New Fall/Autumn decorations!

Today I made some new fall/autumn decorations! I got the idea from...wait for it...Pinterest!!! Surprise, surprise! I am not sure what to call them because they can be used for some many things. Here is a picture of the finished product.

They were actually pretty easy to make once I got the hang of it! I took some candlesticks and bowls (not sure what else to call them) and hot glued them together. I used my Cricut to cut out the word autumn from the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge and I loved it! I put designs on the back as well using the same cartridge!

The pumpkin was so cute I just had to use it and the little acorns added just the right finish I thought. The orange one doesn't have a lot going on on the back, I am not sure what to add to it yet! Right now I have a votive in one and another little candle holder and a tea light in the other. The tealight is sitting on some fake leaves. But you can also fill them with some fake leaves and other fall like things. Like this: (Excuse the lighting, they reflect the flash so bad that this was the only way to take the picture.)

I got the leaves, gourds, candlesticks and bowls from the Dollar Tree! Super inexpensive since I already had the vinyl that I used to cut the word and accents with! Now to find a place for them!!

No Sew Blanket

I made my first no sew blanket today! I am behind on most things that other crafty people have been doing but I finally got some fabric and made my little guy one! It was actually more of a pain in the butt then I thought it would be. I finally stopped all the measuring that was in the directions. So my fringes are not all 1" or 4" long but Jackson likes it! Here are some pics of the progress and then Jackson enjoying his new blanket!

 

I had to cut that wording off the fabric before I could begin. I have no idea why it was there but it was not attractive.

I can NOT cut straight! Haha! 

Fall

I am way late in discovering Pinterest but since I have, Holy Cow!! I am addicted, seriously in need of rehab! And now that Fall is on its way here I can not wait to recreate some of the things that I have seen! I have not been able to restrains myself from putting up my fall stuff. I held off until yesterday but I lost it after that! Everything I have is up! Sadly it isn't much, I need some more stuff!

This morning I woke up and walked out onto the front porch and it was slightly chilly!!! I was beyond excited to feel the coolness in the air. I didn't even care that is was rainging AGAIN! I know it won't last and the humidity will be back soon but this morning was glorious! To bad it isn't time for fall in NC yet! Soon enough though!!

Made my first wreath!

I have been on a crafting spree lately. I blame Pinterest personally! There are so many wonderful ideas out there for making everything! So here is my wreath!

This wreath was very inexpensive to make and I LOVE it!! Total it cost me about $11.00 to make! The ribbon, flowers, gourds, pumpkins and berries came from the Dollare Tree. The vine wreath came from Wal-Mart and the little pine cones came from my parents Stuff Store. The Letter came from Micheal's and the scrapbook paper that is on the letter is some I had laying around.

First I popped all the flowers and berries and leaves off the stems. Then I wrapped the wreath with the ribbon. I took all the flowers and berries and just started sticking them places to see how I liked it. After I got them situated, I filled any empty spots with pine cones, gourds and pumpkins! Once everything was exactly the way I wanted it I used a hot glue gun to make sure it all stayed in place! I used Modge Podge to put the scrapbook paper on the letter. I cut a strip of ribbon to use to hang the letter down and hot glued it to the ribbon that was wrapped around the wreath. I did it that way so I could see exactly where I wanted the letter to be.

I can't wait to make more of these for the different months!

DIY Laundry Sign

The next DIY project I made was a laundry sign. I found this on Pinterest as well! I really loved the look of it and thought it would look nice in our laundry room.

Here is the original and the link to the tutorial: http://go.tipjunkie.com/dc/1342/jensidea.blogspot.com/2011/06/heres-your-sign.html

I did do mine a little different. I chose to wrap my each block with the scrapbook paper instead of just the front. I didn't have any pain to use. It did take a lot more time to do it this way because I had to cut the paper for specifically and use more glue. I also used wood glue because that is all we had on hand. My letters are printed of the computer and cut out. I didn't have a cricut at the time so I used the computer. I printed the letters on white card stock. I glued them on the wood with wood glue. This caused me to get glue everywhere. I used a little paint brush that I just through away afterwards. It took a lot more time for me to do it this way because I had to cut each letter out and glue them on. Here is my finished product! I am very happy with it though!!

