Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Ready or not...

I am doing a Stampin' Up Workshop tonight. First one in 4 1/2 YEARS!

The 3-Day starts in three days.

I'm not packed.

Olaf's birthday is Thursday (the day I leave for the 3-Day).

Caleb has been home for two days because our Governer cancelled school to save fuel.

He is always asking me if he can eat.

He weighs 155 pounds.

That is my goal weight!:)

I went to Weight Watchers last night.

I hope to lose weight this week because I am walking 60 miles.

You never know though...

It's lunch time.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Adam Laroche

First baseman for the Atlanta Braves and my son Caleb! Adam threw the first pitch for his Challenger League game and Caleb was the catcher!

The first pitch!

How cute is this!?!?

Friday, September 23, 2005

The Sound of Silence

Olaf took all four children with him to get Chinese food! Something about that bewitching hour of 5:00 pm. My nerves get unsettled, the children seem exceptionally loud, the dog pukes on the floor, the dryer buzzes...you get the idea. Here I sit in complete silence and it is refreshing:)

Tomorrow is my last training walk! We are only supposed to do 9 miles which is cake. I am SO happy that this walk is almost over with. I have been training and training and spending more money than I should. It's amazing all the "stuff" you need to buy to just DO this walk! Karen is going to try to make it to closing ceremonies, so that will be a huge blessing for me to see her at the finish line. I am so happy to say the she is doing fantastic! She is feeling really good and the Lord is really doing something miraculous in her life.

I went to Bible Study last night. We are reading Home-Making by J.R. Miller. It was written 130 years ago. I love old books! I love the vernacular that is used in that time period. Anyway, the book is really good so far. I am looking forward to it. We just started it and already it has been a blessing. I missed Suzanne last night though. She wasn't able to make it and I miss her when she's gone. Charity is there to keep me in line. Girlfriend doesn't cut me no slack! Robin too... She loves to poke fun at me.

Have I ever told you that my sister in law looks a lot like Amy Fisher? She is absolutely beautiful but since they are both from New York, and they both have that accent, I cannot help but think of of Amy whenever I see Frances. I wish I had a picture of Frances to post, but I don't have a scanner.

Anyway, my supper has arrived. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Blessed

I asked my nine year old daughter for a Christmas list. Things will be tight this year at Christmas, so I wanted to know what she really wanted. Here is her list (spelling errors hers):

Saraphina cat toy (if anyone still has it!)
Brietta the flying horse (in the new Barbie movie.)
Maybe the new Barbie from the new movie too.
That cute dress from Lands End that Mama already got me.
Some kind of mystery books.
A hard computer game! (for ages 10 or older)
A new 2006 calender.

That's it! She doesn't even know what an X Box is or Nintendo or Game Boy. Oh, thank you God! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Olaf is home

and all is well with the world again. The children were so excited to see him drive up in the car. (Yes, we were waiting outside!) I have gorged on German chocolate and really don't want to weigh in on Monday. Tonight I shall have a German ale of some sort and perhaps watch a movie with my man. I have a coupon for a free movie at Blockbuster. Right now Olaf and Josiah are napping in the bedroom and I am making the other three be extremely quiet which is just torture for them. I tried to take a nap with them, but the other three were being so loud and obnoxious. I got up to keep them quiet so my men could sleep.

Misty and I walked today. We only walked for 3.5 hours, so that is probably 11-12 miles. I tried to put moleskin on two of my toes. Bad idea. The toe next to the wrapped ones have huge blisters on them. No more moleskin, OR I'll wrap all of them next time. Did you know I raised over $3,600 in the fight against breast cancer? Whoopee for me.

I need to work on my Stampin' Up demonstration that I have agreed to do. Sue Protzman (a gal in my downline) sent me some samples, a stamp set to use, and some other goodies. I am so grateful for that. This Tuesday I am having a Southern Living at Home Party here. If you're local, you're invited!:) Be here at 6:00 pm. I'll have food for you to eat. I cannot afford to buy anything, so I hope it's not a total flop for the consultant. Maybe I can buy a Christmas present for Olaf's brother and his wife though. We'll see...

Oh, here is a photo of Olaf and his cousins in Hamburg. The little girl hanging on him is his cousin's daughter. She is eleven and has fallen madly in love with Olaf! This was taken in the Italian restaurant.


Have a great weekend!

