Look at my cutie pie!

So many fans

I have been admonished by several of you (OK about three people) that I need to update this here blog. So, I am updating...

As you know, our 20th anniversary was on the 23rd. Olaf got me the most beautiful platinum and diamond earrings. The bad thing is the post is so thick that they are hard to get in my ears. I have never had screw on back earrings before because I have never owned a pair of expensive earrings before. Here is a photo of them.



What else? Hmmm... Simon cut his top teeth and ate his first homemade chocolate chip cookie tonight. He still isn't crawling, but he gets on his hands and knees and then pushes up to just his knees. He is starting to clap, wave, dance, say Mama and Papa, and he definitely knows what "ninny" means. (That is our word for nursing)

Although I ate horribly all week, I still exercised and somehow (miraculously) lost a pound. I am going to start Weight Watchers soon just for the accountability. I am finding I need that. I am trying to get Olaf to join with me. We could take the baby to the meetings and Camille could stay home for an hour with the other children. He doesn't need to lose too much weight. Maybe 30 pounds maximum. He did say he would start working out with me. We bought these resistance bands that come with a workout. I got medium and he got heavy. I can't wait until we get them.

We had this most excellent raspberry wine/liquor at Epcot and ordered it from our local package store. It came in and we are enjoying it:) It's called Grandma's Liquor and is considered a dessert wine. One word. Scrumptious.

That's about it I think. I will try to be better about updating. It's just hard to sit down and type when I am holding Simon almost every single moment.

Tammy in Oregon

This is for you! Scroll down to the last row.

Twenty Years

Happy Anniversary to us!

And here is a photo taken today..no make up!

We tried to highlight my hair. I didn't leave it on long enough, so I have these red/caramel colored highlights. It looks fine, just not very noticeable. I can't get my new hair to style the way I want to. It's frustrating. I think it's too long on the top. I use gel and blow dry and then use hair spray and scrunch it all up...still can't get it right. Oh well.

I have been updating my weight loss blog with my workout stats. Nothing major, but I want to keep track of my exercise progress. I am down 10 pounds but I have been dieting for almost 6 weeks. I wish exercising didn't make me hungry. Oh my do I get hungry. It is coming off slowly, so I need to focus on the positive.

I saw Mike Huckabee on The Colbert Report tonight. He makes me laugh! He said Stephen Colbert can be his running mate if he wins the nomination. Huckabee has a great sense of humor. You can watch the video at that link.

New Hair

Olaf is going to highlight it for me. I colored it a few days ago, but it's not drastic. Just a little red in the undertone.

Rabies Awareness

A shout out to all The Office watchers who read my blog! Here is a picture that will only have you thinking one thing: Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure

Watching the debates

The debates are on behind me on ABC. I am decidedly undecided. I don't fit into any political category per se, so I really like to find out what each candidate believes in and then make my decision based on that. I will have to agree with the candidate on more than just one or two issues. I am really stupid when it comes to foreign policy and am trying to educate myself on that issue. Hillary is behind me talking about Pakistan and missles and I feel so stupid. Heck, I can't even explain the election process to you. Caucuses, delegates, electoral college, Super Tuesday, etc. Good thing I am not running for president.

We went to Costco today. I bought a scale that measures body fat, bone weight, water weight, and muscle mass. Pretty nifty. It does weigh me 1.5 pounds heavier than my current digital scale so that sucks. I am not even going to tell you what my body fat percentage was. I will say the normal range for a woman my age is 24-34% and I am higher than that. It will be interesting to watch my muscle mass increase as I continue to do the FIRM. I am excited about that.

Simon is eight months old now. I took a few pictures of him today. I'll close this post with his cuteness.

Laurel, Laurel, Laurel

Ya know, I really like the Laurel tree. I also like Laurel and Hardy. And Laurel Canyon in California is a great neighborhood from what I hear. Laurel, MD is probably a very nice place to live. And friends named Laurel are so needy:)

2008 is less than 12 hours away

The plan for this evening is to have some snacks and let the children do their best at trying to stay up until midnight. It should be fun. We have cupcakes, chips and dip, lil smokies with BBQ sauce, Chex Mix, egg rolls, taquitos and chimichangas, and crab ragoon. What could be better?

