1 Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac

From SCPM February 27, 2010

Its been a nice Saturday, got alot of stuff done: worked out, cleaned a little, ran some errands, and are ready to watch a movie here shortly.  I have been very good this weekend so far, exercising and not going too far over my points.  Click on the picture above to go to Picasa web album to scroll thru the pictures that make up my collage.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend.  Rest up tomorrow...Shrinking Jeans 30 Day Shred Challenge starts on Monday!  Hope you are joining us! 

Now go over and check out what Ace and friends were up to this weekend at If You Think Round is Funny.

17 You Capture-Shapes

You Capture this week is all about shapes.  

You may not realize it but shapes can do a lot of things for us.

These shapes give me hydration.

This shape keeps me from being late.

These shapes helped me make an awesome dinner.

When I'm feeling sassy, I wear this shape...it makes me feel pretty.

Come share your shapes at I Should be Folding Laundry.

11 Weigh In Wednesday- Let's Fling into Spring

Spring is just around the corner...really it is, just look past the piles of snow and ice, its there I promise! (As I watch the snowfall outside my window and sigh)

Stepped on the scale this morning for this weeks WI and I'm up .2 lbs this week, which is more then fine considering I have given up on working out COMPLETELY the last few weeks. I even got new running shoes, not sure why I haven't broke them in yet!  That changes today...cardio will be done tonight! Hold me to it!

Today is the first day of a new Spring Fling Challenge over at Shrinking Jeans and I am excited to be part of a team challenge again!  I always know I can count on my sisters for support but to know that my success directly affects them is a whole different story.  I don't like disappointing myself, but I hate letting others down.  So this is just what I need to get back on track.  If you haven't already stop over and join us!

Starting weight for the challenge: 

155.6 lbs

And the Sisterhood is giving away 11 copies of the 30 Day Shred...yes that's right I said 11 copies of the 30 Day Shred DVD! A fitness challenge starts on March 1 and I can't wait to get my Shred on for the whole month with my sisters....I know it works, remember my before and after pics from my first experience with Jillian?  Yes...inches were lost people...and that felt great!  Can't wait to shrink some more!

Now go visit Shrinking Jeans and enter to win a copy so you can join us...promise you won't regret it when you are done and see the results!

Let's start heading into Spring feeling great about ourselves...we sooo deserve this people!

11 True Confession Tuesday

Here we go…in no particular order....hold on this might be a bumpy ride.

• I am a worrier. The inches of ice and snow that have accumulated over the snow storms of the last few weeks have me freaking out that our roof is going to start leaking once it thaws out. Not sure why, shouldn’t be any damage from the storm, just thinking the worst. There were almost 4 inches of ice in some places…that can not be good for the shingles.

• I finally made the decision (I think so at least) about what DSLR I am going to splurge on with tax return money. Eeek! So freakin excited to be buying a REAL camera!!! It’s a lot of money to spend, especially when I don’t have an adorable baby to take pictures of yet, but it’s something I have been wanting for years and I know it will be put to good use. So I might as well bite the bullet, quit overanalyzing it and get it for myself right? Sure I could spend it on new countertops or something for the house…but I rarely get any big ticket items for myself…and I deserve to. Right?  It's ok to be selfish sometimes isn't it?

• I spent way to much time tweaking my blog and lounging this weekend-it was nice I must admit.  Bad side, I did not workout either which has me mucho nervous about WW tonight! Why can't I get refocused!

• Part of this trouble refocusing on working out, had me "this close" to joining the VTNT Sisters for the San Diego Marathon.  It would amazing to do it for my aunt and raise money for research that I know has helped and continues helping her.  I'd be jumping into it so late and would I be able to raise the money in a few months?  And then I start to think about the sisters who are working hard for this race and I feel like I would be doing it a little disgrace by jumping on board and would probably only run maybe half of it.  I think its an awesome thing to do and I commend them for stepping up to the plate and pushing their bodies to do it.  I'm just a tad bit jealous of their mad training skillz.  Maybe I'll work towards it this summer and sign up for a local race in the fall.  Still honoring my aunt but making her proud of what I am doing at the same time. I don't know...why is this so hard for me to let go?  Something keeps dragging me back to considering it. I need to just let it go.

