The 23rd already?

I can't believe it's already December 23. Man, this month has just flown by. Here's what's been happening with us.

I now have a job at W.I.M.P.S. Fitness. Janet and Ron asked me to cover for them when they have school things they need to be at for the boys. I was very excited to accept. I love the fitness center and think it will be fun working there with Janet and Ron. I actually started walking on the treadmill and doing the bowflex. I never thought that would happen, but it did. And, Ron had me working slow enough that I didn't hurt too badly the day after.

I celebrated my 39th birthday for the fifth time on the 14th. I went to lunch with some dear friends and had a good time. I hadn't eaten chinese food for awhile, so it was fun to be able to do that. Karen gave me a necklace that I really love and Christine gave me a beautiful plate which I will put up in my office after we paint it in the spring. Shirley bought my lunch and Janet came which was awesome!! I just love my friends and am so very blessed in the friendships that I have.

All month, I've been guest CTing for Jacque Larsen and Meg Mullens and have had a blast doing that. It will be sad to leave Jacque at the end of the month, but it was fun. As for Meg, well, I don't have to leave because she asked me to stay on full time!! I am super excited to stay on with her. Cori Gammon retired from designing which is super sad, but I hope that all works out for her. Traci Reed also had a call which I applied for, and I am anxiously awaiting the results of that.

We had a little contest in primary last week. We had the bishop come in and judge our singing contest and the kids won. I know it says we aren't supposed to have contests, but I think that directive meant between kids and not kids vs. teachers. It was a good way to get them excited about singing and singing well, which they did. We're set to sing on Sunday. I love being music leader in primary.

The ward party was a huge success. We had a man come who is thinking about buying the funeral home in town. That would be wonderful if he did. He was a nice man and I hope he gets to move here with his family. The food for the ward party was delicious and well worth the entire day I spent there getting things ready. We had a lot of compliments on the food, which made me feel good. It was my last big soiree as ward activities chairman, and I am so glad it was a success. The Bishop actually came up and told me later that it was exactly what he had envisioned.

I have the missionaries coming for dinner on the 30th and will make a second batch of tamales. The first ones were SO good!! I enjoy feeding the missionaries and hope they have fun when they come over. I do miss our missionaries from last year - Elder Swank and Elder Naegle. They are both home now, but I am Facebook friends with them.

I do hope that you all have a very merry Christmas and a joyous new year. This year is going to be a little sad since it will mark the one year anniversary since my grandmother's passing. It's going to be a hard one, but I know she's in a better place now and I have to keep reminding myself of that.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

A Fun Christmas Survey

Darcy got this from Janet and I thought it would be fun to participate. So, here's mine.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hands down hot chocolate made with milk and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When my kids were little, yes, Santa wrapped the presents using the same paper. But, now that they are all teenagers and no longer believe in Santa, mom wraps them. LOL

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love plain white lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the day after Thanksgiving, but not this year. LOL We're off to a late start.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I love my mama's cornbread stuffing and giblet gravy.

7. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? We always went to my grammy's house for Christmas. Every year, we'd get clothes and we had to have a fashion show to model them and then we took a photo in front of her buffet. We have about 10 years worth of those photos.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was about 8. My mom had me wrap the presents and so I knew.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we always open the Christmas pjs and sleep in them on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My tree is covered with ornaments that I've bought my kids throughout the years as well as their art projects from school when they were little.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love me a white Christmas - just as long as I don't have to go out in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Nope.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Oh wow. I've had so many throughout the years, but I would say that my favorite is a Little Bo Beep from Toy Story that my youngest "bought" me when she was five. When they were good in class, they earned "Paul" dollars (the teacher's name was Mrs. Paul) and at the beginning of December, they would get to go to "Paul Mart" and spend their Paul dollars. My little baby girl was SO excited to see me open that gift on Christmas day. It meant SO much to her and that's why it's special to me. It still sits on my desk.

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you? Celebrating the gift of the Savior's birth with my family.

15. What is your favorite Christmas Dessert? Homemade pumpkin cheesecake.

16. What is your favorite Christmas tradition? On Christmas Eve, we always listen to Christmas carols and open our pjs and then we sleep with the tree on all night.