Olaf went over to the next door neighbor's house at 9:30 this morning to tell her to turn down her loud rap music. She was outside and had the car stereo turned up so flippin' loud and was dancing around her driveway. I think she is in the 9th or 10th grade, but she has no respect for adults. When Olaf asked her to turn the music down she said, "It aint loud!" Now I am afraid that she will get her high school gang friends to come kill us. I am not sure what is going on with that house anyway. People are in and out and no one knows who lives there. It's just very odd. When they first moved in it was just a single mom and the daughter mentioned above. Then a boyfriend moved in and trouble started (another story). Then he moved out and females moved in. It's just a weird scenario. Since the boyfriend moved out is fairly quiet over there for the most part. Well, except for the riding lawnmower that they ride every single day from sun up to after dark.

I got my results from my pulmonary lung function test. I didn't understand what the nurse said though so I have a call into the doctor's office for clarification. They are prescribing me Symbicort so something must have been askew. I have had no significant changes in my chest X-ray so that is good news.

Oh, and one more thing...these are fabulous!

Almost 2008!

We had a great Christmas. (If you aren't marked as a 'friend' you will not see the Christmas photos!) Josiah turned FIVE yesterday (you'll see those photos too) and we went to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate. I totally blew my diet this week and gained two pounds. I cannot believe I did that. However, I did exercise every other day with the FIRM. At least that is a step in the right direction. I plan on doing the FIRM every other day until I get a little stronger, then I will go to everday.

Here is a video of Josiah on his fifth birthday (yesterday). He is so cute. He lives on peanut better and chocolate. He has the prettiest brown eyes and his favorite drink is milk. He weighs about 45 pounds and is about 45 inches tall. I think he is pretty neat.


I hope y'all have a great New Year. I never make resolutions because I never keep them. I do hope to be lighter at the end of 2008, but that's about all.

If Oprah can do it, so can I

I really wish I would have been in the audience for Oprah's favorite things show. Wouldn't that have been fun? So, I thought I would put together a list of MY favorite things.

Trapp candles are simply the best candles ever. At Trapp, “A bottle of perfume in every candle” is more than a tag line. It’s true. It takes just one experience with a Trapp candle to realize what every Trapp devotee knows: the amount of fragrance we use means we can keep our promise: “A Trapp candle or spray is guaranteed to fill a room with fragrance or we will replace it…even a votive." My favorite scent is Fresh Cut Tuberose, but Mediterranean Fig is also fabulous.

Speaking of tuberose, my favorite shower gel is Velvet Tuberose by Bath and Bodyworks. It works into a foamy lather and smells heavenly.

My favorite workout is The FIRM. I use the TransFIRMER. You really will see visible results in ten workouts. They are hard, but so worth it.

As I have posted before, my favorite laundy detergent is Charlie's Soap. One tablespoon is all you need for a large load of clothes. Love it.

My favorite parenting magazine is Mothering. I don't agree with 100% of what is printed in it, but I really like the natural childbirth and breastfeeding advocacy that it promotes.

My favorite online community is Women at Home. I have made some fabulous friends on this forum and am blessed by them on a daily basis.

My favorite movie has got to be Life is Beautiful. It must be watched in Italian (the original language) or it just isn't the same.

My favorite TV program is The Office. It makes me laugh so hard. That's what she said. However, my favorite TV program of all time is I Love Lucy. Olaf bought me this for Christmas.

My favorite disposable diaper are Pampers Cruisers. My favorite cloth diaper is Fuzzi Bunz.

And my very favorite thing of this year is my Dyson Vacuum. Oh my word. I love it so much. I would marry it if I could. Hee hee.

So there you have a few of my favorite things. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... There are many more, but I'm sure ten is plenty for now.

