack! hahaa.. I wish I could figure out how to share.. he did really good, but still... *shakes head* ***ETA hopefully it shows up... here is the video!


In other news.. no weight loss or gain this week.. I have been pretty bad ;( Oh well, just try and try again right? Other than that, been working and going home and watching American Idol and playing around on Facebook {My Town} haha.

I plan on doing some scrapping in the near future and have applied to be a guest for Creative Scrappers, they are celebrating their 2 year anniversary. Check it out on their page! Click on the icon on the right column of my blog for more info! I made a couple of cards and altered a flask of all things....totally forgot to take pics! ;(

One last thing.. a friend of mine recently had a stroke. Please say a little prayer for her recovery, she is real sweet and far too young for this to be happening in her life. Her name is Patty! Thank you!!!

It was a long time coming~

it took all of almost 40 years to find this..

"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved." ~ Victor Hugo

but Im so glad and blessed that I did. Thank you Todd.. you rock my world...
...even if you give me this snarl when you are trying to be *tough* with me.. hahaa {usually its because the camera has been stuck in his face a million times} haaa

ps: Its been a different kind of week this week, Ive really been trying to see if I can diet without my little notebook being carried everywhere... and its semi working.. I guess.. altho I still feel more comfy having it handy. I am down another 3 pounds for the week.. Im not complaining!

This weekend I plan on taking the Christmas tree down-FINALLY!!! hehee.. and making some cards. Maybe some kits! I need to de-stash! Have a great Friday and great weekend! ;)

He likes~

First off... Happy Valentines Day!!! Did you do anything special? Did you get something special or do something special with your loved ones?

I got my tattoo and Todd took me out for Gyros on our cheat day from our diet.. so that made me super happy. I got him a kelly green Cardinals jersey and a headset for his PS3. We got the boys Tony Hawk jammies. hehee :)

Well its been relatively boring around here.. just the same old stuff day in and day out.. work, home, home stuff, work, sleep. This week was really hard on the diet front.. I wanted to gnaw my arm off on a daily basis, but I did good. I lost 3 pounds which isnt bad considering I kinda fell off the wagon towards the end. I had a hard time planning out the menu this week and bringing what I needed to keep me going through the work day. I plan on doing better this next week. My friend Gina suggested the Crystal Light Mango Peach Green Tree and let me just say it was AWESOME! I drank so much more water! So much I ran out! haha I dont miss my Pepsi at all, but I did suffer from a stinking migraine Friday. I ended up having to take off work. I did however start feeling better later in the day and was able to have a good Friday in spite of!

Last weekend I got to tear into my scraproom and do some organizing. I have way too much stuff that Im afraid I will NEVER use.. I want to sell it all and start over I think that would be cool. But I probably wont. What I will do though is when we move have my girlfriends come over and loot the joint. hehee Anyway, back to the point. I found a bag of stuff from Archivers that hadnt been opened even.. crazy huh?.. So I got it out and found a photo {one of my favs} of Hunter and whipped up a layout. The photo is kinda fuzzy because its a cell phone photo..but you get the jist. I think its my first layout of 2010.. I hope I can do more.. I just need to "feel it".

Hope your weekend is good.. and that your Valentine was sweet! ;)

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken~

ok.. so if you've ever been on a diet you know that its a pain in the BUTT to find good recipes that involve chicken or fish since thats basically all you eat. We are flavor people. We are LOVE to eat people.. we need to feel full and satisfied. Thankfully I found this blog Parkers General aka Lindas Kitchen and last night I tried out her CrockPot Chicken Salsa... all I can say is TOUCH DOWN!!! hahaaa.. {get it-made it on Superbowl Sunday} hahaa..
anyway.. I made this dish and served over rice.. very healthy and especially if you use no fat sour cream, but even so.. not too bad at all! Very low in fat and good for you... one portion filled me up and I have left overs for lunch at work today! It was also cheap! I used 4 of the 6 chicken breasts that come in a bag at WalMart for $6 and used the WalMart brand salsa with corn and black beans. Easy peasy!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken
4 chicken pieces
Sprinkle with 1/2 package taco mix.
Pour 16 oz, jar of salsa over.
Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Remove chicken from crock.
Turn crockpot to high.
Mix 2 T. water with 2 T. corn starch.
Slowly add to crock. Stir until thickened.
Add 1/2 c. sour cream and stir well.
Return chicken to crockpot for 20-30 minutes.

ps: you know what? I forgot the taco seasoning part and it was jusssst fine!!!

