Frequently Friday

It's been another very crazy week, but hopefully I'll have some down time soon.  So not much time to look at blogs, but I did find these three awesome posts.  Hope you enjoy.

1. I think this is just so smart.  What a great way to get organized and clear away all those little loose pieces of paper from around the house.  Thanks ThriftyDecorChick!  A Hidden Memo Board.
2. This little lady is an answer to prayer.  If any of you struggle with planning your weekly menus and/or getting it done in time to eat, then check out Make 5 Dinners in ONE Hour.  Make sure to tell her I sent you.
3. Make sure you visit BigMama and read all her beauty product wisdom - such a great post.

Please leave a comment for these ladies and show some bloggy love, and tell them I sent you.

Hey Guys - Susie Davis, The Good News Girl is having a great giveaway.  Check it out and her Joy Challenge!

I just found her blog and really enjoyed it, so I had to give her a quick mention.

Enjoy!

Frequently Fridays

I am back y'all!  Whew, what a whirlwind of a week.  So much to tell - moving, unpacking, cars breaking down - it's been an adventure.  But more posts on that to come.  Let's focus on the cool posts I found this week.

1. Centsational Girl's Learning to Sew post - so helpful!  As one who is about to jump into the sewing arena, I found this extremely helpful.  Now I am not scared or intimidated by the prospect of buying my first sewing machine and teaching myself to sew.  Yay!  I already have a huge list of projects, can't wait.  If you have any suggestions on machines, please share them with all of us in the comments.
2. Centsational Girl was on a roll this week, I love this Artist Canvas turned to Inspiration Board - my anal, organized side is salivating over this.  Love it!
3. So, this is a total brag, but I love my cousin, Stacey's, Etsy shop!  She makes the cutest baby and children's clothes/decor/blankets/etc.  Here is a look at her latest creations, with lil Fritter as a precious model. 
4. And if you are looking for super awesome and beautiful Christmas wreaths or any wreath or anything gorgeous, check out my friend Erin's latest blog introducing her Christmas creations.
5. Becky's totally convicting and helpful post on Gossip.

Happy Blogging!

Moving On Up...

Well, we finally closed on our new home...after 2 delays.  I count us lucky since we've had friends who have had closings delayed for up to 2 months, so 2 weeks was fine.  I'll post pics next week because it is fast and furious right now.  The Hubs and I were up bright and early Saturday morning to meet the security system install tech at the house at 8am.  Then, the painter came by.  We did not finish with them until 1 and then we had some shopping to do.  And we got some great deals ya'll, that always makes me feel good because I really don't like to spend money.  But we bought some needed pretties for the house, mainly a new King comforter.  It took all day, we did not get home until 8p.  We were zonked and then we got up bright and early on Sunday and started over.  After church we made a few more shopping stops, bought groceries and crashed.  I'm still not recovered.  I'm walking around work like a zombie.

It's all worth it though.  We met several of our neighbors while we were at the house and it was awesome!  Everyone is so friendly and apparently, our new neighborhood is Trick or Treating central.  It was packed with kids, parents and grandparents.  I see that as a good sign.  It feels like a real community, I can't wait to get to know everyone.

But I cannot wait for you all to see the house, especially after the painting is done.  So there will be no Frequently Friday this week, but I will resume next week because we move Saturday!  So I'll be busy all week packing and such. 

Talk to you all next week.

Frequently Fridays

Good morning Bloggers!  It's a wonderful, cool, crisp Autumn day in Houston, TX.  It's amazing.  Today is also the day the winner of the Scentsy giveaway is announced.  But before we go there (hehe! I know the suspense is killing you) I am going to begin a new regular post called Frequently Fridays.

On Frequently Fridays I will post other bloggers posts I've read throughout the week that I found interesting, stuck a chord with me, or I just thought were really cool.  So here we go!

• Nester's 31 Days to a Less Messy Nest.  Don't we all need a little help in this department.  These posts are full of great, simple tricks o' the trade so to speak.  Very helpful.
• BooMama cracks me up on a consistent basis.  So in the same vein as Nester but with some pretty funny anecdotes you can get some Less Messy Nest ideas in the Little Bitty Mini-Makeover.
• Pioneer Woman.  I could not have a list of my fav posts from the week without PW.  I read her religiously.  She cracks me up, plus, she cooks and is a super talented photog.  This week she wrote about her sweet Charlie, the Basset Hound and George the Lab (there are obvious reasons why I love this one).  I also have to suggest Bakugan - anyone with a young child in their life (my nephew) will love this.
• Centsational Girl has some awesome tips on getting ready for the (gulp!) holidays.

