Start Date: Immediately
End Date: December 31, 2007

"This is the time of the year when the tempting foods abound and, if you are like me, you start promising yourself that you'll commit to healthier eating when the New Year arrives. Don't Wait!! That's what this challenge is all about! If you start now, you'll get a head start on the New Year and you'll feel great.

For this challenge, set one goal for yourself that you want to accomplish before January 1st. It might be to just lose 5 pounds before that day. You might want to commit to adding one extra day of exercise to your routine (if you're not exercising, how about adding 1 day?). You might want to cut out sodas till that day or add an extra 8 oz of water to your routine. Get the picture? Set a goal!!!"
******

My friend Becky, from Women @ Home, proposed this challenge, and I accept. Here are my goals:

1) Exercise 30 minutes, once or twice a week.
2) Drink at least 4 glasses of plain ole' water daily, plus other juices and liquids.
3) Do 25 sit-ups at least 3 times a week.

Current weight: ????
Last weigh-in: 139, before Thanksgiving.
Goal: 135

Who wants to join us?
Notice you can set just ONE goal, and it can be small.

home again

We had a wonderful weekend with hubby's side of the family, and on our way home today we met my brother and sister in law for lunch. I haven't checked, but I seriously doubt I am still just 4 lbs. over my goal weight. That's okay, though.

Germs were shared, and I dug out my stash of guafinasen when I got home. Thankfully it seems to be working already, and my congestion is not bothering me quite as much as it was. Nothing like a 1200 mg horse pill to dry you up.

no deep thoughts here.. i'm beat. But I am thankful for the blessing of family and safe car rides home. Please pray that Gramma and Computer Guy's flights go smoothly tomorrow and Tech Mom and Dad have a safe drive home.

deep thought of the day

"oh, please... everything causes something."-me, in response to someone's comment that eating microwave popcorn causes that mysterious popcorn lung illness.

Happy Thanksgiving
from our family to yours!


We're having a wonderful time with hubby's side of the family. Great Gramma even flew down to spend time with us,
so we have the whole gang here.

We have so much to be thankful for... safe travels (8+ hours for some), good conversation, relaxation, and a terrific turkey dinner with lots of sides and delectable desserts . The girls are playing well together and drawing those who are willing into their tickle-fest.

I am thankful for these wonderful people who God used to change my life forever.

I am also grateful for you, my blogging and real-life buddies who humor me by reading my ramblings and participating in conversation, no matter how simple.

May God bless you and may you know the love of the Saviour
as we enter this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Travel Preparations

It's been a while since I posted my to-do list as a tackle. Today I have to make up for the hours I've spent procrastinating earlier in the week. Will I ever learn?

Anyway, green means it has been completed, yellow means in process.

• Make gift labels and finish wrapping gifts(we're celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with DH's family since we'll all be together.)
  
• Finish washing dirty laundry and folding/putting away Mt. Laundry
• Sweep/Mop kitchen floor
• Clean off kitchen counter.
• Empty dishwasher & reload
  
• Remove science projects from fridge
• clean bathrooms
• wash and change sheets
• Pack baby bear's clothes, diapers, etc...
• Pack casserole ingredients
• pack ingredients for peppermint bark
  

Still to do tonight:

• Pack my bags and toiletries (and make sure hubby puts them in the car.)

Thankfully dinner has already been made... I made 2 chicken pot pies last night because it's just as easy to make two as it is to make one, so we're having leftovers. I'll just throw it in the oven to heat.

If I took pictures I would be procrastinating further, so no photos today.

What
are
YOU
tackling
today?

I heard about this on the radio, and then found a link on another blog.

Expand your vocabulary and give rice to the poor... just by clicking!!!

hubby took this photo of me trying to teach myself to crochet after baby bear went to sleep one night this weekend...


...not exactly my favorite, but it's real. Plus, I don't think I have shared any pics of my "new" glasses since I bought them a few months ago.

I dare you to post a photo of yourself without makeup.

Guilty pleasure or addiction?

I've been to Starbucks twice this week. Once to get the peppermint mocha. It was good. Well, today I decided to ask for a door prize donation for a monthly meeting, and get more grounds because I forgot to ask for the donation earlier in the week, and I just could not resist the temptation. I also got a cookie, the most expensive but very yummy chocolate chunk and m & m cookie I will ever buy. Anyway, one of my garden pots is now full again... thanks to the big 'ol bag of grounds I took off their handstoday. (I depleted a lot of my soil supply when I extended my flower bed and planted bulbs. Why pay for potting soil when you can "make" your own?) There are also some banana peels and egg shells buried in there, I am hoping they turn into compost over the winter. Anyway, the backyard smells good (if you like the smell of coffee).

