Cat was here!~

My friend Cat and her husband Don came through a couple weeks and stayed for the night. They had been on a 2 week vacation traveling the midwest. I was so happy that they could stop by if even it was a short and sweet visit!

This is the only pic I have of Cat and I from the trip.. I think she may have one.. but anyway.. it was good to see her, but selfishly I wish she could've been here for a much longer period of time.. ooo the troubles we could get into! haaWe are soooo cheese! hahaaa. ;o)

While Cat was here she did a photo shoot of Hunter.. I cannot wait to see the pics.. he was such a good little model for her. I will share them as soon as I get them! Also while here, Don got to show Hunter his love for Legos too. Yes.... our house is a LEGO graveyard? junkyard? heap? mountain? fountain of fun? hahahaa... whatever.. it keeps that crazy boy happy! This is something that he made the other night. I have to shamelessly admit I kinda like playing with them too.. well not "playing" but building things.. When Hunter gets a kit we usually build it together... then last night after he went to bed I spent an hour and half creating a helicopter for him. He was sooo freakin' happy when he woke up and found it. {except for I put a Lego girl into the cockpit rather than a boy} hahaa

More goodies to share later.. off to enjoy some of this SUNSHINE!!! ;)

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Pie~

This lil boy has become quite the chef lately! Ive been letting him fix his Daddy Sunday dinners.. the week before he made Tuna Noodle Casserole and then last Sunday he made this Chicken Pot Pie! He pinched the edges of the pie crust even! I was so impressed and it makes him SO proud to do something for his Daddy on his own. Seriously all I do is open the containers/cans and he adds it all, seasons it and stirs it up.. I only help with lifting and placing in the oven if needed. I thought Id post this recipe too.. it is easy peasy lemon squeezy!!!!

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Pie~

1 set of pie crusts
1 can chicken breast chopped/drained
2 cans mixed veggies drained
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 can of water {use mushroom soup can}
salt/pepper/garlic
1/4 stick butter cut into pats

Instructions: Lay the 1st pie crust out in your pie plate {I used a deep dish pie plate}, use fork to poke some holes in crust. Mix chicken, veggies, soup, water and spices in a bowl then transfer to pie crust. Cover with remaining crust, pinching the edges together. Poke more holes in top layer of crust and add the butter pats. Bake in 350 oven until the crust is golden brown!

Its the easiest and fastest dinner in the west... and Todd could eat the whole thing himself I think! hahaa.
ps: I have tried using the canned beef to make this too, it wasnt as big of a hit as the chicken... so Im sticking to what works right??? ;) Enjoy!

Notes~

Just a little note to let you know that Im still here... just working a lot and when I get home just feeling like crapola thanks to those womanly whoas!

Anyway.. Things are going ok with the WLJ. Ive been watching what I eat, but still need to push the water. I havent taken the vitamins in a while either. I dont see a big huge difference except it did seem that they made me feel fuller in the mornings. Will just have to see. In an earlier post I know I told you guys that I thought I had probably gained back all the weight I lost. Well.... NO, good news I even lost a few more pounds. How. On. Earth. Did. That.Happen? hahaa.. Im happy about it.. but still in disbelief. Maybe its just smarter choices and less Pepsi?

Lastly for today.. I have several friends asking for your prayers.

Please pray for my friend Gina, as her father was diagnosed with brain cancer and has underwent surgery. I havent heard anything as of today, but yesterday she did say that they were able to remove 95% of the tumor and he could recognized the difference between Gina and her twin.. With that positive note.. Im sure they will continue to need more of our prayers for his hospital stay and everything he must endure.. and to the family that is keeping it together. Big hugs out to them!

Please say some prayers for my friend Miranda.. she sent me an email asking that I have anyone I know pray for her and her children. It seems there is some sort of child-support issues going on and family drama. If you have children or have been married and/or divorced you will know how important these issues can be and how they can effect the children. I pray that this goes fast for her and that her children understand the sacrifices that a Mother makes.. She has had her share the past year. She deserves better.

