Thursday, March 31, 2011

Thank a Farmer Thursday ....

Are you eating, drinking and clothed today? Thank a farmer!!
My friend Carol blogged about it today. Head over for more details then get out and Thank a farmer!!
The BEEFLady


I did NOT take this picture!!
In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spring is just around the corner!!

If this doesn't make you laugh I don't think we can be friends anymore!!!
This picture was NOT taken  by me ....
In the meantime, I'm out finding myself .... 

Baaaa'd Blogger

Sorry to be such an absentee blogger. Had a "rough" weekend (aka: partied like a rock star -uffda) and recovery time is longer than it once was!
I wanted to jump in today to send you over to AntiSupermom for her awesome blog content and she is also doing a super cool giveaway!! Get to reading!! (originally found Anti Supermom through Inspire(d) Media-also well worth a read!!)

In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Friday, March 25, 2011

just to get a post up here ...

Via eamail from my friend Nikki the other day. Happy Friday!

BLESSED ARE THE CRACKED, FOR THEY LET IN THE LIGHT!
 TWENTY-NINE LINES TO MAKE YOU SMILE

1. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was
God and I didn't.
2. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
3. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
4. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
5. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

6. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me
7. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
8. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
9. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
 10. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.
12. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
15. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again? 16. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!
17. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.
18. Procrastinate Now!

19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?
20. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
22. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!
23. They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
24. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.
25. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times
the memory.
26. Ham and eggs... A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a
pig. (how true)
27. The trouble with life is there's no background music.
28. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.
29. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.




In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ...

Friday, March 18, 2011

Me from A-to Z!

**Snagged from 21 Days***
(A) Age: 33
(B) Bed Size: Queen
(C) Chore You Really Dislike: Cleaning something I have JUST cleaned
(D) Dogs? zero!!
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee!!!
(F) Favorite Color: Green
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver
(H) Height: 5'5"
(I) Instruments You Play: Clarinet in School, Piano
(J) Job Title: DJ, Traffic Director and Office Flunky
(K) Kids: Elizabeth 8
(L) Live: Hesper, IA
(M) Mom's Name: Betty: name-sake of an Elizabeth but her full name is Betty NOT Elizabeth
(N) Nicknames: Nell, Nellie, Goofy Duck, Maid Janelle of Escargot
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? Only after having given birth
(P) Pet Peeve: oh wow! Where do I start with this?? There are soooooo many! Probably the biggest is people who are incapable of engaging their brains! Use what God gave you!! Oh yea, BAD DRIVERS!! (seriously, I could keep going, I am a jerk)
(Q) Quote from a Movie: "peas and carrots" from Forest Gump (although I love both peas and carrots but HATE the combo of the two so really it doesn't make sense), "Epiphy-what??" from Hook
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: 2 Sisters and 1 brudder
(T) Time You Wake Up? the alarm goes off at 6am - the clock in the bedroom is set fast so by the time I've snoozed once it is 6 when I get up.
(U) Underwear:  In kind of shameful shape! People! I didn't know the mom thing meant my underwear budget went to other things!! Good grief
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: asparagus
(W) What Makes You Run Late: The kid!!
(X) X-Rays: lungs when I was a kid I had pneumonia
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: steaks on the grill
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Monkeys!!


In the meantime, I'm out finding myself ....

Thursday, March 17, 2011

the diet post

So what a great title huh?? The great life change post? I was asked to be a bridesmaid so I needed to be less squishy before September? The I'm not 18 anymore and everything I eat goes directly to my hiney? I could go on? Would you like that? A long listing of my insecurities about my weight and how I feel about my bod in general? No? I can't believe you don't want to hear me whine. Huh some readers ...
So I got married in 2007! That was lots of fun (well, except the part where certain people thought we were doing things wrong and kind of ruined the actual day for me but that is another post entirely). When I say fun I mean Fun! My hubby and I like to have Fun. We like beer. We like food. We are not teenagers. My pants  grew! I kept telling my hubby that it was because I was so happy!! Oh yeah hunny! I'm gaining weight because I'm happy! Ugh! Nice to hear from your wife right? Not exactly! I was increasingly miserable about it. Hubby wasn't thrilled but maintained being a pretty supportive guy through the chunky.
 BTW: I have no idea who this baby is-it's just Chunky!!**