Please visit these ladies and comment, comment, comment.  Let them know I sent ya.  Let's share the bloggy love.

Ok, ok, I know you are just sitting on the edge of your seat to find out who is the winner.  Sooooooooooooo, here it is......

(drumroll please)

It's Lindsey at Louisiana Livin'!  Thanks Lindsey and everyone for participating, this was so much fun! Lil Sis thanks you very much as well.  And if you have any product you'd like to promote let me know and we can do a giveaway (free of charge).

Lindsey send me your mailing address to grumpypantskelly (at) gmail (dot) com.  I know we used to live in the same city but I hear you are moving or have moved or are thinking about moving.  Whateve, I'm terrible and do not have your address.  Or lil sis and you can meet up if that would be easier since she lives there too.  Just let me know girl.

I will leave you guys with my memory verse from this week.

Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Colossians 3:12-14  

May we all strive to live this way.  Have a wonderful Friday ya'll!

Crafty Project

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! You have until 11:59pm tonight, don't wait!


I have been inspired ya'll!  I am putting together my fav posts from fellow bloggers from this week for my new Frequently Friday's (I'll explain more in my post tomorrow).  But I came upon The Hand Me Down House and her post about recreating her Target bookshelves.  (Squeel!)  I absolutely love what she did and better yet I know I can do it too.

We move into the new house in 2 weeks and this is my first big project (after all the painting).  I am sooooo excited!  I know that one of my H-town people's has to have a jig saw I can borrow.  It's the perfect opportunity to prove to the Hubs how useful it is and that I to have it for Christmas.  Well maybe our January anniversary since I have already asked for a sewing machine for Christmas. 

Ok so give me about 2-3 months (Christmas is coming ya'll - I have some shopping and home made gifts to create) and I will post my before and after.  Yipee!  My friend Erin would be so proud of my craftiness.

Go check out HMD's post and tell her I sent ya!

It's King-Sized Baby!

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! You have until 11:59pm tomorrow, don't wait!

So the Hubs and I splurged this past weekend and bought a brand new bedroom suite to go with our brand new house.  Well, no, we did not buy it just because we are buying a brand new house.  It's because our queen sized mattress has reached the end of her days.  There are two Grumpypants and Hubs-sized indention's on either side of our bed with a big ridge down the middle.  And the other night I started to feel springs poking me in the side.  It. was. time. for. the. KING!

Let me tell you, sharing a queen bed with a 6'5", 220ish lbs man is challenging.  He has actually bounced me out of the bed before.  Really.

We went to Star Furniture in Katy, TX and had the most incredible sales person, Martha Rafferty. She rocked.  We looked at every single bedroom suite in the place.  Then we started testing out the mattresses.  Is it just me, or does anyone else feel really weird running around a furniture store and laying down on every mattress?  I know you have to in order to find the right one, but it's just creepy.  People walk by and look at you funny.

Anyway, after much deliberation we decided to go with......drum roll please....the Simmons Beautyrest Anniversary Mirella Plush.  Oh it. is. so. plush baby!  It's that bed where you can't feel your partner move.  I think their commercial is the one with the bowling ball.

This should be the Hubs and me.

It's so big! I love it!  They look so happy...ah, blissful sleep.

Look at all the different layers of stuff.  I feel like it just hugs me when I lay down.  No more back problems.

Here's the bedroom suite. It's the Kensington from Aspen Home.  I love the extra storage in the foot board.  Oh what I can do with that!  And I love how the top drawer of the nightstand is a charging station for all your electronic thingies.  You just plug up the night stand and all the other plugs feed into the back.  One cord!  No more surge protectors. And best of all...there is a nightlight built into the nightstand.  You just touch a little button on the side and it turns on underneath and makes a lighted pathway for you.  SWEET!  No more tripping over the furniture in the middle of the night.

This is a better view of the full suite.  We bought what is circled in red.  We decided not to go with the bureau mirror, trading it for a second nightstand.

Can ya tell I love my new bedroom.  Too bad I have to wait 2 weeks to sleep on it.  We decided to have the store deliver it to our new house and we don't move for another 2 weeks.  I feel like a little kid dreaming about Christmas morning.  It's ridiculous, but it's exciting!

InTALLerance!

