Christmas Highlights

Mom got a Cricut. I think she liked it because she almost started crying. She had mentioned wanting it a few years ago, but it was an unexpected gift this year. It is pretty cool - if only the accessories weren't so expensive. Btw, Cricut is for scrapbookers and crafty people (not me). It cuts out shapes and letters and such.

We got to hang out with some of our favorite people at Enchanted Castle while we were in the Chicago area. Dave and Jen and their little girl Averie met us there. Josh got to ride the go carts and could not stand getting off. He sobbed and sobbed. Although Averie and Josh are almost the same in age the fact that she is a girl and he is a boy is very obvious. It is actually very interesting to observe the differences. I have put in my order for a little girl (a sweet one!) if the Lord blesses us with another child.

Josh and his Grandma Chris in Chicago land.

Exausted on Christmas day. This is a very rare picture. Josh NEVER falls asleep anywhere but his bed. He has only fallen asleep laying with someone else a handful of times in the last few years. The mark on his face is from a box incident. We don't beat him. :o)

Fun with the cousin Jessie in a big box. Yes this is the box that the accident occurred in that caused the face mark.

Get With the Program

So my desk is hidden under piles of paper, my car is so dirty it is embarrassed to be seen with me, the laundry I did a few days ago is sitting in a basket patiently waiting to be put away and the clean out the closet project I started never got past the sorting stage. Flylady would ashamed, I'm sure. Should I go to work today and get ahead for the month or should I just stay home and clean? Mike is coming home early since he just has an inservice today and the weather is supposed to be beautiful. So I really wouldn't get much done if I stayed home today anyway. Guess I better get off my duff and out the door. I would like to have people over tomorrow evening to hang out. Guess I'll have to work in turbo gear at some point in the next 24 hours.

Mocha Bootie

Mocha bootie is a song Josh likes to sing. Mocha is the dog at the babysitter and bootie is well.. you know. That's all there is to the song "Mocha bootie." It's quite catchy and you'll find yourself dancing to it before you know it. Speaking of bootie. I am going for my first workout of 2009. I have tried to get Mike to go with me to class today since he promised me long ago he would attend a class with me. I tried shaming him, begging him, telling him it would be practically empty, calling him names and flapping my arms like a chicken. I still don't think he is going to class with me. He is going to use the treadmill and do all the same boring stuff he always does.

My workouts progressively dwindled as 2008 ended. Now I'm determined to get back in gear, huffing and puffing as I go. Well it's time to get going. If only I could watch a workout on tv instead of doing the real thing...

A Personal Trainer for Me Personally

So I guess I'm living the rich life now huh? I started with a personal trainer today for the first time ever in my life. This pesky weight has become more and more pesky as the months tick by. So I'm using part of the money my very generous mother-in-law gave me for my birthday to get a personal trainer for a month. The trainer is a friend of a good friend of mine, and I think my trainer, Emily, will be a friend of mine after a bit too.

Why I think Emily will work out well as my trainer. She is a 28 year old mom with three kids who understands life is usually less than perfect. Emily has a great body, but not a pencil thin bulging muscle type. I told her today I really wanted her to push me (so I may in fact hate her when this is over). I need some accountability and I think she'll be good at that too.

I'm pretty excited. We'll see where this goes!

Too Much Information?

Perhaps this is too much information, but I've been doing a colon cleanse for the last 3+ weeks. It feels as if I have been doing it forever and I'm so tired of it. First you must take 4 pills when you wake up. Wait 15 minutes and take a wretched scoop of fiber powder. Mixing it with juice makes it tolerable and it still needs a chaser ounce or two of juice to get the grit out of my mouth. Then take 4 pills before lunch or dinner and three more pills with lunch or dinner. Before bed there are two more pills and a tea to brew and drink. Can you believe that? Now do you know why I'm tired of it? They recommend you do the cleanse for 3 months. Unless I got amazing results you would have to pay ME to do it that long.

If you look online you see all kinds of crazy things produced from the bowels of people willing to post their toilet leavings for everyone to see. I haven't really noticed anything crazy. I felt pretty low on energy when first starting the cleanse. There have also been more breakouts on my skin the past few weeks. My friend who did the cleanse started sweating yellow grease and got little bumps on her forehead and chest.

I have suffered from constipation for much of my life, but since I started eating the fresh made whole grain foods I really believe my colon is much better. I still have problems when we travel. Low fiber food, less exercise and less water makes for a bad combo. The bran in the whole grain flour really does lessen the transit time, softens the stool and bulks up the stool. I'm really not embarrassed to talk about this because as a dietitian I've talked about bathroom stuff with so many people and I know it is a problem for many, many people. Got to go get Joshy. More on this subject later. :o)

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things

These are all things that I enjoy immensley and use frequently. Just in case you wondered!

1. Burts Bee's Lip Balm - I'm addicted and use it every morning and every night.

2. Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner - Fabulous stuff. A bit tricky to apply, but stays on better than any other eyeliner I have found.

3. The stereo in my kitchen that has XM satellite radio. I LOVE channel 164, which is old time radio. My favorite shows are the detective shows like Dragnet and the westerns like Gunsmoke and The Lone Ranger. I also enjoy the comedy shows, mostly from the 40's and 50's. Something about them is so appealing - the comedy is true clever comedy, the bad guy always confesses, there is always a tricky ending.

4. My oversized toaster oven. It keeps me from having to turn on the oven so much in the summer. Tonight I made quiche in it. It has a convection bake setting as well as regular baking and toasting. I wouldn't trade it. 5. Origins A Perfect World Lotion. This is hands down the best face lotion I have ever used. My skin did not flake and feel dry this past winter at all. Though a bit pricey, every Origins product I've tried is fantastic - microdermabrasion, hand lotion, serum, etc.

6. Pureology voluminizing conditioner and also the power dressing hair goo stuff. It is expensive, but it only takes a dab for my fine hair. It is organic and works wonderfully.7. Southern Living magazine. I am not ga-ga over it, but I really do enjoy it. My favorite was the recent issue with their idea houses. I would do flips to have the North Carolina floor plan with its huge rounded porch, open living spaces and library retreat area on the second floor. See it at www.southernliving.com/ideahouse. Check out Davidson Gap.

8. My Nutrimill grain mill. It works fabulously, self cleans and gives me fresh ground flour whenever I want.

Roaring River

It was so pretty here. I just drank in the beauty of God's creation.

Here is the mouth of the river. 20+ million gallons of water flow out of here daily. Amazing.