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I would much rather give than receive.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Contemporary would be "I'll be home for Christmas" and religious it would be "Silent Night."

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? The pepperminty ones are yucky, but I love the cinnamon ones.

21 Favorite Christmas Show? Ok, for the serious ones, I love "It's a wonderful life" and "A Christmas Carol" and for contemporary funny ones, I love "Elf" and "Christmas Vacation."

22. Saddest Christmas Song? "Do they know it's Christmas time" by Band Aid.

23. What’s your Wish for Christmas. My only wish is that my kids have a good Christmas and enjoy being together. This is our last Christmas with my son as a minor and living at home, so it's going to be a bittersweet one for us.

30 Days of Thankful - the finale!

I can't believe it's the last day of November. I'll post my 30 Days of Thankful below, but first the news. LOL The First Presidency announced on the 13th that there will no longer be an activities committee, so that meant that I was getting released as the activities chairman. I had that calling for 16 months and I really enjoyed it. I will miss not planning activities for the ward anymore, but I didn't stay callingless for long. LOL I am now the music director for the primary. I love this calling. I've subbed in there many times and have had a load of fun and now it's my full time church calling!!

This Sunday, we had Auxiliary training. I am SO glad that I went even though I hummed and guffawed at having to go. It was so uplifting. We have such an amazing Stake President. He is such a dear man and I love any chance to get to hear him speak. We also have such a sweet Stake Primary President and I enjoyed her talk to us as well. I am going to love being in Primary.

Now, for the rest of my 30 Days of Thankful. I am adding the first 13 days on here as well, sorta like a recap.
Day 1: I am thankful for the 6 lbs I lost at my weigh in making my total loss 62 lbs!!!
Day 2: I am thankful I can make my voice heard through voting!!
Day #3: I am thankful for having good people in my life whom I call friends.
Day #4: I am thankful for my three kiddos who make me smile, laugh, love, and a few negative emotions as well!
Day #5: I am thankful for my cousin Kathy, who celebrates her birthday today! Happy birthday cousin! I love you!
Day #6: I am thankful that it's international Digital Scrapbooking day!!
Day #7: I am thankful for NyQuil geltabs!
Day #8: I am thankful for the wonderful Young Women leaders that teach my daughters.
Day #9: I am thankful it isn't snowing anymore.
Day #10: I am thankful my migraine is gone.
Day #11: I am thankful for my uncle Bob and cousin Jason who served in the armed forces of this great country. I am also thankful to other relatives and ancestors who served including my grandfather Charles Clair Ausmus who would have been 94 today!
Day #12: I am thankful for my calling as Activities Chairman and getting to plan fun activities for the ward. I'll see all you Ely 1st Ward peeps at the chili cookoff tonight!!
Day #13: I am thankful for a beautiful sunny day today!
Day #14: I am thankful I purged my side of the office.
Day #15: I am thankful for the Angleton High School class of 1985 and for all the photos of the reunion my classmates posted!! Even though I couldn't be there in person, seeing the photos brought back a lot of fond memories!!
Day #16: I am thankful it's going to be quiet at my house today, at least until school gets out.
Day #17: I am thankful to be getting things done.
Day #18: I am thankful for good friends who give me good suggestions and save me a lot of work.
Day #19: I am thankful to be able to go and see Harry Potter tonight.
Day #20: I am thankful I have lots of Criminal Minds episodes DVRd so I can watch them while nursing myself back to health.
Day #21: I am thankful for chicken soup.
Day #22: I am thankful for getting lots of sleep yesterday, I'm feeling a tiny bit better.
Day #23: I am thankful my daughter Hannah woke up in a good mood today.
Day #24: I am thankful that I don't have to go out and can bake my holiday pies with my girls.
Day #25: I am thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy as an American, and for my beloved family and friends.
Day #26: I am thankful turkey day is over!
Day #27: I am thankful for my nephew Drew, who turns 14 today.
Day #28: I am thankful for my sister, who gives me such good ideas.
Day #29: I am thankful for holiday music.
Day #30: I am thankful my holiday shopping is finished.