Also, one last note... if you do not have a rice cooker.. GET ONE! I swear it is the BEST $25 bux we have spent in a while. I cannot believe I was so resistant to the idea in the first place, but now that we have it.. I love it. I just put the rice in, water in.. a little seasoning.. turn on and leave to do whatever.. I come back the rice is perfect and warm. Perfect. Im all about simplicity and with the fish and chicken dishes we are eating, rice is a staple now a days! :)

Have a great week!!! Up next.. a layout.. YES I scrapped!!! woot woot!!

There was a football game today?~

hahaa.. yes I know there was.. but Im not into all that. As a matter of fact I think its still going on.

I spent most of the morning on Facebook playing Majonngg and doing paper work .. also a little kitchen clean up. oh.. and stirred up the comment section of Hobby Lobby-unintentionally.. goodeness, people are so easily offended.. its crazy! I really wish that HL was open on Sundays, its one of the only days I could have to myself to actually go somewhere alone and just shop-go down every isle and shop! But not at HL, they are closed on Sundays.. and while I understand this, I happened to point out that they were ironically posting on FB on Sunday the weeks specials.. what a tease when you arent even open!!! My comment sparked a Christian outburst. I consider myself a fairly spiritual person, I grew up in church and just because I chose not to go on Sundays does not mean that I disrespect those who do. I just think that we could all multitask on Sunday and the Good Lord isnt going to mind as long as we are good in our hearts! Anyway, I didnt mean to stir up things.. but did.. sighs*!!!

This afternoon I went into the scraproom. I got a LOT done in there. At least enough to where I could actually go in there and create.

I found out today that a forum I really liked disbursed in November.. whattttt? Creative Scrappers is no more? I knew itd been a while since Id been there, but was really disappointed to find out that they are no longer. ;( Where will I go to get the ins and outs of scrapbooking and show off my work when I get back into the swing of things. Ive visited many, had my own and still havent found anything quite like what Im looking for. Help.. suggestions please!

To be fair.. Creative Scrappers still has a blog with challenges and a facebook page with all other information. They still have a design team if you are into that.. so not all is lost, I just miss and enjoy the forum.

One thing for sure that I have decided is that when we move.. Im downsizing majorly in the scrap area. I wish Id known what I know now... ONLY BUY WHAT YOU'LL USE for a particular project! But the pretty papers.. oh my.. its ok, I dont have to have them all.. I have soo much and no room! Im also horrible at hoarding things to alter! I love to do it, but feel overwhelmed by it a lot. I think I need to set a goal to do one altered project per month. Or maybe I could send all my wood stuff to my friend Tam! hahaa.. she is the alter queen! ;) Check out her blog and her goodie store!!!

Oral what?~

Great... just great! hahaa.. I am not the type of person to ask "what next?".. but these past few weeks has got me to thinking that maybe I should have never heard that little question. Because now, Im at the risk of jinxing myself constantly by asking that lil 2 word question. ha!

So, today I was off work for my general doctor visit and a consult for my tooth that has been giving me fits. First up was the doc visit, which went FABULOUS!!! {except for the small little part about me taking myself off of my Prozac-bad Angi} hahaa.. He did put me back on the *happy pill* and doubled the dose-you go Dr. Shawahin!!! ;) Also, found out that this week.. drum roll please.. well in the past 5 days I have lost a whoppin' 13 pounds.. YES, 13 pounds!!!! I know in my heart of hearts its water weight, stress weight, but man.. I did the happy HAPPY dance! It hasnt even been a full 7 days! I can already tell a little bit of difference in the roll disappearing right below my boobs.. it had gotten to where I was really uncomfy. But surely its going away.. and btw, that is ALWAYS where I lose weight first, my mid section and boobs. NICE.. cuz now they are really going to sag! hahaha.. but who cares right? As long as I dont have to struggle over bending over to put on my shoes or perform a circus act to get my pedicure on.. Im all about it! Everything else checked out ok and we discussed the 6month specified diet that he was to guide me through according to the insurance. I told him that Id like to discuss it further with Todd and make an appointment to start within the next month.

