Winning but not Losing...Ergh!

Most of you probably remember a while back when I posted a picture of a bunch of cool Adidas stuff that I had won from participating in a contest our health insurance company had. ($200 worth of stuff to be exact!) Well, I've won again! After the contest was over (and I didn't win the grand prize :o( they sent out a quick on-line survey for everyone to take on what they liked and disliked about the contest. Well, of course, I did mine seeing as how I LOVE surveys (I know..I'm an odd ball). Anyway, this morning when I woke up I had an e-mail telling me that since I filled out the survey, I was one of the 6 people chosen to recieve a $25 gift card to Sports Authority! Yippee!! For years, I have been begging for new work out clothes/shoes. Now I have so many, I have a hard time picking out what to wear in the mornings! Here's to serving a God who is not about having just-enough...but about blessing us more abundantly than we can think or imagine and who cares about even the smallest of our desires! Thank you Lord!

I have to say thanks to my friend Tori for reminding me that I bought this great new jump rope and then encouraged you all to do the same...and then I haven't used it again since that last post! ha ha

So, in honor of you Tori and the fact that you took my advice and went out and got a jump rope...I came home today from the gym...from having worked out vigorously for an hour and a half...and I jumped rope! I jumped for 5 straight minutes, then had to run inside and drop the Browns off at the Pool (ha ha) and then jumped another 5 straight minutes--10 total! What a work out! I'm telling you guys! Try it! You won't believe how hard 10 minutes of jumping rope is! I took a picture of myself right afterwards with 2 of my buddies (my jump rope and my ball). Sorry for the gross thigh....I wanted to crop it out...but then I'd have cut off half of the picture.

By the way, the reason I titled this "Winning but not Losing....Ergh!" is that I am not having any success with my attempts to lose weight by summer. I have upped my work outs from twice a week to 4 times a week and I am now using the high-step at the gym instead of the low-step and I've been watching my calorie in-take (but not strictly) and I still haven't lost a single pound. It's frustrating but I know all this extra work has to pay off somehow...even if not in pounds...then in inches. Still, if someone can tell me a way to get rid of this jiggly jello belly, I would love you forever!

And, one last little thing before I go...to my friend Logzie...Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for the WONDERFUL book you sent for me: The Confident Woman. I am only about a quarter of the way through it...but I can't believe how acurate you were about this book being for me. I feel as though someone has been spying on me and they wrote a book about what they've seen! It's almost unbelievable. If any of you don't have this book...you should really consider getting it. Especially if you think you and I are alike in any way---then I know this book will minister to you as it has and is to me! Thanks for letting God work through you Logzie on my behalf! Love you!

A work in progress...

Here are some pictures of what Grant's room is looking like as of now... I am still working on it but I just love the tent and the sheets I ordered so I had to show them to you all! His tent even has a little window in it!

I decided to run to one of the JBF's 1/2 price sales today and see if I could find anything for the kids. I got them a couple little things...but I found this dress for myself. I know you can't see the detail on the picture...but it is a soft pink & white pinstripe with cute navy blue stitching. It is brand new with the tags still on (with a price of $138.00!!!) I got it for $15. The best part? It's a size 6. WooHoo!!

The leotard I got for Brooklyn at the sale for $2.50. It has a leopard print stripe down the sides which matches her hair perfectly...so it's really cute on her.

Freckle faces!

Yesterday as we were leaving the house we noticed a bird sitting in our gravel driveway. I jumped out to see if she was hurt and it turns out she was just sitting on her eggs! Actually, yesterday there was only one egg but today after church we checked and there were two! She picked a HORRIBLE place to lay the eggs though...RIGHT in the MIDDLE of our driveway! I am so paranoid we are going to run them over! I am hoping to find some kind of flag or something I can stick in the ground to remind us.

This little piggy....