Oh, I just had to come back on here and add this. Olaf brought these home from Germany. Imagine the texture of a puffed cheeto that tastes like peanut butter. Weird in a good sort of way!:)

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Survivor

OK, OK...ya'll know I'm a loser and watch Survivor every season. Well, Guatemala looks like it's going to be tough. Stephanie is back and so is Bobby Jon. That was a surprise. I really like Stephanie. I hope she wins this time. She won't though.

Olaf is coming home tomorrow. That is exciting news. Well, he's coming home provided Delta is STILL flying that route tomorrow. LOL! I laugh because I don't want to cry. I don't think the bankruptcy will affect us too much right now, but who knows what the future holds. I am certain that we will have another pay cut and more layoffs. I just hope that Olaf's seniority date is good enough to keep a job. It's hard on guys like Olaf. They are trained to work on aircraft. I mean, there isn't a lot he can do besides that. Now that he's a foreman, that looks great on a resume...but no one is going to hire a middle manager without a college degree! I am not worrying though. The LORD is in control and as long as my family is together, then we can weather any financial storm that we may have to go through. Besides I have a rich friend in Oregon who sells real estate. Maybe she can bail us out!;)

Oh, we actually used ALL of our cell minutes up this month and dipped into our rollover minutes. That was a surprise. Have said how much I love Cingular? Well, I do! That is by far the BEST cellular company out there. It is the only company that gets a signal in my house. FOUR bars! Can you hear me now Verizon? No bar Verizon!! Well, I do have to admit...the newer Verizon phones do get a signal in my house now, but not at the same strength as Cingular.

I am looking forward to the German chocolate but not weighing in on Monday at Weight Watchers. I think I have gained back the 3 pounds I lost. Where is my motivation? Has anyone seen it? I know it left me for another. I think Cheri stole it. I really do! She steals everything.

OK y'all, I am going to bed! This girl is plum tuckered and there ain't no sleeping in for me this weekend either. I must walk, walk, walk...

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

I thought I'd fall apart

but actually I am doing quite well without Olaf. Caleb and Camille miss him the most. The littles two are fine. Josiah hasn't asked for him once. Grace just says she misses him after Camille says it:) Caleb has only asked a handful of times, so that is a blessing! I thought this would be much worse and I am so grateful things have gone smoothley.

Olaf spent some time with his cousins tonight in Hamburg. They took him out to eat at an Italian restaurant! Go figure! He wants GERMAN food when he's in GERMANY! Anyway, when I called the hotel at 9:45 pm (German time) he still wasn't in. Did you know there is NO air conditioning in the hotel room where he is staying? It is a Courtyard by Marriott and NO AIR! I am SO sorry, but this chick is NOT leaving the USA. Call me spoiled, called me arrogant, call me what you will, but I will not pay $150 per night for a hotel with NO AIR! No way! On top of that, it's a SMOKING room. Blech! I KNOW he is so happy I am not there with him. I would be so miserable and crying to go home. A smokey, hot, stuffy, by-the-airport-so-you-hear the-planes, hotel. Shoot me now.

I was watching a local TV show last night (you know, on the local cable channel) and I won 2 of his T-shirts! He asked a trivia question and I got it right. The question, what was Forrest Gump doing in all the still photo shots during the movie? You can google it and get the answer!:)

I'll update again sometime on Saturday. I am walking Saturday morning with Misty. We need to get in at least 15 miles. 17 would be better. I haven't walked at all the past two weeks... The weather has been so pretty the last few weeks. I sure hope it will be like this for the walk.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Why do I feel like I have been busy?

All week it just seems like I have been running around and getting nothing accomplished. Olaf had Monday off because of Labor Day. He spent the entire day painting our bathroom. No it isn't that big, but painting for Olaf is a lot more than just painting. We took the van in for maintenance on Tuesday because the check engine light was on. Picked it up on Wednesday to the tune of $300. Thursday my dishwasher decides to stop working. Olaf is installing a new one as I write this. He stopped by Sears today and got this for $300 on clearance. So, in two days we spent $600! Olaf leaves on Monday for Germany. He will be back Friday afternoon. I think I am going to have a tough time with Caleb. Caleb simply adores Olaf and I am not sure if he is going to understand why Papa isn't home. Please pray for us next week. I also agreed to do a Stampin' Up workshop for my next door neighbor. I haven't done a workshop for 4.5 years. The only reason I am doing it is to maybe find some new customers that will place minimum orders to help me stay active. I already told the hostess I do NOT want to book any workshops or do anymore workshops for her. I will gladly give their business to another local demonstrator. Maybe I should just back out altogether. Right now it is scheduled for Tuesday the 27th.