I still need to paint the wood that the letters are on but that will be a project for another day!

DIY Cubby Shelf

So I have been addicted to Pinterest lately. I can not get enough of the DIY, Holiday and Home Decor sections! So far I have only created 2 things... who has the time when there are so many other things to pin?! My hubby actually made one of the projects... it involved a lot of cutting and nailing wood. I did pain it though!

So here is the original pin that I saw for the behind the couch table. It is apparently a IKEA design. We do not have an IKEA store near me so I can not confirm this. Here is the link to the directions: http://knockoffdecor.com/white-storage-sofa-table/

I did not actually read this thoroughly before hand but the picture looked easy enough! ;) After I sent my hubby to the store with the supply list he came home and read the directions. We did not have a table saw or even a table to put the wood on to cut it and we were lacking a nail gun. The measurements also did not work out for us. I don't know if it would have helped to have something better to cut on or if her measurements were off. However my wonderful husband was able to cut the wood on the ground and get it put together for me by hammering the nails in and then using a screw gun! I did make some changes because I did not need 4 little shelves up top, I want 2 big ones because I had a big basket that I wanted to use. So here is our version:

I wanted this cubby shelf to help organize my sons toys. This is his play area downstairs. I bought the baskets at Michael's, they were on sale and I had a 25% off my entire purchase! It took my a couple hours to paint because of the humidity in the air and I had to put 2 coats on it. It turned out perfectly though and I absolutely LOVE it!

Got sidetracked!

My husband and I had been living apart while he was finishing his time at his previous duty station and he came home the beginning of June! Sorry, I have been out of the loop for a while but we took time to hang out and enjoy the summer. We have moved into the home that we will be in for the next 4 years (I hope) and we are loving it! We are finally getting it decorated and settled! I am loving the space we have here and the quiet! We are on 5 acres and have virtually no neighbors!

We did discover that our son has severe separation anxiety. When we tried to leave him with family so I could work a part time job he cried the entire day I was at work. So, that was a no go. We are instead going to try a preschool that is part time. He will go 3 days a week for 4 hours. We feel it will help him branch out and become more social. I don't want him to panic every time I leave him, I want him to understand that I am coming back to get him and I would never permanently leave him.I was able to work long enough to earn his year of tuition, so that is a major plus! Thank goodness for the leave that Cameron had already put in for!

I have become addicted to Pinterest! So far I have made laundry sign and my husband made me a cubby shelf for our son's toys! I have a ton more that I want to do but most of it is fall or holiday stuff! I do need to get cracking on some crocheting or I will not have any gifts to give this Christmas!

My weight loss journey got very very off track. I stopped running and tracking my food. I have a million excuses but mainly I just stopped one day and never picked it back up. I am going to get myself on track again here soon! Now that we are settled, I have no more excuses!

That is it for now! I will make a couple posts later today or tomorrow morning with the awesome Pinterest things I have made!

Another long absenence

I have not blogged in awhile, life tends to get in the way! I have fallen off the Weight Watchers wagon. It was really hard to track points during all the moving. I haven't started it back yet. I plan to start tracking my calories though. I was doing it for al title while but I stopped. I recently got an iPhone and I can use the app on there to help me track my food. I hope that it works as well as WW did. I am still running and adding more and more to it everyday! I jog 5 days a week with my jogging stroller! I hope that when we move in July things will get back to normal and we can start doing things like we used to do!

Busy enjoying beautiful weather!