It's time for a pedicure, dontcha think? How many of you girls out there treat yourselves to regular pedicures? Probably not nearly enough of you. I've been thinking about getting one lately and I think I might just go do that this weekend. I've only had 1 in my entire life. It was when I was pregnant with Grant and I decided to "treat" myself and get my nails done (fake ones) and a pedicure. It was the biggest waste of $50 I've ever spent. Well, the nails were okay...but the pedicure was nothing more than a lady who washed my feet off, lotioned up my legs and painted my toenails. Stuff I do myself all the time. I was thinking for $30...I was going to get some kind of special treatment. Anyway, since then...I've always opted to take the cheap route and just do my tootsies myself...BUT...then a few weeks back my friend Teya got her toes done and they looked SOOOOOOO good. Her toenails looked like they were made of glass or something...SO Super Shiny! I tried to duplicate the look at home but it didn't work...so I am thinking...you know, it's rare that I EVER spend money on myself purely. Yes, I buy things for the house and the kids and even clothes for myself occasionally...but getting my toenails done is solely for me and me alone...and you know what? I think I'm worth it! Plus, I'm pretty "anal" (I hate that word...but it seems to fit here) about how my toenails look. I NEVER leave the house without them painted or if they are chipped...I fix it before I leave. Even if I have to grab the polish and fix them in the car at a red light..I'll do it. I just can't stand "nappy" looking toes. So...that's what I'm thinking about today...among a million other things. So I'm just curious...how many of you girlies do this for yourselves? And if so..how often do you go?

Here's a giggle for ya...

I have recently enrolled the kids in swimming lessons at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club. During the time we have our lessons, there is also an elderly woman's class going on. So basically the pool is full of large, old women and teeny tiny children. It's a sight. Anyway...the first time we went, we found out that this group of old ladies is not in any way modest. As we entered the woman's locker room, there was one lady sitting on the bench completely nude just sitting there while several others were undressing---all in plain view of anyone entering or leaving. Brooklyn's eyes bugged out of her head and I just HOPED she wouldn't say anything until we got out of hearing distance.
Anyway...today we were in the locker room getting their wet suits off and their dry clothes on while this one older lady kept walking in and out, in and out mumbling something about having forgotten or lost something. I didn't pay her much attention as me and another mom were chatting. Then this old lady walks back in and says, "I know what it is! I forgot to wear my bra and panties today! That's why I feel like I am forgetting something. You know when you are in a hurry, you just can't remember everything!" and then she walked out. Me and the other mom started laughing so hard I actually dropped my gum out of my mouth. I told her...you know..I may forget my purse or my keys or even one of my kids...but I don't think I could EVER walk out of the house in the morning without my bra and undies on! Ha Ha! God please don't let me get that old ever! ha ha

So...here is the finished product. Grant's "leather" wall. It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but I like it still. Let me just say...if any of you decide to do this...call me first and let me give you some pointers! I had to do lots of trial and error before I finally found a technique that worked. Let me know what you all think about this. Is it cool or not? I am second guessing myself I guess...

Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys...

Just thought I'd give you guys a preview into what Grant's new big-boy room will be made of. These pictures are of a couple of the things I have bought to go in his new room.

The sheets above...I ordered the blue ones with a brown quilt---and the Tee-Pee will be a birthday present so shhhh....! don't tell!

I'll be sure to post a picture once it's all done and put together!

Brown Bag It!

PHASE ONE

So....some of you have heard of this before and others of you will raise your eyebrows and say "What?????" but today I spent most of the day putting brown paper bags on the wall in Grant's room. Well, technically, I used rolls of brown packaging paper...but you can actually use grocery bags. It's a technique that results in a "leather" wall. I saw it once years ago and LOVED it and have wanted to do it ever since. When I decided on doing a western theme in Grant's big-boy room...I knew this was the perfect opportunity. I googled it online first to get some pointers and then I set out---ripping, crinkling and then gluing the paper to the wall. This is a very simple job...but majorly time consuming. In all, I probably spent about 6 hours doing this. The kids helped though by crunching up the paper into balls for me and ripping them up. (the more rough edges and wrinkles in the paper--the better the effect). I was so glad to put my last peice of paper up on the wall and be done for the day. Now the next step is to apply a layer of brown shoe polish to the top of it which will give it that smooth, creamy, leathery look--and will really accent all the torn edges and wrinkles. I will do that tomorrow. For now...here is what it looks like in PHASE TWO . Tomorrow I will complete the project and post a picture of the final result. Let me know what you think!

...and He will give you the desires of your heart!