• My aunt started her chemotherapy on Saturday night. She is taking the pill form again, like she did after her first surgery. She is at home and people are taking turns being with her while her husband is at work. My grandma stops over for a few hours each day and frequently uses the phrase “bless her heart!” when she talks about her unloading the dishwasher or wanting to help with dinner. She’s a strong woman and the dr said to let her do whatever she felt like she could.

• She had some issues when she first got home, she kept talking about being a little girl in Mexico at the beach. But she is doing better and is back to her normal personality now. Guess that’s common with brain surgeries to pick up on different personality traits hidden with in. I’m just glad that hers was happy.

• I woke up with a killer migraine this morning about 3am. Was still there when I woke up and started getting ready, but then it turned into a pinching migraine which makes me nauseous. So I called the boss and told him I would be in late. Went back to bed for a few hours. It has turned into a pulsing migraine, which for me is better because it doesn’t make me feel like I want to hurl my guts out. Hoping it makes like a tree and leaves soon.

Whew...I feel better and a little ashamed at the same time.  Know what I mean? Come share your confessions with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans…I’m sure you’ll find some interesting things there!

5 Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac...on Sunday

Click on the picture below to slip thru the collage.

From SCPM February 20, 2010

It has been a calm weekend, spent at home and lounging around watching movies and the Olymipcs.  It's been nice cuddling with my husband and dog....and I have enjoyed not leaving the house since Friday night!  Sorry folks, but the most exciting thing I did this weekend was update my blog, felt like I needed some color to lift me out of this dreary winter I feel is pulling me down.  Hope you all got rested for the week ahead...I know mine is going to be busy.

Come over and check out what Ace and friends were up to this weekend at If You Think Round is Funny.

20 You Capture - KISSES

Its an amazing thing to watch your little cousin who will be having her first baby girl this April kiss another cousins first baby girl.  You remember when they both were babies, born about 4 months apart and remember the light in your aunts faces when they looked at these little bundles of sweetness.  Now they possess that light...one for the baby in her arms and the other for the baby that she will be meeting soon.  And at that moment, you feel even more blessed to be a part of that family.

Stop by and see what other kisses are being shared this week at Beth's You Capture Challenge.

9 Weigh-in Wednesday

Time to weigh in with the Sisterhood....it is Wednesday for Pete's sake!
I am walking to the scale hanging my head in shame this week. I know its not going to be good.

Result: I am up 1.8 lbs this week and am not at all surprised.

I haven't worked out since last week (gasp I know....and I was doing SOOO good), and even though I have competed in a few events for the Shrinking Jeans Olympics, I'm not counting those because while my muscles still ache, they only lasted 3 minutes.We had pizza Friday night and had leftovers for dinner on Saturday. I did good at the baby shower this weekend, and only had a lick of frosting.

But then there were the cookies...my favorite cookies of all time!

I asked my husband for these thumbprint cookies for my Valentine's Day present....and he got me a big one too from Emma!  I had all intentions of rationing them out, maybe having 2 on Sunday and then enjoying 1 a day for the rest of the week.  Well needless to say, that didn't exactly happen (this picture is all that remains of said cookies).

So what this weekend taught me is that I still do not have the self control when it comes to special treats.  Nor am I over the eating just because it's a holiday or get-together.  It's a work in progress, I know this, it's just frustrating when I slip up again.  I just need to keep working at it and not give up just because the scale is up this week.

10 So many questions

I have been thinking a lot about my mom. So many things run thru my head: questions, regrets, questions, memories, and more questions.

What was going thru her mind at the minute she realized she was having trouble breathing? Did she think it would pass like some of the other episodes after walking to the bedroom and getting ready for bed? Did she know that what she had for dinner that night would be her last meal? The last few stitches she made would be her final project?

What was the last thing that she remembers seeing? Did she see Grandma’s face when she came to help? Or was it blurry by that time? Did she hear Grandma telling her to breathe and to hold on? Or was everything blurry and distant? Could she feel her pacemaker firing off trying to regulate her heartbeat? Did that make it hurt worse?