My annual exam last year was as usual with my favorite doctor. This is the woman who will sit down with me and be frank. When she says "How are you" she actually wants to know and wants also to know the actual answer, not the glossed over "oh I'm ok" crap. When I left my appointment last year she was encouraging me to start on an antidepressant. Hmmm, hint hint anyone? Lifestyle change needed? Ok ok it took me a year but point taken!
I maybe needed the inspiration (i.e. Bridesmaid) but nonetheless on January 1st (how typical) I started the Atkins/Paleo diet. I cut out carbs of almost all kinds without strictly following the rules of either diet. It is the make it up as you go along but still lost some weight diet! Hooray! The Atkins thing is pretty familiar to most and this link is the best description of Paleo that I could find. Hope it kind of makes sense now. I first heard of the Paleo diet here and here.
The food change was huge at first for me. I luuuurrrrve me some pasta, potatoes and BEER!! Well, hello carbohydrates!! Come and be my BFF and forever attach yourselves to my body!! I spent the first week or so a little bit grouchy and craving (BIG time) noodles of any and all types, french fries, baked potatoes and essentially any carb I wasn't allowed to eat! I felt immediately better and lost TEN pounds in the first week! Holy hannah!
After the first week or ten days passed I quit losing weight and would still have loved to eat some pasta I just wasn't willing to sell my firstborn for it now! After awhile the weight started coming off again, just more slowly and at a more maintainable rate (Greetings sensible lifestyle! Maintainable?? Hmmm, how novel.). As of this date I've lost around 16 pounds (I haven't stepped on the scale in about two weeks) and three pants sizes! Hooray for all of this! But also, this feels maintainable (t.w.i.c.e. in one paragraph!! WHAT UP?). This way of eating is something I could/can keep up for a long time. I am anxious to include exercise into this routine (ha, I could totally have said "maintainable routine" but thought you might all leave) but at this point haven't done that. My hubby likes the change (rawrrrr!) and my kid sees that I'm eating sensibly (yes! for mom points here) and has taken notice! I have a daughter and I'm scared I'm going to be passing along the typical body issues to her! This, of course, is another post entirely!
I'm not saying I'm perfect but have read a couple of things recently that brought this post on (Dutch Blitz and In the Trenches) that made me want to share. I am extremely proud that for the most part I haven't cheated on this diet (I do have a few beers here and there and have taken to eating things like chicken strips with some breading on there) and love the way I'm feeling.
That being said - I feel like crap (finally caught the cold my diseased roommates/co-workers have had) so, in the mean time, I'm out finding myself ....


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Cooking Kid!

We had book club with the H.A.C.'s  last week. I find this is can be a refreshing mind clearing evening! Even if we don't  ever get around to discussing the book. My girls have kids around the same age as E. I have heard all of them talking about letting their kids cook or involving them in the kitchen in some way. We implemented this as our house this past week. I managed not to lose my mind (yes, I am an anal, jerk! There are many excellent reasons I am NOT a teacher!) and E did an awesome job with the supper. She picked a new recipe (two of them actually), made a shopping list, found the things at the store and did almost all the cooking herself! She couldn't have been more proud to have Hubs bragging all about her dinner the whole time we were eating. She also volunteered to clear the table at the end of the meal (at least you know she has seen that is what actually happens if I'm cooking!). She participated big time in the meal we put together later in the week as well. E is looking forward to doing this a lot more and I am actually looking forward to letting her do it! All together now: Deep Breath In ........Whoooooooosh! I can LET GO a bit!! Will wonders never cease? Thanks girls for the encouragement!!

Elsewhere:
I am loving, loving this new blog I've found! Go to this link! Immediately!! Read!! Enjoy it! Be challenged by it!!! (BE WARNED: if you are thin-skinned this is NOT the blog for you! STAY AWAY! and if you choose to ignore that warning do NOT complain to me or become a troll to the blog authors! Consider yourself forewarned!) Year of Sundays

In the mean time, I'm out finding myself ...