Today's favorite experience was the white chocolate peppermint mocha.. My new favorite splurge. Followed closely by hearing Bear ask "stroller?" when we pulled into the parking space. Apparently she remembers our strolls to Starbucks and back. She cracked me up. They seem so long ago to me...

"Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted...."

In the past 2 weeks, one acquaintance's husband was killed in a car accident, and I have learned that two friends had miscarriages... one kept fairly quiet about her most recent loss for a month, the other went to her check-up yesterday and the baby did not have a heartbeat. Both women have had multiple miscarriages (4+). Please pray for the Lord's comfort for these friends.

Scrapback... 11th page completed

Yesterday's tackle motivated me to scrap a page tonight. I was hoping to do more than one, but it took me longer than I had planned just to do this. You would think I took the time to measure my margins by how long it took, but I just eyeballed them. My adhesive tape runner is basically worthless, and since it's over a year old and I'm sure even hubby doesn't have that receipt, I can't take it back for an exchange. Thankfully I have other adhesives to work with, but still... "Money down the drain, Max," as Ruby would say. At this rate, I'll be done with Bear's 1st year scrapbook before she gets married. Maybe. Let's see... 11 pages in 2 years.... maybe not.

New poll: online wish lists

Be honest, what do you think about wish lists? I have one for Bear and one for me. Do I expect people to buy off them? Not really, they are really more of a central location for ideas, so I don't have to repeat myself over and over and over. And then there's the "I saw something I thought was neat but forgot what it was" syndrome. (Don't tell me I'm to young for that, cause it's struck more than once.) And whether or not anyone buys a gift from it at all is irrelevant. Although amazon would disagree.

Anyway, this discussion was brought up on a message board, and I thought I'd see what you, my blogging buddies, think about the debate.

Wordless Wednesday:
Mommy & Daughter
(age 3 & age 2)

Today's Tackle:
The desk and surrounding area

Baby Bear is down for her nap. I am tempted to take one myself, but I refuse. I'll post pictures when I'm done, as if I try to upload them now I will distract myself and never even start the task. This desk has been a disaster area for quite some time. The passive part of me is now being overtaken by the aggressive side, and I WILL make this area usable again. When I post the pics, I will take suggestions for how to make the area even more usable and less prone to clutter. I'd like to set up a scrapping area, but I have to be careful about making it too accessible to my little one. Anyway, I'm rambling... I'll be back when it's done, with pics.

I also hope to get to the meme's I've been tagged in. I just haven't been that motivated to do memes for some reason.... but the desk will come first.

Before:

After:

(trash)

Whaddya know? There is a desk after all!!

It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But I got rid of lots of old paperwork I will never need and I uncluttered the desk. I know where my scrapbook embellishments and papers are hiding, though they are not nearly organized enough. I need one of those cubbie drawer thingies designed to fit 12x12 papers. And a long table to go along the wall for workspace would be nice. Oh, and I definitely need to organize what photos I have, figure out what pages I can make with them, and go ahead and DO some layouts with the supplies I have on hand before I buy anything else.

logging off/grounding myself from the computer : 1:25 p.m.

tackle completed: 2:45 p.m. /
post updated 3:15 p.m.

667th post....

(do the fact that my last post was the 666th and it was about a so-called "evil" business entity have anything to do with eachother? just a thought...)

I LOVE $4 prescriptions. The big evil superstore is doing something right in that department.

I really, really, really really wish I had itunes right now. But I don't even have an ipod.

Someone I knew in college, well, two someones if you count one of his musicians in the band, too, have their first release....

The Daniel Doss Band

The album doesn't come out until Feb. I need to get their independent albumbefore then. I supposed I could join this century and download the EP, too.

I ground and brewed coffee for myself this morning. 2nd time in a week. My in-laws are sucking me in to their addiction. And they aren't even here.

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Stroll

November 2005, about 2 1/2 weeks old

Today:

For others' WW posts, visit 5 minutes for mom or the WW HQ.

Food for thought....

CK Lewis has a recently published book. Go to her blog and see if it's something that interests you.

"bloggin'" buds reunite!

Guess who just left my house?

ZANN!!!

She was visiting friends and family for the weekend, and my house is kinda sorta on the way back to her home, hubby and dog. She brought me a set of sheets that she had bought and been unable to return after realizing they were too small for her bed, and she brought baby bear a meowing kitty cat, a little purse, and a necklace.

We ate lunch together, had a cup of coffee each (not bear, she had milk),
and then she headed out.

It was so nice to see her again! It's been at least 3 years since we've seen each other in person. She's actually the one who introduced me to blogger and got me reacquainted with some other old friends. We met over 10 years ago (or is it 15 now?... that makes me feel really old, let's just say 10) and she even came to our wedding.

I'm so glad you were able to come meet Baby Bear, Zann! Drive home carefully!