beating the winter blues

We set the date way back in January when we were all in the thick of the winter blues.  It seems we are all recovered from the holidays & ready to socialize again by February as we always manage at least one get together each February.

 this year we met at Rock Bottom Brewery for drinks & eats & lots of laughs!

 Lance, Val, Bethany & Jeff

 Nicki & Shayne & some Titan Toothpicks

Hupp & Lauren

 Nick & most of the group outside after

From there we went bowling- more good times! & a stray picture of the minis of the evening.

THis weekend will be much less exciting! a training for childcare all day tomorrow & relaxing on Sunday!

Hello Winter!

We know you are here. We know you are so powerful. We appreciate a snow day here & there, some pretty snow on the lawn, the frost in the trees but SERIOUSLY, ENOUGH ALREADY?! WE KNOW!!! Now, a gently easing out of season would be FAN-TAB-ULOUS! :) Please don't make me beg-its not pretty!

This morning, I feel the need to revisit last year's word: APPRECIATE: I APPRECIATE my work from home job that means I only have to start Tim's car-not start, clean off, & drive one of my own every day twice a day! I APPRECIATE that we have a home I can work from & not worry about the heat bill (like the old place). I APPRECIATE that Tim has developed a desire to help in the kitchen & around the house. Sure makes life easier & much more enjoyable :)

Another Snow Day. We have a Mile-Long list of to-dos for today :) finger paints, snow play, rearranging of toy room, having killler homemade macNcheese, playing in a mixed age group, running a bit crazy... ahhhh sounds like fun!! :)

Have a Great Day Everyone!!

Monday Mantra: Keep it going.

Monday Randomness first:

• I am in BOTH tennis shoes today. first work day in 2 weeks! we'll see how the PF fairs! Maybe I'll be on the treadmill by the weekend :) I know I am going after some Sketchers this weekend for new work shoes. Never had problems w/them. going back. no longer invincible & admitting it. LOL
• Woke to 3" of snow on the ground this morning.. whaaaaaat?! was expecting flurries-skiff-no collection. *sigh* more snow. atleast its not ice! :)
• Laundry is going
• I am almost thru my first 32oz of water today!
• Need to bake bread! Honey wheat sounds yummy.
• tore a pancake in 1/2, fried an egg & made a sandwich for breakfast YUMMMM
• Keep it going: I drank 96oz/day every day since my dr appt 2 weeks ago-until Saturday- & lost 8lbs b/c of it! Friday I fought a headache so miserable I wanted to rip the right eyeball from my head & throw it across the room. Saturday woke the same. so spent the day in turmoil. only did 32oz in before we went out w/the gang. then split 2 pitchers of beer w/Tim b4 I switched back to water. amazingly woke yesterday in considerably less pain. should have been more but who am I to complain!? I got the 96 in yesterday & am wall on my way today. as a reward I getting myself a 'spread love' bottle when the food check comes this week. SO I need to Keep it Going on the water :)

Some frosty fog pics of the drive to DM a week ago.

What a Winter!!

our poor school kids will be in school until the middle of June if Winter keeps up this pace! I am not sure but I think we've missed a record number of days already & Its only January! :( Our summer activities start date will be delayed a few weeks. Until then I am pulling out the back up, big guns for Snow/ice days. :) Today: Painting! WHOHOOOOOOO!! maybe a new recipe to bake too!

ACCOUNTABILITY: yesterday I was surprised to get in over 96oz since I started 4 hours later than normal. I also managed 3 fruits & a dairy! WHOHOOOOOOOO

DO: as much as I wanted to be a bum & play online all morning yesterday I made myself DO something while I was on the clock. I managed my normal Wednesday laundry :) so I can proudly say I did DO something. Today is full day w/a full house (I assume) so I will start to DO my tax prep-bleck! -when I can steal quiet moments. I should start by calling & making my appointment, giving myself a deadline usually gets me into gear! ahhh out comes the to-DO list!

Sorry for the boring photo free postings! I haven't put any photo software on Tim's computer yet. Mine is back @ the store from repair shop so thinking when we get it, I'll just do them both @ the same time as I got a new hard drive installed & will need to start it allllllllllllllllllll over agaaaaaaaaaaaaain. *sigh*

Ok off to catch upon what I missed last night while the internet & phone lines were down in our area. :) happy to be back up & running!!!

Weigh In Wednesday..

WOW! I don't usually have RESULTS but this week I DO. & before I say numbers I will mention that ALL I CHANGED was increasing my water to 96oz/daily & cutting junk snacking. I haven't added any movement at all. NOW. the NUMBERS. I weighed in @ my heaviest ever on Monday 1/11/10 @ the dr office. it was truely an eye opening experience for me & very easily could have thrown me into a bout of deep depression had I chosen that avenue. but this time I proudly chose to DO something! (word of the year DO) YAY KIM!! by Saturday I was down 4# & today I am down another 4#. NOW I am not all giddy & excited thinking its a serious weightloss. I know its just water but for the scale to show A LOSS, I am happy :) just the boost I need to keep up on the water, lack of snacking & get some movement plan in place!

ok.. off to enjoy the ice/snow day we are having that ended up giving me the afternoon off :) Scraproom time!