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! There are now 2 additional ways to enter.  3 chances to win until 10/14/10**

Ok, so I have just discovered another reason why the world is not fair for tall people.  I need some new blue jeans.  I have 2 pair right now but one is too big and one is too small. So, since Fall is finally here in Houston – it’s time for some new Fall jeans.
Old Navy is having an awesome sale today with jeans for $16  - SWEET!  I was all about that.  I mean, I am working very hard to loose some weight and I don’t need to spend beau coup dinero on jeans I may only wear for a few months.  
I was feeling good as I walked into the store.  Every woman knows that feeling of joy you feel when you know you are about to get a great deal.  It’s almost like that Christmas morning feeling you had as a kid.  Imagine my disappointment that after 15 minutes of digging looking for my size in Long’s, I found none.  Then when I asked for help in finding some I was told that Old Navy does not carry Long’s in the store.  I have to go online and buy them.  What the what?  Did I just walk into an alternate dimension?
Oh yes ma’am.  So I went to a few more stores and was told the exact same thing.  I’d almost given up hope and then I found The Limited.  I found a pair of Long’s, oh sweet Hallelujah.  I asked for another size in Long as well.  The sales lady couldn’t believe I’d found a Long because she said what all the other store’s said – you have to buy Long’s online.  The pair I found were bought online but the person returned them to the store.  God was with me.  He knows how much I need a nice fitting pair of jeans. 
I left the mall with a feeling of such accomplishment.  But, I spent way more than I wanted.  It’s discrimination – Discrimination Against the Vertically Gifted.  It’s InTALLerance! 
And let me tell you, I’m not a freak.  It’s not like I play for the WNBA.  I am 5’9”.  Shorter than the average model.  It’s not the money, it’s principle of it people.  I should be able to walk into a store and find my length and buy it at the same price as every other person under 5’6”.
If you feel my pain let me know, I’d like to know I’m not alone.  Let’s lift each other up.  Maybe if enough of us raise a stink, they’ll start carrying Long/Tall in the actual store.  It’s not just a world of short people – I deserve to be able to buy quality, well-priced clothes IN THE STORE!
I’m done.  Peace out!

Scentsy Give Away!!!!

Now 2 additional chances to win!!!! Post about this contact on Facebook, make sure you put the link in your post, then leave a comment telling me you did it.  And post about it on your blog.  Again make sure to put the link to this post in it and then leave another comment to tell me you did it.  Make sure you leave one comment for the Facebook post and another for the blog post.  Good Luck! 

If you have read my blog at all you know I have a little sis, Katie.  I love my baby sis with all my heart and I am so proud of her.  She is only 25, married and is a big shot Public Relations person for Chesapeake Energy.  And now, she is pursuing her Masters in Business Administration.  So to help pay for the additional cost of school she decided to become a Scentsy representative.

I had no idea what Scentsy was when she told me about it, but, of course, I was like, "You can sell anything, go for it."  Then things got busy and I never had a chance to visit her website to check out Scentsy.  A few weeks ago Don and I visited some family and the hostess gave all the ladies the Scentsy Nightlight in Vanilla Cream.  It was so cute!  I put it in my office and it's a hit!  All my office mates come by just to smell it.  They love it.  The great thing about Scentsy is that they are not candles, so you can have them in your office or your home unattended.  The wax feels like lukewarm water to the touch and does not scorch or burn skin.  It's awesome for homes with children.

To give you a better idea of what all the hub bub is about, here are a few of the newest Scentsy's:

The Safari Collection

The Full size Victorian Warmer

The Plug-In Roma Warmer

The Enchanted Mid-size Plug In

The Taro Plug-In

The Brand New Zebra Plug-In

So, to celebrate my new love of Scentsy and Katie's MBA dream, we are giving away a free Scentsy plug in of your choice and a Scentsy bar.

To enter just go to Katie'sScentsySite, browse all the products and let us know which is your fav in the comments.  It does not have to be just the Plug Ins, just which products you really like. And if you find something you really like you are more than welcome to purchase as well :).

And to help you out even more, Katie sent me some specific links to some awesome products:

FULL SIZE WARMERS

MIDSIZE WARMERS

PLUG-IN WARMERS

NEW SCENTSY BUDDY (perfect for baby gifts!)

NEW NURSERY COLLECTION

NEW SCENTSY PAKS

NEW FRAGRANCE FOAM (hand sanitizer)

As you can see, the smelly goodness and gift giving opportunities are endless.  Happy Browsing and good luck!

You have until 12AM on 10/14/10.  We will announce the winner an 10/15/10.  Good luck!

