fun things and not so fun things

I got a call from my niece ashley on Friday she was just talking and I asked her why she was not in school she said it was a snow day. so we talked some more then i said to her so did your mom have the babies? she said oh yeah she did. she did not know at the time how big they were but did tell me the girl was born first. Cassidy and then Derrick. The girl was 5 lbs 2 oz and the boy 5 lb 7 oz. she had to have a c-section but I talked to her yesterday and she is doing good. She may be home today or monday.

On another family note i e-mailed my other niece Jessica and she said she is not doing so good and has to go into the dr on monday for a CT scan as she has enlarged lymph nodes and the dr told her that can be 2 things one infection the other cancer. She is basically all alone in all this as she for one is afraid to tell people and also did not want to ruin their christmas and she is not on speaking terms with her mom. I feel so bad for her yes she has made some not so good choices in her life but she is trying to do better but in my opinion they are not good enough for most people still. I pray for her and that all it is is an infection.

have a good day here it is only 9 degrees outside brrr

Too cold!!!

It turned really cold and then came the rain that then turned to ice. I hate driving on ice and then you add the cold and I just want to hibernate in my house and stay warm. The problem is this house is not the best for staying warm so you are then all bundled up with blankets and all just to stay warm. I was not this cold last year but then again who knows.

Michelle bought a new wii game yesterday she wanted me to buy it i said you have money. It is the personal trainer for the wii and they give you an evaluation and then set you up with a program to help you achieve the goals you want. It was quite good they had you put your weight in and then measure yourself and then take your resting heart rate and then you had to do squats sit ups and push ups. I am quite proud that i could actually do more than the girls although michelle is not too bad with weight she really needs more strength. they were both hurting this morning from doing the squats. Michelle said are you not hurting i said no and she said i am I can not move my legs much. I then told her i worked out with the program for 45 minutes i think she was amazed. Kind of makes you feel good when you really are in better shape than your daughters.

December

Sheryl and Michelle


Keah Michelle and Ben

Keah Michelle and Sheryl

Ben and Sheryl

Keah and Michelle

Hard to think that it is already december and on top of that almost the middle of December. Where has the time gone. It does not seem like it is going to be Christmas soon. I am done with my shopping and the gifts are all wrapped and so now can maybe relax and really enjoy this christmas season. The girls are done with school next week so that will be nice for them. I would like to do some scrapbooking soon as i have not really done any in so long. I am so far behind but do you ever really catch up? We took some family pictures this past week so thought i would add a few of those on here.

just a few thoughts

I just have been a little busy and on the go and not enough time of I feel I do not have enough time to blog. I have been getting ready for out trip too. We are headed to Nebraska for Thanksgiving to see my family and all. Will be the last time my brother will be out there living as they are moving to arizona around Christmas. My other brother I will not see but he is in Texas. It will be good to see the rest and to really see how my dad is doing. He sounds good and says for the most part he is doing good so that is good to hear. We are going to have a baby shower for my sister who is expecting twins while i am there so I need to figure out what I am getting her. She has 2 daughters who are twins but they are 11 so she got rid of all the things as she thought she would not have any more kids. Surprise!!!

Bens dad is not doing good so you get torn as to what to do. He is in the hospital right now and you worry he is not going to be around for too much longer. You just pray that he will get better.

I also went to a weight watchers training and I was able to see all the new things weight watchers is coming out with December 7 and have to say I like how weight watchers is thinking and all that so it is fun to work for weight watchers and to see first hand before everyone else what is going to be happening in the near future.

Have a great day and will try to blog a few more times before we leave

more fall pictures

Since i LOVE FALL I thought I would show a few more pictures of what we took the other day. I love how fall is and the colors it brings out. If i could have fall more I would. I love the weather how it is not too hot and too cold and the colors and the smells of fall. I just have more fun in the fall so i really enjoy it.

we voted

It was kind of fun being the first time we all could vote. Michelle this year is 19 so could vote. she has participated in mock elections and all but this is the first time she could do it for real. Hard to believe your kids grow up that fast. Wish they could stay small just a bit longer.

Election

Just wanted to say that I think that it is our duty to go out and vote. I know I for one am tired of the presidential back slinging of things but I do know that we should all go and do our duty and vote and then be proud of who we voted for and not because someone thought we should vote for a certain person but who we think the best man would be. There is so much talk on things but just do what your heart tells you. We also have some local election things so need to go do that too. Have fun everyone watching the elections on TV at times i go to bed and check in the morning what the results were as I do not think it worth losing some sleep over.

Halloween

pixie stix fun

pippi longstocking and the glow sticks

The angel oh wait the devil

boxing with the bride.