I think I may be starting to get something bronchial. It's weird. My voice is a bit raspy and my chest is a tad tight, but that's it. No sore throat, no major cough (just one here and there to clear my vocal chords), no congestion. I am taking this to try and boost my immune system. It's tasty. Raspberry is my favorite by far. My zinc is expired but I may take that as well. Did I mention I am tired? I am reading (because Charity made me) the book "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. Today I read this:

Sleep may very well be the single most important ingredient for digestive health. And it is important to get enough sleep at the right time. Some researchers believe that every minute you sleep before midnight is the equivalent of four minutes of sleep after midnight.

If that is true, I am in trouble. We are never asleep prior to 11:30 pm. Olaf is up at 5:00 am and I follow at 6:00 am. Maybe we just need to get more sleep!:) Actually, the book is quite interesting thus far. I am currently in chapter three which is all about the importance of the GI Tract. Since I have GI issues, I have really loved reading all this science behind our bodies. I did not know that our gut produces serotonin just like our brains do. I also didn't realize that our gut is actually like a second brain. It's called the enteric nervous system. It can act independently from our other brain. It literally learns from experiences, remembers past actions and events, and produces an entire range of "gut feelings" that can influence your actions. You know, like "butterflies" in your stomach. I know whenever I have a worried thought, I immediately have to poop. If I'm nervous about something...poop. I would totally suck as an Emergency Room doctor.

You have to go look at my friend Cheri's baby girl, Anna Elizabeth. Isn't that picture precious? Cheri is such a fashion freak that child will have a Vera Bradley pocketbook when she's two!

OK, off to read my book. Thank you Charity for always bringing it up. I am enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Monday, September 05, 2005

The year was 1985

I am going to put in bold the songs I especially liked!