I've been working hard on CT stuff. I quit two CTs. It was a hard decision, but their styles just didn't match mine. There are really only two stores that sell stuff that I like. So, I just didn't feel that I was doing the other two CTs justice. So, now I'm only on three CTs. But, I'm guesting for Jacque Larsen at The Lily Pad this month and next. In December, I am guesting for Meg Mullens at Sweet Shoppe Designs and in January, I am guesting for Jenn Barrette at Sweet Shoppe Designs. So, I'm gonna have a great few months!

I hope everyone has a joyous holiday season. I love the build up to Christmas, but after that, it's kinda sad for me. This is my last year with Zakk as my "little" boy. He'll turn 18 in April and then be off to college. I will miss him SO much.

We got snow and more

I woke up Wednesday morning to snow. Can you believe it? I was really enjoying the fall weather and winter snuck her little behind in. There is still a little in my yard and it's still cold, but it's nice and sunny today. Yea!!

Lots has happened in the 11 days since I posted. The first thing is that international digital scrapbooking day was last Saturday and Cindy Schneider was having a contest to join her CT. Well, I just had to enter because I LOVE Cindy's templates. And guess what? I won!! I am now a full time CT member for Cindy Schneider. I couldn't be more thrilled about this. That puts my CTs up to four - Amy Wolff and Cori Gammon at The Lily Pad, Cindy Schneider at Sweet Shoppe Designs, and Pickleberry Pop. I am also guesting for Jacque Larsen this month. It's been a fun month!!

Last night was the ward chili cookoff. It was the third annual one and it was fun. We had 16 chili entries. It was nice to see so many people there. Now, we have the Feliz Navidad to plan and then I'm taking a break for a few months. =)

I've been faithfully doing my 30 Days of Thankful. Here's my list so far:

Day 1: I am thankful for the 6 lbs I lost at my weigh in making my total loss 62 lbs!!!
Day 2: I am thankful I can make my voice heard through voting!!
Day #3: I am thankful for having good people in my life whom I call friends.
Day #4: I am thankful for my three kiddos who make me smile, laugh, love, and a few negative emotions as well!
Day #5: I am thankful for my cousin Kathy, who celebrates her birthday today! Happy birthday cousin! I love you!
Day #6: I am thankful that it's international Digital Scrapbooking day!!
Day #7: I am thankful for NyQuil geltabs!
Day #8: I am thankful for the wonderful Young Women leaders that teach my daughters.
Day #9: I am thankful it isn't snowing anymore.
Day #10: I am thankful my migraine is gone.
Day #11: I am thankful for my uncle Bob and cousin Jason who served in the armed forces of this great country. I am also thankful to other relatives and ancestors who served including my grandfather Charles Clair Ausmus who would have been 94 today!
Day #12: I am thankful for my calling as Activities Chairman and getting to plan fun activities for the ward. I'll see all you Ely 1st Ward peeps at the chili cookoff tonight!!
Day #13: I am thankful for a beautiful sunny day today!

I've also been working hard on the genealogy front. I am so happy with all the success I have had with researching Dylan's ancestry. I am so excited to be able to hand him his binder once I get it finished. I took a little break from his, and worked on some of mine for a while. It's good to mix things up a bit so that you don't get burned out on one family. I have had a little success with some of mine as well. Today, I may just work on it some.

I tackled my office on Thursday. I got so sick and tired of all the clutter on my side of the room, that I worked my rear off purging and dusting and vacuuming. I first thought I wanted to change the layout of the room, so I put it the way I wanted, and then I quickly realized I did NOT like it that way. So, I changed it back to the way I originally had it. But, now it's clutter and dust free and I just love it. Now, if I only had a more comfortable chair to sit in, then life would be grand. This project so inspired me, that I am going to start my room next.

I think that's about all that's been going on here. It's been pretty busy, but I love it that way.

30 Days of Thankful

I am SO glad that October is done!! It was a horrible month! The worst part was that my uncle passed away on October 22. His memorial service was on the 30th, but I wasn't able to make it. Our trunk or treat was that night at the church and it was a HUGE success!! We had hundreds of people there!! I always love it when we have good turnouts!

Ok, so I started this yesterday on Facebook, but I'm gonna make my list here too!!

Day 1: I'm thankful for the 6 lbs I lost at my weigh in making my total loss 62 lbs!!!

