Henderson's Highlights

January In Review

2011-01-31T17:30:00.002-05:00

We've had a very unusual January. We had a wonderful Christmas break from school, I was supposed to go back to school on Tuesday, January 4th for a teacher's work day and the the students were coming back on Wednesday, 1/5. This week went off without a hitch. But then on Sunday, January 9th about 7:30 or 8:00 PM it began to snow. It was very steady and beautiful snow, but the beautiful snow didn't last long. By morning there was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of snow and at least an inch of ice. Well, that meant no school for me and Eli and no work for Jay. Tuesday wasn't any better and finally Jay went back to work on Wednesday, Eli and I finally left home on Thursday afternoon. We had no school that entire week -- it was fun for a few days, but by Friday we were ready to be back into our routine. Well, Monday of the following week was MLK day, so no school. Finally, on Tuesday we all returned to our normal schedules. The following week on Monday Ms. Tammy and Mr. Allen needed the day off, so Eli and I stayed at home again. I'm hoping for a normal 5 day work week this week -- it's only Monday, so we'll see. This past weekend we went to visit Jay's parents and his brothers and their family. We celebrated baby Anaiah's 1st birthday -- what fun that was.

One very special event this month was that Jay and I re-joined my childhood church. God has taken us on a 2 1/2 year journey through 2 different churches. We've enjoyed the experience and prayed endlessly about what God wanted us to do and where he would have our family. He finally placed up back at FBC Social Circle and we're so excited to be there with "old" friends. We've both taken some time off from serving, but God has shown us that it's time to jump back in and get back in action. We are so excited to see what God has in store for our family.

Here's hoping that February 2011 is a little more normal than January!!

A new year: 2011

2010-12-31T13:06:00.002-05:00

Friday, December 31, 2010

I don't usually make new year's resolutions, but for 2011 I want to get back to blogging. I want to write about all of the great things that are going on in our lives. Eli is growing up so fast, I'm getting closer to obtaining a new degree and our lives are moving in fast forward. I don't want to forget any of the wonderful things that are happening. If no one else reads my words that's ok, but maybe someday Eli will appreciate my antics.

Happy New Year Everyone may 2011 be the best year yet!!

9 months...

2010-05-12T16:43:00.005-04:00

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here, but thought some of you might still check in and like to know what's up this the Hendersons.

I took Eli to his 9 month check up today and he got a great report. Dr. Doud said he is a very healthy boy. He weighted in at 24.7 pounds (92 percentile) and is 29.6 inches tall (83 percentile)!! That makes him in the 95 percentile overall. Dr. Doud said that he is maintaining his weight and percentages. And that he's not fat, just solid!! We didn't get any shots today -- thank goodness!

Eli is getting so big and doing so many new things. He is crawling everywhere and really fast. He is pulling up on anything (even if it's not safe) and he's very brave and lets go sometimes to see if he can stand or walk. And I must say that he's gotten pretty graceful with his falls -- is that a good thing?!?! He'll eat anything that you put in his mouth. And loves to have a bite of anything Mommy or Daddy is eating. He has started to talk; he can say mama, dada, popa, bye bye and is trying hard to say dog. I just can't believe how big he's getting. And I love that he is excited to see me at the end of the day when I come to pick him up -- that's the highlight of my days!!

Well, here are a few pictures of the little rascal...

A picture of us during Eli's parent/child dedication at church on Mother's Day!

Playing in the 'fridge. He's has chocolate pudding...

2010...

2010-02-15T15:54:00.007-05:00

Monday, February 15, 2010

Eli is getting so big and doing so many new things. I can't believe how he is growing. Here are a few pictures:

This isn't going to be good soon. He can only scoot backwards for now, but soon he'll figure out crawling and poor Sassy doesn't stand a chance.

Little Devil?!?!

Sunday afternoon nap...

February 12th snow storm. He didn't really know what was going on.

Sooooo cute. Notice the bib -- it says it all!!

Growing so fast...

2010-01-08T21:07:00.010-05:00

Friday, January 8, 2010

I can't believe that Eli is 5 1/2 months old. He is getting so big and doing so many new things. He weighs between 20 and 21 pounds and is about 27 inches long. He is sitting up like a big boy -- he is still a little unsteady, but does very well balancing himself. He is reaching for the toy(s) that he wants to play with and he can transfer them from one hand to another. He is eating baby food twice a day and we've cut back on the number of bottles that he gets. He slept through the night 4 nights this week. Wow, I can't believe it. I bought a convertible car seat last week because he is almost too long for his infant seat. He will hold his arms to up or out when he wants to be held/picked up. He loves Sassy (our dog), he thinks she is SOOOO funny. He LOVES my Mom and Dad and just lights up when they come over. He just realized that if he whines or cries we will react and either talk to him or pick him up!

Here are a few pictures of him:

This picture doesn't even begin to show how cute he was in this plaid shirt and blue jean overalls.

This was his first attempt at baby food... Not too bad. He loved it -- it was Sweet Potatoes

This was taken on Christmas Eve!! He was so good that day and had such a great time opening presents!!

Jay's sister, April, took this picture on Saturday 12/26 and our family Christmas gathering. He was also, very good that day too.

April took this one too. Aren't they sweet?!?!?!?!

This is our big boy sitting on the couch by himself...

Christmas Boy!

2009-12-08T19:38:00.005-05:00

Christmas Pictures

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

We have Eli's Christmas picutes taken on the Monday before Thanksgiving and they turned out GREAT!! He did so good this time. Here are a few from the collection!

YAY! It's my first Christmas!

I'm the BEST present EVER!!!

Just the cutest boy ever!!!!

Where did the time go???

2009-11-15T20:27:00.007-05:00

Sunday, November 15, 2009

I can hardly believe that it's been forever since I took the time to write about my little angel. He is 3 1/2 months old now and continues to amaze me each and every day. He is sitting up with assistance, he loves to be in his "johnny jumper" or either his exersaucer. He loves to be held up like he's standing and it's all we can do to get him to lay down long enough to strap him into his car seat. He weighs about 17 pounds and is wearing 3-6 month clothes. He's had one round of shots and we have round 2 in about 3 weeks.

Here are a few pictures of him over the last several weeks/months:

This one was taken on 9/7 -- a little over a month old!

9/23 -- first time sitting in my bumbo chair

10/10 -- first day in "johnny jumper"

OK, there are so many more that I could share,but my computer time is up. Someone is ready for a bath and his rice cereal bottle.

I promise to share more later...

4 weeks of cute-ness!

2009-08-26T07:58:00.006-04:00

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Wow, Eli was 4 weeks old yesterday. He is growing so fast and continues to amaze me each and every day. He is holding his head up for longer periods of time. He is sleeping longer at one time (some where between 3 and 4 hours) and he is eating great (4 ounces of formula at a time). He has discovered the lights and ceiling fans and loves to lay around and "talk" to the fan. But when he's ready to sleep he wants to be snuggled in a fuzzy blanket and rocked. He loves his Grandma and Papa and looks forward to their daily visits!! He still looks around to find me and Jay when he hears either of us talking. He is fast growing out of his newborn clothes. And has long been out of newborn diapers.

I have about a month before I have to go back to work and I'm trying to make the most of my time with him. I hold him as much as I can and I love to watch him sleep. We enjoy just hanging out and "talking".

Here are a few pictures from the past week:

Sleeping Boy

(he was sleeping on his Boppy pillow -- he has allergies just like Mommy and Daddy and he is all congested)

Big Boy -- Practicing holding up his head!!!

Just a little Daddy time!

2 Weeks Old

2009-08-12T08:19:00.005-04:00

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I can't believe that Eli is already 2 weeks old. Where did the time go? Here are a few photos of him over the last couple of weeks.

Here you will notice that I'm not only holding Eli, but Sassy too. Everyone was snuggled under Eli's fuzzy blanket... This is how I spend a majority of my time!!!

This is a picture of Eli in his Post Office outfit. My Mom works at the post office, so lots of life has to reflect that... One of our sweet post office friends gave Eli this outfit -- it says "Sent with Love". Too Cute!

OK, So Blogger's decided that I can't upload any more pictures of this precious boy... I'll try again later!

Wait no more...

2009-08-03T11:15:00.009-04:00

Monday, August 3, 2009

Wow it's been a whirlwind week. This time last week Jay and I were counting down the hours until we had to report to the hospital to be induced and meet our little man. We were very nervous and unsure of what to expect.

As planned, we arrived at the hospital at 7:00pm. We were escorted to our labor and delivery room and the fun began -- hospital gown (rear end shining), about 45 minutes of answering questions and then all the monitors were placed on my big belly. About 8:30pm the first of the meds. were administered. I had to lay flat on my back for 2 hours after that -- I thought 10:30 would never arrive, but at last it was time that I could get up! Then the waiting began. We "turned in" about 12:30am and then we were all back up at 3:15 when my water broke (that wasn't in the overnight plan, but it worked out). :) My nurse called the doctor and she decided that we'd start poticin at 6:30am, so I should rest as much as possible until then. I was having some mild contractions, but nothing too painful. So we tried to rest -- not too easy with vitals being taken what seemed like every 5 minutes and regular check ups by the nursing staff.

Again as planned, at 6:30am the poticin was started in my IV along with some pain meds. At that point I was only 1cm dilated... it was going to be a long day. From this point forward until 4:15pm I can give an account of events, but no time markers -- yes, the meds. were that good. :)

The poticin was turned up every 15 or 30 minutes until it was on wide open (I don't know -- I just know it was bad). Of course, as the poticin went up so did the strength of contractions. Finally, sometime around lunch or so the contractions were steady and strong every 2 minutes. I was finally dilated to 3cm. My doctor doesn't ok an epidural until 4cm, but becuase I was in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much pain and my contractions were steady and had been for about an hour she decided that I could have my epidural -- ahhhh, angels started to sing -- I promise!!! However, it took about 30 more minutes before the epidural gods got to my room. When the anastealogist and his team finally got to me I was dying -- I'm sure of it, I can remember the nurse asking me what my pain level was on a 1-10 scale, I told her "at least 15"... At some time about 2 or 2:30 I finally had my epidural and upon another "check" the nurse announced that I was at 8cm, what 8cm how did that happen?!?!?! However, because I'd "labored" thru all the horrible contraction from 3cm to 8cm in a matter of only a few hours I was too tired to push, so the doctor told the nurses to let me sleep/rest for a couple of hours and she'd be back to deliver the baby. I slept off and on for about 2 hours and around 4:00 Tiffany, the midwife, came in and I began to push about 4:15. I only pushed for about 45 minutes and Eli arrived at 4:59pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is me resting after the epidural!!!

And, here is it almost a week later and it's been GREAT!!! Eli is eating good, he's decided that he doesn't enjoy breastfeeding, but will take breast milk from a bottle. I've been pumping breast milk about every 2 to 3 hours and alternating it with formula. It's working for now. And that's all that matters.

Eli is perfect and Jay and I are enjoying every single minute of him. Ok ok, enough of the story and how perfect he is... Here are the pictures!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 4:59pm

Elijah James Henderson -- 8 pounds / 12 ounces / 20 inches long

Proud, but tired Daddy

Sweet Boy -- sleeping at home on Friday (we came home on Thursday about noon!!)