Please pray for my friend Lynn whose husband will be undergoing heart surgery this next week. He has some clotting issues and they are really worried he may have a stroke due to the stress from the surgery and the clotting. But it is something that has to be done to preserve his quality of life. I know that this man came into Lynns life for a reason and she would be so appreciative if he stayed a lot longer. Pray for a successful surgery and speedy recovery please!

Im going to try to post some photos of our adventure last weekend when Preston and Rachel were up for a visit... and.. update on a few other things as well. Hang in there with me..

I'll be back! ;)

Blessings vs. Shamrocks~

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!

Today on Facebook I posted my status as "May your blessings out number the shamrocks that grow." I totally wish this for everyone. I know and am reminded everyday of just how blessed I am, not only with my husband and boys.. my entire family and some very special friends.

Im not a religious person by any means. I am, however, spiritual and believe in God. I pray for strength from him every night. I pray and thank him for watching over my boys-to keep them healthy, happy and safe. I pray for those who are having a particularly hard time. And I pray that He eases the pain for those facing very difficult challenges. I pray for our world and all of those who have lost the battles and that their families have the strength to carry on.

I suppose what Im trying to say is that I have several friends right now that are probably questioning their faith, questioning why God would put good people through such devastation. I wonder that too.. but I keep on believing. I know that we are strong people and good. And I know that miracles do happen every day and I believe that the power of prayer is beyond what we will ever know.

So if you are reading this.... please pray! Pray hard, pray for their faith, strength and hope. I wouldnt ask anything else of you but this today. It would mean so much to me. Thank you!

We are survivors and we can make it... I know we can-together!!!!

Busy as a Bee~

Long time no talky talk huh?... Well I have several different things to cover in this blog so it may take a while.. sit a spell, and hopefully enjoy! hehe :)

1st} I hope that you will join Creative Scrappers in their 2 year anniversary and celebration of their 100th sketch in the month of April! They have 40 guest designer reveals on Tues/Thurs., regular designer reveals on Sunday, a super huge blog hop and greatest of all TONS of prizes! So if you havent joined yet.. do so! psst. Im a guest designer ;) woot woot!

2} The WLJ is on hold. OHMYGOSH have I been bad. I know I have gained back a lot if not all of the 16 pounds I lost. I dont know, Im afraid to look. Ive tried to make good choices even though I knew I wasnt counting calories and tried not to eat out junk food or snack unless it was fat free. But still I have fallen. Im going to climb back up though. I have to! Have you seen the show Ruby?.. its on the Style Network. She and I weigh about the same right now. She is the sweetest thing from the south. She weighed close to 700 or more and lost lots.. and is still struggling. The other day I was watching the show and she said that if she does not journal and watch every calorie/fat gram that she takes in the weight comes back on. And boy can I relate! Im just exactly like that. Its hard knowing that you have to calculate every morsel that goes into your mouth. You just want to be normal. I want to be normal! ;(

3} Preston did it! He finally signed up for Law Enforcement Training @ Mizzou in Columbia, MO. I am sooo proud of him, but incredibly scared all at the same time. He is super nervous about it and doesnt seem to have a whole lot of folks supporting him so I am doing the best I can. Of course this makes me want to move even faster! I just feel like I need to be there for him! He starts in May and was the 20th student to sign up for this session. He is excited and insisting on paying for the whole thing himself.. I so admire him. Its going to be tough, so say a prayer for him if you will. This is something he has wanted since he was 3 years old. So proud!!!

4} Work... ahhh work. I have been working a lot of overtime again. Its the billing season. I did however get everything done and out on time. And it wasnt as stressful this time. I know that when the payments come in it will be stressing me some, but I plan to take some days off here and there to help with the stress. Starting with this Friday. Preston and Rachel are planning a trip up over her spring break. I cannot wait! I love having my boys home with me!

