Biggest Loser poor language

I know many of my friends were appalled by the language used on the premier episode of the biggest loser last week. Please let our voices be heard by going to www.nbc.com and letting them know this is un-called for.
After you get on their website, scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find a "contact us" link. From there scroll down till you come to a pull-down menu where u can choose the show, this will open a new window where u type your name and email address and your comments. Thanks for taking action. If we just complain about it , but do NOTHING about it, we will see no change.

ouch

I'm not sure what Shelley did to us yesterday in class, but I will tell you this... my butt HURTS! Man, every time I get up I want to wince in pain. I hope this means I'm getting "toned" LOL

39 and loving it!

This was the beautiful box my birthday present came in. I tried to put these pictures at the end of this post, to go along with the storyline, but I messed up somehow and can't move them-so u get a preview of the ending LOL This is the beautiful ring that was inside the box. Isn't it lovely? I love it! :)

Today is my 39th birthday :)

When I turned 38 last year I had a "uh-oh" moment thinking "only TWO more years till I'm FOURTY!" But after about 6 months I got my mind turned around and decided I'm going to embrace this. I'm a 39 year old woman who loves her family and is blessed beyond measure by God through my family. I love my husband (who I've shared with you before about being the man who brought me to Christ and his awesome "studliness"), and I love my two adorable sweet girls! Who could ask for more?! Not me. But I AM even MORE grateful and blessed that we all have good health and we have the Lord in our lives to help us through each day (and year (: ). So who am I to worry about "39". I personally treat it like a badge of honor.

My goal when I was younger was to have climbed the corporate ladder successfully and have a happy, settled family by the time I was 35. Things "shifted" just a little (we started our family when I was 30-so my kids were still very young at 35-in fact I think I was pregnant at 35-so my "family" was still "new" and not "happily settled" as I had imagined. And , after a shift in my career goals, I didn't land at the corporate headquarters as originally planned, but I was happier and still successful in my job until I "retired" in 2004.

So, to me, turning 39 is a badge of honor. I reached all the goals I had set, and then some. More than I could have imagined back when I was 21 yrs old making those goals. God is amazing, and I thank Him every day for the life He allows my husband and I to live. We have a roof over our heads, our kids have food to eat and shoes on their feet. Life is good. So, for me, I say

"39 doesn't scare me... Happy Birthday to Me" its a GREAT day! I look forward to many more great years with my family in the future :)

Let me tell you about the wonderful time I have had celebrating my birthday...

You can see from the previous posts, I had lots of fun doing my $10 shopping with two GREAT friends! Then I had a fabulous time out with my hubby for dinner/shopping/movie. But I have to share with you some of my "thoughts"...

I like to pick out my own jewelry (and quite honestly, MOST of my presents-does that mean I'm a control freak? :) possibly). Anyway, a local jeweler was having a half-off sale this weekend (thurs-sat). So even though I had already gone and bought myself a new watch for my birthday last week (I say W actually got it for me since she was with me when I found it and bought it LOL), I stopped by this jeweler after the gym on thursday to see if they had anything fantastic since I was sort of looking to get another anniversary band to either wear with my wedding set or put on my right hand. I had already gone back to Israel Diamonds and hadn't found anything that got my attention, so I figured what the heck. I don't want to pay "retail" after knowing I can get "wholesale" at Israel, but if its half off that's about wholesale price anyway so it might be a decent price I figured.

So anyway, I stop in and look at every item in every case. Then I find it. Its beautiful. Its a right-hand diamond band with a row of princess and baguette diamonds in the middle, then on each side is a row of smaller round diamonds. Its white gold and its stunning.

Now, I've bought "$100" jewelry for myself, and I even bought the watch for myself. But I don't buy "big" jewelry for myself. My husband has to buy those for me because even though I do pick it out and "hold" it with the salesperson. Its more romantic if he goes to get it and gives it to me :)

So, I give the guy my name and tell him that I hope by hubby will be by to get it. He writes down the code on the ring so he'll know which one, yada yada yada.