Still Waiting...

2009-07-16T07:03:00.002-04:00

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Yesterday marked the 37 week point! Only 3 weeks left -- wow, can't believe it. I visited the doctor yesterday and they listened to Eli's heartbeat which was great about 165 beats per minute. He is still head down and ready! I had to have some blood work drawn because my feet, legs and hands are swelling very badly. Hopefully, I'll hear from that blood work either today or tomorrow -- no news is good news though. I'm still feeling pretty good with the exception of the pain from the swelling in my hands and feet. I have another appointment scheduled for next Friday, July 24th, lets see if we make it!

Hope everyone is having a great week! I'll try to post more pictures of Eli's room soon!

As requested...

2009-07-07T11:14:00.012-04:00

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

I know most of you never thought I'd post pictures of Eli's room, but here they are.

These are the letters that will hang above his bed (yes, they are on the dining room table now...)

This is the bassinet that Misty let us borrow. Thanks a million!!!

Here are a couple of his bed.

And yes, I realize that the fish mobile doesn't really match the primary colors in that super cute quilt, but I thought it was cute and it has a remote -- who can turn down a remote!

Car Seat and Stroller...

This is the wall where the chest of drawers will reside. It likes one more coat of stain before it's ready to put in the room and be filled with all the cute clothes that Eil has...

(The bassinet is just hanging out here until Eli comes homes and then we'll move it into our room.)

This little nook will house the changing table/dresser. It too still needs a coat of stain before it's ready. I'm not sure yet what will go on this wall above the dresser.

This is a super cute rug that I found and it matches the room perfectly. This is one of Sassy's most favorite places to lay.

Hope you enjoy. I'll try my best to remember to ask Jay to take a picture of me. I always forget when I'm dressed up to ask him to take photos. I typically remember when I have on something that probably wasn't meant to be stretched over a pregnant body...

Big Boy!

2009-06-30T17:07:00.003-04:00

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I had 2 doctor's appointments on Friday and they confirmed that Eli is still growing and that he is healthy. He is estimated to weigh 6 pounds 3 ounces as of Friday. He is in the 71 percentile for size... He is head down and very low. So, we are just playing the waiting game to see when he'll arrive. Tomorrow starts week number 35!!! I can't believe that I only have 5 weeks left.

I finally got all of the random stuff out of Eli's room and it is slowly beginning to look like a nursery. I'll share some pictures later. I've started to wash all the clothes, bibs, blankets, etc. that are rolling in. Our family and friends have really been great and we have tons of nice things to bring Eli home to -- I'll take pictures of his closet too...

Please pray that Eli will stay put for a couple more weeks to make sure he is fully developed and "done". As much as my feet and hands hurt and as big as my belly is I want to make sure he is as healthy as possible.

I'll ask Jay to take pictures of me this week and you can see just how big my belly is...

STAY TUNED!

Little Whopper

2009-06-05T13:18:00.002-04:00

We got another great report this week! The doctor is estimating that Eli weights somewhere around 4.5 pounds already, but they don't seem too concerned. Doc says everything is growing in proportion and that he will be a big healthy boy -- what more can we ask for?

Is anyone else noticing that the little ticker thing at the top says I only have 61 days left???? That scares me -- just in case you were wondering. I'm not ready, well I'm ready to hold Eli, but my house isn't ready, his room isn't ready and we haven't even tried to install the car seat in either car... Yeah, I hear all of you -- you are saying that if I could stay off facebook and blogging that I could get something done, thank for the news flash! :)~

I'm going, right now to do laundry, thankyouverymuch!!

Much Needed Update...

2009-05-02T16:48:00.003-04:00

Saturday, May 2, 2009

It's been 6 weeks since I last posted... Is there anyone still checking in?

Here's what you've missed over that time frame. NOT MUCH. It's been work, work, work, school and only a little bit of baby stuff.

I just finished my last paper for this semester! So, no more college until September. What a load off. This has been a very long 8 week quarter. There never seemed to be enough time to get the research done and write the papers. Oh well, it's behind me know!!!

We did give baby Henderson a name since the last time I posted. His name will be Elijah James Henderson and we've decided we'll call him Eli.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and all is well. Eli is weighing in at 2.5 pounds -- which is a larger than "normal" but the doc didn't seem too concerned. Doc said we'd watch his weight and that he might come a little bit early. We'll see!

Of course, Eli is making his presence known, he is moving all the time and loves to eat. He is the happiest when I'm nice and full (and miserable). :)~

Jay and I are planning to move our office out this week and begin to move Eli's things into his room. I'm very excited about that. I can't wait until his room looks like a nursery rather than a home office. I'll be sure to take pictures so that you can see the transformation.

Mom and I went several weeks ago to register for all the cool baby stuff that one could need. Wow, talk about overwhelmed. Who know a baby needed so much. I have my first baby shower next Saturday and can't wait. I'm excited to see what all little Eli accumulates there. He is so spoiled and he isn't even here yet. I can only imagine...

This gets you up to date on the Hendersons. I promise to post more now that I'm done with school. I'll post belly shots one day soon -- It's getting out there!

Hope all of you are doing well.

And the Baby is... Part 2

2009-03-21T08:54:00.005-04:00

Saturday, March 21, 2009

IT'S A BOY!!!

To say that Jay is over joyed is an understatement. He is grinning from ear to ear. The baby put on quite a show for Daddy yesterday -- thanks to Mommy and her indulgence in a little Mountain Dew at lunch. :)

Here is a picture of the proof...

For those of you who can't identify his manhood the 2 arrows are pointing to it. And yes, he is pretty much mooning us in this picture...

And several of you have asked to see my growing belly. Below is a picture of me yesterday too.

This is not the most flattering picture, but it was 10:30 last night. I'll try to remember to have Jay take pictures each Wednesday as the next week of pregnancy starts.

I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend!!!

And the baby is...

2009-02-18T21:52:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

...very uncooperative. Because of several follies this week we didn't find out the gender of little Henderson. Jay had planned to take of a half day on Monday to attend this doctor's visit with me. This would have been the first ultrasound that he'd actually seen, but it didn't would out this way at all. It all started on Thursday of last week when Jay's work crew was asked (please read elected/made/not given a choice in the matter) to drive to Charlotte, West Virginia to help finish up some of the storm damage from several weeks ago. Well, keep in mind they left on Thursday with NO return date/time in mind. This was truly a day by day affair. This didn't set well with me and all my pregnant hormones. The weekend was very long and full of crying spells that couldn't be controlled (did I mention that Jay was working 16 hour days and wasn't very friendly by the time he did get back to the motel and could talk to me? -- I'm just sayin') So, they finally told them on Monday morning that they could drive home, keep in mind this was about a 10 hour drive, there was NO way he would make it home for our 3:30 appointment. So, my mom went with me and I decided not to find out the baby's gender. Great!

So, my 3:30 appointment arrives and at 4:00ish I'm called back to have my ultrasound. Yay, everybody is happy. Grandma is getting to see the baby for the first time, I'm excited to see how much he/she has grown, yada, yada, yada. We get to the exam room and the sweet lady begins my ultrasound. The little turkey that I'm growing inside me decides that he/she is not up for a photo shoot. Every time the lady would get the view/shot that she needed for measuring the baby would very politely scoot away... (yeah, really cute) this went on for a good 15 minutes. We now know from this weeks ultrasound that the baby has a big head (it is measuring a week larger than I'm actually pregnant) and long legs (thanks to Grandma). So, there was never any chance in finding out "who" this little person is anyway. Life goes on, right?!?!

We do have another "big" comprehensive ultrasound on 3/20 -- please please pray that little Henderson will cooperate and give us a peek at who he/she is. We are really anxious now to start planning and preparing the room and I don't want everything to be green and yellow. :)

I'll keep you posted. Thanks to so many of you who have emailed and asked about the appointment. Your encouragement is great!

Updated: If you're wondering Jay did make it home at about 11pm on Monday night. He was very sick, but went to work on Tuesday and thanks to the much needed rain they were called off today. He went to the doctor this morning to get a shot for what we thougth was a sinus infection, but as it turned out he has the flu. Please pray that I don't get the flu. I did take a flu shot so I'm hoping that will save me.

14 Already?!?!

2009-02-03T17:26:00.003-05:00

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Hell All ~ I know I promised to post SOOOO much about being pregnant, but this school business is killing me. Pregnancy has proven to be a breeze, so far. I never did get sick, praise God and other than being tired I really had no symptoms of being pregnant.

However, this going back to school mess is just that a mess. I find myself doing homework 5 or 6 days/nights a week, on top of cleaning the house, washing clothes, cooking dinner and working everyday. I did not sign up for all of this... :) Thank goodness I have an AWESOME husband who can and doesn't mind cooking most of our meals.

Tomorrow does begin week number 14 of my pregnancy! Wow, where did the time go? I have an appointment this Friday with my OB, just a check up. And then the BIG appointment on February 16th -- we are hoping to find out who this little person is -- Boy or Girl?!?! I'll let you know ASAP!

I'm headed off to do more homework. See you soon internets!

1st Ultrasound!

2009-01-09T21:27:00.005-05:00

Friday, January 9, 2009

I had a great doctors appointment today. I finally got to see this little person. The baby is measuring perfectly for the August 5th due date. Baby is currently 3.44 cm long (head to butt). Doctor showed me the cord and the beginnings of the placenta. Baby has 2 arms and 2 legs and there is only ONE baby!!!! The doctor said the baby was very active and I can promise it's Jay's child -- you should have seen the "show" that was put on for the ultrasound. Baby was kicking and waving, a camera ham -- just like Jay. :) I did get to hear the heartbeat it was 177 beats per minute, which the dr. tells me is great! I'm very excited and grateful that all is well.

Here are two pictures for your viewing pleasure:

This picture is labeled, but from left to right: Head -- 2 arms -- back and butt (legs are curled up in front)

This is a front shot: Left to right -- Head -- Body with arms and then little legs and feet!

See you all soon. I promise I'll post a picture of me. I still don't look pregnant yet.

9 weeks and counting...

2009-01-01T21:02:00.003-05:00

Thursday, January 1, 2009

First and foremost -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Jay and I did manage (barely) to stay awake last night to see the infamous peach (and the NY ball) drop, quiet an accomplishment seeing as I can't go but about 2 hours and I'm in serious need of a nap. :)

I'm still feelin' good with the exception of being tired, but it's nothing I can't handle and get past. I did hear from my OB this week and I can't see the Specialist until January 13th, which stinks, but that's the first new patient appointment that they had available. I do have a regular OB appointment next Friday, January 9th, and we are really hoping to have an ultrasound done. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO anxious to see this little person that's growing inside me. We're already making plans for a spring yard sale to clean out some of the clutter that needs to go before we can even begin to think about setting up a nursery.

I promise that I'll post a 9 week picture tomorrow. I opted not to straighten my hair today and it's pretty crazy looking and I wouldn't want to subject you wonderful people to that.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week.

Until Later...

More News!

2008-12-26T21:44:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a very quiet Christmas Day, but that was a nice change of pace. :)

OK, on to the news.