Second up today was going to the dentist. uhgh..I was soooo nervous! I thought I was going to hyperventilate! He just laid me back further than I ever recall and took xrays and told me that I will need oral surgery because my tooth that had mid root canal/ready for crown was crumbling apart and that there were 3 big roots that were entangled in the sinuses... GREAT huh?.. So he said they would open that up, take the tooth out and close up the sinuses. So, although I have an answer, the cost is outrageous and I cant get into the oral surgeon until March.. so I have to wait, take even more antibiotics and hope it doesnt abscess again.. it will however give me a chance to save moolah to pay for the whole shebang!

oh quick story! My friend and co-worker Matt had referred me to the dentist I saw today. He said man he is cheap and he lets you make payments and all.. for less than $100 bux you can get your tooth pulled. I was like wow, but cautious too.. hahaa And after speaking to the secretaries several times I thought oh my they must be hitting the bottle at lunch too.. real raspy, loopy voices hahaa. So I tell Matt and he said well its the dentists mother who works there and they are a little "old school". He later told Todd that the dentist actually looked like a lounge manager for a strip club or some kind of porn directory {nice huh?} lol.. sooo with this in mind Todd took off and went with me today. We get in there and dude, they are soooo "old school" for real, they were still using ledger cards for payments,.. I didnt see a typewriter / computer or nothin! The decor was 1970ish with an actual couch, love seat and chair all in orange/brown plaid with heavy wood accents. It was dark and there was music playing. Todd and I sank almost to the floor when we sat down on the couch. As I was filling out the paper work, we were giggling bout the decor'... all the sudden "Lets Get It On" came over the speakers!!!! NO LIE!!! haha We DIED! hahaaa

And.. last but certainly not least.. I got a new tattoo today.. Im sooo happy and in love with it. An early Valentines present. Todds initial *T* on my ring finger. Ive been looking for about a year for something like this and finally found the right font and size and just WENT FOR IT today! I surprised Todd at lunch with it, by asking him how he liked my nails. It took him a while to actually see the tattoo because he was looking at the nails LOL, but the twinkle in his eye, the smile and the blushing gave it all away. He really loves it and loves me for doing something so permanent to show him my love. My true love! ;o)

Have a great weekend!!! We are going to relax.. I may even clean my scrapbook room! woot!

One day at a time~

Thought Id check in and let you know how things are going. The vitamins are really seeming to be of some goodness.. maybe not so much in the energy way, I feel about the same there. But I do feel "full".. I havent really craved many snacks and can wait longer between meals. I almost feel forced to eat in a way. Not hungry I guess. And I guess a lot of it could be due to stress? Or just the changes Im making.

I have started eating breakfast with taking the vitamins, something I rarely did before. Id usually wait til I got to work, have some coffee and then maybe around 1030 or 11 be starving and then over-eat at lunch. Not good at all!

So far the diet is going good, the exercise.. not so much ;( Im trying to stay below 1800 calories and 35 grams of fat per day. So far I feel pretty good, have had plenty to eat and eat regularly. I have also forced myself to drink more water. Soooo hard for me because Im not a drinker of anything much at all. I drink a bottle in the morning with breakfast and then at dinner or before bed-or both. I know that is not near enough.. but I can already tell a difference with how many trips Im making to the bathroom. Lots!!!.. it could be me shedding all that water weight too. Whichever.. its working. Im also pretty proud that I have kept with my goal of not eating after 8pm! Actually Ive hit the goal of 2010 of 7pm. so that is good.

ps: little note~ Thank you for all your kind words and prayers. We are feeling a bit better today and hopeful that the situation is working itself out. Going to keep on praying!

Heartsick~

This is the only way I can explain the way I feel today. Someone came into our life today and blew it apart. I cannot talk about the specifics of this happening.. but I can tell you that it is serious and that it has left me and my husband heartsick and in shock.

We are all healthy thank the Lord..!!!

We will make it through this... but Im struggling. I may be for a while.
Im at a loss... I just dont know what to do, say or address this problem anymore than I have already.

I cannot understand how someone who is a total stranger can come and mess up your life without giving it a thought, without asking before accusing.. someone that can stir up drama but not examine their own lives before spreading infectious lies to others. Someone that cannot gather facts nor communicate their feelings or actions on an adult level. Completely just shut down a very happy family in a matter of moments with sheer words.

Im strong and I can recover from this, our family is strong and can recover from this.. God will never give me more than I can handle. We will keep praying!

In the meantime... I hope to wake up tomorrow and this all will have been a bad dream.