1. Careless Whisper, Wham! (George Michael was still in the closet)
2. Like A Virgin, Madonna (Madonna was never in the closet!)
3. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Wham!
4. I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner
5. I Feel For You, Chaka Khan (I think I love you!)
6. Out Of Touch, Daryl Hall and John Oates
7. Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Tears For Fears
8. Money For Nothing, Dire Straits (This video got too much air time!)
9. Crazy For You, Madonna
10. Take On Me, A-Ha (This video was too cool for the time)
11. Everytime You Go Away, Paul Young
12. Easy Lover, Phil Collins and Philip Bailey
13. Can't Fight This Feeling, REO Speedwagon (I still love REO songs)
14. We Built This City, Starship
15. The Power Of Love, Huey Lewis and The News
16. Don't You (Forget About Me), Simple Minds
17. Cherish, Kool and The Gang
18. St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion), John Parr
19. The Heat Is On, Glenn Frey
20. We Are The World, U.S.A. For Africa (Michael Jackson misquotes scripture in this song. He sings "As God has shown us by turning stones to bread..." Sorry Michael, that is what satan told Jesus to do in the tempation!)
21. Shout, Tears For Fears (let it all out)
22. Part-Time Lover, Stevie Wonder
23. Saving All My Love For You, Whitney Houston
24. Heaven, Bryan Adams (I saw him in concert in 1985 in Seattle)
25. Everything She Wants, Wham!
26. Cool It Now, New Edition (Bobby Brown was in this group! Whitney is four songs up...whodda thunk??)
27. Miami Vice Theme, Jan Hammer
28. Lover Boy, Billy Ocean (Saw him at the Oregon state fair 1986)
29. Lover Girl, Teena Marie
30. You Belong To The City, Glenn Frey
31. Oh Sheila, Ready For The World
32. Rhythm Of The Night, Debarge
33. One More Night, Phil Collins
34. Sea Of Love, Honeydrippers
35. A View To A Kill, Duran Duran
36. The Wild Boys, Duran Duran
37. You're The Inspiration, Chicago
38. Neutron Dance, Pointer Sisters
39. We Belong, Pat Benatar
40. Nightshift, Commodores
41. Things Can Only Get Better, Howard Jones (Wow wow wow oh, wow wow wow oh oh oh oh)
42. All I Need, Jack Wagner (All you need is to go back to soap operas!)
43. Freeway Of Love, Aretha Franklin
44. Never Surrender, Corey Hart (Because he's wearing his sunglasses at night!)
45. Sussudio, Phil Collins
46. Strut, Sheena Easton
47. You Give Good Love, Whitney Houston
48. The Search Is Over, Survivor
49. Missing You, Diana Ross
50. Separate Lives, Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
51. Raspberry Beret, Prince and The Revolution
52. Suddenly, Billy Ocean
53. The Boys Of Summer, Don Henley
54. One Night In Bangkok, Murray Head
55. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, Sting
56. Obsession, Animotion
57. We Don't Need Another Hero, Tina Turner
58. Material Girl, Madonna
59. Better Be Good To Me, Tina Turner
60. Head Over Heels, Tears For Fears
61. Axel F, Harold Faltermeyer
62. Smooth Operator, Sade
63. In My House, Mary Jane Girls
64. Don't Lose My Number, Phil Collins
65. All Through The Night, Cyndi Lauper
66. Run To You, Bryan Adams
67. Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen
68. Voices Carry, 'Til Tuesday (Hush hush, keep it down down)
69. Misled, Kool and The Gang
70. Would I Lie To You?, Eurythmics (Funky hair!)
71. Be Near Me, ABC
72. No More Lonely Nights, Paul McCartney (He is SO much better solo than with the Beatles)
73. I Can't Hold Back, Survivor
74. Summer Of '69, Bryan Adams
75. Walking On Sunshine, Katrina and The Waves
76. Freedom, Wham!
77. Too Late For Goodbyes, Julian Lennon
78. Valotte, Julian Lennon
79. Some Like It Hot, Power Station
80. Solid, Ashford and Simpson
81. Angel, Madonna
82. I'm On Fire, Bruce Springsteen
83. Method Of Modern Love, Daryl Hall and John Oates
84. Lay Your Hands On Me, Thompson Twins
85. Who's Holding Donna Now, Debarge
86. Lonely Ol' Night, John Cougar Mellencamp
87. What About Love, Heart
88. California Girls, David Lee Roth
89. Fresh, Kool and The Gang
90. Do What You Do, Jermaine Jackson
91. Jungle Love, The Time (oh we oh we oh)
92. Born In The USA, Bruce Springsteen
93. Private Dancer, Tina Turner
94. Who's Zoomin' Who, Aretha Franklin
95. Fortress Around Your Heart, Sting
96. Penny Lover, Lionel Richie
97. All She Wants To Do Is Dance, Don Henley
98. Dress You Up, Madonna
99. Sentimental Street, Night Ranger
100. Sugar Walls, Sheena Easton

However, I love the year 1980 even better!