Gosh I love having a blog

Especially when I want to express a strong opinion about something. I rarely use this forum to do that, but I just have to this time.

Jamie Lynn Spears, baby sister to super famous Brittney, is pregnant. She is sixteen years old and has her own hit TV Show on Nickelodeon, a cable channel targeted to young people. She has decided to come forward and tell everyone of her pregnancy because she is keeping the baby. A lot of the evangelical Christian community is dogging this girl and it is pissing me off. Where, oh where, is that very vocal PRO LIFE community? This young girl has chosen to give this child LIFE. If she had an abortion we would have never known and she could have moved on with her career. As it is, she may never work as an actress for a very long time. I say thank you Jamie Lynn for giving this child life. This is one Christian woman who thinks you ARE a role model to young teen girls who may find themselves pregnant. Why can we so willingly forgive Ted Haggard for having a homosexual affair, doing drugs, and being an ALL OUT HYPOCRITE--but we refuse to show the same mercy and grace to a 16 year old girl who made a foolish decision but has willingly chosen (unlike Haggard who was found out) to come forward with her sin? Sheesh...

Just one more day

Tomorrow is the last work day for Olaf and then he will have five days off. Whew. I thought we would never get through this week.

Josiah turns FIVE on the 26th. I cannot believe my little guy is going to be five. He is such a handsome fellow. He is very tall for his age and wears a size 1.5 shoe. He is thin and eats peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. He loves chocolate more than his father (I didn't think that was possible) and would eat it for every meal if I let him. His favorite breakfast is a Pillsbury Toaster Scrambler. He wants a Thomas the Tank Engine cake...again. He has had one ever since his second birthday. He is learning his letters but he much prefers to color and cut and use a glue stick. He likes to burp and fart and sometimes he cries when he doesn't get his way. He likes his sisters to wait on him hand and foot. He initiates kisses every single morning when I get up and every single night before he goes to bed. He still likes me to hold him in the recliner. He is such a blessing straight from God and I am beyond happy that he is mine.

Changing the subject completely...we always have lasagna for Christmas dinner. I think the next week will be hard for me to stick to my diet. I did do the FIRM tonight (well, I attempted to do the FIRM tonight). It's not fun doing those workouts when you are as fat as I am. Grace came bouncing in to the living room to tell me, "You aren't doing those exercises right Mom." Uhh, no joke. They are the size of my left thigh. Someday though...someday:)

Tuesday

It's going to be along week. Olaf is working ten hour days so he can have Christmas Eve off. Sucketh.

I had my pulmonary lung function test done yesterday. It was awkward to say the least. You have to put this tube in your mouth and do all these crazy breathing techniques. Then they gave me four puffs of albuterol and made me do it all again. Four puffs of albuterol makes me jittery and shaky, but it did help me breathe better. I guess it's a trade off. I should get the official results soon. I still need to get to Newnan Hospital for another chest X-Ray. I definitely have to do that before the end of the year. Our insurance changes January 1st.

I maintained my weight this week. I didn't think I overate too much, but apparently it was enough to make me NOT lose. Oh well...keep on keeping on. I had such a big loss last week that my body may be in a bit of a shock.

Olaf bought this air hockey table for the children for Christmas. He set it up on Sunday and the children are having a blast playing it. We got it at BJ's so we only paid $350.00 instead of the $497 that is listed at WalMart. The children already have "air hockey arm." Their triceps are already sore.

Simon cut his two bottom teeth a few weeks ago and is trying desperately to cut his top two. He is rubbing his face on everything. He still only sleeps in one hour increments, but I have adjusted. Good thing I don't have to get up and be anywhere early. That would pose a problem.

Caleb is out of school on vacation. He will be asking for the bus several times a day for the first week. He loves school. Home is too boring for him. He does love to help out around the house though. He loves doing dishes, folding clothes, vacuuming, etc.

I am going to sign off so I can go watch The Biggest Loser finale. I love that show.