5} My friend Cat and her husband Don came through Illinois on their vacation and spent the night with us. I love having her here and wished she could have stayed longer. We relaxed, ate good food and chit chatted and the next day she set up a photography shoot with Hunter. I cannot wait to see them and share them with you all! Sadly we had to say goodbye too soon. I hope that someday I can come visit her in Minnesota. She is like a best friend to me!!!

In other news... We are still planning on moving, its just a slow process, we have some things {cosmetic} that need to be done weather permitting then we will start advertising. The worst part is that it seems that every other house in this subdivision is for sale ;(. I am going to keep praying though. My goal is to end my job by July 31st. So we will see, this means I have to have a new job there by then. Im scared. Its been a long time since Ive had to do anything like this. This week Im going to do some blog catching up, applying for jobs and scrapbooking. I need to gear up for the CS fun fest.. woot woot. Wow, its going to be bussssyyyyy around the Dawson household.

I hope you have a great week too! ;o)

Hunter-ism~

Last night while Todd was in Target getting my prescription filled- Hunter and I waited out in the car. We talked about many things.. then out of the blue Hunter says: "Mom, I want to go to a bull fight.... a real one,... one where the guy uses a red blanket and says *ho-lay*" heheheheee ;)
Could we have a future Matador? Funny dude!

Im in love~

I know.. blah blah blahhhh ... hahaa but its true.. I really do love my husband Todd so very much! I was just thinking how much I love this pic that we took from this past weekend while looking for Eagles on the Great River Road. I wish I hadnt been in the shadow so much, but its still pretty nice! What ya'll dont see.. is one of the things I love most about Todd-his humor... It had to be cut out of this photo... I didnt even know it, but he was grabbing my boob... the perv! hahaa ;)

In other news.. Went to the doc today ... and the verdict... bronchitis. Just in time it was caught said the doc or it may have turned into pneumonia, which is what Todd was sure I had. Believe it or not this morning I was feeling SO much better. Anyway, I was put on 10 days of antibiotics and hopefully in the next couple of days I'll feel EVEN better!

anndddd, in OTHER news.. remember that celebration that I was telling you about at Creative Scrappers???.... welllll guess what? They had over 170 people sign up and out of that- 80 were picked to be guest designers for April... andddd guess what???.... IM ONE OF THOSE 80!!!! Woot woot!!!! ;) Could this be the creative boost I needed?... Could this be my chance to return to the one obsession that has taken over my life and our extra bedroom?... Could it be???... We shall see... da da dahhhhhhh Im so happy and so honored!!! So stay tuned to CS via the blog and Facebook to see the reveal in April... its going to be amazing! ;o)

Times, they are a changin'~

This past weekend we took a trip up the Great River Road... saw lots of things we've seen before, but ate at a different place this time. And this time... Preston wasnt with us. Still we had a great time and saw some Eagles which was the main objective. I took this picture when Hunter was a baby and decided it would be cool to take the 2nd picture this past Saturday so that thru the years we could compare. Id love to take this trip when it wasnt cold and the colors were brighter... maybe later this summer.. and maybe with Preston. hehe

Not much else to post today, except that Im not feeling good and Todd has finally convinced me to go to the doctor.. so tomorrow at 2pm thats where I'll be. He thinks I have pneumonia .. I just say, same old same old. Ive had this crud for two weeks... its starting to wear on me though I do know that. Im tired today... super tired and generally feel yuck.

Later today Im taking the boss to the airport... when did I get elected to do this?... hmmm I guess its just part of it?... we'll see.. I do know this too... he is going to miss me when Im gone! ;)

Have a great week! :)

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.

Goin' Bananas~

Ok, I know with all this WLJ talk going on that I shouldnt be posting such recipes.. but goodeness, it just popped into my email and I just think it sounds so yummy that I wanted to post and share with ya'll.