We're having a BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay & I have know for about 3 weeks, but decided to keep it a secret until we attended our first dr.'s appointment on 12/24. We did get a confirmation, but no ultrasound. I've been referred to a specialist b/c I have thyroid issues (that's a long story for another day...). We're hoping to see the specialist next week and we'll get an ultrasound then. The 40 week date they've given us is 8/6/09!! I'm a little over 8 weeks along. I promise to keep you posted and up to date on everything. Maybe next week I'll start posting some pictures. I don't look pregnant yet, of course, but they'll be nice to compare later.

Until Later...

2008-12-24T07:54:00.002-05:00

It's CHRISTmas Eve!! I hope everyone has finished their shopping and wrapping. The Henderson's are off for a few last minute gifts.

Have a wonderful day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Bloggy Update

2008-12-22T15:01:00.003-05:00

Hey Bloggy Family ~

The Henderson's are ready for Christmas. We've been very busy over the last few weeks with student loan paper work, job applications for Jay, more college entrance forms, choosing which classes to take, getting acquainted with the online system that I'll be using as the virtual classroom, etc. And we also took a much needed Christmas vacation. We left Friday, with our best friends, and headed up to Helen, Ga for a nice relaxing weekend. We are now ready to take on the world! Jay went back to work this morning and I've been running errands all day. It's funny how quickly a vacation can be over and real life picks right up where it left off... I'll be checking in thru out the week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The News...

2008-11-28T16:29:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know that I've teased you for several days now and I even got a message on the answering machine pleading that I reveal the news.

I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, most of you thought I was going to say "I'm pregnant" -- well don't give up hope on that either. We're still working on that. :)

I'm so excited about starting school. My college history and the decision on what I'd like to be when I grow up has been a long time coming. And goes something like this: fresh out of high school I started college with the anticipation of becoming a nurse. That didn't work out well... I decided 2 semesters before I was done that I hated being a nurse. SO, I took a two year break during which time got married and I got a real job. After we were married for about 6 months I decided that I wanted to go back to school and get a business degree. I went back to school and two years later had an associates degree in business administration, but again decided that I was done with school. This time I was going to have a baby... WELL, here we are 3 years later, no baby and a degree that isn't worth a whole lot. This past summer when I decided that I wanted to work for one of the local school systems (mainly b/c it was a steady job and had great benefits and I don't have to work summers) I had no idea what God had in store for my heart. I went to work at a local middle school, which I wasn't thrilled about b/c I've never dealt with middle school age kids, but I've meet some of the most loving kids and God has really shown me that teaching and helping kids is where my heart is and where He wants me to be. So, having rambled on about all of this -- I'll be going to school to get my teaching degree. Please pray for me that I'll do well in my classes and can stay focused this time to get the job done.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanksgiving Eve...

2008-11-26T14:45:00.003-05:00

Hello All ~

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. Things here in Hendersonville are great. I've been cooking today in preparation for our family Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow. I was asked to bring desserts. I've decided on chocolate chip cookies, peach cobbler and a strawberry/pretzel dessert. I hope that variety enough.

In addition to cooking I've been working on my piles and they are slowly going away. I hope to have most of them gone before I return to work on Monday. My goal is to keep them cleaned up so that I don't have to spend my entire Christmas break cleaning up piles of junk. Wish me luck.

There just isn't much going on here in Hendersonville -- what do each of you do on Thanksgiving Eve? Do you have some type of tradition? Let me know!

I know I promised you some breaking news, but you'll have to stay tuned -- I'm not ready to tell yet.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

Piles

2008-11-24T10:42:00.006-05:00

I'm back... I'm sorry that you've been neglected. I think things are finally starting to calm down and maybe I can find 5 or 10 minutes a day (or every other day) to keep you posted on what's going on. I decided to give you a glimpse into my world and why I feel guilty about blogging.

You'll notice that the title of this post is "piles" -- that's because I feel like that's all my life consist of. Plies of laundry, piles of paper, piles of junk, piles of mail/bills and on and on and on.

Here are are few of the piles that are haunting me!

This is the "station" where we drop our keys, mail and junk when we come home. This welcomes me each and every day...

Then this is the next pile that I see -- This is a small cabinet space when you walk into our kitchen. There is a canvas bag with cleaning supplies that I took to church several week ago ( I have no idea why it's there.) The baby carriage is a pinata that was supposed to be used for a baby shower 3 weeks ago (it didn't make it) there is cereal sitting there b/c the box is too tall to fit into the cabinet, there is Gatorade -- not sure why it's there, Gatorade has it's own place in the dinning room. And behind that pink striped bag is the toaster -- guess we haven't toasted anything lately.

And here's the desk where I have to sit to blog... Need I say more?!?!?!?!

Never fear. School's out this week, so I intend to clean up these piles (along with many more). I'll show you the progress at the end of the week, I promise. Stay tuned, I have a couple of exciting things going on and I'll be sharing them with you soon.

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

3 of 4 ~ Sunday, October 19

2008-10-19T20:38:00.002-04:00

Well, I 've made it thru 2 whole weeks with Jay working out of town. He just left for week 3 and we are hoping week 4, next week, will only be until Wednesday!! I don't know how you wives who have husbands who work out of town do it. Kudos to you!!! I would HATE for Jay to be gone every week and for now at least he's coming home on weekends. The first week he didn't come home until Friday and last week he came home on Thursday night, so I at least had an extra night of snuggling with him.

That's all I have for tonight. I'm headed off to get myself ready for the week ahead. I hope each of you has a wonderful week.

Random ~ Tuesday, October 7th

2008-10-07T23:06:00.006-04:00

This has been a wonderful yet weird week... As most of you know I went to work for a local school system and we follow a "balanced" calendar. This means that we only get like 6 weeks of summer, but we get these awesome week long breaks periodically throughout the year. Well, this week just happens to be one of the breaks! yippee!! However, the phone call that I received from Jay last Thursday didn't lend to this being a great week. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't that we had some grand plans that were canceled or anything, but Jay called last Thursday to say that starting this week they'd be working out of town. Yep, he left Sunday night about 8pm and will not be back until Friday about 8pm. Now for those of you who know me really well you know that I'm very needy and I wasn't sure how I'd handle Jay being gone for an entire week, but so far so good. The first night was a little unnerving, but last night was much better... I spent Monday cleaning the house and today I had to run to the doctor to have blood drawn to check my thyroid levels so I just decided to make a day of it. I spent most of the day shopping. The only thing that I bought was one little ole pair of blue jeans! Yay me for showing some control!!!

Anywho, when I got home from shopping I went outside to walk the dog and I noticed that one of my favorite bushes had started to bloom. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you:

Now this is one end of our house. I took this picture so that you could see how big these bushes are -- I know what you're saying "It's not that big of a deal -- yeah, it's taller than the house, but so what" yep, that's what you thought wasn't it?!?!? WELL, these bushes are cut down every year at the beginning of summer! Yep, they grow that tall in just a few months. I can't wait until they are in full bloom. I'll keep you posted. You'll notice that there is one on each end of the house and there is a crazy over-grown crepe myrtle in the middle.

I just had to share one more with you...

Whirlwind

2008-09-22T21:34:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's what life's been like for oh the last 6 weeks! As many of you might remember I started a new job at the end of July -- I'm happy to report that I love my new job. The pay isn't great, but I get teachers retirement and all the perks of working for the Government! I started out working with the guidance counselors, but about 3 or 4 weeks ago was moved to the front office. I was sure that I would hate it there, but it's turned out the be a very nice location. I actually have my own desk and my own space which I didn't have in the counseling office. I've learned tons about the school and what makes it tick...

In other news, you might remember me mentioning that we had also started going to a new church. Well, when we first started attending this church I agreed to be co-director of the preschool department, but about 6 weeks ago the girl who what the other 1/2 of the co-directing decided that she needed to take a little break. SO, that left me as the director which was fine. The other girl didn't leave the church or anything, but because of some family stuff she just needed to be less relied on, which again is fine. I'm so excited that she is still helping me from behind the senses. The last 2 weeks I've been trying to get motivated to compile a budget for 2009. YUCK!! I'm a finance person, but doing the research and trying to decide what we will need for the entire year of 2009 is just out of reach. I've started the process, but man it's no fun.

On top of all of this... we are still trying to get pregnant. This month I did get a couple of positive signs. NO not those kind of positive signs, but as least some sign to make me believe that the medication that I'm on is now working!! One small step at a time. I'll keep you posted on this as new developments come along.

There you have the Henderson's in a nutshell... Nothing really exciting going on here -- truly just life.

I hope each of you are having a great month. I promise I'll try to post more.

2008-09-04T21:06:00.003-04:00

~ MEME ~

I borrowed this from Jess' blog ~ Thanks Jess :)

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dial for Jay and Mary Kay for me.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Not right now.

What would you change about your living room? Make it larger.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Dirty.

What is in your fridge? A few left overs that need to be thrown out, diet coke, bottled water, misc. salad dressing, and other condiments.

White or wheat bread? White.

What is on top of your refrigerator? Dust & maybe a fly swatter.

What color or design is on your shower curtain? Plaid -- Dark Green, Light Green, Navy Blue, Lighter Blue, Dark Tan & Lighter tan.

How many plants are in your home? Only one inside.

Is your bed made right now? NO -- why spend the time making it when we're going to get back in it...

Comet or Soft Scrub? Soft Scrub -- If I were going to clean!

Can you describe your flashlight? Yep -- the biggest Mag-lite made.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? plastic, but they are the reusable type.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? We have an open-end car port and it's pretty clean.

Curtains or blinds? All windows have blinds, but only a few have curtains.

How many pillows do you sleep with? 3 -- two under my head and one between my knees for back pain relief.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? Nope.

How often do you vacuum? Only as often as is required.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard.

What color is your toothbrush? White & Purple, maybe.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yep.

What is in your oven right now? Nothing.

Chore you hate doing the most? Putting away clean laundry. (I really hate ALL housework...)

What retro items are in your home? By retro do you mean old? If you mean old -- we have a lot of stuff from Jay's grandmothers home -- we call them antiques. :)

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yep.

How many mirrors are in your home? 4 that i can think of quickly.

What color are your walls? Kitchen & Dining room - wood paneling; Living room - pale yellow; guest room, laundry and bathroom - tan; master bedroom - navy bottom w/ white chair-rail and tan on top; office - dark green bottom w/ white chair-rail and tan on top.

What kind of pickles (if any) in your fridge? Sweet Relish, dill and bread & butter.

What color is your favorite Bible? Black

Ever been on your roof? NO -- why would I?

Do you own a stereo? Yes.

How many TVs do you have? Two.

How many house phones? 4 -- is that too many?

Do you have a housekeeper? I wish!

What style do you decorate in? Hodgepodge

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? A little of each.

Is there a smoke detector in your home? YES!

What are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? Sassy (our dog), my wedding rings and as many pictures as possible.

Now it's your turn!

Leave me a comment if you play along so that I can see your answers.

2008-08-24T13:13:00.004-04:00

~Some Cuteness ~

Takin' a nap on Mommy & Daddy's bed...

Restin' on Daddy's pillows! (He won't mind, he's at work)

And then there's this little cutie who NEVER gets to enjoy time inside anymore...