Day 2: I'm thankful I can make my voice heard through voting!!

So, the last high school football game for Zakk was last week. It was pretty emotional for all the seniors. Three boys ended up hurt: Zakk with a broken finger; Jake with a broken elbow; and Tyler with a broken foot. It's a good thing it was the last game, since our team was shrinking each week due to injuries!

I've been scrapping, but haven't posted any LOs here. I need to I know, but I just haven't yet. LOL This month I get the honor of guest CTing for Jacque Larsen! I am super excited!! Next month I'll continue with Jacque and I also get to guest for Meg Mullens at Sweet Shoppe Designs!! I am super excited about that!!

I've been working on Zakk's best friend's genealogy. I've found a lot of information for him. It's nice to be able to work on something and have results. I have so many brick walls that it gets a little discouraging. But, that's all part of the hunt. I am glad that Dylan is enjoying seeing his genealogy and knowing that these people are real.

Janet and Ron came over today and took me to the new gym. I am super excited about it! She said it should be opening in a few weeks!! I am really getting excited to see it all finished. The space is really nice and it's going to be fantastic when they get it all buttoned up and beautiful!! And it's less than a quarter mile from my house!!

I think that's all the news that's fit to print right now! LOL I'll be back later to post LOs that I did last month! It sure feels good to be scrapping again!

Updates

The news about my uncle wasn't good. His cancer has spread to his liver, lungs, and lymph nodes. At this time, there is no news on what stage he is in. I am so sad, but I will continue praying for him and his family. My aunt is taking it hard, it just makes me so happy that my dad is there with them.

We had a home game last Friday and we won 60-0. It was AWESOME!! I enjoy watching my son play. It sure makes the games more fun to be able to watch him. Tomorrow's game is also a home game. I love it!!

I have been scrapping more lately. It's been nice to get back to my scrapping. I enjoy being able to scrap for me and my family and not for others. Don't get me wrong, I loved being on the CTs that I was on, but at times, it was hard to scrap. Sometimes a kit just didn't speak to me, or I didn't have the right photos. I am on four CTs now, and am seriously thinking of scaling back two of them.

I have also been working on my genealogy. I think I have finally broken through a brick wall. It's so nice, and I'm working on connecting the lines, but that will come. Now, I have a starting point in which to look. I have also been helping my sons friend with his. It's nice to be able to find stuff and build a tree for someone.

The diet has been a roller coaster. For the past month, I've been gaining one week, losing one week, and so on. It's been getting irritating. So, I've kicked it up a notch and now I am walking a mile a day. I really am feeling good. At times, my body hurts, but that will go away after I've been at it longer. I am working hard on staying on program and there are times it's really easy and times it is so hard. But, I'll keep going. I want to lose 100 lbs by the time my son graduates high school which is May 30.

I guess that's about it. I have to go and cook dinner. I think we'll be having some baked chicken and rice with veggies. That sounds good to me.

Homecoming and more

This past Friday was Homecoming in our little town. We started it off with a pep rally, which by my standards, wasn't too peppy. I grew up in Texas and we screamed and hollered at our pep rallies! This was not like that. But, it was still neat!! Then we had the JV football game and we won 28-8. Then the big football game!! It was so neat to watch my son play and what's better - we WON 48-6. Woo hoo!! That was an awesome game!!

I got some seriously sad news this weekend. It seems my favorite uncle has been diagnosed with cancer. He is supposed to go in on Monday to see if there is any spreading and what stage he is in. If it's a low enough stage and no spreading, they can do surgery. If it's a high stage, then they won't be able to. I am going to be on pins and needles and not the good kind waiting for the text from my cousin.

Church was wonderful yesterday. It was fast Sunday because our semiannual general conference is next weekend. I love hearing testimonies and yesterday, all the testimonies were very good and uplifting. The women's broadcast on Saturday was fabulous!! I just love hearing the leaders of my church speak and all the talks were so good, especially President Monson's. His talk was centered around not judging people and following the Lord's commandment to love one another. He told a story about a lady that always looked out her window and she would see her neighbor's laundry on the line and it was always dirty. She would say, "Why doesn't someone go and teach her how to wash clothes?" and "Doesn't she know how to get clothes clean?" Then one morning, she got up and looked our her window and was pleased to see that her neighbors laundry was nice and clean. When she asked her husband if he had seen someone over there doing the lady's laundry, he replied: "No I haven't, but I got up early this morning and washed our windows."