Was she aware, even if she wasn’t responding to my aunt and cousin that came over or the ambulance and medics that came and took her to the hospital? When did her spirit leave her body? Did she suddenly feel better then she had in decades and breathe a sigh of relief that all her aches and pains were gone?

Was she there in the hospital when I walked in and fell into my cousin’s arms when he shook his head which I knew meant I was too late? When I went into the waiting room where Grandma was sobbing uncontrollably and screaming that she couldn’t help her, did she understand why I felt like I needed to stay with her and calm her down? Did she walk beside me when I walked back into the cold room where they placed her? Was she there when I held her hand and smoothed back her hair? Did she know that I didn’t want to let go of her hand and leave that place?

I was in my hometown where my Mom lived on the Thursday night before she died. I didn’t stop by to visit her, but I remember talking to her on my drive back home. Oh how I wish I would have stopped over even if it were just for a minute and show her the ridiculous handbag that I “won” at the auction. Would those extra 15 minutes have made me late for anything? No not at all, but I didn’t think about it, just thought it was past 10 and I still had a thirty minute drive home and needed to get up for work the next morning. I thought I just saw her on Tuesday when I got my hair done and that I’d see her the next weekend at my uncle’s wienie roast. I feel so selfish for that decision, not sure if that will ever change.

I know that I will never know the questions to many if any of these answers, and I will probably ask myself these and more as the years go on. But I like to think that the responses that first pop into my head are put there for a reason.

*I wrote this on Saturday afternoon before heading to my cousin's baby shower. 

My husband woke me up Sunday morning because I was sobbing uncontrollably in my sleep. I had a dream I was with my mom, and she was wanting me to wear this bracelet she had gotten me for high school graduation. It had XOXOXOX on it on the middle of a thin gold chain. I haven’t worn or even thought about that bracelet for years. Why did that piece of jewelry pop up in this dream?


I think my mom was wishing me a Happy Valentine’s Day and wanted to remind me that she loved me.  That I will never question. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac

From SCPM February 13, 2010

Whew...thank goodness this week is finally over. It's been a rough one-emotionally and mentally. Month end at work, tons of snow to worry about traveling thru, my aunt had brain surgery and my cousins baby shower was today...and tomorrow is Valentines Day. Think it might be spent watching movies and napping on the sofa. As long as I'm with my honey, that's all that matters, right?

Come over and check out what the other SCPM folks were up to this weekend at If You Think Round is Funny.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 Weigh-in Wednesday

It's time for the final weigh-in for Re-Think your Shrink over at Shrinking Jeans-can't believe this challenge is over already...those 7 weeks flew by!

Last week: 153.8

Today: 153.5

Loss: -.2

Challenge Total: -5

While it was a light week, I am thrilled to have lost 5 lbs since the start of the year...I'm on my way to getting back under 150!  Sooo excited about that!

Its been an interesting week, with all the snow and cold we have gotten, I've been couped up in the house for quite a while.  Got my exercising in 4 days this week, including an hour on Saturday morning.  Can't wait for the weather to break and get back to the C25K program....I'm yearning to stretch my legs! I know that keeping up with my workouts indoors will help me with that when the time comes.  Can't wait for the Shrinking Jeans Olympics-bring it on!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac

From SCPM February 6, 2010

We were snowed in all of the day yesterday, so not to exciting this weekend, which was fine, it was nice to just look outside and see all the snow falling down. We ended up getting some visitors later that night as my husbands grandparents (who are in their 80's) had lost power the day before and weren't supposed to get it back until Monday afternoon....so they came up to stay with us for a few days. Good thing I did some cleaning while hubby was shoveling the 12" of snow we got since Friday afternoon. Click on the above picture to take a stroll thru my day.

Some over and check out what the other SCPM folks were up to this weekend at If You Think Round is Funny.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30 You Capture - FACES

Some days you won't feel like smiling.  You will want to cry and sob and question why things happen and what God's bigger plan is.

Last night Emma knew something was wrong and just wanted to be close to me.

She reached up and kissed away my tears.

She knows how to help me smile thru the tears.  That dog has an amazing heart.