It has been awhile, again since my last post... The weather is gorgeous and I can't help but be outside as much as possible! We recently got a family pass to the zoo, aquarium and living museum. So far we have been to the zoo twice and the aquarium once. I was very disappointed by the aquarium, it was small and a long drive for us. Jackson did love the turtle area, so it wasn't a complete bust! The zoo is great and we have enjoyed it a lot. He is starting to notice all the animals! Jackson is very fascinated by boats and ducks currently. He went out on a boat trip with me and his grandparents and stayed awake the whole time, that trip really made him like boats! He goes around talking about boats, and pointing to every boat he sees! I have enjoyed taking pictures out on the boat and pretty much everywhere we go! I am click happy! This weekend we went to Wilmington to visit Cameron and we had a great time! I took 279 pictures and it was so nice to see Cameron and get to hang out! We walked around a 4 mile park and Cam's parents walked ahead with Jackson so we could have some time together. It was sad to leave but time is going by fast thankfully, not long until he is here with us! Jackson went swimming in a pool for the first time and loved it! He had a Bakst floating around and kicking his feet! We started practicing going underwater with him and he did great with it!! Weight wise I am doing ok, not losing like I was but still losing a little. I am still jogging, walking and I have started doing sissy push ups and sit ups! I am really trying to flatten my tummy!

Quick Update

It has been over a month since I was able to get on here and update but we have had a very busy month. We have moved temporarily until July. Everyone is doing good, Jackson is talking up a storm! We found a great house to rent for the next 4 years and are very excited to move into it in July!

I am still doing good with WW. Not as good as I was doing but I am working on getting back on track. I have upped my jogging and it is going good! I am officially down 22 pounds since the beginning and very excited about that!

I finally got the camera that I have been dreaming about! I was waiting until we saved the money but we got a great deal on a used Nikon D3000 and as soon as I opened the box I started taking pictures!!

So overall, life is still fabulous!

Another week has started and almost ended

It amazes how fast days go by when you are busy. I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday to check back on some labs for my liver function. I was supposed to start some medication that is filtered through my liver and can be harsh so they wanted to make sure my liver was going to be able to handle it. Instead of finding out how my liver was doing I find out that I am sitting on the line for type 2 diabetes. Teetering so close to having it that they put me on a medication to help. The doctor warned me that the medicine would make me nauseous and upset my stomach and she was SO right. I feel sick all day, UGH! She said after my body gets used to it the side effects will wear off, I am ready for my body to be used to it! Thankfully, I have already changed my eating and living habits since having the blood work done in December. I have already lost 14 lbs since then and started exercising almost everyday! I go back in a couple months to check my levels again and hopefully I will be far far away from that damn line!

In other news... We have our house rented out and I am so excited! We also will be moving in to the apartment that my cousin owns above her house. I am really excited, it means that we will get to see the husband more and I have missed him! And we finally got orders for where we will be moving in June/July and we got our #1 pick!!!! We are heading back home closer to family! I have been researching my butt off trying to find us a house that we can afford and that will take pets. The houses go quick once orders start dropping because everyone wants to secure the home they can see themselves in for 4 years. And I finally found the perfect one!!! I did find 2 and one is $300 less then the other but I just kept going back to the first one I found. I love the house, the layout and the location!!!! After talking to the husband, he said I could go for it if it was the one I wanted, so I contacted the owners and hopefully we can work something out soon!!!! I could not be happier right now!

My mom should be coming down next week to help me pack and get moved. We did hit a snag in our refinance but USAA quickly straightened it out after I freaked out on them. Probably not necessary since they are a great bank but I was upset and we could not afford to have anything get messed up. So we close later then we thought but it will all be done before our tenants move in on March 1st!! I am so excited to get our lives moving, I feel like we have been at a stand still waiting for something to happen since we put out house in the market last year!

I never thought that we would be land lords and the idea is still not the most appealing but I am excited for things to happen. And I am really excited that we rented out our home so quickly, I just pray that it works out well for the family and they want to stay for awhile. Maybe even buy one day!! *Hey a girl can hope ;)*