Everyday Blessings

Wow, what a whirlwind the last 2 months have been!  So much has happened, times full of Everyday Blessings.  These two months have been a time to reflect on and receive more of the blessings of God.  So to keep it all straight, I think I will join the "Bullet List Bloggers."

• D started his new job (a dream job) at our church last month.  What a blessing and an answer to months of prayer.  God is so good!  When we moved to Houston, D left his job for me.  He began looking for a new job in Houston a month before we moved.  We thought that he would find a job quickly since we were moving to a big city.  Boy, were we wrong.  D is a graphic designer and well, with the economy, no one was hiring in the creative department.  But, the 10 months he was unemployed were really a blessing.  First, this was one of those trials that brought us closer together and really strengthened our married.  Second, we both learned to truly trust God with our life.  Not just say we trust Him, but really live it out. For example, not living in a constant state of anxiety and worry.  For those of you who know me, you know that is totally out of character for me.  I was transformed through this experience.  I can't say I did not have my moments, because I had just a few.  But we gave it up to God and trusted he would take care of us, and he did.  It was so freeing, a feeling I had never experienced before.  Even though we are already frugal, Dave Ramsey people - we learned how to live on what we have and enjoy it.  So much of what we thought we had to have to live was "fluff."  Plus, when this job opportunity finally presented itself, it was more than we even hoped.  The world may look at it and not think so, but it meets all our needs plus more than money can buy.  My man loves his work - he tells me he's excited to go to work in the AM and just as excited when he comes home, he works in ministry, he loves his team, and it's at our church - so many work/life balance issues resolved there.  We are truly blessed!
• We are buying a home!  We thought we would have to wait another year to buy a house since D had been out of work for so long and with the new mortgage laws, but God came through again.  We found a house way within our budget, newly redone (it's like moving into new construction), in a well-established neighborhood, lots of old trees, 4 bedrooms (for kiddo's and visiting fam/friends), 10-15 minute commute to work and church, on and on and on.  The blessings don't stop there.  When the home was inspected it was found that it needed a new roof - the sellers replaced it! New legislation went into effect Oct 1 which would have significantly raised our monthly mortgage, but we were grandfathered in (missed it by just days).  It's been incredible.  Plus, the biggest blessing is our realtor, Patty Cwalinski with Houston Heritage.  If you live in the Houston area and need a realtor you must call Patty.  She was awesome!  Plus through her referral we found our mortgage lender, Jamie, who has been a miracle worker.  I was fearful this would be a very stressful and difficult process and they have made it so easy.  So, I'll post pics of the new digs as soon as we close, which should be Oct 15 - crossies!
• D's car is dead.  Ok, I know what you are saying, "How is that a blessing?"  Well, because, again, God is showing us how we can be completely content and happy with what the world sees as inadequate.  Sure, we have had to make some adjustments with only having one car, but I've never felt like it is a problem.  We will have to buy another car once we start having children, but for the short term it's fine.  Plus, when we do go buy a new car, we won't feel like we have to buy something extravagant.  A car is just a mode of transportation, not a symbol of who I am.
• Veritas/Small Group.  Veritas is the name of our Sunday School class and the people there, and in our Small Group, have been the biggest blessing of them all.  I don't know if we would have taken all these issues that have come our say so well if it were not for our Veritas people's.  They welcomed us with open arms from the moment we stepped into that classroom and have not let us go yet.  They allow God to move through them and we have reaped the benefits.  We love them all so much and look forward to continuing to Do Life Together with them all. 
• My Accountability Partner.  K is my accountability partner.  We have only been meeting for about 2 months now, but that relationship has changed me.  God brought us together at the exact right time for us both. We are both dealing with some discontent in areas of our lives, as well as change.  Also, she is just about my baby sister's age, so she's helping to fill that void.  I miss my sister so much!  Our talks have helped me to truly put some things in the right perspective, to accept the challenges that God has put before me, and to confront them without a whining or resentful spirit.  I love that girl and can't wait to see what God will do through our lives.  K, if you're reading, you are constantly in my prayers!

There are so many smaller (for lack of a better word) blessings which we have experienced in these 12 months since we moved.  If I listed them all I would have the longest blog post ever.   But I felt, since we are moving to a new chapter in our Houston life, it was time to truly reflect upon and write out all God has done for us.  It was a big leap of faith to move to Houston and God has been faithful.  My prayer is that our life, this particular chapter especially, can be used to bring others to a saving knowledge and relationship with my God and Savior. 