As all my devoted readers know...I have been looking for some time now for a bed for Grant's big boy room. I have been to nearly all the furniture stores in our big town and nothing has suited me. I am picky and I like to be unique. I wasn't going to settle for a regular old run-of-the-mill bed. So I waited and waited...and it paid off!!! This weekend was the big consignment sale in our town. I decided to go ahead and take all of Grant's baby stuff to sell (his crib, changing table, rocking chair and all his moons-&-stars bedding and decor). I dropped my stuff off on Wednesday evening and while I was there, I looked for a bed for his room. To my dismay, there wasn't anything even remotely close. The next day I decided to load the kids up and go shop the sale and see if I could find any good deals on some summer play clothes for them. I thought I could also spy on my things and see if anything had sold. Right away I saw that ALL of the furniture I had brought was already gone! Hooray! The only big thing left was his bedding. Then as I got to looking around--I saw it! THE bed! MY bed. The one God had someone decide to sell just because He knew I would go there and find it! I'm telling you guys...anyone else would have looked at the thing and said, "I can't believe someone is trying to sell that old thing" but I looked at it and saw the perfect bed I've been looking for---and even better---for only $40.00!!!!! It was covered in cobwebs and a thick layer of dust. It had lots of nicks and scratches and CHARACTER. I bought it and had them stick a "sold" tag on it until I could get Matt to pick it up for me in his truck. So he and my dad went today and got it and thank goodness they have faith in me, because they both acted like they couldn't believe this was the thing I was so excited about! ha ha You just have to have vision! Anyway...I got it home and cleaned it all up and took a picture so I could show you guys the BEFORE. Then I got to work sanding and painting. I am painting it red ("red hot" to be exact) and then I will probably sand it down some to give it a little bit of a rustic/antiqued look. It is taking at least 3 coats to get it completely covered. I actually hesitated for a second to even paint it because once I got it all cleaned up, it was quite beautiful just as it was....BUT...I've had my heart set on a red bed now ever since I decided to do a cowboy theme...so I went ahead with my original plan. Anyway, I thought I would take a picture to show you what it looks like in PHASE TWO. Tomorrow I plan to put the 3rd (and hopefully last) coat on it.

What's in your bra?

Grant woke up with an unusually sweet tooth this morning. Brooklyn is normally our big candy-eater. He obviously likes candy---he is a kid---but he's not crazy about it like she is. Anyway, today since I was VERY busy and preoccupied with my projects (more about that in the next post)...he kept helping himself to our big bowl of Easter candy in the pantry. After about the 4th thing...I told him "No More Candy, Mister!" and I confiscated the starburst he was about to open. Looking for a place to put it where he couldn't find it, I first tried sticking it in the waistband of my pocket-less shorts. He said, "Mommy, where'd you put my candy?" and then as if on cue, the darn little thing fell out of my shorts and onto the floor in front of him. I quickly grabbed it back up and stuck it in the only place I could think of that would be secure---my bra. Eventually I was able to convince him it had disappeared into thin air and we all forgot about the whole thing. That was until I got ready to take a shower tonight before bed. Here I am, in my nice, quiet master bathroom all alone, staring off into space, getting undressed and waiting outside my shower for the water to get hot when I glance over at myself in the mirror and see a red starburst stuck on my boob! For some reason, it struck me as hilarious and I ran through the house, past the kids to where Matt was sitting on the couch watching TV to show him. Boy was he surprised to see me running at him in my birthday suit! Ha Ha! What's even funnier is it had been there for like 8 hours...so an hour later--after my shower, there is still a little square indention where the thing had been. How funny. (Can you believe it actually crossed my mind to take a picture to show you all??? ---I was trying to figure out a way I could take a picture that wouldn't be indecent---but then...I decided you guys will just have to take my word for it! ha ha!)

Another little funny story for ya ...
Once I was done for the day with all my "projects", I decided to do a quick hour of cleaning throughout the house, seeing as how it looked like a tornado had swept through. The kids did wonderfully today playing together and amusing themselves while I worked the hours away...but they left a trail of toys, clothes, books and crumbs in every room of the house. So we worked together to get it all picked up and then while I loaded dishes into the dishwasher and clothes into the clothes-washer...I asked Brooklyn to get the carpet fresh powder and sprinkle some throughout the house for me before I vacuumed. She's done this for me several times before and she thorougly enjoys it. (????must be a kid thing...they actually fight over who gets to do it!!!!) Anyway, she gladly went to the cleaning closet to the the stuff and was JUST about to start sprinkling when I looked up and saw that she was using COMET!!! Whew!! I caught her just in the nick of time but I had to wonder what would have happened had I not stopped her? I wonder if that would mess up the carpet? Maybe it would just make my house smell really bleachy and clean? I don't know but when no one is looking, I might just try it and see what happens!! ha ha... I do like the smell of bleach!