Busy little life

We have had so much going on these days. Last March my husband's section of the base was moved about 2 hours away. We purchased our home and could not move with everyone else. He has been making that commute and having to stay the night for almost a year. It is so hard to believe that it has almost been a year but if you look at his face and talk to him about his job, you can tell it is really wearing him down. After our home had been on the market for 8 months without a single offer we decided to refinance and look into renting. We were both very scared to be landlords and not sure if we should do it ourselves or get a property manager. In the end we went with a property manager and I am so glad that we did. As of yesterday our house was officially rented out after only being on the rental market for about 2 weeks! I am so relieved and I hope that it works out for us. Now we have about 3 weeks to get out of our house and into another one. Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue and talked to a cousin that has a house with an apartment and she agreed to rent it to us. I was so afraid we were going to have to split our family up. We only have 4 more months left of this tour and no one would rent anything to us knowing we would be leaving in such a short amount of time. I am so happy to cross 2 major stressors off my list. Now if we could just get orders to find out where we will be headed in July I would be one happy lady! Now all we have to do is get our house packed up and everything moved!

First on my agenda tonight, a glass of wine (maybe) and watching some One Tree Hill and doing some reading! Life is so good!

Been absent a little while!

This has already been a bit of a stressful week and we aren't even to Friday yet! I didn't get a chance to weigh in on Tuesday, I had to go grocery shopping, come home get dinner in the crock pot, get lunch made and ate and then me and J headed to a friend's to hang out for a bit. On the way home we stopped and picked up a jogging stroller! I am in love with it! I took it for a spin yesterday and it was great. Although, it is a lot harder to jog while pushing a baby! Here is my awesome stroller:

 The speakers are in between the cup holders. The only thing I would change is having bigger cup holders but they hold a bottle of water, so it's all good! (Boo was doing a safety check!)

The front wheel locks for jogging! J was very secure while we jogged and there was little to no shaking as I jogged! You can unlock the wheel for easier use in stores!

Yesterday I went to a play date and then ran errands. I ate horribly but the play date was fun and I got to hang out with a friend talk! Our house was viewed by a possible renter while we were out and we got positive feedback! I am really hoping that it is going to work out. We really could use some good news regarding our home. This has been such a stressor for us and we have so much other stuff going on. After we got home we went for a jog and then spent about 1 1/2 cuddling and watching tv. It was nice to just relax after I have been running my butt off the last few days! I did have a good dinner but I let my emontional eating habits get the best of me last night and indulged in some not so good snacks. I will have to work really hard to not let that happen again and hopefully burn off what I devoured last night today when I work out.

I did finally get the Wii Fit Plus! N (this is how I will refer to my best friend from now on) traded with me! She had the plus but didn't use it and I had the regular so we switched! I am excited to try it today!

The positives

So I hear and read a lot about women who have horrible husbands. About how they are not supportive, lazy, mean, and self-obsessed. I think that it is sad, there is so much negativity, especially when it comes to talk about marriage and kids. I am guilty of this too, I will be quick to tell someone the downfalls but not as quick to say all the wonderful things. I guess I don't want to brag or sound like my life is so much better then someone else's but I am not 100% sure why the first thing I say is usually negetive. Don't get me wrong my child can be a major pain in the ass and my husband can make me want to punch him in the face. Not sure what their problems are, I am simply wonderful all the time! As I like to say (beware my true lady likeness is about to come out...) I am so perfect and happy that I shit rainbows and fart fairy dust. Anyways, I decided it is time to say some positive things about marriage (specifically mine, I can not speak for anyone else in the world) and parenthood!

Marriage: 

My husband is actually pretty amazing, just please don't tell him that. He helps around the house when I ask. He helps me cook dinner and then helps clean up afterwards. He will jump up from whatever he is doing if I call him. He indulges most of my whims, even though he knows I will probably not do whatever it is for long. I am currently on weight watchers as you all know and he will measure out my food for me and help keep me on track. He doesn't do this because he thinks I am fat but because he knows it is important to me. He can make me laugh when I am having a bad day and there is no place I want to be but in his arms when life gets to be to much. When I dial up my crazy, as he calls it, he can usually bring me back down to solid ground. He is my sounding board, the one person in the whole world that I make sense with. Not that I can't be my own person because I can and have but I like the person I am with him better then without. He is an amazing dad, he hugs, plays, tickles, chases and reads to our son whenever Jackson will let him. He hates missing the firsts that Jackson does and loves getting pictures of him daily when he is away. He calls at least once a day to check on him and when he is home he wants to be the one to lay him down for bed. Nothing makes me happier then to see my guys together laughing, playing or just hanging out! So for all the negetive that I can say because marriage is hard and trying, the positives ALWAYS outweigh.