So on that note, here are the verses which sum up my life and faith at this time:

Philippians 4:4-9, 11b-12

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

...11for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

K and I are reading this book, Calm My Anxious Heart, I highly recommend it for anyone.  We will all face circumstances which bring us discontent and anxiety. 

What verses are you clinging to right now?  How is God working in your life?  Let me know, I'd love to hear it and it will be an encouragement to others.  If you have a blog, post about it and then link up below at my Mr. McLinky.  If you don't have a blog, just leave a comment.

Look for those everyday blessings!

Fish Lips Photography

I am so excited for my friend Sara!  She has officially launched her website for her photography business, Fish Lips Photography.

To celebrate, Sara is having an awesome give away on her blog.  The prizes are:

Grand Prize: FREE session & CD of edited, high resolution  images!                                    
3 MORE Prizes: $25 OFF session & CD of edited, high resolution images!

Sara is a super-talented photographer based in Houston, TX and I have the privilege of knowing her.  Here is a little info about Sara's mad skills in her own words:

Sarah is an on-location, natural light photographer in Houston, Texas. She shoots couples, maternity, newborn, babies, children, and families. Sarah is Ryan's wife and Elizabeth's mama. She loves reading, October, red wine, traveling, her 4 pound Yorkie, and Jesus. Not necessarily in that order.

I cannot wait to have babies so Sara can photograph them, she is amazing!  To enter the contest click here.

Good luck!

A Dog's Life

This post is long overdue. A lot has been going on this summer and I'll post updates in future posts. But I just had to let you know what Daisy and Bruiser did this summer.


Every year D's family has a big family reunion at his uncle and aunt's beautiful lake house. It's not like going camping people, this is nice. They live right on the lake and have all the toys for lake fun (ski boat, pontoon boat, 2 jet ski's, and a huge float that gets pulled behind the boat - more on that later). They also have a wonderful saline pool that is enclosed in a UV cover. I prefer the pool to the lake because I can actually see through the water. When you hear stories of alligators and alligator gar roaming the lake waters, you tend to want to stay close to safer shores. I let the little one's of the fam brave the wild waters. Oh and the huge float, well we are not friends. 2 years ago I decided to be a sport and ride on it with some of the little cousins. We were thrown off and I ended up with a broken chin. Had a ginormous bruise for a month. So I stay close to the pool.

This year we decided to bring Daisy and Bruiser for the first time. I could have brought Bruiser before because he's 6 lbs and no bother. But we were not going to torture ourselves and bring a Lab puppy. So we waited until this year since Daisy is now the ripe old age of 2 years old. I was very nervous because Daisy and Bruiser are not the only dogs at this reunion. D's cousin always brings his Basset Hound, Trixie and his aunt has Huey, the Scottish terrier. I always worry how dogs will react to each other for the first time.

Here is the Gang below minus Trixie. (Lord of the Manor Huey on the left, my little man Bruiser center, and our girl Daisy on the right).  They are a happy bunch. (Check out Bruiser's cowlick!)

Well everyone got along so well except for Trixie (hence her absence from the pic). Let's just say Trixie (a female) kept trying to prove to little Bruiser that she is a large and in charge woman. Poor thing, he just didn't know what to think of all of it. And Daisy just looked dazed and confused. It's as if she was saying, Can't we all just get along? I think Huey just expected it. He's been Trixie's victim in previous years. But once everyone settled down and found their corner, it was all good the rest of the week.

The biggest event of the week was Daisy discovering water. I mean she is a Lab which is a water dog, but we have never had a pool or taken her to a lake. So this was her first time. D was determined to teach her how to fetch a ball from the lake. Well, mission accomplished! It took all of 5 seconds and then we could not keep her out of the lake or the pool.

Here's our brave girl.

"Not too sure about this."

"Here goes nothin'!"

"Wooo Hooo!"

Look at that graceful form

"Yikes!  Water"

SPLASH!

Always brings the ball to her Dad

I'm a very happy puppy

This picture tells the whole story.

Friendships

Last weekend I attended a women's retreat organized by several members of my Sunday school class.  It was just us girls from the class and it was awesome.  We spent time being silly, staying up late, eating, and learning about each other and God's Word.  Our speaker was Tammie Head, a woman for our church who founded Totally Captivated Ministries. She was incredible!  We learned that our insecurities keep us from close relationship with God and with other women.  Well, it's a concept I always knew but when she said it and explained it - it finally clicked.  I have to just say, my church is awesome!  I mean, not only has Tammie been a result of our church's focus on ministry and encouraging everyone in the purpose God has given them, but also Beth Moore.  And Tammie is Becky's mentor, encouraging her in ministry as well.  I know we also have several other ladies who have written Christian books or studies too.  It's that emphasis on living out your faith rather than demanding to just be fed, that led D and I to join.

