Friday, March 18, 2011

Happy Friday....and name that baby!




Can you tell which baby is who?
These girls look more alike than I thought!

I hope ya'll have had a great week. I just can't seem to get in my groove right now. Yesterday I won the Mother of the Year award -- I packed us all up and went to June's OT appointment....only to get there and realize she has a very dirty diaper & has leaked through her clothes....and find out I forgot to pack DIAPERS and a change of clothes! Thank heavens there was a Family Dollar just down the street, and that I was 20 minutes early for ONCE in my life!

I'm spending today cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, in hopes of getting my mojo back. I have a lot of little projects I'd like to get done this weekend. The grass needs to be cut. The car needs to be cleaned out. Tonight we're going to a hockey game ($2 tickets cause we're AF! Gotta love that!), and tomorrow night we're going to a friends house. We also promised Sara a trip to the river if it's warm enough.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Did I for real just do this?

Did I for real just do this?!

I just ordered June Claire's first birthday invitations!

How did my tiny baby grow this fast?!

I spent hours looking on Etsy for birthday party invites. Her theme is Candyland. I finally found the PERFECT ones from Fresh Chick Designs. I was starting to think I wouldn't find any I fell in love with! Here is what the sample invite looks like -- I can't wait to see the finished product! 


My cousin is coming all the way from south Mississippi to make her cake (thank you, April!). She makes aaaaamazing cakes, and I think it's just so special that she is able to make one for June's first birthday. My oldest sister is making her smash cake (thanks, Elizabeth!).

I just can't believe in a little over a month, we will be celebrating the first year of the life of this precious baby that God gave us. I am so thankful that He allowed her to stay here on earth with us. I know in my heart He has a definite purpose for her life, and I can't wait to see what she will do for Him!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Panama City Beach!

This past weekend we went to PCB! I went down by myself Friday night with my sisters, my cousins, and some of my little sisters friends. Mike came down Sunday with the girls. I had a blast on my girls weekend, but I was definitely ready to see my family! Points of interest for us included The Back Porch (3 times...), Tootsie's for lunch (twice!), and Shuckums. Shuckums was awesome -- I love some raw oysters!



Sunday night we stayed over at Tyndall AFB just outside of PCB...it was great. So great, in fact, that we've made reservations to go back NEXT weekend!

We had a blast with our weekend of fun in the sun, but it's good to be home, too.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Rain is a good thing!

Yesterday June had therapy, and afterwards we met our friends at the local park for a walk. Her son just turned a year old, and we both have dogs. I realized Delaney needs to be walked a LOT more like that! At home, we have a big fenced in back yard that she can just run in, and we take her on a few walks with us every week -- but it's just on our little road. At my mom's, there is several acres that she just runs and plays on. Well, I realized after fighting with her the WHOLE walk because she wanted to murder the squirrels and ducks, that we need to work on obedience. She didn't even want anything to do with the other dog trying to give her massive doggy kisses! She was so focused on those squirrels and ducks. Trying to walk a dog who is trying to kill things and pushing a stroller with a cranky 10-month old who is eating the heck out of some crackers? Interesting. To say the least. But hey -- I got a good hour of walking in, so I was happy!

(There may or may not have been a funny story of how I told a random dog that was following us to leave. In southern speak. If you're not from the South, you probably have no clue what I'm talking about. But it worked, and provided Vanessa, who is from Alaska, with some laughs!)

***Edited to add what I said to the dog...haha. If you've ever been to the South, you've probably heard people holler something that is SUPPOSED to be "Get on out of here, dog!" to animals that run up in the yard. Except it comes out more like, and I'm dying laughing as I type this, "Gahonouttahean" except you don't pronounce the t sound in the middle. LOL! I told ya'll I was from the country!**
Last night, my cousins came over and we watched THREE movies after the girls went to bed. Nanny McPhee (so cute!), Devil, and Burlesque.

#1 -- I will never get into an elevator again.
#2 -- Cam Gigandet is very good lookin'.
#3 -- Don't watch a scary movie after midnight if you want to sleep at all.



This is what it looks like here today. We will NOT be venturing outside, needless to say, so at least all of the laundry will get caught up & the house will get clean.

Or so I hope.



Tuesday, March 8, 2011

June stands up!


Sorry for the bad cell phone pic -- but look what Junebug did a few minutes ago! She pulled up ALL BY HERSELF! Little girlie hasn't even sat up on her own or crawled...and she stood up?! I'm thinking it was probably a fluke, but I don't care. I love it anyway!


Monday, March 7, 2011

Weight loss, week 1


Hope ya'll had a great weekend! It was pretty good here. It rained all day long Saturday (or so it felt!) and now the temps have definitely dropped. Ugh, would summer just come on already?? I don't like this weather!

Today ends the first week of March. Where has the time gone?? Anyway, I weighed in today.

February 1: 220.0 pounds
March 1: 214.6 pounds
March 7: 211.0 pounds

That's a loss of 3.6 pounds in a WEEK! I am so flippin' excited! I haven't really worked out as much as I should have, but I am really, really starting to watch what I put in my mouth. And you know what? Physically, I feel so much better. I feel....lighter. I feel like I have more energy. I would probably feel happier, but I have some tough stuff going on in my personal life right now that counteracts that. I said at the beginning I would take pictures at every 10 pound weight loss, so if I hit that this week (fingers crossed!) I will post them. I'm just taking this thing 10 pounds at a time. I'm not setting any goals for myself other than that. I did not gain this weight in a month (more like 3 years) so I'm not expecting to lose it in a month. Or even six months. This isn't a fad diet for me. This is a lifestyle change, a permanent change so that my children will know clean eating and healthy living.