Parenthood:

I never understood what people said when they described the love the had for their children. I never understood the looks moms gave the children as the cleaned yet another boo-boo or wiped yet another snotty nose. I did not understand any of it until I saw Jackson for the first time. When I touched those perfect little fingers, I immediately understood. There is no love greater then a parents love for their children. I love to hear my baby laugh and to hear him trying to make words. I love the mumbling he does and the silly little runs he does through the house. I love seeing him discover new things. I love that he is not afraid to go down the big stairs as long as he has my hand. He is not afraid of the dark closet as long as daddy has him. I love the look he gives me that says I trust you 100% mom! I love his crazy dances and that he loves to run and laugh and be silly with me. I also love the sweet look of total safety and love when I rock him to sleep. I love all the good and bad moments, I absolutely love being a mom. There is nothing else like it in the world!

These are just a few of the wonderful things that I should mention to people when they tell me they are getting married or pregnant. I hope that I can remember to say these things instead of the negatives. There is already to much negative in the world and I think it is time for more positive!

3rd weigh in

Had our third weigh in today and I am down 2 more pounds! Woohoo! I only need to lose 1 more pound to hit my 5% mark! I printed out a cool tracker to help me track my weight loss! I am hoping to get a binder done with my food journals, recipes and my tracker. I need it to be in one organized place. It is driving me crazy to have all these things in different places and I am a messy cook so my recipes look rough after one use. I may have a touch of compulsive behavior. Today I had to straighten up the bathrooms so I could take pictures for our property manager, this lead to dusting, sweeping and vacuuming the entire house. I did all of this before I even had my first cup of coffee. Why, you ask? Because I am freaking crazy and I could not stop until I had done it all. But walk into my house right now and all evidence of that hard work is gone. In it's place are sticky finger prints, dust and dog hair. I am not sure why I even bother. I think I will just turn the coffee and end tables into works of art by my child. The materials: whatever he had on his hands at the moment! HA!

Tuesday's weigh in!

This is a little late but better late then never! I live by that motto because I am late for EVERYTHING!! At our last weigh in I was down 2 pounds! I was so excited to see that number go down! I am very close to achieving my 5% goal and it will be met early!

This weekend we went home so my husband could go duck hunting one more time before the season ended. Saturday my MIL, MIL's BFF and my mom had a ladies day/night out! We went and got our nails done, went and had lunch/dinner, went to see Joyful Noise, and did some shopping! Now let me tell you where I had a couple ut-oh's...

Went to Olive Garden to eat and I tried to be as good as possible but my dinner of Ravoli di Portobello, salad with non fat dressing and 1 breadstick cost me 25 pts. Holy Cow!!! Then to the movies where I, of course, had to have popcorn. My mom and I split a small but that was 10 pts a piece. And the final indulgence of the night was Dairy Queen where I had a medium chocolate covered strawberry blizzard that was 20 pts. Thank goodness it all tasted so good! Needless to say I used all my daily points, activity points and a good chunk of my flex points!

But I did get some good running shoes finally! I got a pair of asics Gel Kanbarra-6's! I did my first jog in them today and they felt great but that could have been because I felt like I was going to die! I will hopefully be able to give a better assessment when my endurance is a bit better. I jogged almost a mile today without stopping which is HUGE for me! I have never been a jogger or hell I have never been one to work out at all so I was very proud of myself today! I can't wait to go again! During the jog though I was not as peppy or enjoying it, lol! Here is a bit of the conversation from our jog:

"Oh God, I am going to barf."~Me
"No your not, your fine. Keep going!"~FIL
2 minutes later...
"I am going to throw up!"~ Me
"No your not, your fine. Keep going!"~ FIL
"I am light headed, can we walk yet?"~ Me
"No, your fine. Keep going!"~ FIL
"UGH!!!" ~Me
"How about some cadence to help you then. Repeat. I don't know what I've been told" ~ FIL
"Ha, ha"~ Me
"Come on, repeat!" ~FIL
"CRAP! I don't know what I've been told"~ Me
And it continues in a nice repeating pattern for the whole jog! I whine, he encourages! LOL!