Banana Chocolate-Chip Cupcakes

Ok, since this pc is being a butt head I will just link in the title of the cupcakes to the recipe.. its pretty simple, you just add in 2 bananas and chips to the recipe of the white cake mix{basically} and bam.. I bet they are so good. Did I buy the stuff to make these..... YES! Will I make them?... ummm probably not until a gathering or something like that happens. Until then, I'll have to pretend that they are melt in your mouth yummo. If you try them.. let me know!

Hope your weekend is rockin! ;)

Double Digits and the Big Five~

Well its been a couple weeks now.. but my two youngest, Justice and Hunter had birthdays. We had a whole weekend of celebration! It was really groovy because in addition to Justice being here Preston and Rachel were here as well.

We got up on a Saturday morning and made a birthday cake for the boys. Todd cut out the plan and then Preston decorated it. It turned out awesome and it tasted soooo good! Rachel and I assisted in the whole process ;)....

Later that day we met with Jim, Melly and Aj and had dinner at Lotawata Creek at the boys request. The place is sooo yummy! A bit spendy but my oh my is it ever worth it and the wait!

Here are the photos for the whole day/evening if you want to take a look!

We got our eat on.. came back to the house and the boys did the birthday cake thing and they opened their gifts. Big hit was the Tony Hawk "RIDE" game that Aunt Melly and Uncle Jim got them. We spent the rest of the night playing that and eating cake.. having a good ol time! ;)

I cant believe my boys are growing up so fast. Sad, but happy all at the same time! ;)

Crunch Time~

Wow.. cant believe its been 10 days since I last blogged! Ive thought about it several times and wanted to but these past 2 weeks have been hell. I thought things were supposed to calm down in 2010. LOL Work has seriously stressed me out... and apparently made me into a different person. Ive become more outspoken to customers and was actually told that I was *arrogant and sarcastic*.. I do not think I carry these traits at all! But maybe Ive went overboard because of the stress?! I just dont understand that the trash business is so dang tragic and dramatic, but it sure as heck is. I just am to the point where I say... put it out the night before, pay your bill... we pick up.. if we dont for some reason THEN ok, please call. But otherwise I should never have to talk to you. Never. Arghh...
Enough of that.. onto some other matters of business...

1} WLJ.. not much going on on that front. I see my regular doc on the 5th of February and will talk to him about all of this. Monday- the 1st... Todd and I are going to start with our diet/exercise and goals. I weighed in this week and Jillian from Biggest Loser is right.. stinkin' stress can make you blow up! I have probably gained 4-6 pounds since the 9th of January. And, Im at my highest weight ever!!!.. Ive NEVER been this heavy even with pregnancy. So, after a week of crying over it.. Im feeling better and more positive. Im looking forward to making our grocery list and shopping and the sheer burn of some exercise! hehe Also, we decided to start taking a multi-vitamin too. Our friend Matt and his g/f Beth told us about the One-A-Day Energy multi-vitamins and they say it just gives you that extra pep in your step without jitters. Its an all day kind of energy. We said heck its worth a try. So tomorrow we start taking those. I hope that they do give a little boost.. it certainly wouldnt hurt. I'll be sure to update on that as the weeks go by.

2}Teeth... OMYgoodeness! Have ya'll ever had a tooth abscess? Back when I first moved to IL with Todd I had a toothache.. first time ever in my life. So went to the dentist to find out that I needed a crown. After a few visits getting it primed I found out I was pregnant. Well, when the doc found out he went through the roof and did not finish putting the crown on. So with time and no insurance I just let it go. And until recently {past 6 months} the tooth is crumbling and causing me some pain. Lately it has been abscessing and causing sooo much freakin' pain and general feeling of YUCK. So today, I have had it. I called and made an appointment to have a consult and get it taken care of. It is next Friday after I see the regular doc! When I called the secretary said she couldnt believe I was willing to wait until next Friday. I said well it does hurt. she said oh my you must be feeling bad, and hurting. Yes. It does for sure.. but I waited this long. In the meantime they put me on some heavy duty antibiotics to get me prepared for stuff that they may do next Friday. I just want it all removed! Cheaper ;)