I just love that story!! We need to make sure our own windows are clean before we make judgements on anyone else. What a wonderful and simple story to illustrate the importance of not judging others. It makes me very excited to hear what they say this weekend at the general conference. I love this time of year.

Well, it's time to go and purge my office. I hope I don't get buried alive in there.

Lots of updates!

It's been almost a month since my last update. I need to get better about this. LOL

My first update is that I have now lost 50.6 lbs and 41 inches! I am so happy and feeling great! I know I have so much more to lose, but I have the momentum going now and I just love Weight Watchers!! I am also walking every morning and it feels great. Since school has started, I haven't been walking up at the school and I really miss my walking buddies - Christine, Janet, Ron, and the boys. But, I do my one mile walk away the pounds dvd every morning while Beka is at seminary.

School started here on the 30th! My son is a senior and I can't believe that he'll be graduating! I don't want him to, but we can't keep them babies forever now can we? He is playing varsity football and is loving it. My baby girl also started high school. It's so hard to believe that my baby is in high school! These years have just flown by. My oldest daughter is a junior and it's hard to believe that she'll be a senior next year.

I have started to organize my digital scrapping files and have realized that I have a LOT of junk. So, I have been purging what I know I won't use. I am so totally hooked on Cindy Schneider's templates over at Sweet Shoppe Designs. She takes all the fuss out and it makes scrapping so easy! I was SO against templates when I started, but now, I think I own her entire store. I haven't posted anything online yet. I plan on it, I just haven't wanted too yet. LOL If I do, I'll probably post them on my Facebook page.

We have missed a lot of church lately. We missed two weeks because we were out of town and this week we missed because we were all sick. It was the quietest day this house has seen in a long time as we all just stayed in bed and rested. Our busiest time of year for activities is coming up. We have our Trunk or Treat on the 30th and we invited the other two wards that we share a building with to come. Then we have our annual chili cook off in November and our Feliz Navidad party in December. Plus, I have my annual cookie and bread exchanges. So, this fall is shaping up to be a busy one.

Now that school is in session, I have decided to start purging my house. I have been watching that show Hoarders, and man, can I just say wow!! I can't believe that people live like that. My house is very cluttered, but I am proud to say that it is clean. My grammy was a hoarder, but she was a clean hoarder. Some of these people had trash all over their homes. I mean trash as in used food containers, food wrappers, one lady even had used adult diapers. Yuck! There was a lady on there from Louisiana, and when they started to shovel the trash out of her house - they found TWO dead cats. Yuck! So, I've decided to purge stuff. My new rule is - if I haven't used it in six months, I am donating it.

Well, I guess this is a long enough post for now! I have to get going! I'm working on a new Charles Wysocki jigsaw puzzle and I am almost finished. I just love his art and his puzzles are challenging, but very fun! I also have 26 episodes of The Office that I need to watch! LOL

Lots going on

I am hoping that once school starts, that I'll be posting more often. This summer has been busy and fun. It makes me sad to think that this is my last summer with Zakk as a high schooler. Next year, he'll be off to Reno, starting his own life. Man, I hope this year goes by slowly.

My weight loss is now 40 lbs! I am super happy about that. I've been walking up at the track every morning with my friends Ron, Janet, and Christine. I pushed myself too hard, and hurt my knee, so now I walk along the football field. It's still 1/4 mile and it still feels great. I started doing yoga and I love it. Ron has me doing some stretching exercises every day, and I am up to four times a day, but am planning on going up to six times a day.

Zakk started football practice this week. He's been coming home exhausted every night. The practices are three hours and they do 1 1/2 hours of conditioning. So, needless to say, Zakk is really tired when he gets home at 8:30. He is going to be playing on the defensive line and he was told that he'll be a starter, which is good! I can't believe he's a senior this year.

Hannah is going to be a junior this year. I can't believe my babies are growing up so fast. It's really made me sad to think that in a few short years, my children will all be on their own and starting their own lives. Time sure flies by quickly. It seems like yesterday they were my babies.