Keah with her 1920's look

with her friend Janae who just

got married a good costume. hehehe

Michelle in her fun

costume half angel and half Devil

pumpkin fun

Here are some pumkin pictures we took of the girls and Ben carving pumpkins
i was the photographer so that is what i did and that worked out for me. Michelle
is now making roasted pumpkin seeds as she loves them but only the ones you roast
yourself as she said the others do not taste too good.
The girls are having a halloween party friday so will post more pictures from that too.
I will try to get back into blogging seems I have been busy and just not motivated to
do it but i do enjoy doing it so will try to get back into it. These pictures are not really how
I want them on there but dont want to mess with them at the moment and you get the picture
of what i want shown.

just some thoughts and other things

I have been surfing for things to cut and found this and wanted to share this.

Body Measures – dress size, waist, hips, neck, arms, fitting into favorite clothes

Performance – more endurance during exercise, doing them at a higher level, jumping higher, walking longer, running faster, playing a sport better

General Feeling – rate energy level, rate attitude and outlook, track how often you feel very sleepy during the day, rate your confidence level

Health – blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level

Intangibles – how you look, compliments you receive, how others respond to you


just also wanted to put on here how at times you are going through life just all good and content and then something happens and you have to look and see why those things happen. My dad has been in the hospital out of the hospital and then had a biopsy and the test for that came back cancerous. What does this all mean i am not so sure as he does not have the full report yet. In the meantime I have been calling him more to see how he is doing and we have had some talks about both of our health. I am doing so much better since losing the weight but there are things that are just hereditary that may be out of my control so we have discussed those and he wants me to keep an eye on those things. Maybe this trial was a way to wake me up to talk more with my dad and to let him know how much he means to me or to see what may be in the future for me. I do not know but I do know that I can not go back to how i was. seems lately that stress is calling my name and i been eating a few things not so good so that was what the things above were meant for for me to really look at them and to make sure i keep going and not go backwards.

I also put this on here so i could let it out and not have to answer to anyone but to me. I do not know a lot about this yet and so telling people and having to talk to them right now is too hard for me even if they got all the cancer out it still worries me a bit. I always worry though when it comes to my parents and their health so nothing really new really.

catching up

Here are some of the pictures from my weekend get away. It was fun but have realized I am not one for staying up too late anymore as i just can not sleep in like i used to. The first night was not so bad but then i got up early and so the second night i was ready to crash by 11 and the other two they stayed up a lot that night. It was fun though and i got some scrapping done and some starts on some cards that i need to finish. I just have so much i want to do that i then want to come home and do more but then i get so busy that i just do not have time for it. I will make time to do more this week. I love fall so it was fun seeing some of the trees starting to change colors. I will have to go and find more trees to take pictures of.

I have been training more this week and then i work on friday so it seems to make my weeks go from not so busy to really busy. Wish there was some sort of in between it could be at. I do like working for weight watchers and just helping others that might be struggling or something with the weight loss. I try to tell them what has worked for me without making it seem like I

know it all because that is not what i want to see like.

scrapbook retreat!!

Doesn't this picture look nice and colorful? well not sure how colorful it will be but this is one of the pictures on the website of an area near the bread and breakfast we are going to as a group of friends to scrapbook. we are leaving on friday afternoon and will return sunday afternoon. It will be a nice relaxing weekend. We are going to Annapolis Missouri it should be a fun weekend and there will be pictures to post when i get back.

No time for fun sometimes

Lately have had no fun to really blog or do all that i want to do. I am working 2 times this week and am not going to my regular weight watcher meeting as i just do not have the time to do it all this week. I am also going on a scrapbook retreat with a few friends so really need to get things ready for that so I have things ready. I just feel on the go this week and it is only tuesday. I think this week i am more busy because for a service the young women are making freezer meals for a gal in our ward who is pregnant and would really benefit from them so have been looking for recipes and getting the ingredients and pre cooking some of the meat.
Over the weekend i did get a few layouts done so that was finally good and it felt so good to actually do that. One of them was a bit harder to do as it was for Noah who passed away last year but i wanted to scrap that and have a memory of all of that and the feelings that i had for that time. I will go take a few pic and put them on here when i get that done.

realize your life

realize your life

You may have noticed something happening in the land of Scrapbooking Blogs yesterday. October 1st was the kick-off day for a Blog Blitz, conceptualized by the extraordinary Stacy Julian, and carried out by many scrapbooking bloggers like myself.So I'm a day late. But in case you haven't heard about this from other blogs yesterday, here's the deal:Stacy has been inspired to issue a challenge to women to become more aware and more intentional about recognizing life as it happens. This is the “Give Yourself a Present” challenge! And as she puts it, "You have everything you need right now to be vibrant and fully engaged in the creative process. Sometimes you just have to slow down, look around and realize it!"Here's what you do:1. Snap ten photos of your life right now.2. Compile these photos in an itty bitty album.3. Keep or carry this album with you (in your desk drawer or purse) for one year.4. Promise to glance through the album every time you stumble upon it or pull it from your purse.5. On October 1st, 2009, create a scrapbook page about your experience. (If you read Stacy's blog, she'll remind you.)