So I go home and tell my husband that even though I already bought my birthday present, I have JUST THE THING that he should get me for Christmas, but he has to do it by Saturday because the sale only lasts till then. He laughs and tells me I'm dreaming and he's not buying anymore jewelry for me, especially right now with this economy. I don't take "no" for an answer though-do I ever? (sometimes I actually do) But anyway, I continue to give him the occasional hint that its really pretty and he could pick it up on his way to meet me for dinner Friday. He says I'm crazy and I kinda think he really isn't going to get it. I'm a little sad. But I can't pout, because I love my hubby and our love is more important than trinkets.

Then Saturday rolls around, and I start "dreaming scenarios" in my head.

Maybe, since we drove separate cars again, and are meeting up for dinner. He'll have gotten the ring, and surprise me at our "birthday dinner" at this nice restaurant.

It was a fantastic meal and great restaurant experience. But no ring. Bummer.

We head to the mall and then a movie, then home to bed. I am exhausted after this full day of run, run, run, fun fun fun.

Then in the morning he wakes up early (as usual) and is trying to entice me to wakeup. I'm sleepy and tell him since its my birthday he should rub my back if he's "so awake" so I can rest and sleep. He of course does convince me to wake up, and then proceeds to tell me I should go to the bathroom....

where I find, the beautiful purple box pictured at the beginning of this post. I of course say its so beautiful I need my camera to take a picture of just the box LOL , so I take my pictures and he humors me while I shoot away.

He's so sweet, he really DID surprise me. I had it all planned out, but he did it HIS way, which actually does make it even more romantic. :) Thank you honey! I love it, and even more importantly, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO

But even though we already celebrated my birthday yesterday, TODAY is actually my birthday. Dan makes me a yummy breakfast then we head to church where I am overwhelmed by all the birthday well-wishers. So sweet! We then went out to lunch with a large crowd to celebrate not only my birthday, but Rick's birthday, and to "send off" Brandon who is heading out to pioneer a new church in another town. We had a fantastic time with friends and family. Thank you all for making my birthday so special!

some of the 56cent items

Here are some pictures I took of some of the clothes I bought for 56 cents each. I got this black sweater (which is actually very tight since its a XS and I would have chosen a M at the store) but it stretches ALOT so it works out ok. I paired it with two of my skirts and I am asking for your opinion. Does it match both or does it look better with one over the other. The first one is exactly the same off-white and black. The second one has the same "lines" but it has additional colors of beige and peach. What do you think looks better stripes and circles, or stripes and stripes?

I somehow goofed and got this picture sideways, but do you think I can wear this pink skirt with the turquoise and white tanks or is it too colorful?

I got this really cool sweater tank that feels incredible. I love the color. I do wish though that it had two straps instead of only one because it looks really dumb with my current strapless bra (that thing makes my boobs look like rockets-ridiculous!) So, I either need a new one-strapped or strapless bra, or I tried it with this khaki tank underneath it -u can see it on one shoulder. Does it look dumb with the tank or not? Do I need to shop for a better bra in order to wear it without the tank or not?

And finally, this is that beautiful sparkly skirt I got. I paired it with a black sweater I had that has some beading and sparkles at the necline so it looks really nice together. I wore this today to church and felt so PRETTY :)

Sorry for the multiple posts all about the same thing (shopping and birthday fun) but I can't seem to get more than 5 pix on a post and if u know me, you know I love pictures! :) Let me know what u think about the outfits.

shopping fun!

Ashley, Jen and I went on our $10 shopping spree yesterday. It was SO FUN! I want to make it a tradition to do every year when they have it, and telling others about it, they want to join us too! :) We had such a ball gathering up our piles of clothes and then semi-trying them on (the rule was you couldn't use dressing rooms for this sale). Jen was smart and wore a skirt to slip things on under. I had shorts on, so after a bit, I said "who cares" and I discreetly whipped em off in order to try on some items (in the corner). They laughed at me, but who cares-I'll never see those women again :) We got some fabulous deals. This picture shows a cute turqouise tank top I got, I wore it that night on my date night with my hubby. We went to Bonefish Grill (yum yum), then killed some time (and a credit card) at the Buckle getting some hip jeans for both of us, then ended up the night with a movie. Fun, fun, fun day! (There was a 8yr old birthday party at Chuckee Cheese thrown in there in the middle too-so I was TIRED by the end of the day!) But great fun. This picture shows most of the clothes strewn on my bed so u can see how much stuff I got! It was about 18 items, so each item cost about 56 cents! AMAZING! I wore the pink skirt in this picture today to church. It has sparkles and rhinestones on it and it is so pretty. Its my absolute favorite "find" of the day :)