Good Morning Thursday!

Wow I am feeling so much better today than I have @ this time of the day in AGES! Evidently the foot pain was causing more 'pain' than I realized. Plus this is our first full week of school routine since before Christmas, maybe that has something to do w/it. Who knows. Who cares. I embrace whatever it is :) My productivity level was thru the roof yesterday. that too I embrace!

What's going on around here? in a word: ALOT

1. I am planning a trip to Cross Ministries on Saturday morning!! I have a load of things to donate! so far, 2 printers, a kitchen trash bag, & 2 boxes, AND I am adding to it daily :) both kitchens are getting decluttered one drawer, cupboard, basket @ a time. what a great feeling :) Yesterday I pulled 6!!! utensils/gadgets from a drawer that either didn't work up my expectations & got shoved to the back or just don't get used enough to justify their 'realastate' they require. then while I was cooking tacos for supper I went thru the towels, wash clothes & pot holders (I am a matchy-matchy-set girl in the kitchen) & pulled out a pile of unmatchy ones to donate :)
2. I have a Van load of cardboards to get to the recycling dumpster also Saturday morning! YAY!! I can't believe just how long I sit on some of this stuff before I finally feel free to purge. but I do love a good house purge! this weekend will be a good one! Monday will feel like a new place when I come to work (I store the recycling in the nursery & almost have a pack-n-play full. WOW)
3. I am ready to start planning the spring planting!! We want to finish the front/south flower beds & I hope to start a low maintenence one in the north/west corner of the back yard. All along w/our ever growing veggie garden @ the other property. I am also planning a more organized way of composting here & transporting to the other property. I think I have convinced him to get a bin over there instead of just throwing it on the ground. :)
4. Tim is all ready to get back to the lake! camping & boating mmmmmmmmmm warmer weather! CAN'T WAIT!
5. BUT UNTIL THEN, we have our Valentine's/birthday get away! YAY! count down has started & in full planning mode-ready to pack LOL
6. *I* can't work out for 2 more weeks so I am seriously kicking the water's A$$!!! Yesterday I chugged OVER 96OZ!!!!!!!!!!! whohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo THAT felt GOOD!! hmmmmm maybe that has something to do w/how good I feel this morning?! hmmmm ya THINK?? water water water... that's my theme this week along w/asking how good is 'this' for my body BEFORE it goes in. (minus the brownie I inhaled last night hehe but honestly, it was my ONLY splurge for the day!)
7. Now that the temps have gotten up out of the dangerous range, the kids have gotten back out to play in the snow! AND LOVING IT!!!!!
8. I hope to get some new curtains hung in the child care this weekend & dying to start painting the unfinished sheetrock wall. Its that time of winter when I NEED change or updating in my surroundings to fight off depression/burn out. We are baking & cooking new recipes, decluttering, getting things hung on the walls, deep cleaning, moving things around & changing things up(curtains, pillows, sheets, etc). I am so thankful I learned how to take care of myself & our relationship by detecting this oncoming feeling & learning how to combat it! What a sad state I (& our relationship) was in before this knowledge!

WOW that was a lot of info you probably didn't care to know. Sorry. I hope to have a similarly productive day today & wish the same for you!!

True Confessions Tuesday:

getting right to it:

1. I went to the dr yesterday expecting xrays for the sprained ankle in September
2. Instead she dx'd me w/Plantar Faciitis.
3. I have WebMD.com'd myself this a couple of times since the pain started but never expected it to be true.
4. She gave me prednisone + a flat sole shoe/boot to wear for 2 weeks then get back to her.
5. *sigh* after only an hour of the shoe last night, my heel was SCREAMING.
6. I've worn it 3 hrs now & OH MY GOSH it hurts.
7. Wondering how long I 'give it' b4 I call in & whine.
8. I weighed in @ my Heaviest EVER yesterday @ the dr office :((
9. Totally kicking in the water & fruits/veggies today!
10. How come I have gained while trying to shrink?? :( whaaaaaaaaaaa poor me!!
11. Ok enough.. on to happy things!
12. the sun was out yesterday!
13. AND its above freezing! for Iowa in January that's AWESOME!!!
14. GOING to roll around onthe floor w/the itty bitties for a while!
15. Keep smiling!

Snow Day #2

from the inside...
and from the outside

I was lucky enough to get a snow day yesterday. I woke @ regular time but was a bit slow rolling out.. as I was I got the first call-in. the grandparents were concerned about getting BACK to pick them up in 11 hrs so just kept them all day-fun for all there!! that was when I realized the front door was drifted shut anyway so Tim got up & headed out to start clearing a path for the next due to show in an hour later. then they called in so I texted the last due to arrive & they were not either. so I was officially closed 2 hrs after I got up. Tim worked out most of hte morning getting & trying to keep it cleared & I did some inside productivity upstairs, clearing off some catch alls & doing laundry. we lunched on smokies, sausage & cheese :) watched 4 Christmases & took naps in the afternoon. then I worked on my DD in the evening until I ran out of printer ink. So now that's at a stand till until Saturday when I get some more.