To learn more about our retreat visit Becky's and Ally's blogs - they really captured the entire event.

At the end of the retreat, we all shared what we learned and, wow, did we ever learn!  We discovered we were all craving deeper relationships with each other but let our insecurities keep us from each other.  We made a decision to reach out to each other more and keep cliques from our class. 

Then, this week I came upon this post at Kelly's Korner telling us about Lisa Whelchel's (of Facts of Life fame) new book, Friendships for Grown Ups.  And today Kelly posted an interview with Lisa where they discussed friendship. 

Check out Lisa's book and Kelly's post if you are struggling with this issue.  I cannot wait to read it! 

Let's all reach out to each other a little bit more.

Great Family Movies

The Hubs and I are avid movie goers (or DVD at home goers).  We saw two awesome family-friendly films this weekend I thought I'd share. 

First is Jonah A Veggie Tales Movie.   As we were watching I just about fell out my chair when one of the characters (Carlisle the caterpillar) called Jonah Grumpypants.  I know, I know it's silly - I just never thought I'd hear someone else called my name.  And really it's a great way to introduce the trailer I found.  Enjoy!



Can you tell I really like this movie?

Next was Disney's Princess and the Frog.  Love, love, love this movie!  First, because it is set in our home state of Louisiana.  Second, Raymond!  Raymond is the cajun firefly from the swamp and he so reminds me of some of my relatives.  D and I rolled when he asked if the frogs were from Shreveport.  If you love all the classic Disney animated films (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc)  you will love this.

Here We Go Again

Well, a few months ago I posted that I was beginning the P90X challenge.  And boy was it ever!  I have never worked out so hard, even with personal trainers.  Unfortunately, after 4 months of hard work (including watching what I ate) not one single pound or inch came off my body.  Talk about discouraging.  I cannot blame the P90X DVDs.  Most of my problem comes from my thyroid/hormone issues.  Those issues are being resolved, but it still makes loosing 20 -30 pounds a big challenge.  Anyway, I have to admit that for the past month I have fallen off the wagon big time.  I was so discouraged by my nil results that I just gave up for a few weeks.  But I am revitalized and have a plan.  I will begin my working out again next week by using the P90X Lean Circuit.  And I am ordering Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism book.  I am such a type A melancholy and I crave details.  Well, I've heard that Jillian's book it full of them.  Wish me luck, again, as I continue this challenge. 

I have some great websites I'd like to share which contain a ton of great info about weight loss and healthy living:

1)  My friend Erin, the dietitian and certified trainer.  Erin has launched a series of services and informative posts on her blog.  When you get to her page, scroll down the right side and click on the button with the bird titled Nutrition and Fitness Series.  I am so excited that Erin is finally sharing all her incredible knowledge.  I am very tempted to hire her for the Grocery Store Tour.  Navigating the grocery store as someone trying to eat healthy is a huge challenge.  I highly recommend you visit this site.  Even if you never hire Erin, she gives some great tips on her posts.

2)  SimplyFitMama and VitaMama.  I love these two blogs!  They are just two mom's trying to feed their families healthy - eliminating preservatives and fat by buying and cooking smart.  They have awesome tips and info for anyone ready to make the change for a healthy life for yourself and your family.

3)  FitBottomedGirls and Sparkpeople.  These two sites have so much info and tools at your fingertips.  I especially like Fitbottomedgirls DVD reviews.  It can get pretty confusing choosing a DVD or two to develop your workout routing, especially considering that some programs can cost up to $120. 

4)  American Dietetic Association.  The public tab of this site has so much wonderful info on healthy living, lots of tools (like a BMI calculator), and expert reviews of diets (such as Dr. Oz, Jillian Micheals' Master Your Metabolism, and many others). 

I hope these sites encourage you, as they have me, to dust myself off and try again.  My true motivation is two-fold:  1)  Get myself healthy and take care of this body God has given me.  I never want to be unable to serve him because I did not take care of myself.  Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.  I Corinthians 3:16-17.  2)  I want to give my future children a good example of healthy living and eating.  I never want them to deal with being overweight because of my laziness as a parent (i.e. eating out all the time, serving frozen premade meals regularly, feeding them sugary snacks).  It is so easy in this busy culture of ours to fall back on fast food.  I want to give my children something better. 