2008-08-18T18:27:00.002-04:00

~ DONE ~

Friends, I need some encouragement. Is there anyone (of the 3 that read my blog) who ever gets discouraged and just wants to throw in the towel? Do any of you ever feel like you’re not worthy of the many blessings that God has given you? And you know that the only way you landed the blessings was because of God’s grace – because alone you’re nothing? I could contribute some of my emotion to the new medication that I’m taking (due to my inability to get pregnant) – that’s a story for later. BUT I refuse to place blame on the medication or the doctor who’s prescribing it, but I’ll blame myself! There are a thousand reasons that I can give you for my emotions and feelings, but I'll spare you the gory details. But, friends, I don’t feel like getting up one more morning, going to work one more day or exerting my energy to breath. I’m at the bottom – I’m done.

I know that I do have some AWESOME prayer warriors that read my blog and girls I’m counting on you. Will you please send up some prayers for me? Will you help a friend get out of a funk?

2008-08-09T14:09:00.005-04:00

~ More Highlights ~

(or less in this case)

As many of you remember about this time last year I decided that I needed to color my hair. And many of you told me it was addicting... I should have listened. I visited a new salon this morning and had a very dear friend of mine try her hand on my hair and I must say she's won my business. She listened to my concerns, we talked about what I wanted and how I wanted it to look. I just had it cut and colored about a month ago, but I had one bad dye job, it was spotted and a very brassy shade of blonde and I just was not in love with anything about it. So, Miss Melody fixed me up today. It is much darker than it's been in a long time, but she did put some blonde highlights back in it and I think it looks much better. What do you think (if you need a reference go down 2 or 3 posts and see the before)?

Here's the end result:

2008-07-28T20:37:00.001-04:00

~ A Bloggy Update ~

I promised that I’d keep you up to date on my new job and all the changes that are happening so fast in my life. I’m happy to report that after only 2 days on the job I LOVE IT!!! All of the teachers and faculty are so nice and they’ve all welcomed me with open arms. The 2 counselors that I’m assisting are great. We were very busy today with registration. We registered about 20 kids (and school doesn’t start until Friday). I am ready to get into a routine, have my own desk and have a feeling of being settled, but I know that will come soon.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying that thing would go well and that I’d like this job. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to try my best to get back into blogging daily and asking you to hold me accountable on some things… but more on that later.

Have a great evening and I’ll see you tomorrow!

2008-07-24T17:13:00.003-04:00

~ News ~

Let me start by saying that Blogger tells me this is my 100th post and I know there is a bloggy rule about doing a “100 things about me” post, but I have bigger things to talk about today. The 100 things post will come later – I promise.

I’m not sure exactly where to start… Oh, let me just tell you the good news and then I’ll tell you how it came about. I’M STARTING A NEW JOB TOMORROW!!!

As some of you know I was/am working at the church that Jay and I attended. Well, on June 1st our church split and we were on the leavin’ side. This is a whole story in it’s self, but I grew up in the church, I’ve attended services there for 28 years. It was a hard decision, but God, on more than on occasion, confirmed that we should stop attending services there. This obviously put a strain on my working there and with the relationships of those who stayed. My title was Pastor’s secretary, well the reason the church split was the fact that some didn’t like the pastor and they pretty much backed him into a corner and made him resign. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, I decided that I would most likely be next on the chopping block (oh, did I mention that we were 84,000 over budget at that time?). So, I started praying about what God had in store for us and where He was leading me to work – I just kept coming back to the idea of going back to school and getting my teaching degree/certificate. I talked to several of my friends who are teachers and they encouraged me to apply at some local schools, just to get my foot in the door. So, I did and for 6 weeks I’ve been putting applications in at schools, county/government offices and any other place that I qualified for their job and NOTHING. As of Monday of this week I had put in maybe 12 or 15 applications (I lost count) and had had NO call backs. So to say that I was discouraged was an understatement. Meanwhile, for the last 6 weeks I’ve been trying to lay low at work and just go with the flow – even though the flow has been very inconsistent and there have been numerous talks about pay cuts (totaling between 7 & 12 percent), cut in hours or even some of us being “laid off”. It’s been a very emotional few weeks. Finally on Monday of this week I got a phone call from the assistant principal of Clements Middle School in Covington asking me if I could come on Tuesday for an interview. Let me give you a disclaimer here – I don’t like middle school aged kids – they have big mouths and they are just weird, I prefer the ones who are cute and under the age of 5!! So, to say that I was apprehensive about this interview – another understatement, but I went and the interview went well. I had applied with the Newton County School System for a parapro position, but the job I interviewed for wasn’t actually an “in classroom” type position. I will be the assistant for the registration office, right up my ally… I will make sure that all the kids who transfer to/from the school have the documents they need and have complete information in their file. Mr. Stephens called me yesterday to offer me the job and I start tomorrow!!! How awesome is God’s timing.

I’ll check in with you tomorrow and let you know how my day went and how AWESOME my new job is.

I just realized that I left you hangin’ on where Jay and I are attending church… The 150+ of us who left the old church started a new church. We have about 140 – 175 people each week and we are back to “havin’ church”. Check out our website Berean Baptist Church. If you are looking for a church in the Covington area please come join us.

2008-07-10T20:18:00.009-04:00

~New Summer Dos~

Jackson and I have donned our summer dos. I've been sporting mine for about 2 weeks and Jackson just got him this week. Tell us what you think...

Jackson First:

Before:

And After:

Now it's my turn:

Before:

(this is an old picture, but it's the only one I could find. My hair was down past my shoulders!)

And NOW!!!

This cut makes me feel SOOO sassy. Excuse the huge purple shirt, it's my sleeping shirt. These are horrible pictures of my, but it's all I have for now. I'll try to get some that are more flattering soon!!!

A Big Week Ahead!

2008-06-14T17:50:00.016-04:00

This week 2 things will happen on Tuesday.

#1. Jay will turn 30.

Baby Jay

14 month old Jay

This is 30 year old Jay!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY -- I LOVE YOU!!!!!

#2. Sassy will turn 1.

This was taken in early August, the day after we brought Sassy home.

She weighted almost 4 pounds...

This was taken right around Christmas, Sassy was about 6 months old and weighed in at about 10 pounds.

Here's one taken last week. She was playing in my chair with a new toy. She now weighs in at 14 pounds. I'm sure glad she a miniature!!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASSY -- WE LOVE YOU!!

Alive & Well!

2008-06-02T17:34:00.007-04:00

I'd love to tell you that live has been so exciting and busy that I just didn't have time to post, but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. The truth would be that I'd been too lazy to post. I've been reading alot of posts and even commenting some, but I just haven't put the energy into writing my own. So here are a few things that have happened around the Henderson Homestead.

Jay and I went to Charleston, SC over Memorial Day weekend. I didn't take to many pictures, but here are a couple:

This picture was taken down by The Battery. The wind coming off of the water must have been blowing 70 miles an hour. You can see that my hair and shirt are blowing, it was so bad, Jay actually had a handful of my hair and was holding it down so that it didn't look so bad in the picture...

Here's one of Jay and Jeff "playing" in the ocean. There are NO pictures of me and Andrea throughout the whole trip. Go figure.

This is a Carnival Cruise ship that passed right by the beach as we were hanging out on Monday.

We had a wonderful time away and really enjoyed ourselves! Thanks to Ms. Vickie and Mr. Randy for letting us stay at their house.

Menu Monday

2008-05-19T19:58:00.006-04:00

Here's my attempt at a menu plan:

Monday ~ Pork Medallions Alfredo / Green Beans / Pear Salad

Tuesday ~ Creamy Broccoli -Stuffed Chicken Breast / Veggies / Rolls

Wednesday ~ whatever is provided at church

Thursday ~ Bacon cheeseburger roll-up / chips

Friday ~ We're packing up mid-afternoon and heading for Charleston, SC for the weekend, so there is no plan for Friday

Saturday ~ Hyman's Seafood Restaurant

Sunday ~ No meal plans / we plan to spend most of the day at the beach and the open air market.

We're off to a pretty good start on our menu, I followed thru with Monday's new recipe!!

That Kind of Week

2008-05-15T18:52:00.004-04:00

I decided 2 weeks ago that we really needed to start menu planning again in an effort to save money. That worked great for 2 weeks... This week I planned my menu using what we had at home because I knew I would not have time for a grocery run until Friday afternoon. Well, my week didn't quite turn out like I'd planned. We've had SO much going on with Jay's softball games, extra hours at work and the rest of life that our menu didn't quite turn out like I'd planned this week. I thought I'd take this time to share my PLANNED menu and our ACTUAL menu... Enjoy!

Planned:
Monday: Chicken sandwiches and chips (before Jay's game)
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken, rice and green beans
Wednesday: whatever was provided at church
Thursday: Breakfast
Friday: Grilled Hamburgers
Saturday: no plan
Sunday: eat out as usual

ACTUAL:
Monday: Jay ~ chicken tenders and chips (we had no bread for a sandwich)
Michelle ~ soda crackers with melted cheese - this was all I had the energy to make
Tuesday: Chinese Take out
Wednesday: at church ~ pork roast, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and peach cobbler
Thursday: Jay is picking up hot wings as I type
Friday: Maybe that grilled chicken from Tuesday???
Saturday: Maybe I'll actually cook a meal
Sunday: out with the gang

AND there you have it. Our crappy diet for the week, but tomorrow is grocery day and we'll be eating on a menu plan next week... NO EXCUSES!!!

Hair!

2008-05-01T18:07:00.006-04:00

I've been trying something new with my hair this week. I've been wearing it "natural", that's a bit misleading, but I'm using my natural curl and just enhancing it a little. Here are a few picts. so that you can tell me what you like better... Please be kind.

This is my "straight" hair. It's much longer now though.

This is a more recent "straight" hair picture.

This is the curly version... What do you think?

I know what you're thinking -- she really needs to do something about those roots. I agree, but our entire budget is going to gas and groceries now so there's no extra money for color...

Go figure!!!

Back to Menu Plan Monday!

2008-04-28T18:09:00.003-04:00

It's been months since I did a menu plan, but with the cost of groceries going up and my budget getting tighter by the minute we are back to menu planning and smart shopping. So, here's our menu for the week. Remember that you can check out Laura for more ideas.

Monday ~ Something quick and on my own. Jay has a softball game.

Tuesday ~ Something else quick and on my own or something quick after Jay's softball game.

Wednesday ~ We eat at church (hey, give me a break -- staff eats free and Jay's is only $5)

Thursday ~ Meat Loaf, Black-eyed Peas, Rice and bread of some sort

Friday ~ Grilled chicken, Baked Potatoes and Salad (maybe a dessert)

Saturday ~ We're going to the Braves game -- so over priced stadium food it is!!!

Sunday ~ We'll eat out after church (this is a must)

Hope you all have a GREAT week!!!

Finally Spring!!

2008-04-23T20:10:00.006-04:00

I'm so glad that the temperature has warmed up outside and I have finally been able to wear sandals and some of my summer clothes!!! I noticed this week that my yard is starting to come alive. Here are a few of the beautiful flowers that have started to bloom. We'll be planting our annuals pretty soon!!! I love this time of year when we can make the outside of the house look so pretty and colorful.