Beka is set to get her patriarchal blessing on the 21st in Spanish Fork. It is such a blessing to have my father-in-law be a patriarch and I think it will be very special for her to get it from her grandpa. She is super excited for seminary to start on the 30th.

I've been scrapbooking like crazy. I realized that I was buying a lot of junk. So, I purged my computer of all the stuff that I know I won't use, and have been scrapping with the stuff that I really like and that fits my style. I am now only on three CTs, and guesting for a designer whose CT I'd love to be on full time. But, we'll see how that goes.

I have also finally broken through one of my brick walls in my genealogy. I've been trying to locate my great great grandmother's family for 25 years and by sheer accident, I found a lead, which definitely panned out!! It's so nice to finally be able to see my great great grandmother with parents. I also was able to locate her first husband and her other two children. So, the genealogy quest has been quite hot lately!

I guess I should get going! I have a lot to do today! The kids and I are going to go school clothes shopping online and I want to continue working on that genealogy lead while it's still hot.

Lots of updates

It's been quite a while since I posted, so it's time that I update you all. First off, my total weight loss is now 33 lbs. I have also lost 15 inches and I am so happy about that. Today, I went to the track and walked 1/4 mile. Now, I know this doesn't seem like a lot, but for someone who went from a sedentary life to walking, it's HUGE!!! I've been on this weight loss journey now for eight weeks and I've never felt better!!

I am no longer working at the museum. I really miss the patrons. I enjoyed it, but circumstances caused me to rethink things and I decided that it was time to go. I just don't have the time or energy in my life to deal with other people's drama. It weighs too much on me, and this year is going to be busy enough with my first child graduating from high school next June. It's amazing how the Lord reveals his desire for you, if you just have faith in him and know that he will answer you.

I'm back to scrapbooking full time. I've sure missed it. I'm working on getting caught up and I have also purged my scrapbook supplies so that now I'll only be using the things that I like. I felt obligated before because I got some free things, plus I was on a LOT of CTs, but now I'm scrapping for me and it feels great!!

I'm still the activities chairman in my ward. I really love the calling and hope they don't decide it's time for me to move on. I enjoy thinking up activities and I need to pray about committee members. Several of mine have moved, so it's time to restock on members. We have a temple day scheduled in August and that it going to be amazing. Then we don't have anything else until October when we have our third annual chili cook off. That's gonna be fun!!

Beka has been in Texas for nearly three weeks and I sure miss her! She'll be home on Tuesday. We'll be heading off to Vegas to get her and then my house will feel normal again. Then in August, hell week for football begins! Ugh! That's gonna be rough on both Zakk and me - unless he gets his license before then. Because hell week means they have to be there in the morning AND in the afternoon! Twice a day to and from! Ugh!

Well, that's about it here. It's been a fairly quiet summer. But, things are going to start kicking in here soon and then the busy life will start again! I miss it.

Man, a week's gone by

Wow! I can't believe a week's gone by since I posted anything. Well, this week, I had to weigh in a day early because we're going to be traveling on Wednesday. I am down another 2.8 lbs for a grand total of 27.8 lbs down! Woo hoo!!

Yesterday, some friends and I went shoe shopping in Salt Lake City. We went to DSW and I bought some New Balance shoes. They are super comfy on my feet and they have mesh so my feet can breathe. I went walking today and I walked 600 yards! Woo hoo!!

We're leaving this afternoon to take my baby to Vegas. She leaves at 7:30 am tomorrow for a month long trip to Houston. I am gonna miss her like crazy!! I've done some LOs, but I feel bad that I haven't posted. I'll try and do that tonight when we're in the hotel.

Then, we're heading off for the Moore family reunion. I really am apprehensive about going because I don't really know how the girl that is watching our dogs is gonna work out, but we'll see. Then we'll be home for the ward 4th of July BBQ on Saturday! Wow, busy week ahead!!

So, I better get off and pack!!

Geez Louise!!