Here we are with our loot bags! When we were done shopping we went to TGIF's for lunch. Jen (the healthy one) talked us into dessert. We all ate it of course, but you can see from the picture that she really "dove" into it! ha ha Just teasing ya!

The girls after a successful day of shopping! what a day!

First Fish!

We went to the Kids Fish Day at Roaring River and these pictures show W's "First Fish". The first one you can see her reeling it in if u look close. The one below, she is inspecting her catch.

Four fish-caught her limit! What a good job (of course daddy and grandpa helped!)

T got hers too! (She caught her "First Fish" when she was 3yrs old here at Roaring River, too)

This picture is of Grandpa, T, me, W, Dan, and Uncle Jeff in the back. Fun fun day! T actually has a PINK fishing vest but she decided not to wear it this day. Its very cute.

Hope you've enjoyed these last couple of posts of what we've been doing to keep us busy lately. :)

Crawfish and tadpoles

We went to MO for their semi-annual "Kids Fish Day" event the day after school started. It is put on by the DNR and is amazing! Completely free, with tons of activities and prizes for the kids, volunteers to help them fish if their parents don't know how, and even free fishing poles if they don't have one. The State really does a fantastic job with this program, I believe they said they had about 1300 kids there this year. It actually seemed less crowded to us than it had in years past.

This is T while we are camping walking across a log over a dry creek bed in MO. We had lots of fun, but we did this AFTER we had learned about snakes at the "Kid's Fish Day", so I was a bit "on the look out" for anything that we might accidentally surprise. They taught us that most snake bites are because people virtually step on the snake because the snake just sits there real still hoping you'll leave.

While walking down the dry creek bed we finally came to a pool of water and had fun catching baby crawfish (above) and tadpoles. The Girls had a ball! We tried to bring some tadpoles home so the girls could watch them grow into frogs, but we found out on the internet that in order to keep the alive you'd need an aerator in your cage, so we let them go in grandpa's pond. Hope that doesn't mess up the eco-system in any way (moving them from one state to another). Truth is , grandpa's fish probably ate them as soon as they hit the water.

This next picture is back home. W blew out the tire on her bike while riding it camping, so she moved up to a bigger bike. She tried to ride with only one training wheel but decided to go back to two for a while longer. But its still a bigger bike and she is so excited!

This final picture is of a new bread that my aunt hooked us onto while camping. At walmart its by the deli section, at Sams its in the bread section. Its really tasty not only in sandwiches but also as toast! It has high fiber (5), no trans fats, and about 100 calories per sandwich.They are really good, we all loved them, and I started buying them now. Give em a try :)

1st day of school and camping fun

We went camping again... and this is what we found ! A snake! No, just kidding. This snake was part of a demonstration we attended (while camping) and we got to touch it. This is W with the snake. We learned how to tell poisonous snakes from non-poisonous ones (at least in the MO area) which actually came in beneficial when I found a snake in my pool after we came home. I learned that since my snake was not floating on the surface of the water (only his head), and because his eyes were round and not slitted, he was most likely not poisonous. Which is always good to know, but sort of irrelevant since I killed him anyway. Sorry- no uninvited bugs or creatures in my domain-God, DID give us dominion over the creatures of the earth you know, so if they can't stay away from me-they don't get to inhabit the earth with me! The girls thought it was really fascinating and wanted to see his guts an everything (icky) and wondered why he kept twitching after he was clearly dead (head and body no longer attached to each other). Anyway, the snake demonstration proved helpful-ha!