So, I know this is not going to be easy and will take a lot of time.  But I'm ready.  I'm tired of not liking my body, of feeling like crap, and having no energy.  I do not want to tell God No simply because I am too lazy to get up off the couch and change my body.

Will you join me?  Even if you can't right now, would you pray for me?  This is totally a spiritual battle.  Satan would love for me to continue on my current path and destroy my body - making me unusable by God in so many ways.  I refuse to give him that power.  I AM READY!

Lightening McQueen, Toddlers, and Cake

Oh yes ma'am Little Trey's 2nd Birthday party was a PARTAY!  What could be better than 100 degrees, 100% humidity, HEB Cars Cupcakes, and birthday boy?  Nothing.  We had a blast at the Hearn's celebrating Trey's big day.  It was such a big day that Trey had 2 cakes.

Trey is actually John III which is where Trey comes into play.  His grandmother's housekeeper could not remember how to spell Trey so she went with John.  What a cute cake and a lucky boy!

The highlight of the afternoon for the kiddos was the pinata.  A Lightening McQueen pinata!  Here's sweet Aubry giving it her best.  And Everett trying to out do Aubrey.  Precious!

This was one of the funniest moments of the day.  Everytime a child would swing all the adults would scatter, scared they might get hit instead.  But the kids really enjoyed it.  But no one was able to actually break the pinata, so John (Trey's dad) took care of that and Cars bouncy balls went everywhere.  What a prize!

Soon it was naptime and most everyone left to put the little ones down for a well-deserved rest.  So we hung around and watched Trey open his gifts.  As you can see, Mom, was very excited about his first gift.  A handmade crayon tote from Erin. I absolutely loved it and freaked out with Mom.  I want to be a Crafty Diva like Erin.  She is my inspiration.

Then Trey opened our gifts.  Let me just tell you, D and I had such a great time shopping for his gift.  D is like a kid in a candy store when we go to Toys R Us or any toy store.  He runs straight for the GI Joe, XMen, Star Wars dolls action figures.  It is a priceless sight, I cannot wait until we have some little ones for him to play with.  Do any of your husbands freak out over toys?  Anyway, we bought Trey this awesome Cars board book with a sound board (yes we are those people who buy the noisy gifts).  I think he liked it, what do you think?

But the finale was the Cars Bowling Set.  Yes, score! He loved it, but he didn't quite understand the bowling concept.  Instead of rolling the ball he chunked it.  Well, whatever works.  I just love to see babies happy.

After Trey had his nap, the Hearn's extended family came over to celebrate the day.  We ended the festivities with an awesome family pic.  What a sweet family!

Happy Birthday Trey!

Weekend Update

I don’t have anything exciting to write about and no pictures, but it was a great weekend! 

Saturday started early, as D and I (mostly D) prepared breakfast for my friend’s Erin and Laura.  The menu consisted of D’s amazing Migas and yummy orange cinnamon rolls with a side of HEB  San Antonio Blend coffee.  Delicious!  The girls arrived around 9 and were greeted by a very enthusiastic Daisy and Bruiser.  Poor babies, they went crazy!  We have not had anyone over to our home in the 9 months we’ve been in Houston, so they went berserk.  After the dogs were wrangled outside, we all sat down and stuffed ourselves.  Have I mentioned I have an amazing husband who woke up at 7 am on a Saturday to cook my friends and I breakfast.  After we were filled to the gills we headed out for some shopping.  Erin knows all the great places to find a deal so we headed to Marshall’s/Home Goods in the River Oaks area of Houston.  I believe angels began singing when we walked through the door.  Ya’ll there was so much wonderful home décor.  I was in Heaven and have found my new Christmas shopping headquarters.  Next, we stopped at TJ Maxx (yes, we are fashionistas and proud of it – so are our husbands).  I found a cute bathing suit for $20.  Let me say that again, bathing suit. $20.  It was just as cute and well made as my incredibly expensive Dillard’s purchase.  That made my day.  Finally, we ended our journey at The Guild Shop.  Ya’ll, if you are crafty and talented like Erin, or the Nester, or Pink and Polka Dot, or Centsational, or Thrifty Décor Chick and you live in Houston, make your way to the Guild Shop.  So many incredible finds that I know you crafty types can make beautiful.  Let me know if you’ve found something there and transformed it.