3}Facebook.. I love facebook, Ive really been able to reconnect with a bunch of folks from back home especially that I really miss! Im also able to keep in touch probably moreso with my brother since he is now in Hawaii. The only thing thus far {until this morning} that bothered me was the virus that we got through it. A good virus/trojan/worm program fixed that. So anyway, this morning I happened to be just surfing around when I came across a fella that used to be really good friends with my son Preston. They used to chum around in Elementary school and we even had this fella to our house for sleep overs several times. Now, he is about 20, same age as Preston.. but surprised to find out that he is married and has a child. So being the nosey person that I am.. I decided to look at some of his photos of his family... only to find photos of him drinking, being drunk and I can only assume high. There were photos of him passed out and of him using a bong. Ughh.. to each his own.. but I just didnt want or need to see that. Learned my lesson.. but man... what if his Momma saw that?.. she would be heart-broke! I know I would have!

More to come this weekend.. woot woot.. Glad its here! Enjoy yours! :)
ps: Maybe I can get more blog links up.. I miss having those.. we saved them when we moved the pc.. I just need to get them all back into place!

WLJ Update~

WLJ{Weight Loss Journey}
Well, I told you that last Monday Id be receiving a call from Dr. Wagner the surgeon who Id contacted for the LapBand.... I did indeed get a call from Brittany-who has been assigned to help me through this whole process. I cannot express how upset I was after the call. Angry, crying.. I had just received a LIST a mile long of things that I had to do if I wanted to continue with this journey. I have been struggling since with my decision and am still at a loss as to how to go forward.
First and foremost, if I do not plan on paying for this weight loss surgery on my own, in full .. I will have to wait NO less than 6 months to even start moving forward even a tiny bit.

Brittany told me that she had called my insurance company and was told that they do not cover any type of Bariatric surgery. Ok, so I knew that... but.. the insurance company did say that if the physicians involved in my care wanted to "fight" them, they would do a review... possibly several.. and I would either get the go ahead or not. And all of this AFTER my 6 months of a supervised physician diet and exercise program. It does not matter my past or what I have done.. it starts from the first time I see my physician and on. I am to see him once a month for talk, diet plans and exercises. He documents. He sends findings to the insurance company ALONG with LIST for review.
The list includes... 2 different physician letters supporting my need for said surgery. A Nutritionist eval, Psyciatric eval, Medical Records {lifetime}, series of blood work ups, TSH, current diet plan {the 6month ordeal}, diet history {past 10yrs}, Upper GI, full cardiac clearance {who knows what kind or how many of the cardiac tests are needed}and PFS. I think that is it.. I was trying not to cry and write all of this down.

So, I do all of this and it can be denied.. several times over, with more tests and more urgent letters from the docs.. and more diet plans and cost. {Just my copay is $20-$40 per visit}.. She also suggested joining either Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers and pay them to journal/keep my records for me as another form... alas costing even more moolah!

Im not opposed to doing all of these tests.. for real it could be very helpful. Butttt... the cost, the time consumption.. and all to hear a NO.. I just dont know if my heart/soul can handle that. I just dont know.

On the other hand.. if I had a cool $15K for the surgery.. Im looking at a letter from my physician, medical records {past 5 years} and a Psyche eval. .... thats it.. done... have it and in and out lickity split. Crazy.. pure crazy!

Im at a sheer loss. Ive missed the window to get in to see Dr. Wagner for a consult this month {and wouldnt you know his consult fee *cash only* is only $200 this month, rather than the usual $375}...I dont see my regular physician until the 5th of February. He will then set up yet another visit to talk to me about the 6 month diet thingie. YAY.. so many delays.. so many decisions. In the meantime.. Im going to start my own diet/exercise with Todd as planned before going to the seminar as it was one of our New Years Goals.. we'll see how that works for me... it certainly couldnt hurt!!!

Next time.. a peek at our 2010 New Years Goals and possibly a look back at some 2009 highlights!