Chops Busted!!!

2008-04-21T19:43:00.002-04:00

My good friend, Jessica, has called me out and busted my chops for not blogging. So, I've updated my blog's look and promise to blog, no matter how boring life seems... But, for now supper is ready and I must eat.

Wow!!

2008-03-16T14:08:00.010-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the hail that was in our yard after the storms on Saturday. We were very lucky that we didn't have any damage and no tornadoes...

This is our backyard -- in Jackson's pen!

Backyard -- looking out the kitchen window!!

A few of Jay's "prize" hail stones...

And of course I can't let you visit without showing off my babies...

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER

2008-03-10T21:19:00.003-04:00

by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

'When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I' m found and forgiven.

'When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!'

I received this by email this week from Jodi and it just really touched my heart. Often times we are boasting and bragging and trying to be strong when we announce that we are Christians and this really gave me a new perspective. I hope you enjoy it and that it touches your heart.

Prayer Request Update!

2008-02-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

I wanted to give you all an update on the prayer request that I mentioned below. I got word late Thursday that my pastor and his family will be laying their sweet 3 month old granddaughter to rest on Monday (2/25). Please remember this family. They still have no cause of death for this sweet baby girl. She attended a home daycare and was put down for her afternoon nap on Wednesday and “slept” longer that usual and when the care taker went to check on her she wasn’t breathing and she never regained consciousness. The family won’t likely have any answers from the autopsy for several weeks.

Thank you for your prayers of this sweet family. This incident has really made me think about how quickly life can be taken from us and that we should like everyday like it’s out last.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Prayer Request

2008-02-20T20:28:00.003-05:00

Hello Bloggy Friends ~ I have a prayer request to share with you. We, my church family, received news this afternoon that our pastor's (BT) granddaughter passed away. She was only 3 months old. I don't have details other than that they took her to the ER in respiratory destress and she soon passed away. Please remember the Rush family. My pastor's son and daughter-in-law and the baby live in Texas and BT and his wife had only seen the baby once and that was the week of Thanksgiving, she was only about 2 weeks old then. I'm sorry the details are a little sketchy, but I don't want to plaster their names all over the internet, but I would like your help in sending up prayers for them.

Thanks bloggy gang! I'll update you as I get the details.

Good Night.

A Memory Verse and A Budget!

2008-02-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

"The way of a fool is right in his own eye, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel."

Probverbs 12:15

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I would be taking a Crown Financial class through my church, but bloggy friends, I had no idea what I was in for. I really should get some type of degree out of this class. Let me fill you in, if you've taken the class you can give me a big ole AMEN. Each week there is a memory verse ~ great, how hard could it be to remember and recite a Bible verse each week. OH, did I mention that this is a 10 week course and that each week you have to re-recite the verses from the previous weeks... People I only have SO much brain space. So, I'm on week #4. No really sure how in the heck I'm going to remember ALL 10!!! And if that's not bad enough, for the last couple of weeks we've been tracking EVERY penny that we spend, do you know how hard that is and also, how realistic it makes wasting money. Ugh, it's been a real reality check for me. Then last week to add insult to injury we had to write out ALL of our debt and a re-payment plan. Talk about another SLAP in the FACE. So, needless to say God had really been working on me the past few weeks about being a good steward, which it's become VERY VERY obvious that I'm NOT. So, please pray for me over the next couple of weeks as be begin to work on a budget and face the ugly facts of how we'll get out of debt and stay out of debt. And all joking aside I really do recomend this class to anyone who doesn't have a budget or who wants to know what the Bible says about money and our use of it. If your church doesn't offer a Crown ministry, my friend Jodi is a certified counselor for Crown and I'm sure she'd be willing to help you.

Menu Monday

2008-02-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

I've finally gotten motivated again to plan our weekly menus and stick to the plan. Here's our menu for the week. Remember to check out Laura's site for more menu ideas and recipes.

Monday: Cube Steak, Mashed Potatos, Green Beans and Crescent Rolls

Tuesday: Fried Chicken Salads

Wednesday: Whatever Mrs. Patty cooks at church

Thursday: Chicken Tacos with Chips and Salsa

Friday: Grilled Pork Chops, Rice, Lima Beans and Crescent Rolls

Saturday: No Plan

Sunday: Spaghetti, Salad and Garlic Toast

(Sorry for any misspelled words, my spell check will not work and any of you who know me well know that spelling is NOT my strong point)

Wordless Wednesday!

2008-01-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

I realize that Wednesday is almost over, but here's my cutie, Jackson, playing in the snow a couple of weeks ago.

Prayer Requested

2008-01-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

Hello Bloggy Friends,

Not much going on at the Henderson Homestead, but I'd ask each of you to pray for my Sister-in-law, Emily. You can read her story here. She has struggled with addiction for years and is finally to the point of getting help at an inpatient center. Please pray that she can find the strength to get thru this process. Pray that God will give Rion (my BIL, her husband) the understanding and courage to help her thru. Pray that God will give all of us the understanding to be compassionate and supportive of Emily's needs.

Em know that we love you and are praying that you can beat this addiction sooner than later.

Books?!?!

2008-01-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

Back on DECEMBER 30th(!!!), Jodi tagged me for a book meme. I knew I'd been putting it off, but good grief, I didn't realize that like 4 weeks had gone by, sorry Jodi...

So, here goes:

1. One book that changed your life ~ My Bible.

2. One book that you have read more than once ~ "Before Your Pregnancy" -- A 90-day guide for couples on how to prepare for a healthy conception. (Side Note: It ain't working...)

3. One book you would want on a deserted Island ~ A how to book, Like "How to Get Off a Deserted Island".

4. One book that made you laugh ~ "Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth" (OK, so you can see where my brain is)

5. One book that made you cry ~ Can't think of one right off hand.

6. One book that you wish had been written ~ Ummm, you'd think that I could have come up with something seeing as I've known about this meme for 4 weeks, but I've got nothing.

7. One book that you wish had never been written ~ Nothing comes to mind... But most anything that down plays Christianity.

8. One book you are currently reading ~ "Your Money Count" This was my homework for the Crown Financial Class that I'm taking. Great Book I must admit.

9. One book you have been meaning to read ~ "Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You". I got this book for Christmas, but haven't found the time to get into it yet, but it's next on my list.

If you'd like to play along go ahead, but remember to leave me a comment so that I can check out your answers.

Where has the time gone!

2008-01-21T08:19:00.000-05:00

Holy Cow, 3 weeks into 2008 already?!?! The Henderson's have been busy with life, I guess. Nothing huge to mention, we did enjoy snow twice last week, that was nice, but didn't last long enough. No cancellations of school or work, it almost seems that the snow is in vain, if there are no closings. :) Jodi tagged me several weeks ago with a meme and I've been thinking about the answers for 2 weeks now. So, I think I'll post that either later today or tomorrow, don't give up on me Jodi!! That's all I have for now. I better get to work.

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Two by Two

2008-01-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

This is an email that I received today and thougth it would make a fun post. If you decide to play along let me know!!

JUST TWO THINGS...

Two Names You go by
1 . Michelle
2. Chelle

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. a black long-sleeved tee shirt
2. red jogging pants

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Spend time with my husband
2. Eat out with friends

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. To start a family
2. To go to bed

Two pets you had/have:
1. Jackson
2. Sassy

Two people who will respond to this:
1. Jessica
2. Emily

Two things you did last night:
1. Cooked Dinner
2. Read a Book

Two things you ate yesterday:
1. Eggs
2. Fried Ham

Two people you last talked to:
1. Andrea
2. Mom

What are you doing tomorrow:
1. work
2. laundry

Two longest car rides:
1. Georgia to Florida
2. Georgia to Texas

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. My Birthday
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Diet Coke
2. Diet Coke

Did Some One Say Blonde?

2008-01-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

I have a new look for the new year too! I decided that I'd try being a blonde...

What do you think? Be kind, please!!!!

New Year ~ New Look!!

2008-01-03T20:58:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 2008!!!

I've given my blog a face lift in hopes that it will encourage me to blog regularly! I feel compelled to share with you my GOALS for 2008! Yes, I'm calling them GOALS, not resolutions!

1. To be a better child of God.

2. Start a budget plan and eliminate debt! The first step to this will begin on 1/16, I'll be attending a Christian Financial Class that is provided by Crown Financial which is offered at my church on Wednesday nights.

3. Start a Family!! This is something that Jay and I have prayed about and considered for 2 years and we've decided it's time. So, please continue to pray that we will follow God's plan and take his path in this journey.

4. To continue with my Weekly Bible Study and also to continue to be faithful in my daily quiet time.

I'll keep you updated on how I'm maintaining each of my GOALS!!

I wish each of you a blessed 2008!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

2007-12-22T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am still alive and well. Just haven't really had much excitement lately. I'm hoping to catch up on some things next week while off from work and then I can start blogging again. I won't feel so guilty for having computer time while there is like 412 loads of laundry to be attended to. So for now I'll leave you with Christmas wishes!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Wednesday, Already?!?!

2007-11-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

The new job is still going great. I did finally get an office this week, so I've spent a majority of my time yesterday and today getting settled. I'm finding more and more on my plate, but nothing so far that stresses me out!!! YAY. I just wanted to check in quickly and leave you with a few new picts. Several of you have asked about Sassy...

This is Sassy sitting in Jay's chair, looking all sweet and innocent!!

If you look VERY close you can see Sassy's head sticking out from under the ottoman. This is her favorite place to "hide".

Here's Jackson being pretty dang adorable!!! Isn't he cute?!?!

And A Great Week Was Had By All!

2007-11-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the end of my first week of work and I LOVE it! I've had the best week. It's so good to feel productive with something other that how many loads of laundry you can wash, dry, fold and put way!

This week I've learned to produce, print and fold the Sunday worship bulletins, I learned how to maintain our pastors library (don't laugh, it's harder than it sounds), I learned to enter Sunday School attendance into the computer. And the hardest task I've been given is to organize BT's (this is how pastor will be referred to from here forward) cd collection. You don't understand, our sound guys record his sermons every Sunday morning and every Sunday night. He tapes his Sunday School class for those of us who teach other classes, and he's on 2 or 3 cd lists (where he gets cd's once a month from other pastors or evangelist) SO when he opened the double doors of the cabinet where the cds "live" there must be 1000 cds just thrown into the bottom of the cabinet. So, my task you ask, organize them and figure out some way to store them and catalog them so we know what's there. Ummm yeah! So, that is the task I shall work on next week while he's attending the Ga. Baptist Convention on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday along with producing the bulletin for the next Sunday. YAY, finally a job with a challenge.

I'd love to show you pictures of my office, except I don't have one yet. I'm just bouncing from place to place until we can figure out where my office will be. We don't have enough room in the "office" area for everyone and our new building, where all the children's ministry staff is going, will not be done until the first of January at the earliest, so I'm homeless. Once I get an office I'll take pictures to share with everyone. Well, I vowed that I'd use my 1/2 day off on Fridays for something useful, so I guess I should go pay bills or do laundry or something, right?!?!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Menu Plan Monday

2007-11-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

Our Menu as promised!

