Wednesday Randomness

Two posts in one week...maybe I'm making some progress!

I added my January goals in my left sidebar, and if you'll notice, I already have one goal marked off. Go me!!!!
And I added an item as well. CJ turned 15 in May. He still doesn't have his learner's permit. A big part of that is because he hasn't really been to anxious to get it. The other part is that I procrastinated getting his attendance certificate so he can get them. I had it in November, but things got really busy and we didn't get around to actually getting his permit. Problem is, it's only good for 30 days, and I have to go get a new one. So I'm planning to go get a new one next week. By then, they will have his December attendance accounted for (I just mailed it yesterday), everything will be current, and I can get a new certificate. Then we can go get his permit. Chip encouraged me to add it to my January goals so I'd be sure to get it done!

I can't believe how cold it is!!! I'm a southern girl, and I don't like to be this cold for this long. I can't seem to get warm and I don't like it! I say EVERY winter - give me a few days of cold and some SNOW, and I'm a happy girl. I only want it to snow once - I don't want to be in a place where it snows all the time. But I want it to be some GOOD snow...not piddly stuff! But honestly, I think I'm feeling the winter blues. I feel totally blah...don't want to do anything, and think I'd be totally fine with skipping the hope of snow and move right into summer right now! The sun may be shining bright, but it is stinkin' cold, and I don't like it!

And today I really don't feel like doing anything. I have a killer headache and my stomach isn't feeling too well either. So what better time to blog, right? At least I can do it sitting down while I'm not doing anything else! I really just want to hibernate. Wouldn't that be nice? But that's not happening today. Even though I don't feel great, I have to brave the elements in a bit because we have church tonight.

I'm trying to get back on my Flylady routines. I think if I can get back into some sort of routine, I'll feel better all the way around. I'll feel like I have something accomplished! We are in zone 1 this week - the dining room and front porch. I got the dining room done, for the most part (which is also my scrapbooking "room") but it's too stinking cold to do the front porch! I think it will have to wait! At least I got all the Christmas decorations off of it, but as far as really cleaning it...not happening right now! I'm thinking about adding the routine thing to my sidebar too. That accountability thing really helps! And I need all the help I can get!

I also know I would feel better if I were back to exercising regularly. I want to run, but it is just too cold to do it outside. I finally got a treadmill (a benefit of working at a Thrift Store!) but it's just not the same. I'm not loving running on it. But CJ is getting some use out of it, so that's good! Hopefully I can motivate myself to get on it some more though, until the weather warms up.

Well, I imagine that's enough randomness for today. I need to go make myself take a shower and start getting ready for church. As slow as I'm moving today, it's going to take the entire two and a half hours before I need to leave to actually get ready! Guess I should get started!

Once Upon a Time, I Was a Blogger...

First of all, yes...I'm still alive.

And it's 2010...how on earth did THAT happen?

I'm sure there's no one still checking in here since I seem to have disappeared, but I'm posting anyway. I really miss all my blog friends!

I quit calling myself a blogger quite some time ago, since you have to actually, you know, um...BLOG to be considered a blogger! I really don't know exactly what happened. Life, I suppose.

I kind of lost interest for a while. I've mentioned before that Facebook kind of took over my life...that's a big part. But I really just didn't feel like I had much to say, which probably sounds insane for most people who know me! And even when I did have something to say, I just didn't feel like messing with it.

So, it's a new year, and here I am with a post after seven months. Does this mean I'll be come a "real" blogger again? I'm not really sure. I'd love to say yes, but we'll just see where this goes. We'll see if I get my desire back.

A lot has happened in seven months. CJ turned 15 and Ruthi turned 5. That just blows my mind on so many levels. And there have been lots of small things, but I'm not even going to begin to go into them. I'm not going to try to play too much catch up. I'm just going to pick up where I am! If I try too hard to catch up, it will feel like a chore, and I KNOW I won't keep this up. So I'm going to make it as easy on myself as possible.

One thing I really miss about blogging is the accountability I had going on being involved in the carnivals and such. I can't remember the last time I actually planned a menu or "tackled" something with great gusto just so I could say I did it! So I'm hoping that stepping back in to the blogosphere will help me with that.

I am going to start by listing a few goals I have. These are not in any way New Year's Resolutions...they aren't even long term goals. I have a few things specifically that I want to accomplish in January. So I will list them here, and if I get back on track with this blog thing, I will post my progress. I may even play around and add them to my sidebar and cross them off as I go.

These goals are not big things, just a few things I need/want to get done around here.

January Goals

• Paint and hang Ruthi's shelves (this one has been on my list for an embarrassingly long time!)
• Paint Ruthi's window (this one too!)
• Organize two drawers in scrapbook area (these are two specific drawers that have gotten out of hand)
• Stock freezer with quick meals and baked goods
• Work on wall "gallery" project for living room
• Create items and get my Etsy shop going again
• Start blogging again!

And that's all for now. I really hope that putting it here will help motivate me more. And I hope to "see" some of my long-lost blog friends again soon! Guess I also need to go get caught up on some blog reading!!!