1. Call Me, Blondie
2. Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd
3. Magic, Olivia Newton-John
4. Rock With You, Michael Jackson (This is when Michael was still kind of black!)
5. Do That To Me One More Time, Captain and Tennille (Don't you LOVE them?)
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Queen (Yes, he was a queen!)
7. Coming Up, Paul McCartney
8. Funkytown, Lipps, Inc. (Won't you take me to...)
9. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, Billy Joel
10. The Rose, Bette Midler
11. Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Rupert Holmes (Oh, who didn't like this song?)
12. Cars, Gary Numan
13. Cruisin', Smokey Robinson (And who doesn't like Smokey???)
14. Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl, Spinners
15. Lost In Love, Air Supply (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Air Supply!)
16. Little Jeannie, Elton John
17. Ride Like The Wind, Cristopher Cross (And another melodic voice!)
18. Upside Down, Diana Ross
19. Please Don't Go, K.C. and The Sunshine Band
20. Babe, Styx (Styx is another all time favorite band!)
21. With You I'm Born Again, Billy Preston and Syreeta
22. Shining Star, Manhattans (Darlin' you are my shining star, don't you go away!)
23. Still, Commodores (Ahhh, lovely!)
24. Yes, I'm Ready, Teri De Sario With K.C. (to fall in love with you oo ooo)
25. Sexy Eyes, Dr. Hook
26. Steal Away, Robbie Dupree (Why don't we steal away)
27. Biggest Part Of Me, Ambrosia (Ambrosia is another all time fave of mine!)
28. This Is It, Kenny Loggins (Oh and Kenny is SO good.)
29. Cupid-I've Loved You For A Long Time, Spinners
30. Let's Get Serious, Jermaine Jackson
31. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer, Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes
32. Sailing, Christopher Cross
33. Longer, Dan Fogelberg (Saw him in concert in 1990-ish)
34. Coward Of The County, Kenny Rogers
35. Ladies Night, Kool and The Gang
36. Take Your Time, S.O.S. Band
37. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer
38. Too Hot, Kool and The Gang
39. More Love, Kim Carnes
40. Pop Muzik, M (New York, London, Paris, Munich)
41. Brass In Pocket, Pretenders (Why did she have brass in pocket?)
42. Special Lady, Ray, Goodman and Brown
43. Send One Your Love, Stevie Wonder
44. The Second Time Around, Shalamar
45. We Don't Talk Anymore, Cliff Richard
47. Heartache Tonight , Eagles
48. Stomp, Brothers Johnson
49. Tired Of Toein' The Line, Rocky Burnette
50. Better Love Next Time, Dr. Hook
51. Him, Rupert Holmes
52. Against The Wind, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
53. On The Radio, Donna Summer
54. Emotional Rescue, Rolling Stones
55. Rise, Herb Alpert
56. All Out Of Love, Air Supply (I want an Air Supply Greatest Hits CD)
57. Cool Change, Little River Band
58. You're Only Lonely, J.D. Souther
59. Desire, Andy Gibb
60. Let My Love Open The Door, Pete Townshend
61. Daydream Believer, Anne Murray
62. I Can't Tell You Why, Eagles
63. Don't Let Go, Isaac Hayes
64. Don't Do Me Like That, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
65. She's Out Of My Life, Michael Jackson
66. Fame, Irene Cara
67. Fire Lake, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
68. How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
69. Into The Night, Benny Mardones
70. Let Me Love You Tonight, Pure Prairie League
71. Misunderstanding, Genesis
72. An American Dream, Dirt Band
73. One Fine Day, Carole King
74. Dim All The Lights, Donna Summer
75. You May Be Right, Billy Joel
76. Hurt So Bad, Linda Ronstadt
77. Should've Never Let You Go, Neil Sedaka and Dara Sedaka
78. Pilot Of The Airwaves, Charlie Dore
79. Off The Wall, Michael Jackson
80. I Pledge My Love, Peaches and Herb
81. The Long Run, Eagles
82. Stand By Me, Mickey Gilley
83. Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar
84. Deja Vu, Dionne Warwick
85. Drivin' My Life Away, Eddie Rabbitt
86. Take The Long Way Home, Supertramp
87. Sara, Fleetwood Mac
88. Wait For Me, Daryl Hall and John Oates
89. Jo Jo, Boz Scaggs
90. September Morn, Neil Diamond
91. Give Me The Night, George Benson
92. Broken Hearted Me, Anne Murray
93. You Decorated My Life, Kenny Rogers
94. Tusk, Fleetwood Mac
95. I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince
96. In America, Charlie Daniels Band
97. Breakdown Dead Ahead, Boz Scaggs
98. Ships, Barry Manilow
99. All Night Long, Joe Walsh
100. Refugee, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Friday, September 02, 2005

Charity's Birthday

This is Charity and her Superwoman socks! I just had to buy them for her. She has a Wonder Woman shirt already, so she *needed* those socks! We celebrated her birthday last night at Bible Study. It was fun. Ms. Mike blessed me with this bracelet and this charm for walking in honor of Karen in the 3-Day! I have never had a piece of James Avery jewelry before, and I probably won't ever again! I was so humbled by her very kind gesture. It is just lovely!

I am walking tomorrow at 6:30 am which means I need to get my keester to bed. Olaf is doing the Narnia stuff at the Christian Bookstore tomorrow from 12-2. I want to go down with the children and take a few pics. I'll post them tomorrow. We did get some full size Narnia posters btw. They are folded, not rolled. I will be sending them out to those of you who requested them before. I think it was Cheri, Dawn, Mari and I forget! Anyway, we also have door hangers and mini posters of anyone wants some. We have more Narnia passports and buckslips(just a pieve of paper with something about the movie) as well. He got 10 T-Shirts all size medium, but he *has* to give those away! They are going on the "prize wheel" that the radio station will have there. Olaf took this picture tonight.
Look at Josiah's little fist all balled up at her! He is fighting off the evil Witch of Narnia!