My aunt found out yesterday that she will have to have surgery next Thursday to remove the brain tumor that was discovered last week. She had the same surgery almost 4 years ago to remove a tumor, and has gone thru chemo and radiation to treat another tumor that wasn't able to be removed because of "fingers" that had woven in with her brain tissue. That tumor has shrunk and remained stable with her continued treatments. She was starting to lead a normal life again, regaining her balance and even starting to drive on her own last fall. It makes my heart hurt to think she has to go thru all of that again. She is a warrior of God and is a living miracle and will continue to fight this horrible disease with everything she has! Please keep her and her doctors in your prayers. 

Come share your faces, happy or sad with Beth at I Should be Folding Laundry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20 Weigh-in Wednesday

It's time to weigh-in with Re-Think your Shrink over at Shrinking Jeans! Will my cutting back on using any of my weekly allowance points (last week I had 58of the 35 allotted) help keep the scale down??

Last week: 154.8

Today: 153.8

Loss: -1

Challenge Total: -4.8 

I am happy with this number, I would love to lose at least a pound everyweek...that would put me at my goal weight by labor day which would be awesome!  I did switch it up this week and do Banish Fat Boost Metabolism on Saturday and my quads hurt for days.  Thinking I'm going to focus more on cardio versus pure strength training to help burn some of this extra fluff off before I start toning up the muscle.  Weekend should be interesting with the Superbowl...am starting to plan healthy snacks now to counteract the alcohol that will be drank!

How was your week....did the scale pat you on the back this week? Come on over and share!

*On a side note, my aunt is heading back to Cleveland Clinic today, if you could say a little prayer for her it would be appreciated.  They discovered another brain tumor and are going to determine the best treatment today (radiation and chemo, gamma knife (centralized radiation) and chemo, or surgery to remove it.).  She was diagnosed with brain cancer early in 2006 and had surgery on St. Patrick's Day that year to remove one tumor and had chemo and radiation to help shrink another one.  She takes meds daily to help stabilize the tumor, and has been doing well, her balance is better and she spirit is staying up.  So of course this recent discovery has been difficult to accept..  She is a fighter and a true miracle and will continue looking to God strength. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7 {Happy Happy Joy Joy}

Syl and Jaime made me smile last week by giving me this award. Thank you ladies…you both bring smiles and happiness to my day too! And Melissa gave it to me too....I guess it was a good week!  Thanks for reminding me Lissa, I thought I kept them all in my google reader, but I think I just randomly checked yours and saw my name! 

Here are 10 random things that make me happy.

1. My husband meeting me at the door when I get home with a hug and how was your day.
2. Emma’s tail wagging….for any reason. I think of it as her way of smiling.
3. Hearing my Grandma tell me she loves me
4. Seeing an elderly couple holding hands….I want us to be like that when I grow old.
5. Seeing my exercise and healthier eating pay off, whether it be on the scale or by my clothes fitting better.
6. Getting random emails, texts or calls from a friend when I least expect it to just say hi.
7. Babies….enough said…they are just so adorable.
8. Getting good reviews at work. My job is very important to me, and its nice to know I’m appreciated.
9. Winning stuff…I love to win things…even if it’s a granola bar!
10. College football…seriously I love watching football all day on Saturdays in the fall. Spending the halftimes on the patio with the grill makes for a great day!


And here are a few of the blogs that make me happy on a regular basis. These women possess strength and happiness in many different forms. Some are loving mothers, others are motivating weight loss warriors, some are thought-provoking and entertaining writers, others are great photographers and some are a combination of some or all of these!

Ace at If you Think Round is Funny

Audrey at The Lewis 4

Christie at Baby Tea Leaves

Elaine at  Miss Elaine-ous Life

Erin at Schoolteacher by Day, Superhero by Night

Love at Moments with Love

Melissa at Whooo's that Girl

Natalie at Once upon a Cline

Sheryl at A Neurotic Glamour Girl's Weight Watchers Experience and Fitness Adventures

And, here are the instructions ladies, pass along the happy if you'd like:

1. Copy the image and display it on your blog.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Try to do at least one of them today.
4. Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------