Constipated?

If you are constipated or fat or feeling lazy...I have your cure! It's long and skinny and mine is black. Sometimes made of rubber, sometimes of rope. It stings if you hit yourself with it but can be lots of fun if you use it correctly. Any guesses?

Yes, it's a jumprope. I read the other day that 10 minutes of jumping rope is equal to 30 minutes of jogging! That was all the convincing I needed. I went right out got me one. (only $6.95 for a really nice one at Wal-Mart). Anyway, little did I know it would be a natural laxitive too! (ha ha--sorry...I'm sure that is TMI but quite honestly, I know lots of people who struggle with that problem). Anyway, so...after 4 minutes, I was EXHAUSTED...but I pressed on and by 6 minutes, I had pushed past that tired feeling and was really enjoying myself. When my timer went off after 10 minutes, I was pumped up and ready to go again. I couldn't believe how soaked in sweat I was! You guys know I work out on a regular basis...for 2 hours at at time...so this was obviously a great workout!

I just wanted to encourage you all to try it. It's cheap and easy and doesn't require much space. Just start with 5 or 10 minutes and work up one minute at a time until you can do more.

Pajama Heads!

Finally!!! We've had Cingular for our cell phone service for about 2 1/2 years now and we've loved them...but when we moved out here to our new house (in the country) we didn't get good reception anymore. About a mile in any direction from our house doesn't have service...so we were dropping calls like flies. Monday, I went and signed us up with T-Mobile and we got new phones. So far...our service seems to be good out here. Anyway, this is a picture of my new phone. It's so much cuter than my previous phone which was the OLD antique style Nokia that you couldn't even buy faceplates for. Now I feel so young and hip to have such a cute phone! ha ha

Yesterday while I was busy getting Grant's changing table ready to sell, the kids amused themselves by dressing up in "costumes". When I went in to check on them...this is how Grant was dressed. As you can see...he was pretty proud of himself. Ha Ha. The little bracelet you see around his right arm was made by Brooklyn for him out of garbage bag twist-ties and he LOVES it and wears it and calls it his "costume". It's hilarious. He'll say, "Mom, is my costume still on?" and have me pull up his sleeve and look at his arm.

My mom and dad got the kids these teeth-suckers for Easter. How nice. ha ha

Matt was showing Grant how to climb up this rock wall. I told Matt I should print this off and show it to the guys at work and tell them this is how he practices his climbing skills. ha ha

My guys playin' at the park.

After much persuasion, Grant began to pick up a few eggs.

The whole group at the park after the egg hunt. What a fun bunch of kids!

As you can see...Brooklyn gathered as many eggs as her basket could fit and wasn't too happy about stopping for a quick picture...but she managed a forced smile for me. ha ha

My little man hunting eggs at the park. He was enjoying watching all the kids run for the eggs and wasn't really all that interested in getting any himself. I'm sure that will change in the coming years though!

We gave Brooklyn a special "up-do" for hair for Easter Sunday. You really can't see it too well in this picture...but it was in a pony tail and then in big ringlets all around her head. She looked like a princess ready for the ball!

My cuties on Easter before Church. Pink & Brown were our colors this year. Grant put up a fair-share of resistance to wearing a pink shirt. He told me he couldn't wear it "because it's girlie" but I showed him that even his daddy has a few pink shirts...so he reluctantly agreed.

Brooklyn and her buddy from school, Kennedy, at their Easter egg hunt today. Actually it was their "Spring Egg Hunt". Can you believe that? They are actually trying to take the word 'Easter' out of school? The letter that was sent home from school with them said, "In coordination with our study of spring and eggs and other things, our classes will be holding a Spring Egg Hunt on Friday, April 6th." Whatever! Easter is about Jesus. Period. I meant to write Happy Easter on each one of our plastic eggs that we donated, but I forgot. :o(