RIP Dan

I saw Dan Fogelberg in concert in Westbury, NY. I loved his music. He died from advanced prostate cancer.

Yoo Hoo...Oh Tammy....

Do you remember this?





Someday Olaf is going to buy one for me. Red quarters not needed. I miss you. What is going on with Ted? Please e-mail me or better yet, call!

Catch up...

I lost six pounds in one week. I'll take it. You know you are really fat when you can lose that much weight in a week. I could be on The Biggest Loser. I can fit into my fat pants now instead of my super fat pants. I am going to my Bunco Christmas party tonight, so I don't want to blow the diet there. I need to eat before I go and only eat veggies while I am there. I am going to have a half glass of moscato though.

If anyone out there wants to take my dog, please let me know. I am serious. I don't want him and I am honestly thinking of taking him to the pound. He is half pekingese and half shitzu. He just turned six on December 10th. Any takers?

Simon has his ear re-check tomorrow. He still has a nasty cold so I am certain his ears will still be infected. Now he is coughing as well. Will it ever end?

Thank God today was the last day of Spanish until next year. WOOT! That means I can slow down a little. Monday afternoon I am having a pulmonary function test done. I also need a chest X-Ray as a follow up to the one done in January. I have been having some weird shortness of breath (not associated with just being fat) so the doctor scheduled this test for me at Fayette Hospital. We'll see...I am sure it comes from years of my mom smoking two packs a day. Gross. Anyone who smokes around children should be slapped.

Simon is poopy, so it looks like I need to go. Have a great day!

The Reason for the Season

My friend, Becky, has a great blog post today. You can go read it there, but I also stole it to copy here in case people won't click the link. Either way...here it is:


The Reason for the Season

That's a really cute catchphrase. It rhymes and everything. Here's another one I like: "Keep Christ in Christmas."

You know what, though? We don't wait until Christmas to learn about Christ. And guess what we found out in our studies? That the "X" in "X-mas" is a symbol for Christ. So if you X it out, you're really leaving it in!

Guess what else? We sing Christmas carols in June sometimes. And talk about the humble birth of the baby Jesus when we talk about His work on earth. So at Christmas, if we want to shop ourselves silly, sing "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and eat Velveeta-laden casseroles until we throw up, we're still celebrating.

Should we say, "Happy holidays" or "Merry Christmas?" How 'bout both? Along with "How are you today?" and "What can I do to help?" A big, sparkly grin is nice, too, and a much nicer way to decorate your Christian self than a sequined sweater.

It's nice to visit a nursing home at Christmas. It's also nice to pay for the McDonald's order of the guy in line behind you on President's Day, rescue a stranded puppy on Easter, buy some groceries for a needy family on the Fourth of July and drive a disabled veteran to his doctor's appointment on Labor Day. And still be celebrating Christmas.

Let me suggest something: If your main complaint this holiday season is that you don't approve of the music or activities that accompany Christmas these days, perhaps you should think about "the reason for the season."

Look at this precious baby!

The Santa Suit is from Build-A-Bear! And look how well he is sitting now. He is such a ham and smiles for the camera. That was cracking me up tonight when I took this photo. Gosh, he is so cute.

The choir performance went great. Everyone did a fantastic job and Caleb enjoyed watching them perform. The baby didn't even make a peep during the entire thing. I couldn't have asked for a better night. Here are the children in their uniforms.

Today was a lazy day. I didn't sleep much because Simon has a nasty cold. Olaf took him at 9:00 this morning and I slept until 11:00. That pretty much wasted the entire morning:) Tomorrow I plan on cleaning the house and decorating for Christmas. Well, I should say WE are going to clean the house. It will be a team effort.

I am hungry. I started a diet on Wednesday. My body is getting used to NOT eating everything in sight. The first couple of weeks always suck. My first mini goal is to lose 20 pounds. I am going to reward myself with a martini when I get there. Or maybe I should just drink too many martinis then I won't want to eat. Hmmm...there's an idea.