In other news, there is a job I have applied for that I would LOVE to have...please say a prayer and/or cross all your fingers for me?! I have been ready to go back to work for a while, but with June having therapy each week, I know it will be hard to find something that will let me off consistently like that each week. But this job gets off at noon on Fridays -- so I could still take her, and who doesn't love getting off early on Friday?!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful Monday!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

What I'm Playing Thursday

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Tomorrow -- Chris Young

Country Boy -- Aaron Lewis


Crazy Girl -- Eli Young Band

Link up to We're Just Like You Only Prettier and let us know what you've been listening to lately!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Gracious Southern Living has started a "Weigh Less Wednesday" linky party every week. I didn't join in last week, but I thought I would this week. She posted an AMAZING recipe for an orange cream cake (that's only 4 WW points per serving!). I made it once and plan on making it again this week. I love that it's something that will satisfy my sweet craving and doesn't have a load of calories in it. Plus, while I like orange cream...it's not my absolute favorite, so I don't want to keep eating and eating and eating and eating and eating until the whole cake is gone. :)

This is one of our favorite healthy recipes. It's a WW meatloaf, but you'd never know it was WW. 

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I always used dried)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 egg whites
1.5 pounds ground beef (I usually just do 2 pounds)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
cooking spray
salt & pepper to season

Combine 1/2 cup kechup, onion & next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add meat & oats, stir until just blended. Shape mixture into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Brush remaining 1/4 cup ketchup over meat loaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

2 slices = 5 WW points (this was with the old system, so it would need to be recalculated.)


Now I've gotten to craving it while reading this! I'll be making it tomorrow night I think. I like to serve it with roasted corn on the cob and mashed potatoes...except I would probably take a salad in favor of the mashed potatoes right now! I've also made it in little muffin pans. The kids love that and it's easy to make a pan on Sunday and have them for lunch the rest of the week.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Top 2 Tuesday (a day late!)

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This week, the Top 2 Tuesday is what you've learned about money.

1. Saving is REALLY important. 
And credit cards are EVIL!
Seriously -- I don't know why CC companies give them out so freely to 18 year olds. Okay, maybe I DO know why, but it's sad. We do have CC's, but up until our little stint in Florida they were paid off. We had worked really hard to accomplish that, but when we had to spend an unexpected 3 months in FL....it was really, really hard. Now we're working to pay them back down. Hopefully it goes quickly! And it's important to save because you never know when something unexpected is going to happen. (See above for my vent about FL.) Who would've ever thought that when we went on a family vacation, we'd end up spending three months there with a child in the hospital in serious condition? That's just it...you never know.

2. COUPON!
I coupon all the time. I used to only buy groceries if I had a coupon. I'd spend less than $100/month on groceries...which we absolutely needed during that time. However, I'm starting to go back to eating non-processed, healthy foods. Don't get me wrong; I still buy some boxed stuff. But I also still coupon. I'm still figuring out my monthly budget and finding the best place for "healthy" coupons, but when I get it all smoothed out in the next few weeks I might just do a post on it. :) AND -- I can't tell you how much make-up (drugstore brand) I've gotten for cheap or free!

P.S. Baby Tanner is doing a bit better, thanks for your prayers! He's still in the NICU but I heard yesterday that he had gained two ounces since being transferred. That's a good sign! And I'm starting the 30DS today...I will probably update with pictures at each 10 day interval. I'm motivated and I'm excited!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My blog got a makeover! (And weight loss update)

{Edited to explain the Scripture reference! To make a long story short, it was the Scripture I took as "mine" when we were going through the process of having June. It's by far my favorite!)

As you all can tell...

I HAVE A NEW BLOG LAYOUT!

I feel super cute now! I want to say a great big, "Thank You!" to Penny Lane Designs. I chose one of her pre-made blog templates and ordered a customized signature and blog separator thingy (see, that tells you right there why I couldn't have done this on my own!!) and I am very, very pleased. I looked for a few weeks before I bought, and she honestly had some of the best prices I've seen thus far. Plus, I really like the clean, crisp lines of this. And it still has a southern feel to it. :)

So, I don't think I mentioned this here -- but on February 1, I decided that I was going to try and lose 8 pounds per month until December. That would put me at 132 pounds.
 (Yes, I gained weight after that huge "pouring my heart and soul out" post I made. Shameful.)

February was not easy. The first half of the month, I exercised twice. My eating wasn't terrible but it sure wasn't great, either. Thankfully, though, I got my head around it in the last half and managed to lose 6 pounds! Down from 220 (I cringed typing that) to 214. I spent last week in my hometown and my cousins & I walked every day. I also did the 30 Day Shred once and the Zumba for Wii a couple times. I LOVED IT. I will definitely be getting me a Zumba DVD soon -- it was so much fun!

I'm thinking I'm going to follow Mama Laughlin and do the 30 Day Shred for, well....30 consecutive days. I'm going to start today, but I'll be adding in walking for 45 minutes 3x per week and a yoga/pilates DVD 3x per week, as well. I know that sounds like a lot, but I can do it. Before I got pregnant with June I was doing hard cardio for an hour & a half and weights for an hour! I was seeing great results, too...can't WAIT to get there again this year! We have a possible beach trip coming up in March (my little sister's last spring break as a high school student...I may or may not shed a few tears), so I'd like to feel a little better about myself before we go!

Hope ya'll have a beautiful day today!