Here is T making pancakes on the outdoor grill each morning. She had a ball. She did a really good job too. We also learned from our uncle who was with us (and aunt, and Dan's parents), that if you put listerine in a spray bottle and spray it all around the campsite-on the ground etc-it keeps the bugs away. After the first night we tried this and it really did seem to help. So take note, a cheap, non-DEET way to stay unbitten by the mosquitos while outside. We went to Roaring River, MO (again), and after having gone there each summer for over 5 years, we finally came across a little place that is WITHIN the campground where we can not only buy pizza but get ice cream cones for 50cents a dip! Can you believe it?! Not only a great deal, but so fun to walk over and get some ice cream while camping. So happy to have found out about this-we'll definately be utilizing their services in the future! :)

This is T's first day of school in the third grade. She picked out her outfit and we did her hair all up. She seems to have a really nice teacher and is already learning to write in cursive. How fun!

Here is W in a new dress. I thought it was so cute.

My Husband is a Stud!

OK , I have to admit I am laughing so hard as I write this.



My husband never fails to surprise and amaze me and make me laugh-even if its at his expense sometimes (like when the truck headrest fell down from the top shelf where I had stored it and hit him in the head and I thought that was hysterically funny and couldn't(still can't)stop laughing about it every time I thought about it--he didn't really see the humor in it---and U probably don't either---but sometimes I laugh uncontrollably at other people's owies. Don't know why I do this, but I have since I was a kid.



Anyway, back to the subject at hand... I am a list maker. I make lists and notes about everything so I don't have to remember it and I can just read my list. Well, I had made a note/list of things I wanted to blog about and left it on the counter (where I leave everything-and that clutter annoys my husband--I don't blame him, but if I can't SEE it, I won't remember it-so it has to stay on the counter in my sight). Well, I brought my list upstairs with me to the computer and I was going to do a few posts based on my list... when lo' an' behold, I glance at my list and see that my funny husband has added a subject for me to blog about...



"husband is a stud!"



Isn't he hilarious? I am laughing again if you can't tell-he cracks me up. My silly, wonderful, surprising, loving husband. Its the little things that matter (not just "the Hyandai", Chris!)



So, let me tell you about my studly husband... (since I'm sure he'll read this, and want to know hee hee)



He is the love of my life.



He is muscular and masculine. I love masculine, makes my heart flutter.



I love holding his biceps when he flexes them for me--but I think it embarrasses him so he won't do it unless I beg him.



He hunts, fishes, golfs, plays sports, is a successful entreprenuer, is a wonderful father, is a Godly man, and loves his family. Not just his immediate family but his extended family-he calls his grandparents every week just to talk to them. He is a great friend and even though he often wants to "say no" and just relax, he never turns down a request to help a friend in need even if it means driving to Kansas to harvest soybeans (no , he didn't grow up on a farm).
He is a mentor to not only young men, but older (than him) men too. He enjoys sharing in order to help someone gain the knowledge or tools to grow (in life and in business).
Even though he is teased unmercifully by our closest friends that he is "tough and un-yielding", he is the first to help those in need and is more of a "softy" than most would expect.
He has built garages, put on a new house roof, installed a new shower/tub, fixed and built race cars, regular cars, and rock-climbing jeeps, all for his friends. Just because they asked him too. No compensation given or asked for, he just did it. He has given new and used cars to family and friends. Outfitted his grandmother's house with new kitchen appliances. And even arranged for someone to get into a new house virtually mortgage free simply because he felt this person was a truly Godly man who had devoted his whole life to God and to others (since pastors don't have retirement plans, he devised a way to provide this man with a "retirement").

I don't say all this to build him up as a super-hero. I say all this to illustrate that he truly is a Man of God, who uses what God puts in his hands to further benefit the Kingdom of God and to remind us that helping others is what God wants us to do. We are to be good stewards of what God gives us, whether that be time, money, friendship, or knowledge. Don't waste or overlook an opportunity to help others. You will be blessed for what you can do.

So, yes. My husband is a stud. In more ways than one.

And even though I love his studly muscles, its his truly manly actions that mean more to me. I think he is a fine example of a manly man, or more importantly, a Godly man. He is more special to me each and every day and I love him so much.

So, thanks again, honey, for making me laugh. And for making me appreciate you each and every day! I love you!