Just when I am feeling good about myself - 25 lbs lighter, new hair color, and finally exercising, someone who I thought was my friend decides to get pissed off because I went walking with someone she doesn't like. I am SO sick and tired of all the drama. I left high school 25 years ago and thought I left all the drama behind me. As my 16 year old daughter says, this person is very immature. Oh well.

My diet is going well. I managed to walk almost 1/4 mile today and I feel exhilarated. It feels great!! The ladies that I walk with are awesome and it is great to have walking buddies! Go Henze Hens!!

LOs will be posted later. I have a few more to finish!! Time to go!! Have a good one!

Fresh fruit dinner

I did get my fresh fruit dinner last night!! We had watermelon, strawberries, apples, and bananas. Steve also bought some chicken and we pan fried it in a little olive oil and mushrooms. It was so yummy!! What's even better is that I had leftovers for breakfast (well, not chicken, but fruit).

I did a little scrapping this week, but I have four more LOs that I am almost finished with, so I'll post LOs tomorrow. Today is hump day for us at the museum. I think Susan is going to have Zakk help weed the yard today, so that means I'll have plenty of time to scrap when we don't have patrons.

Susan has some awesome ideas for the museum, and I can't wait to help her get it all buttoned up and beautiful! I love working there and enjoy it so much!

This week, I was a little hurt by someone who I thought was a friend. I've done a lot of soul searching about it and I've decided that one good friend (and lots of fabulous family) is all you need in life. So, I've decided that I am only going to confide in my one good friend. Some of the people in this town act like middle schoolers. You can say one thing about someone, and it goes around this town like wildfire and once it gets back to that person, it has morphed into something you totally did not say. It's ridiculous! I am an adult woman who left middle school MANY years ago. For heaven's sake, I graduated high school 25 years ago. I just don't have time for it anymore, so I am alleviating the situation by not talking to anyone. I'll be nice and cordial, but that's it.

Anyway, my rant is over! LOL Time to get ready for work!!

Another work week begins

Since today is Thursday, it is the beginning of my work week. I love working at the museum and I enjoy meeting the new people. Today, we had the cutest kids come in and they had a good time. They loved Lil, our cave bear skeleton, and they bought themselves a reminder of the visit. It was so cute.

As I was working at the museum, I was getting more and more hungry for some fresh fruit. So, I'm sitting here waiting for Steve to go and get some. Which means, I'll probably end up eating a hot dog.

Anyway, I am going to get to work. I have some LOs to upload to galleries and report to my CT bosses. =))

Knowledge is empowering

I've been feeling pretty down the last few days. I don't want to say what caused it, but it was there just the same. But, today a friend of mine sent me a link to a talk that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave about not giving up. It was JUST what I needed today. That same friend (thanks Jan) came over and took me out to lunch. It was just what the doctor ordered. I needed to get away and just be with a friend and it was awesome. I've had a nice long chat with my heavenly father about it and we've decided that enough is enough. I have enough knowledge to empower myself and I'm gonna use it. It feels great, but sad at the same time.

I didn't do too much genealogy work as I've been commissioned to revamp a Boy Scout website. So, I had a call yesterday and will be getting another one today. That should keep me pretty busy. I do need to work on some genealogy because I've recently found some good hits, but that will have to wait. Perhaps I'll have time to work on it tomorrow.

I also need to do some scrapping, so there's a few busy days in my future. LOL But, I love staying busy. Beka is a YW camp and Zakk has been in full football training mode. So, I pretty much have had the house to myself the last few days and it's been nice.

Anyway, I need to get ready for a conference call, so I will be back later.

Sleep, sleep, and more sleep

Well, I came home from work on Saturday and went right to bed. I thought it was going to be a small nap, but it ended up being a 14 hour siesta as I didn't wake up again until 6:00 am the next morning. I got up, did a little stuff on the computer, and went right back to bed until 3:30 that afternoon. So, my body must have needed to shut down and rest. I feel great today.

I am going to be working on some LOs today and some genealogy. On Saturday, I worked a little on a baby girl afghan that I've been wanted to finish up, so maybe I'll work on that tonight. And since tomorrow is payday, I am going to be working up my menus for the next two weeks.