Monday ~ Breakfast

Tuesday ~ On your own - I have Bible Study

Wednesday ~ Grilled Chicken Salad

Thursday ~ Grilled Pork Chops / Baked Potatoes / Salad

Friday ~ Grilled (or maybe baked) Chicken / Green Beans / Rice

Saturday ~ Out with Friends

Sunday ~ Out as Usual

Don't forget to head over to Laura's for more ideas!

Life as Usual, PLEASE!!!

2007-11-02T15:20:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that this is my last official "vacation" day. You might remember the little debacle with the 3 week notice and unexpected vacation that I wrote about here. Today is the end of the 3 L-O-N-G weeks. One would think that I'd have much time to write and be creative with this little break from the real world, however I've discovered that there isn't much to report on when you sit within the same 1400 square feet the better part of 3 weeks...

I'm finishing up all of my "vacation" projects this weekend and it's back to life as NORMAL on Monday!! YAY!!! Who ever thought I'd be SO happy to go back to work?!?!?!?

Next week it's back to menu planning, budgeting, weekly grocery shopping, and all the other fun things NORMAL people do and post about. The biggest thing is back on the DIET!!! There is only 52 days until Christmas Eve and I will not be fat at Christmas! I have another 15 pounds that I'd like to lose, ultimately, I realize that not all 15 are likely to fall off by Christmas, but I don't want to be gaining ANY during this upcoming holiday season (Thanksgiving included), so I'm "heading it off at the pass" and I'm defining a game plan NOW to get me thru the holidays.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all Monday for Menu Plan Monday!!

and the Winner Is...

2007-10-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I won a drawing over at I Should be Folding Laundry. And the fabulous prize was an AWESOME bag from Kimberlee Faith, which arrived on Friday. I though I'd show you a few pictures of it and suggest that you head over to Kimberlee's and get your own bag.

Here's mine:

Wordless Wednesday!

2007-10-17T13:30:00.001-04:00

OK, I couldn't get blogger to upload my picture yesterday, so here it is Wordless Wednesday on Thursday!

Best Buds!!!

Alive and Well!

2007-10-16T14:03:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

Well after a 2 week hiatus, I'm back and life will once again be normal. I'd mentioned in 2 previous posts that I'd been looking at taking a new job that would allow for more at home time, well I'm happy to report after much prayer Jay and I've decided that I'll take the new job. On November 5th (or sooner if time permits) I'll become the Assistant to our Senior Pastor (Bro. Tom). Bro. Tom teaches our "young married couples" Sunday school class and is very involved in our "young married" lives. He and Mrs. Victoria have been a great blessing to all of us since they came to our church in early 2006. I was very honored when Bro. Tom approached me and asked if I'd consider coming to work at the church and be his personal assistant. Of course, as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts this was a sizable pay cut, but already I can see God at work in our lives. The last couple of weeks at the law office have proven that we made the right decision. God spent most of the last 2 weeks putting situations in front of me that SCREAMED, get out. And the icing on the cake was last Wednesday when I turned in my 3 week notice (I did this allowing time for Mrs. Attorney is find a replacement, but also to get my location thru the end of the month. For any of you in real estate you know that the end of the month is the toughest) she said "Well I'll see what I can work out". I thought OK, she's going to put out an ad for a person to replace me, well, not exactly... Thursday morning she informed me that Friday would/could be my last day. Now, if that wasn't a slap in the face... So Friday at noon I packed up my things and headed out, unemployed for 3 weeks (with NO type of severance). I'd ask that you say a little prayer that God will show me how to s-t-r-e-a-c-h one income into two for the next 3 to 4 weeks!!!

All else is great here. I've decided rather than be upset about this little 3 week vacation I'll just use it to my advantage. I'll be organizing things that have gone undone and getting ready for this new adventure.

OH YEAH, I almost forgot to give you the best part about my new job. I'll only have to work 36 hours a week, so that means a 1/2 day off on Friday AND I'll be saving about 4 1/2 hours a week in commute time!!! that means more time to keep up with my blog and yours and more time for the gym and laundry and cooking dinner for my family, WOW, I can be a wife again!!!

If you're still reading THANKS!!!! I'll see you all tomorrow, maybe I'll post some cute pictures of Sassy, she's really growing.

Have a Wonderful TUESDAY!!!

All Together!

2007-10-04T08:51:00.000-04:00

I "borrowed" this little picture from Annie, she had it posted the other day and it really spoke to me.

I don't have much to report today, but did want to ask you all to send up a special prayer for me today and remember me tomorrow at 9am. I have an interview, of sorts, for the job I mentioned here. I've really been praying that God will give me a clear answer as to where I'm supposed to be. I have long list of pros/likes for the new job and a longer list of cons/dislikes about my current position. I had a conversation yesterday with a friend and I made this statement to her, about a situation that she's struggling with, "If this is God's will He WILL provide a way" and then a few sentences later I reminded her that all things are "In His time with His help"... WOW, who was I "preaching" to me or her?!?! My ultimate desire is to follow the path that He's laid for me, so please join me in praying that I can do that.

I hope you all have a great day!!

Thanks for your love and support!!

All Smiles!

2007-10-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by Jodi and Jessica for the "10 things that make me smile" meme.

My 10 things:

1. God's mercy and grace. He loves me even when I'm unlovable.

2. A child's laughter.

3. Finding money in last seasons purse.

4. Jay - sometimes he says or does something that just cracks me up.

5. Sassy - she doesn't understand why I keep dressing her in crazy clothes and she tries her best to remove them...

6. Friends

7. Shopping (with someone else's money - this doesn't happen very often)

8. Meeting a goal

9. Quitin' time (only about an hour)

10. My bloggy friends.

OK, I'm supposed to tag someone. Em you're it!!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-10-01T11:08:00.001-04:00

It's Monday, so you know what that means time to plan another weeks menu. This what we're having. You'll notice some of this has been on our menu for several weeks, but it's carryover, we've not done well with sticking to a menu for about 3 weeks now...

Monday ~ Chicken Fettuccini/ steamed veggies / bread

Tuesday ~ OYO - I have Bible Study

Wednesday ~ Pork chops / potatoes / salad

Thursday ~ something light / Jay has to have 2 cavities filled at 4:00, so he will still be numb...

Friday ~ Pizza / Salad

Saturday ~ Football party - Georgia vs. Tennessee / GO DAWGS!!!!!

Sunday ~ Eat out after church

Remember to head over to Laura for more ideas and recipes!

Thanks Laura for hosting!!!

Fit4Life Friday - Week 14

2007-09-28T08:02:00.000-04:00

TGIF!!! Wow, I'd forgotten what the end of the month was like in the Real Estate world. I worked 12 hours yesterday... I'm exhausted, so this will be a short post, mainly because I'm back at work and need to get a jump on the day. So here goes:

Week 14 Stats:
Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.
Current Weight: 162.4lbs.
Weekly change: (up from last week when I didn't post, but the same as 2 weeks ago when I did)
Total loss: ???
Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Last week I did jump on the scales and I was at 160.8, but I never found the time to post about it. And this week I'm up just a little and I contribute that to the 2 pieces of Pizza Hut pizza I ate for dinner last night at 8:45pm... Oh well, I guess as long as I know what I did wrong, right?!?!

This week's goals:

More water, less Diet Coke
stay on plan with menus (the ones that I take my valuable time to plan on Monday)
back to exercising (I did go to the gym once last week and it felt SO good)
put hard to get below the 160 mark
Continue my Bible Study (get back to daily quiet time)
Budget - work on it and come up with a realistic plan

Well, I think that does it for me. Don't forget to check out everyone's progress and thanks to Deedra for hosting!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

I'm titling this edition

"Do they get any cuter?"

This is not my child, so I can't take credit for her cuteness!!!

(She belongs to my best friend, but calls me Aunt Chelle and knows that she can get away with murder!!)

This is my child and I can take credit for her cuteness!! :)

Only the Highlights and a Menu!!

2007-09-24T20:32:00.000-04:00

Life has been crazy around here this past week and I couldn't find 5 minutes to spend with my own blog. I've been reading everyone else's, but couldn't find the energy to put the words into sentences to make a coherent post. SO here's my best shot:

Last week I started 2 new Bible studies, both for women ONLY, yay! The one on Tuesday nights is called Women of Wisdom, last week we discussed all of the issues we have as women and why we have them. Throughout this study we are going to examine the Proverbs 31 wife and many of the other Godly women of the Bible all in an attempt to be better women for God, but also our husbands, families and ourselves. We are going to focus on Biblical applications to everyday problems or issues!!!!!

The Thursday night Bible Study will only meet once a month and it's topic is being a better WIFE. We all want to know how to be a submissive wife in this day and age. Our Sunday School class is all young married couples (well, a few have children) and all the girls in the class felt that we could grow and learn from some of the elder women in our church so we have 4 or 5 older women coming to mentor us and help us be better wives. Man I'm going to be SO good Jay's not going to know what to do... HA HA HA HA

Saturday Jay and I spend a couple of hours with his sister and her family, they had their 4th baby on September 13th. Yeah, the good Aunt would have pictures, but I was too busy holding Baby Janna to take pictures of her :) Maybe my sweet SIL will email me some pictures that I can share.

Then when we were done their we came home to check on our little angel (pictures another day, I promise) and after about an hour headed out again for dinner with 2 other couples from our Sunday School class. We didn't get in bed until after mid-night. We had to get up by 7:15 Sunday AM to be at church on time... I was SOOOO tired. Usually I would come home and take a nice long nap on Sunday, but I helped a friend give a baby shower for another friend of ours, I left there and went straight back to Sunday evening church and OF COURSE out to eat after church, so it was 11:15 or so before we hit the bed last night. Needless to say neither of us wanted to get up this morning.

OK, that wraps up the last week. I'm going to give you our dinner plan and a prayer request and it's off to bed.

I know this is an old banner, but I didn't have the cute new one downloaded at home and I'm just too tired to download it tonight.

Monday ~ we had breakfast

Tuesday ~ OYO (on your on) I have Bible Study

Wednesday ~ Grilled chicken / veggies / rice (this is a carry over from last week)

Thursday ~ I'll grab something quick / Jay and Elliott are fixing Jay's truck

Friday ~ Pizza / Salad

Saturday ~ Football Party at our house / We'll be grillin' hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixin's

Sunday ~ Eat out

That's it for us this week, for some original and yummy ideas head over to Laura's!

OK now for my prayer request and bare with me, I'm not really ready to give out all of the details yet, but they will come.

I'd like to request prayer that Jay and I will follow the Lord's plan for our lives. As most of you know I've had some unfortunate luck over the last 6 months with employment and I started to work about 6 weeks ago with a new attorney and really am enjoying my job, but I was approached about 2 weeks ago with an opportunity that is really tugging at my heart. It's a different type of job, would be a sizable (like $10-12,000) pay cut, offers no benefits (no health insurance or retirement), but is within 10 miles of my home and less hours per week. All this being said, please pray that Jay and I will listen to God, get in our Bibles and most of all be OBEDIENT to God's will. There are SO many good things (pros) that I can find about this opportunity and I'm really torn on the pay cut. I'd like some of you to chime in with your advise.