I am planning to take some pictures saturday to do this as i think this is a great idea to do.

Taco soup

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef browned and drained
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans corn drained
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope ranch dressing
2 cups water

mix and simmer at least 30 minutes
1 cup is 2 weight watcher points

Todays meeting at weight watchers

It was all about looking back and seeing what kind of mistakes we made in the past and how we then took those mistakes and dealt with them. Are we now doing things better or the same or worse. For me i think for the most part i have learned to do things better. I am no longer a stress eater or a boredom eater. I now look at the exercise i do and think after exercising like that do i want to go and put all that stuff i used to eat into my body that i am trying to make healthy?
I now enjoy exercise never thought that would be something that i could share with others. I like to get on the eleptical and then do weights. I can not say i enjoy the weights as much as i do the eleptical but afterwards i do feel so much better.

Here is something our leader gave us today


Learn from experience

Master this habit and you will look back and learn. you'll recognize what's worked for your
weightloss in the past and what hasn't. Instead of constantly critizing yourself about your failures, you'll be curious about them and decide to do it differently this time. members will treat any obstacles along the way as challenges. You'll stick with it, setting realistic weight-loss goals and more than anything else, you'll be fair to yourself. This past you'll use your past experiences to help you lose weight successfully.

I've gained

I found this and just thought it is all so great and it is all so true and in this instance
yes it is a good thing to have gained!!!

Wow...I Gained!!!

Although I have LOST 92 lbs, I realized this morning how much I have GAINED!

I have GAINED a new healthier, balanced diet, a new variety of foods that I love that are good for me!

I have GAINED a BMI of 25, a healthier heart, a longer life.

I have GAINED a whole new wardrobe of cute skinny clothes!

I have GAINED the ability to go up and down stairs without huffing and puffing, walk all day without tiring, and keep up with my kids!

I have GAINED increased strength and coordination - a new appreciation for fitness.

I have GAINED a respect for myself!

I have GAINED social confidence.

I have GAINED a sense of impowerment - my life is in control!

I have GAINED a big smile on my face when i look in the mirror and see ME again.

I have GAINED an understanding of how I got so overweight and what to do to avoid ever going back there.

I have GAINED a new way handling problems rather than medicating myself with food.

I have GAINED the respect of other who didn't think I could do this, and never believed I would stick with it.

I have GAINED the knowledge that I am setting a good example for my children of a healthier attitude towards food and exercise.

I have GAINED faith in my ability to accomplish anything I commit myself to achieving!

I have GAINED a wealth of friends through my meetings...a circle of support!

See "GAINING" isn't such a bad thing!

yummy applesauce

with all those yummy golden delicious apples we then made applesauce. we got 17 pints i dont think they are really pints but more for jelly but for us the perfect size. It was not so hard to make and did not take too long really. The best part was tasting it after it was all ready and finished. It sure has a yummy taste compared to store bought. A friend of mine told me if we got the golden delicious that they are sweet enough you do not need to add sugar and she sure was right. In a few weeks we will go get fuji one of our favorite apples.

apple picking

these are pictures we took when we went to pick apples at eckets these are golden delicious.

This one pic of me holding the apple is as big as my hand it was a huge apple. I am going to make applesauce with the apples. a friend of mine told me they are the best for making applesauce and you do not even need sugar when you make them with these apples. I will update you on what the applesauce is like when i make it.

workout machine

This is pretty much the weight machine i have been working out with. Don't you all want to come join me so we can have fun torturing each other together? They say weights are good for you but since i have decided to really get serious and not be lazy with it lets say that there is some pain not a lot but still it is there. The workout today was called hot legs day one. wonder how many days i have to workout to that for my legs to really be what they call hot legs? just something interesting to think about.

It really is not all that bad but when you add something you are not used to it is not the easiest thing to do and you feel some of the effects it is not so easy to just ignore some of it.

do any of you do weights that have tips for me on what is

good and what really has been great for you let me know.

Lose for Good

That is the new campaign for weight watchers. here is a link to show you more

http://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/marketing/Landing_1col_nonav.aspx?PageId=1039731

I have decided since I am in a maintaining mode with my weight and not losing and i think

what weight watchers is doing is great that i am donating food up to the amount I have lost so

far to my weight watcher center who is collecting food to donate to the food shelter in that town.

I think right now so many are just not making ends meet so for me this is just a great thing all the way around.

Air show

Saturday was the air show on the base here and well i do not like the crowds or the noise i opted to stay home and see what i could from home which was still quite impressive. Keah and her Dad went to the base and watched the air show. They said because of the rain that it was not as bad as it could of been but by the time the thunderbirds performed it was not raining and was perfect for taking pictures and video of it all. Keah the photographer only took 314 pictures that day. I am putting a few of the ones she took. watching it on the slideshow in fast motion makes it look like you are watching it in real life again without the sounds and the crowds.