Oh - and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Ridiculous

I'm telling you...if there is anyone at all who still checks in here...maybe I'm not cut out to be a blogger after all! This is ridiculous that I'm going so long between posts! Seems a lot of bloggers are experiencing this for one reason or another lately. I don't know why, but I simply haven't felt like doing it!

And I don't know why...because I really do enjoy it! I'm not throwing in the towel just yet, but as I've said before, I'm not making any promises as to how often I'm going to be doing it!

Since I started this blog as a way to keep family updated and to document things my kids say & do, I want to keep at it. When my parents lived two hours away, this was a great way for them to check in. But now that they live close again, my Dad isn't constantly telling me I haven't added any pictures lately!

And, all the aunts who read, I haven't seen lately...so they aren't "nagging" me anymore either. And I DON'T mean nagging me in a bad way! More like encouraging! Guess I needed all those reminders to get me to do something on here!

So...I'm here today, but I'm going to TRY not to let this turn into a marathon post!

I wanted to get something on here that Ruthi said the other night before I forget. If I write it down, it will just get lost. And though I posted it on facebook, that will soon be buried forever and I'll never find it again.

The other night (May 23) I was putting Ruthi to bed. When I got to her room, I realized how loud the TV in the living room was. I told her I needed to turn it off, that it was too loud. She said, "But I need some peace and loud!"

A few minutes later, we were starting nighttime prayers. She usually starts out with "Dear Jesus" or "Dear Lord" or something like that. On this night, she said - very enthusiastically, "Hi Jesus!" As if she could see Him sitting there and started talking to Him. It was so precious!

Let's see if I can sum up the past few weeks: (not necessarily in order!)

* My computer has decided it doesn't want to work anymore...at least most of the time. Some days it will come on, and the others it won't. And when it does come on, I have to tilt it to get it to work properly...oh and blow on the back of it to keep it cool. Ugh.

* Because my computer isn't cooperating, I'm sharing CJ's computer. He's not crazy about it. But hopefully it's only temporary!

* May 7 was a terrible day. We had to put down our 15 year old dog, who had been ours for over 12 years. It's still painful for me to talk about, so that's all I'm going to say about that.

* Didn't get to run my 2nd 5K due to the weather. Haven't got back on track with running...first I was just down, then I started having a problem with my foot. I would have run today, but it was raining, and I really didn't want to run in the mud! Hoping to get back out there on Thursday!

* Had a great time at a family fun day for the Firefighters & families! Wasn't going to go because Chip had to work - but then he called to let me know he was going to be there while he was on duty, so the kids and I went and had a blast!

* Visited Chip's station for the first time since he's been at the one he's currently at. He's only been there for over a year! But...it is quite a drive, so it's not exactly convenient! Ruthi had an absolute blast! She is always saying, "When I grow up, I want to be a mommy and a fi-der fighter!" So when she sat behind the wheel of a firetruck with a little helmet on her head, she said, "I'm a REAL fi-der fighter now!"

* Enjoyed spending part of Mother's Day with my Mom. My Dad grilled yummy steaks for dinner. I love having my parents close by again!

* Had a very nice day visiting Chip's parents. His Mom's birthday always falls right around Mother's Day, so we went to celebrate both. The kids had a blast riding the riding lawnmower! (Pictures to follow)

* Worked on something creative! I thought my creative juices were gone. But I was asked to make a little something for a friend's daughter who was graduating, and I ran with it. What started out as some thank you cards & pen, turned into something much bigger. I had a blast...it felt so good to get my hands "dirty" and make something again. Hopefully I'll get pictures up on my craft blog soon.

OK, so much for this not being a marathon post! So, I'll stop now and leave you with a few pictures!


From the family fun day:




Mother's Day. I love being Mom to these kids! Didn't get any of me with my Mom though - just forgot! :(


At the Fire Station:





Fun at Memaw & Papaw's!








Memorial Day:

And that took a while...it's after 1 am. This night owl is going to bed!

Um, Yeah....What Blog?

No, I actually did not forget I have a blog!

Even though it seems that way!

Not sure what's going on. Too much time on Face Book I suppose. At least that's one reason...something else taking up my time.

But really, I just haven't had much blogging inspiration lately. Actually, I haven't had much of ANY inspiration lately it seems.

Not really sure why. January was great. February was blah. Maybe it was the winter blues? But I've had very low motivation to do anything! And I'm not happy with myself about that!

But I came to a little bit of a realization the other day. January was happy - and I was doing lots of scrapbooking and card making. For some reason, when February came around, I didn't get around to any of that. And I just wasn't as happy!

A few days ago, I sat down and stamped some images and started coloring them in to make some cards. And all of a sudden, I felt happy! I'm NOT kidding...it was like my happy endorphins kicked in, and there's been a bit more of a spring in my step!

So, I told my husband that apparently need to make myself work on my stuff more often, to keep those happy endorphins going! So, maybe I'll start posting on my craft blog again too...I really can't believe how long it's been since I posted something there!

So...not too terribly much is new. I'm running again. After a good start last fall and then nothing over the holidays, I'm back. I was so mad at myself...my weight crept back up, and I was like a slug.