Menu Monday

2007-09-17T08:37:00.001-04:00

Monday ~ Spaghetti / Garlic Bread

Tuesday ~ Weekend Leftovers (I have Bible Study)

Wednesday ~ Grilled Pork Chops / Potatoes / Salad

Thursday ~ Crock pot Tenderloin / Veggies

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken / Rice / Green Beans

Saturday ~ Supper Club

Sunday ~ Out to eat after church

Remember to check out Laura's blog for more yummy ideas!

Fit4Life Friday - Week 12

2007-09-14T08:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, I originally wasn't planning to post today, I was convinced that I needed the week off from telling everyone that I didn't do well, again, but here it goes, the abbreviated version:

Weight stayed the same, no gain, but no lose either. We did stick to our menu this week and have not eaten dinner out at all this week. And I have not eaten out for lunch at all this week, the first week since I started my new job in mid-August (I wasn't eating out everyday, but at least once a week, sometimes twice)!! I think my body is still reeling from all of the eating out over the past several weeks.

I did get finished with my Extended Session paperwork!!! YAY, what a relief. This week I'm going to work on our NEW budget, I have a ball park figure of what Jay's new paychecks will contribute (he started a new job, did I mention that at some point), so it's hi time I get down to business and get the numbers on paper and STICK to them.

This week I want to get back to the gym, my gym bag has been in the car this entire week, but due to "time of the month" I just really didn't feel like hitting the gym. So, next week it's Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I know what your screaming at me "Wednesday is a church night", but I'm starting a Women's Bible Study that will meet on Tuesday nights , so that will be my during the week church time. Give me a break!! :)

I hope to be able to report next week that I've visited the gym, stayed on plan with my menu and that I've lost a couple of pounds... Until then, I hope you all have a very safe and healthy weekend.

As always, thanks to Deedra for hosting and keeping us accountable.

*******************************************************************

Now, on a different note. I'd like to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my dear sweet hubby. Today marks our 5th wedding anniversary! I can't believe that it's been 5 whole years. We laughed last night about the fact that we are getting pounded with rain fall that is the remnants of a tropical storm today. Believe it or not, 5 years ago we were getting pounded with remnants of a tropical storm... just in time for the bride-to-be to go from the church to the car and from the car into the restaurant. I (well, actually the entire wedding party) looked liked drowned rats at the rehearsal dinner. And then the day of our wedding the weather was perfect UNTIL we were ready to leave the church and go to the reception, at which point the bottom fell out and again everyone looked like drowned rats. OH WELL, you have to have memories, right?!?

THANKS HONEY FOR 5 WONDERFUL YEARS!!!!

I LOVE YOU MORE TODAY THAN THE DAY WE GOT MARRIED!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-12T08:13:00.000-04:00

Please Mommy, Let me in the chair with you!!

Menu Plan Monday or Tuesday!

2007-09-11T08:13:00.000-04:00

Cute new logo! Here is my plan for the week. I know it's a day late, but we did have a plan last night and we did stick to it!

Monday ~ Ribs / Green Beans / Rice

Tuesday ~ Hamburger Helper / Salad

Wednesday ~ Bruschetta Chicken / Veggies / Potatoes

Thursday ~ I have a party after work

Friday ~ Japanese - Happy 5th Anniversary

Saturday ~ Finger Foods at a B-day party

Sunday~ Eat out, as usual

Hope you all have a great week.

Head over to Laura's for more meal ideas.

2007-09-07T10:03:00.000-04:00

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who had a bad health week. My down fall started on Sunday. My birthday was Monday, but we celebrated with my parents on Sunday evening and you see all I wanted for my B-day was grilled chicken, potato salad and ice cream cake. And that's exactly what I got. So, every night this week I've had ice cream cake just before bed, well I can't let it go to waste, there are starving children in Africa, right?!?. So, the ice cream has lead to eating lunch out several days and having junk for dinner every single night (it's a vicious cycle, ugh). So I wasn't really surprised this AM when the scales said up 1.6 pounds. Truth be told, I was glad it was only 1.6 pounds!!! And after I'm done with the Lemon filled-power sugar covered donut I'm eating RIGHT THIS MINUTE, it's back on track.

Week 10 Stats:

Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.
Current Weight: 162.8lbs.
Weekly change: -1.6lbs.
Total loss: 12.2lbs.
Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Weight Goals: This week I'm not going to do bullet points, but rather an overall goal. GET BACK WITH THE PROGRAM!!!! It's as easy and simple as that!!

Better Me Goals: I volunteered to coordinate our extended session schedule at church, for those of you who don't know or have never heard it called this, Extended Session is the period of time during the worship service. We have to have something like 22-30 volunteers a week, YES A WEEK, just for your preschool department, birth - 4 year olds. I'd like my goal this week to be get all the paperwork together and put away. I'm working on a new directory of volunteers and trying to decipher what the heck I've gotten myself into. I'm really wanting to get all of this paperwork out of the way, b/c I'm starting a new Bible Study on Tuesday 9/18 and I want to be able to concentrate on that. Holy Cow, that was a long explanation for a small GOAL!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and don't forget to head over to Deedra's and check out every one's progress!!

Catching Up!

2007-09-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's been a while...

I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what I've been up to.

Notice the "highlights"? I promise they don't look as orange in real life as they do in this picture. (I don't think the orange shirt is helping.) These highlights were a BIG deal, this was the very first time in my LIFE that I'd EVER put color in my hair. I'm hooked... This is what I spent my B-day money on!!!

OK enough about me and my hair, on to my sweet baby...

She's growing up so fast, she's 4 pounds now! :)

Helping Mommy with her church paperwork! (She's actually chewing on the prong that opens the notebook)

Pretending to "love" on Daddy, but I'm really chewing on his necklace. Hee Hee I'm SOOOO sneaky.

Fit 4 Life Friday - Week 10

2007-08-31T21:44:00.000-04:00

Here's the end to another disappointing week... I've not done well this week. I vowed to do better and to go to the gym, HA, I've done neither. I did use this week to catch up on some household chores and to catch up on my sleep (if that's possible). We've really worked on our bedtime routine this week. You see, my sweet husband started a new job today that will require him to leave home at 6:10am. This means that he'll need to get up and moving by at least 5:30am, which doesn't seem like such a problem, right? well, here's where we run into the problem, I get up at 5:30 to get my shower, we'll if everybody gets up at 5:30 there is going to be a backup in the bathroom... So, I'm not really sure how we are going to adjust, but I guess we will, even if I have to get up earlier, ugh, who made me the wife, and who made the rule that the wife has to sacrifice?!?!?!?! We've been really good this week about being in bed by 10 or 10:15 and then reading our Bibles for about 15 or 20 minutes and then it's lights OUT!! I'm hoping to continue this routine... We've also, already worked out an alternating schedule for going to the gym, I'll go Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and Jay will go Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. This way someone is at home at a decent time to let that cute little puppy out to do her business, which she's not opposed to doing IN her cage if she's caged too long! I say all that to give you my stats:

Week 10 Stats:
Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.
Current Weight: 161.2lbs.
Weekly change: 0.00lbs.
Total loss: 12.8lbs.
Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Weight Loss Goals:

Back to drinking at least 48 oz. of water a day I've done pretty well with this, so I'm going to continue
Get back to journaling and counting points - GET BACK TO this is the key
Gym - Go 3 times - I've scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Thursday that way nothing gets in the way.
Lose 2 pounds (this will get me below the 1/2 way point!!!!)

YES, same goals again, I have to meet 'em to get new ones!!!

Better Me Goals:

Continue DAILY devotions - I'm leaving this on, but I've got this one down!!! and what a reward
Back to chore routine (a few things a night, don't let it all pile up)
Get back on board with the budget and tracking expenses - The Financial Seminar was great last weekend and this Wednesday I start the 10 week follow up course, I'm really looking forward to that. This will be #1 on my to do list.

There you have my Fit4Life Friday update, Go over to Deedra's and check out the other updates. I'm so jealous of Deedra, she's pregnant and is still walking at least 5 days a week, doing strength training, eating healthy and loosing weight. HELLO, she's pregnant, now what on earth can I be 1/2 that good?!?!?! WHY I SAY!

2007-08-27T13:21:00.000-04:00

Here's our menu for this week.

Monday ~ Spaghetti / Salad / Crescent rolls

Tuesday ~ Chicken / Rice / Green Beans

Wednesday ~ I have church - get your own :)

Thursday ~ Breakfast

Friday ~ No Plan... This will be Jay's 1st day @ the new job and the last day of the month is BAD for me, no telling what time I'll get home.

Saturday ~ Grilled pork chops / Baked potatoes / Salad

Sunday ~ Eat out

Monday ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (#28)!!! Somebody grill me some chicken and make me some potato salad, PLEASE!!!!!

Visit Laura for more ideas!!

Fit4Life Friday - Week 9

2007-08-24T08:25:00.000-04:00

This was another wasted week. I started out Monday with gusto like no ones business and that's pretty much where it stopped. Monday we made it to the gym and I walked 1 mile on the treadmill and rode (I'm not sure why they call it "riding" a stationary bike - to me riding is what you do in the car - it takes little to NO effort, that dang bike is WORK I tell ya, anyway) 3 miles on the bike. I felt so good, not so much healthy, but good that I'd accomplished that goal. Then Tuesday hubby didn't get home from work until 7:30, well that's too late to head to the gym and then Wednesday, I don't remember there was something and then last night we had a birthday dinner with our Sunday School class... With all that being said, I guess I'm glad that I'm down .4 pounds this morning. It could have been a lot worse.

Here are my stats and goals for this week:

Week 9 Stats:
Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.

Current Weight: 161.2lbs.

Weekly change: -.4lbs.

Total loss: 12.8lbs.

Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Weight Loss Goals:

Back to drinking at least 48 oz. of water a day (why is this SOOOO hard?!?!)
Get back to journaling and counting points - I've done pretty well with this I just need to get back down to the right amount of points
Gym - Go 3 times - I've scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Thursday that way nothing gets in the way. I'm going even if I have to go by myself!!!
Lose 2 pounds (this will get me below the 1/2 way point!!!!)

I'm pretty much keeping the same goals I've had for the last 2 weeks. I'm keepin' them until I master them...

Better Me Goals:

Continue DAILY devotions - I'm leaving this on, but I've got this one down!!! and what a reward
Back to chore routine (a few things a night, don't let it all pile up) - Why is this one SOO hard, too?!?!
Get back on board with the budget and tracking expenses - I am taking the Financial Freedom class sponsored by Crown Financial tomorrow at our church, so maybe I'll be inspired to take this goal and run, fast!!

I am making a pledge right here and now to get back on tract this week, NO excuses, NO distractions, NO crap... Please ask me during the next week how I'm doing, PLEASE keep me accountable. I'm likely to do better if I'm disappointing someone besides myself. My personality tends to want to please others.

Thanks to Deedra for hosting and keeping up motivated.

A Great Cause

2007-08-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

I don't have much to report today, but I did want to direct your attention over to Beth's site so that you could see the wonderful fundraiser that she's involved in. Please go over and read her post about this wonderful cause. And you should check out her site often, because she is one of the funniest bloggers out there.

I've donated, please help Beth reach her goal...

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-22T07:11:00.000-04:00

Sleepin' with Daddy!!!