Beka had a great time at Youth Conference. I knew she would and she even met a girl there that is moving here to Ely next month. I hope the girl moves into our ward, but if not, at least Beka can be friends with her. Tomorrow is Girl's Camp and she'll be gone for the rest of the week and the week after that, she's heading to Texas! Man, I am gonna miss my baby girl!!

I hope it's a good Monday for you all!!

Yucky day!

Today is a yucky day! It's overcast and it looks like it's going to rain. We really need the moisture, but I just wish I didn't have to go out in it. It's also accompanied by some cold wind, so it seems more like winter than summer.

Today, my in-laws celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary! I think it is wonderful that they have been married so long and are so happy. They are so cute to watch together because they have this little banter between them. I hope Steve and I make it that far, I may just strangle him before then. Just kidding. I have a pretty good and patient hubby.

As promised, here's the LOs that I've been working on.










The first one is my DHs maternal grandmother Cornelia DeGroot McKell. The kit used for the LO is called Warm Scent by Armina Designs at Pickleberry Pop.

The second one is my adorable grand-niece Catherine. The kit used for the LO is called Calico Cottage by Amy Wolff at The Lily Pad.

The third one is my daughter Beka at her 8th grade promotion. The kit used is called Sassy Pants by Cori Gammon at The Lily Pad.

The fourth one is a five generation spread that I did for my son Zakk. The kit used is called Shades of Gray by Cori Gammon at The Lily Pad.

The fifth one is my daughter Bekah and her cousins at the beach at Christmas. The kit used is called Summer Breeze by Dawn Inskip at Pickleberry Pop.

The sixth one is a LO I did for my weight loss journey album. The kit is called Fresh Start by Lindsay Jane at Pickleberry Pop.

The seventh one is my hubby's ggg grandparents Robert and Elizabeth Boyack McKell. The kit used is called Spring Sunset by Laitha at Pickleberry Pop.

The last one is my sweet girl Hannah. The kit used is called Pink Sugar by Amy Wolff at The Lily Pad.

So, there ya have it! Lots of LOs done this month! I guess I had better go and eat breakfast and get ready for work! It's my Friday!!

It's hump day for me!!

Since I work at the local museum on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, it's my hump day! LOL I love working at the museum. I've met some pretty neat people from many different places. I also love working with Susan. We have a good time when it's slow. But, yesterday, we had 17 people in there which is good for a Thursday.

I baked a turkey for dinner last night and we'll have leftovers for dinner tonight. Maybe a turkey stir fry? Sounds ymmo! That's a good way to get in my veggies for the day. Weight Watchers really is a sensible plan, I just have trouble getting in 5-6 servings of fruits and veggies daily. LOL

I will be posting LOs later on tonight. I have to get ready and go to work right now. But, be on the lookout because it's new release Friday for the Lily Pad and Amy Wolff has an adorable new kit out and it's also new release Friday at Pickleberry Pop and Dawn Inskip has a wonderful Essentials kit out that is a must have. So, check back later to see what's up!!

Got it all pretty!

After a little time, I managed to get my blog all prettied up using Zoe Pearn's beautiful blog in a box graphics!! (You can find the link at the bottom). I think it looks pretty!!

I have decided that I am going to try and write on this everyday! We'll see how that goes! LOL Here's a tentative schedule of how I plan to do my blog.

For scrapping, since I deleted my Scrappinmama website, I'll post LOs here once a week. For my CTs, I have to have LOs finished and posted on Fridays, so that is probably when I'll post my new LOs.

For genealogy, I work on that on my days off which are Sunday-Wednesday. So, if I have anything to share, which I probably will, I'll post on those days!!

For weight loss, I weigh in on Wednesdays, so that is when I will be posting those updates.

Anything else that goes on will be fillers! =))

I'm hoping this new schedule will get me blogging more. I sure have missed it and visits from my old friends. Maybe I can get some of them to come back. LOL

Starting anew!

I realized today that I was paying money to have two websites that I never use. I was renewing the domains for $10 each a year and then paying $6 a month hosting for each to have them. Why? I am a long standing member of Ancestry.com and all my genealogy research is there. I also have all my scrapping LOs in numerous galleries on the net, so why? So, as hard as it was, I let them go and started this blog!! I am gonna get it all prettied up, but I feel the need to simplify my life! So, here I am!!