But overall it was a good weekend. There is never enough time to do all we plan or see everyone we plan to but unfortunately we can't put anymore hours into the day.

Getting better everyday!

So the website I mentioned from on my last blog is still a favorite! So far we have made Skillet steak, Steak and Cheese Sandwiches  and Chicken Quesadillas. All three were delicious! Thanks to skinny taste, I am loving dinner and lunch again! And I am staying in my point range while getting my tummy full of good food!

So, the little guy is teething and I hoping this last canine is it for a little while. I feel so bad for him. He had a fever today and his stomach was bothering him. But being the all boy that he is, there was no cuddling allowed, just lots of whining and mischief. He is very fascinated with the fireplace that we have and the rocks in the fireplace. He keeps getting them and trying to feed them to the dogs. He literally shoves them in the mouths and they just move their heads around and clamp their teeth shut. Poor dogs! I guess the rocks do kinda look like the dog food but they don't smell or feel like it and our dogs are not falling for that trick!


Well it is time for more One Tree Hill! I am almost done with season 1! Oh how I love Netflix!

Dinner and an update

So I found this AMAZING website called www.skinnytaste.com. I think it is actually a blog but it is set up like a website. I read about it on the forum that I am a member of, www.coastiechicks.net. The author of the blog has so many wonderful recipes that are Weight Watcher friendly. I was on the reading through them for about an hour today and I didn't even get to half of them. I totally changed our menu for this grocery shopping trip. Tonight the husband and I made Grilled Chicken Bruschetta and it was so good. We have enough Bruschetta left over for me to have it with some baked Tortilla chips tomorrow! Things are going good with Weight Watchers. I am still exercising everyday and I hope to be able to start the C25K soon. A friend and I have found a track to use, now to set up a time.

Other then weight watchers, things are going good! We have a meeting with a rental management lady on Wednesday so that we can get our house on the rental market. I have decided that as soon as our contract is up with Directv we are cancelling it. Our box fried at the beginning of the week and we haven't even really missed it. We have DVDs of all of Jackson's favorite cartoons and I have Netflix. We haven't even opened the box that has the new receiver. I didn't think I would do good without my tv but it seems as though I am surviving just fine! We are still waiting on our orders so we know where we will be living come June. I am so anxious and it is making this month drag by. Every time the husband calls I jump at the phone hoping he will have word!

Well I am off to get a little piece of my newest addiction... One Tree Hill!!!

Did the weigh in!

My mom and I did our official first weigh in yesterday and I am done 6 pounds!! I was so excited to see the number go so far down! Because I lost weight, I also lost a daily allowance point. I thought that it would suck to lose points but I haven't had as hard of a time not using all my daily points. I do add my activity points to my daily total though. I only had 30 minutes to it though, usually it adds to 3 extra points. I am still doing good on the wii and the Just Dance game. I started the daily challenge on Just Dance and I was able to go up a level! I also did the free run on the wii and did almost a mile and a half in 10 minutes. It is hard to do that running in place though, I tend to run on my tip toes when running in place. I am really hoping to get my hands on a jogging stroller soon. I want to start the Couch to 5K challenge soon but I can't until I get that stroller. I am scouring the yard sale pages hoping to see one come up that is in my price range!