THONG GONE WRONG

How's that for a title? I bet it got your attention, didn't it? Well , that's exactly what happened to me today. I went to the gym and wore that green and black outfit that I've talked about on here before. Its the kind of pants u can't wear regular panties with without having MAJOR panty lines, which are WAY unattractive in those kinds of pants. So, I wore the blasted thong.

Obviously this is not my most favorite piece of undergarment. Once in awhile I wear them when need be based on the outfit and I usually get through the day ok (semi-forgetting that I have a piece of fabric crammed up my butt LOL). But there appears to be a major difference in wearing a thong for everyday use, and wearing one while working out. Before class today I went to the restroom to "re-arrange" and TRY to make it more comfortable-no luck of course, but on my way out I ran into my friend Angela and I mentioned my actions. She warned me, "Oh just wait till you're working out and it moves to a very inopportune position-that's no fun".

Now, I had an idea what she meant, and I thought "no, that probably doesn't sound fun" . However, I had no idea what it would be like when it happened.

So of course, during the second class, we are more active (bootcamp) and IT happened.

Yes, it moved where it shouldn't move (maybe too much information-but hear my pain-literally). Certainly not what I wanted to happen. Certainly, a "Thong Gone Wrong" situation. Ugh! Why do we have to wear thongs and why can't they create panties (besides thongs) that don't show pantilines!?

On a brighter note... based on my previous posts about that green outfit, I think you know my comfort level (or lack thereof) in wearing body-hugging pants. Well I wore them today (for the second time mind you) and yes, each time I do I have to "get up my nerve". But today I was pleasantly reassured that it was ok to wear because several ladies came up and told me it was a cute outfit and looked really nice... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! It really makes me feel alot better hearing you say it, so thank you for helping me to gain confidence in this area, I appreciate your kindness :)

great day!

Today was a great day at the office! I have to say it was the first full day where everything went RIGHT! No crazy, messed-up, confusing, stuff came up. Everything I did today I KNEW how to do, so it was a nice day to feel like I accomplished everything I needed to without getting frustrated or confused. I even had some stuff that was out of the norm but I still figured it out and it was fine. I even had time to clean the office which I haven't been able to do thoroughly since I started working there (before I began working in the office, I would clean it for my husband---but now I have to do both and I always prioritize the officework over the cleaning work so it never gets done. But today it got done!) Today, for the first time I was able to balance all the bank accounts perfectly! I know this sounds silly, but I have been struggling for months through MESSES that were left behind by the previous office manager so it has been a real pain to try to figure out half the things she had done(wrong) and make them right. But last month I finally got them all corrected, so this month when the statements came, they were PERFECT! It felt so good to have everything in order the way it is supposed to be instead of a bunch of notes attached to items with questions about it and a list of all the research I had done to try to fix it but still hadn't quite figured it out ,so everything was in "limbo" and quite frankly, just a complete MESS! I mean really, there is no reason an item should be on the books that hasn't cleared the bank in 5 months! Something must be wrong, right?! And it was, but now it is all fixed woohoo!
I like that feeling, knowing you got everything done (in the time allotted) and you did it right, and there isn't a stack of unfinished business or a stack of problems either.
It was also a good day because even though I did fantasize about eating freshly baked cookies-I didn't make any. My husband even asked for some after dinner and I handed him a box of store bought cookies instead (I can refrain from those, but warm just-out-of-the oven cookies don't have a chance with me). So my stomach is pleasantly full from a good healthy dinner of pineapple, lime/chili seasoned black bean, and saffron rice, so I have no need or desire to eat junk food-woohoo! Maybe I'm crossing a bridge. I even thought about the sensation of eating warm cookies versus the sensation of wearing my pants and having them be baggy instead of tight. I chose the baggy pants. I HATE the feeling of tight pants-makes me think I'm stuffed in like a sausage roll-yuck! So, maybe my fall "kick it in gear" attitude is starting and I'll get back on my harder workout program. I would like to actually lose a few pounds before we head to Branson for Labor Day. The Tanger Outlet mall is there and its more fun to buy small clothes than just regular clothes! :) I've already been making my shopping list...can u tell I am really anxious to get my outlet shopping fix! I haven't been to an outlet mall since last summer when we were in MI, so I'd say I am definately ready for my Outlet I.V. (yes I'm an outlet junkie!) But I love it! Tell you what, that's the best diet for me (outlet shopping), when I am there I have no need to eat, let me just squeeze in as many stores as I can before I have to leave-eating lunch wastes too much of my shopping time! :)

fun summer pictures

Here is W and our dog, Lucy. Aren't they cute? W sure LOVES our doggy! I have to admit Lucy puts up with ALOT-suffocating hugs, dressing up in W's clothes, hair ties on her ears, walking wheel-barrow style while the girls hold her back legs, etc!