As we shopped our hubbies and the kids hung out at Laura’s house.  Laura hung out with them for a while that afternoon and what an experience.  There were 3 boys under the age of 2 and a sweet baby girl under 12 months.  It was blissful pandemonium.  I cannot tell if the hubbies enjoyed the play more than the kids.  But when D and I got home I crashed.  I know now without a doubt I do not want more than 2 children.  Those of you with 3+ kids, I commend you. 

Later that evening we headed over to the Kiser’s Baby Shower.  It was so much fun!  We were there are hours and it felt like minutes.   We enjoy our friends so much  that time spent with them flies by.  Becky received so many cute gifts.  I loved the little Stardust Shoes Erin made for baby Karis.  Adorable!  Several of Becky’s gifts were homemade and awesome!  She received a beautiful hooded towel and some sweet burp clothes.  When I discovered that my friends made those I was hooked.  Which led to my first Christmas gift request – a sewing machine.  D was thrilled.  I know nothing about sewing machines so any suggestions on brand, type, etc would be appreciated.  Anyway, all the time around babies this weekend is having quite an effect on me.  Baby Fever would be an understatement.

On Sunday, we went to church and Sunday School.  Then headed to Pie in the Sky for lunch.  Amazing Mississippi Mud Pie!  If you live in Houston, I highly recommend the place.  Then, my amazing husband accompanied me on another shopping excursion as I braved the mall in search of lake shorts and tee shirts.  3 ½ hours later we emerged – Mission Accomplished!   I just cannot say enough about my sweet husband.  He really did not want to go to the mall.  He would have been content to just veg on the couch and enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.  But he put me before himself and came.  I was afraid to go to the mall by myself because there had been a shooting there recently.  I know it was pretty silly, but I had to get these clothes and Sunday was the only day.  He rocks!

We ended the weekend by watching Jonah A Veggie Tale’s Movie.  We are not ashamed.  It was so good and, of course, cute.  I highly recommend this movie – great story with a wonderful theme (compassion and mercy), a lesson we could all learn, especially me.

That’s it, a typical GrumpyPants weekend.  How was your weekend?  Find any good deals, clean out your closet, take the kids to the park?  I’d like to know.

Now I am off to think of a way to show my hubby how much I appreciate him.  Any ideas?

Have a great Monday ya’ll!

Happy Birthday to….Elizabeth!

The last few weeks have been so fun for D and I.  We do not have little ones yet, but we get to enjoy our friends kids and love it!  In the last few weeks we have attended 3 baby birthdays.  I was not able to attend sweet Everett’s First Birthday – but I hear it was a blast.  Lot’s of little monkey’s playing till they dropped.  But I was able to attend Elizabeth Grace’s First Birthday and lucky for me, the Hubs was asked to be the Party Pics guy.  He had a blast.  Here is our pictorial documentary of this fun event. 

  Starting with the details…can you tell this was a little girl’s party?  Lots o’ pink.  Here are the delicious cupcakes.  Several of the Mom’s in the class got together to help Elizabeth’s Mom, Sarah, bake and decorate these.  So awesome! Of course there had to be pink lemonade.

Here are some shots of Elizabeth’s grandparent’s sweet backyard.  Yes, this is a backyard.  Isn’t it awesome!?

Here’s the Tator Tot Gang.  These little one’s will soon be keeping up with our class toddlers, but for today, they were content to just chill by the pool. 

Could life get any better?

Here’s some shots of the kids enjoying the several baby pools set up all over the rest of this enormous yard.  I was so jealous of that backyard.  It was like having your own private park.

Pure baby joy!

Who do you think is having more fun, the kids or the Dad’s?  Hmmmm?

Here’s the Birthday Girl chillin in the big pool.  

This is precious Jemma, a model in the making.  As soon as the hubs put the camera on her, she started posing.  I’m not lying, it was hilarious!

But, if you were that beautiful, wouldn’t you be all smiles?

Here’s the newest addition to our class(at the time, Kellen just beat him last week), Little Man Jake.  He’s content to just stay with Mom, thank you very much.

Here are some examples of the awesome parents in our class.  D and I are learning so much. 

Here’s Tif and her little men.  Dad had to work that morning, so Tif bravely came by herself with these two.  But she knew we would all help her keep an eye on them.  Another reason why we love our class.

Perfection!

Can you tell Aubrey loves her Daddy….sweetness.

  

And the grand finale of the afternoon…the birthday girl enjoying her cupcake.

  Cupcake Happiness!

Thank you to all the parents who let us enjoy their children, they just made our day.

Next post is Big Man Trey’s 2nd Birthday.  Get ready for some Cars (Mator and Lightening McQueen may have made an appearance).