Almost a week

Technically it has been a week since I started Weight Watchers. I didn't start exercising until Tuesday the 2nd though. I took some before pictures, which will remain carefully hidden until my after pictures are taken! I am getting much better at tracking my points and staying on target! I have been doing my Wii Fit regularly and taking walks around the neighborhood. This weekend, Jackson went to stay with his grandparents and I was able to completely claim my home from the Holidays! The carpets look like new and I actually have counters and a kitchen table. My husband and I were able to have a date day, which was wonderful and much needed! We went to the range and I had a blast. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy shooting but it can be a lot of fun! Then we went out to dinner, thank goodness for Christmas gift cards! When we got home, the husband went off to his cave to play Skyrium and I had a girls night in! I got the game Just Dance 3 while we were out and my friend and I had a blast playing it! I have even enjoyed playing it by myself! The Just Sweat mode is so much fun and the Simon says mode is fun! Hopefully when I weigh in today I will have actually lost weight!

Day 3 of a New Year, A New Me!

Today is day 3 of doing weight watchers. I thought that I would starve to death the first day. I felt so hungry because I usually munch all day. I also take a bite of whatever I am fixing my little guy and to stop doing all of that was tough. Today I am doing better. I started exercising again yesterday. I am trying to get at least 30 minutes a day in. I am doing as much as I can using my wii fit and then trying to get outside and actually take a walk. I try to wear my shape-ups anytime I go walking, I figure any extra help can't hurt. Today I learned why mommas try to exercise without little ones around. I was doing my crunches with a toddler sitting on my chest and I lab laying against my side. That made it so challenging and funny. Jackson thought it was so funny to see me laying on the floor and he just had to join in. He also stood on the wii board with me and tried to exercise. When I went to get DH to help me I walked back into the living room to find Jackson standing on the wii board pointing the wii remote at the tv. He has only seem me use this twice. That little guy is way to smart for his own good! After I warmed up, we decided to take a walk as a family and enjoy the cool weather. Well Jackson decided it would be a good time to learn how to jump from a moving wagon. He landed on his head and now has a little scrap there. It hurt my heart so much but then again every time he cries it hurts me. I am a big baby when it comes to him and tears. We did a lap around the neighborhood and then Jackson and DH headed home because it was cold. The dogs and I went for one more lap and I decided to jog the last part of it and I thought I was going to DIE! I am so out of shape it is not even funny. So, tonight I looked for jogging strollers and tomorrow I will be starting the couch to 5K program. I found the guide online and it seems reasonable. I am going to also get the Nike+ stuff to go with my Ipod using a Amazon gift card I got for Christmas so that I can have some tunes with I learn how to become a runner/jogger. I am determined that this will be the year I lose the weight I have been fighting with for years. I want to be fit and on a exercise routine by the time we decide to have baby #2, so the weight won't be as hard to get rid off!

New Year, New Adventures!

It has been awhile since I was able to post, the holidays keep things very hectic. We hosted Christmas here this year and it was a success! But we had company from 12/21 until 1/1. We have had 9 people and 8 dogs have come and gone through our doors and we survived! I desperately need to steam clean my carpets but that is a project for this weekend when little man is visiting his grandparents! I never truly appreciated all the work that goes into making Christmas magical and great for everyone until this year when I was the one doing all the work. I did have some help along the way but I mainly forged through the cooking alone! I did make a homemade pumpkin and apple pie this year and a homemade pecan and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. They all turned out pretty good. I will have to make some modifications to the apple pie but other then that it was good! I will post my recipes for them as soon as I get a free moment to find them all again!

The New Year is bringing on new challenges for me and my family. We are transferring from this area to who knows where in July. The waiting is killing me and I am desperate to know. We have areas all over the country on our dream sheet and that is making it worse! We will be turning the home we bought here into a rental and that is really scary for us. We will be first time landlords on top of moving to a new area. We will be using a rental company though, it took a lot of internal debate to come to that decision. We didn't know if it would be worth the money but in the long run we have decided it will be. This year our little guy will be conquering potty training and moving from his crib to a toddler bed.

My personal challenge is to lose weight. I am doing Weight Watchers with my mom. We are going to encourage each other, weigh in together on the phone and help each other find recipes and foods that are low in points. We are doing it without actually paying for the program, so we may be missing elements but we do have the starter kit with the food and eating out books, the pocket guide, the points plus calculator and a few other books. I am excited to try this method!