Here is W painting her toenails, isn't this sweet?

Like I said, Lucy puts up with alot! Here she is smothered with a throat-crushing hug while being dressed in one of W's pj tops!

Here's my grownup T! We curled her hair for church one morning and it looked so pretty! I love the side clip too :)

My old "before&after" pictures

Well, I said I would do it... so I am. I'm going to share the good, the bad, and the ugly with you.



These "before" pictures were taken Jan 7, 2006, which was 2 months after my second child was born. I'm not sure my exact weight in these pictures. I know I was 155 pounds when I got pregnant and only gained 28 pounds on this pregnancy. But 2 months after giving birth I wasn't back at 155 yet.



Yes, in this first picture I even have "breast feeding boobs" (ie bigger than normal) and yet my stomach is still sticking out farther than my chest-ugh! The thing I realized with pregnancy is that if I gain substantial weight some day in the future (hopefully not) I will gain it like my mom in certain areas such as my back! What a weird place to gain weight, but yes there are fat rolls on my back- I couldn't believe it when I saw them, and I couldn't wait to get rid of them!

Finally after working really hard on increasing my running (I began running during this pregnancy) and getting to workout with Shelley at the gym, who had just started as a substitute instructor back then and who really gave us NEW stuff to do to SHOCK our bodies and get RESULTS... this was my result.

These next pictures were taken July 14, 2007 which is when I weighed 135 pounds. Around Jan 2007 I hit a plateau and couldn't get past 155'ish. With the help of Shelley's classes, Isagenix, and wiser eating choices I went from 155 to 135 in 16 weeks!

These swimsuit pictures are still 10 pounds lighter than I am today, but I am hoping to get back there this fall! Help me do it with your encouraging words and advice! :)

By the way, isn't it pitiful that I always try to flex my biceps and I DON'T HAVE ANY!??!! I need to quit doing that in photos-its certainly not a "gun" if u know what I mean. Anyway, there u have it. I said I'd do it so I did-even though these "before" pictures are pretty scary, it is still motivational that change can happen if u put your mind to it. Which is what I am going to do again in the next month or two. Getting back on track, baby!

Camping part II

Here is Lucy, such a spoiled dog, she curled up in a child's chair instead of lying on the ground!

Here is Dan and the girls with our first-ever "Jiffy Pop" popcorn. Turns out u can't make it on the campfire like I had planned, we had to cook it on the coleman stove top. Still fun though and pretty tasty!

Popcorn faces!

Here is Taylor, preparing her message that she is going to do for our Sunday morning church service at the camp. We wound up leaving before we could do it, so she did it in the car on the way home... for 2 straight hours! It was just like regular church! LOL Seriously though, she did a great job, and she is an excellent reader! So proud of her!

Here is Whitney telling me she is going to "drive mommy!"

I think the pixels on my pictures are too high to upload more than 5 at a time, and I don't know how to change them, so I am doing a "part two post" in order to add more pictures from the camping weekend.