So I decided to get serious again. And I made a commitment to myself to get healthy, once and for all. And I'm feeling much better.

I'm running my first 5K on the 28th of this month. I am very excited! And I'm SO hoping that I'm actually going to be ready. I mean, I'm doing it whether I'm truly ready or not, but I want to run the entire thing, and not end up walking too much of it! I'm not concerned about the time I finish it in, but that I can just run the whole thing. I'll work on increasing my speed on the next one!

It just feels good knowing I'm doing something good for my body. And I've seriously changed my eating habits. And...the scale has started moving in the right direction again, so I'm quite happy about that!

Let's see...well, I was planning to post my pictures for my Project 365, but obviously that hasn't happened! I'm not going to go back and post all the ones I've taken since the last post...I might pick a few and share. And I probably won't try to post every single one for the rest of the year here either. But I will share a lot of them.

I just got notice today that my kit has FINALLY shipped! I was so irritated in January. I was sure it was on the way. I mean, I had received notice that it was! So I finally called customer service only to find out there was a mistake, and that it was processed as a backorder. That would not have irritated me if they had bothered to let me know! Anyway...I was told that they would have them in mid February, and they would ship then. February was gone, and I decided to just not worry about it, that I probably would end up not getting one. Then, yesterday I received an email saying they were shipping! And today I got another one saying it was shipped, complete with a tracking number! So, it really is on the way! Now I just need to get pictures printed so I can start putting it together!

Well, this is getting long, so I suppose I should sign off. And I really will try to blog more than once a month again. Wait a minute...I didn't blog at ALL in February! So, I've already beat last month! LOL!

Seriously, I will try to quit neglecting this thing.

Now I'm going back to trying to pay attention to American Idol. I'm so under impressed so far this season. I'm getting bored, and the final 12 aren't even completely decided! Oh dear. Ok...that is all for now.

Spoiled

So, the guys are away on their canoeing/fishing trip, and Ruthi and I are hanging out at home. Actually, Ruthi's little friend came over yesterday and to spend the night and they are playing happily right now.

Since they hubby is in a canoe, he obviously had no reason to take his laptop with him. So before he left he told me he was going to let me use it as long as I don't download anything and don't change anything!

My computer is running quite slowly because there is a LOT of stuff on there. And it locks up on me all the time. So using his, which is MUCH faster is a very nice break!

It has been so nice, hanging out on the couch, with my feet up, surfing and reading blogs to my heart's content. And when Ruthi wants to go out and play in her sand box, I can now take this wonderful machine and sit on the front porch with plenty to do while she plays to her heart's content! And, since this computer is so much faster than mine, I can blog hop much quicker and do everything I usually do on the computer in a fraction of the time - so much so that I've even played some online games with my all the extra time I've gained! LOL! Yes, I'm definitely getting a little spoiled!

This is making me want to work very hard and make lots of money so I can save up for one of these of my very own!

The only downside at the moment is I don't have access to my photos, so I can't post any from here. And I really don't want to go to my slow computer to upload any at the moment!

And though I am really looking forward to my husband and son coming home, I will miss the luxury of the laptop! But I'd much rather have them home than a lifetime of laptop use!

For The Birds

Yes, I realize it's been over a week since I blogged. I had an icky sinus infection which was no fun. I caught it quick and went right on an antibiotic, but it just made me feel so tired!

And instead of spending 4 glorious days of non-stop scrapping over Super Bowl weekend, where I usually can turn out a minumum of 20 scrapbook pages, I managed to get a whopping 6 done. I just didn't feel good! And you know if I don't feel like scrapping, especially on Super Bowl weekend, that I really don't feel good!

So now that I'm feeling much better, even though my sinuses are still bugging me, I'm trying to get back on track...yet again.

I've got lots to do this week and I really want to feel like I accomplished a lot when this week is over.

I did finally get my motivation back and was trucking along so well, cleaning and organizing like a mad woman. Then I got hit by that truck and well, I'm sure you know how that goes.

So I think the motivation has finally returned again, and I'm trying to "do it all" before I run into another road block.

Anyway, the reason for today's title...

When I was cleaning, I came across a bag of birdseed I had bought a long time ago - probably when I was teaching and my class was studying birds. There was quite a bit left, so I decided Ruthi might have fun making some bird feeders.

CJ was a sweetie and went out to find us some pine cones. I sat down with Ruthi and let her coat the pinecones with peanut butter and roll them in the birdseed. She really seemed to enjoy it, except for the birdseed that stuck to her fingers. She wasn't too crazy about that.

The day before we did this, it had been fairly warm and there had been lots of birds in our yard. But on this day, it was FREEZING. So I bundled her up and we went out just long enough to hang the feeders.

Then we waited...inside.

She kept checking the window to see if any birds were enjoying their yummy treat. But we didn't see any. The next day we did spot a couple.

Once it warmed back up a bit, the birds showed up and enjoyed their little feast. Now we need to refill them and put them back out.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of her making the feeders.

Spreading the peanut butter.


She couldn't resist a little taste for herself.


Rolling in the birdseed.


Hanging it in the tree.


For the Birds!