We had a lot of fun. Ate way too many snacks and marshmellows, but relaxed with the birds chirping, and the raccoons sneaking down the hill to try to get treats each night (the first night they ate the dog's food, and washed their hands in the water bowl!). Our beagle is such a great hunter, that even though a raccoon was 15 feet away from me, Lucy continued to curl up in my lap on the lawn chair and not notice a thing! Can I get a refund on her?! :) Anyway, lots of fun. Always enjoy camping. This place is nice too, because they have a fish hatchery where u can feed the fish and also fishing along the "not-so-roaring" river. Plus, the side note is, its close to Branson, so if I'm desperate I can always make the 1.5 hr drive and hit the outlet mall :) although I didn't this time, because I know we are heading back to the area for Labor Day and I'm planning a full day of outlet shopping then :)

Camping weekend

Last weekend we took the 5th wheel and headed up to our favorite camping spot, Roaring River, MO. Some of our friends, The Hernadi's, joined us for a day and a half, and we had a fun time relaxing and enjoying nature. Here are some photos to highlight the events of the weekend...
This first one is of Tanya and Taylor and Whitney. They built a log cabin out of some of the wood we brought for the campfire. (We own a cabinet shop, so this is all leftover trim etc from the cabinets). The next one is Whitney getting a ride from Jesse in the camper. They had a ball!

This next one is the girls all checking out a fish Dan caught. Everyone wants to touch it (except me!)

Here's the girls with their first "capture" of the day, a catepillar. Dan's already chilling in the background :)

Here is Whitney investigating a rock with her magnifying glass. Too cute!

I'm not sure how to post more pix on the same post, so I'm going to add another post to finish this...

My first Craigslist sale!

Woohoo! I'm so excited, I'm finally up with the times! I sold my first thing through craigslist! Actually I didn't even list it, I was going to. But first I wanted to see what the price range for the item was, so I was scanning craigslist last night and came across a guy who posted a "playhouse needed" ad. I called him this morning, he drove out looked at it and bought it on sight, along with a little tyke picnic table. So all in all I took in $55 which is a happy day for me :) Especially since I think I paid $10 for the table at a garage sale years ago, and I only paid $40 for the playhouse! Gotta like a profit of $5 and 5years of fun playtime use!

There is a funny story behind the playhouse too (Jen you'll get a kick out of this I'm sure). I had been scanning garage sales and ads about 5 years ago for outdoor play equipment. You know the big plastic kind that costs $300 or more new. Of course everytime I'd hit a yard sale the stuff would be gone because that stuff goes like wildfire (NO ONE wants to pay full new price for it-and rightly so!). So anyway, one day I was driving around some country roads sort of looking for garage sale signs and I saw this playhouse on the side of a house. It was in a spot that u could tell no one played with it anymore.

So... I walked up to the house, knocked on the door, and asked the lady if they still used it and would be interested in selling it!

She was a grandma, and said no her grandkids didn't really use it anymore, so "well, sure" she'd sell it. She said she'd sell it to me for what she paid for it (used I guess) because she only wanted to charge me $40!!!! I snatched it up and was a super happy camper!

Now the even better news is that I sold it today for $50 :)

The guy in his ad said he was willing to pay $50-$65, and I figured I wouldn't get too greedy, although $65 would have been a great deal for him too, so I told him I'd take $50 and he did. WOOHOO! Can u tell I'm pleased? :) Now I've got to figure out how to list, because I do have a few more things I'd like to sell. Hopefully those sales will go as quickly and as well :)

still allergic to bee stings

This is what my ankle looked like after it swelled up from a sting I got on the bottom edge of my foot (see the red circle of the bite) last Saturday from a bumble bee. Needless to say, that bee didn't live long after it stung me! OUCH! As a kid I was highly allergic to bee stings. And as we can see, I still get quite a reaction to them (although not life threatening, thankfully). I haven't had one (except for sweat bees, which don't hurt TOO bad) since I was a kid. I forgot how much those suckers HURT! I couldn't believe it! I just stepped out of the truck in a Walmart parking lot and went to open the back door for T, when all of a sudden my foot was screaming in pain (and so was I!), I looked down and there it was... so I stomped on it!!!! Ferociously, I might add. OOOOHHH that hurt so bad. And it itched. The swelling has finally subsided as of yesterday (Thurs), although it still itches a little bit once in a while. Yuck! Notice in the pix how u can't even see my ankle bone, and that even the bottom of my foot is swelling out a bit. It was really big.

My little gymnasts!

I know this is from May and its taken me forever to upload, but I am trying to catch up this weekend... so be prepared for lots of posts (hopefully, if I don't run out of time ha ha). This is from the girls' gymnastics recital this past spring. They both did really well and were so excited as u can tell from their faces :)