Time Travel Tuesday

2007-08-21T08:45:00.001-04:00

You're 21!!

What's going on in your life?

Who are you spending most of your time with?

What's your favorite thing to do? eat? hobby?

I turned 21 in September of 2000, I was attending nursing school (which I never finished, for those of you asking the question), Jay and I had been dating about 6 months and knew that one day we'd be getting married. So, of course I was spending most of my free time with Jay and I was spending a lot of time with my school books, nursing school was HARD for me, I had to study A LOT!! I can't remember a favorite thing that I enjoyed doing, as long as I was with Jay it didn't really matter what we were doing. Wow, I was a pretty boring 21 year old. I can't think of anything else to say.

Thanks to Annie for hosting Time Travel Tuesday. Hop on over to her site and check out some of the other stories, they are bound to be more exciting than mine. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-08-20T09:04:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that it's Monday again. Where did the weekend go?!?! Here is our addition of Menu Plan Monday. For more ideas and recipes head over to Laura's. As always, thanks Laura for hosting.

~ Monday - Grilled Hamburgers / chips (this at Jay's request)

~ Tuesday - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken w/ pineapple rings / Rice / Steamed Broccoli and Carrots

~ Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops / Scalloped Potatoes / Salad

~ Thursday - BLT's / Chips or maybe baked French Fries

~ Friday - Tenderloin / Rice / Veggies

~ Saturday - No plan yet, I have an all day seminar at church and Jay has to work. We may just go out. We'll see how I feel by Saturday.

~ Sunday - The usual / Eat out with the "Gang"

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Don't forget to head over to Laura's!

Terrible Two Meme

2007-08-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

Jessica played along so I think I will two!

1. Two Names You Go By:
~Michelle
~Chelle

2. Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
~Pink shirt
~Capris

3. Two Things You Want In A Relationship:
~Love
~Understanding

4. Two of Your Favorite Things to Do:
~Be with Jay
~Blog!!!

5. Two Things You Want Very Badly At the Moment:
~WINTER
~for God to let us know that it's time to start our family

6. Two Pets You Had/Have:
~Sassy - our new puppy
~Jackson - who we've had since we got married

7. Two People Who Will Fill This out First:
~Emily
~Jodi

8. Two Things You Did Last Night:
~Washed clothes
~Played with Sassy

9. Two People That Live In Your House:
~Me
~Jay

10. Two People You Talked To Last:
~Jay
~Mom

11. Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
~Working
~Going to the Gym

12. Two Longest Car Rides:
~ A trip to Texas when I was 15 and didn't want to go!!!
~ Maybe our honeymoon trip to Disney World.

13. Name 2 of Your Favorite Holidays:
~Easter - b/c it's the only Christian holiday that isn't SOO commercialized
~Christmas

14.Two Favorite Beverages:
~Cherry Kool Aid
~Diet Coke

Leave me a message if you play along so that I can check out your answers!!

Who Am I Casting Crowns

2007-08-17T21:33:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite songs and this is so amazing. Hope you all enjoy it too!!!

Fit4Life - Week 8

2007-08-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

Gosh, Friday again, already?!?! This has been a crazy week. I'm still getting settled into my new job and Jay and I are still getting acclimated to having Sassy in our lives. Wow, Sassy is the best preparation for a baby without the real thing. We've been getting up at least 2 time during the night to let her go potty, which leads to her getting good and awake and up for some play time. And if you don't let her play and "wind" down, she screams from her kennel. However, she slept thru the WHOLE night last night, YAY!!!! When our alarm clock went off this morning Jay said "Did you get up last night?" "No, did you" "No" then we rejoiced by sleeping another 10 minutes...

Ok, on to my weekly results:

Week 8 Stats:

Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.
Current Weight: 161.8lbs.
Weekly change: -1.6lbs.
Total loss: 12.4lbs.
Goal weight: 145 lbs.

I didn't lose much this week, just 1.6 pounds, but that does get me back down to my low several weeks ago. I hope this is a beginning of a trend!!

Weight Loss Goals:

Back to drinking at least 48 oz. of water a day
Get back to journaling and counting points
Gym - Go 3 times
Lose 2 pounds (this will get me below the 1/2 way point!!!!)
Watch portion size

I'm pretty much keeping the same goals for this next week for weight loss, I didn't do well with them this past week.

Better Me Goals:

Continue DAILY devotions (get up before work and start the day with devotions)
Back to chore routine (a few things a night, don't let it all pile up)
Get back on board with the budget and tracking expenses (this kind of fell by the waste-side this week, as I've struggled to keep my head above water with the new work hours and Miss Sassy).

I hope each of you have a wonderful and healthy weekend.

Stop over at Deedra's (she's the host of Fit4Life Friday) and check out her exciting news and her NEW goals for the next 9 months or so.

Menu Monday and More

2007-08-13T19:12:00.001-04:00

Here's our menu for this week. I'm not sure how close we'll stick to the "big" meals. It's just too stinkin' hot to eat much...

Monday ~ Breakfast (Eggs, Grits, Bacon and Biscuits)
Tuesday ~ Pork Chops, Potatoes and Blackeye Peas
Wednesday ~ Salad with grilled chicken
Thursday ~ Tenderloin, Rice and Green Beans
Friday ~ Spicy chicken pasta and rolls
Saturday ~ Jay is eating at the men's banquet at Church, something quick for me
Sunday~ Eat Out

Check out Laura's site for more ideas!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, on to the really important NEWS!!! Jay and I got a new puppy this weekend!!!!! Jay thinks this is going to cure my baby bug, and I must admit that the first two nights with our little angel have really made me reconsider. However, it's not like I'll get a baby on Saturday at 7pm and have to go to church on Sunday and WORK on Monday. Saturday night we (I mean I was) were up most of the night. I slept (and I use that term VERY loosely) in my chair with said puppy from 1:30AM on Sunday AM until I woke Jay up at 5:15 and asked him to take over so that I could get some sleep before church. I not only had to teach Sunday School but I had nursery during the worship service. Then last night I was SOOOOOOOOO tired I never even heard her whining during the night, so poor Jay had puppy duty all by himself. Unfortunately, that means tonight is my turn, ick!!!! But she is SO darn cute it's hard to be mad or upset at her. So here are her stats: Mini Daschund (Weenie Dog), 7 1/2 weeks old, light red in color and named Sassy. She is all fancy and has papers and what not, so her official name will be Henderson's Sassy-frass... Ok, Ok, I'm getting to the pictures, Enjoy!!!

Eatin' Dinner...

Playing with her mini tennis ball

Jay, Jackson and Sassy

This shows just how Jackson feels about his new sister... He will not have anything to do with her. He will not even look at her.

Hope you all are having a great week!!! Happy Monday!

Fit4Life Friday - Week 7

2007-08-10T07:25:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a week. I accepted a job on Monday, thinking I'd have the whole week this week to touch up my cleaning, finish my laundry, do my menu and shopping for next week, etc. before I went back to work. It turned out that the new company wanted me to start on Thursday (yesterday), so my last week of Domestic Diva was cut short (but really not a minute too soon).

Monday and Tuesday I rushed around the house trying to get every thing picked up and clean, I got all of the laundry washed, dried, folded and PUT AWAY (a major accomplishment for me) and I was going to cut the grass, but it is too stinkin' hot. And then on Wednesday I ran errands from mid-morning until mid-afternoon and then I relaxed and finished the book I was reading!!! So there's my week in a nut shell. And with all the craziness we even went to the gym on Monday night. And the plan is to go tonight!! I say all of this to confess that I've not had the best weight conscience week. I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either.

Week 7 Stats:

Starting weight 6/1/07: 175 lbs.

Current Weight: 163.2lbs.

Weekly change: 0.00lbs.

Total loss: 11.8lbs.

Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Weight Loss Goals:

Back to drinking at least 48 oz. of water a day
Get back to journaling and counting points
Gym - Go 3 times
Lose 3.2 lbs. (this will get me to 160 - the 1/2 way point!!!!)
Watch portion size

Better Me Goals:

Continue DAILY devotions (get up before work and start the day with devotions)
Back to chore routine (a few things a night, don't let it all pile up)
Enjoy life - don't stress about things that don't get done

Thanks Deedra for hosting Fit4Life Friday!!!

Go over and check out the other participants!!

Quick Update!!

2007-08-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

I started my new job today and LOVED it!!! I went to work for another real estate attorney (I've been in this field for 4 years) so there isn't much new to learn other than this office's way of doing things. I was supposed to get off at 5:30 and I was having such a good day and we were so busy and I was learning so much I didn't leave until 6:15...

I'll write more tomorrow or over the weekend. I have to go to bed NOW, the hardest part of going back to work is getting my body back on a schedule. I have to get up at 5:30AM to be at work on time (I've been sleeping in until about 8 or 8:30am the whole time I've been out of work) I will be at the crash and burn point tomorrow by quiting time!!! :)

I'll see you all tomorrow for Fit4Life Friday!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-08T09:12:00.000-04:00

This is Jackson's new favorite place to sit. In Jay's lap...

Keep in mind Jackson is an outside dog!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-08-06T10:51:00.000-04:00

Monday ~ Grilled Pork Chops / Rice / Butter Beans

Tuesday ~ Grilled Hamburgers / Baked French Fries

Wednesday ~ Ribs / mashed Potatoes / Steamed Veggies

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken / Green Beans / Rice

Friday ~ BLT's / Chips / Grape Salad**

Saturday ~ Party Food (it's Emily's graduation party)

Sunday ~ Eat Out

This is our plan, head over to Laura's for more ideas.

**Grape Salad

(this is the recipe that I made and took to our church picnic this weekend - it is delicious)

2 cups green grapes

2 cups red grapes

1 (8oz.) package of Cool Whip

1 (4oz.) package of cream cheese

1 (4oz.) package of sour cream

4 tablespoons of light brown sugar

slivered almonds (toasted at 350 degrees for 15 minutes)

Cream the sour cream, cream cheese and brown sugar. Add grapes. Fold in the Cool Whip and almonds.

That's the original recipe. I made it according to the recipe, but next time I think I'll add the cool whip into the sour cream mixture and I will not use all of the cool whip. The whole package of cool whip over powered the cream cheese flavor.

If you make if with fat free cool whip and cream cheese and Splenda brown sugar it really isn't bad for you and it taste just as good.

Weekend Fun!!!

2007-08-05T20:35:00.001-04:00

We've had the best weekend. It's been a while (almost a month) since we "let loose" and had fun. We've been very careful with our money because we didn't know how long it would take me to get another job. Well I was offered a job on Friday and will officially accept tomorrow (more on the later), but we finally felt like we could "splurge", so we've been going wide open all weekend. Here's the run down:

Friday night we ate dinner at home, Jay had a meeting with a guy about painting an outbuilding at our church so we went there at 7pm to meet the guy for a quote after that we met up with 2 other couples and went bowling. We had a BLAST!!! We bowled 2 games, left and got ice cream at Baskin Robbins and from there we went back to Kevin and Heather's house and played Playstation 2 until 1:15am. We had the best time. It was almost 2am before Jay and I got home and in bed... NO WORRIES!!

Saturday we slept in until 10:30, yes you read that right 10:30!!! We had a quick breakfast, showered, dressed, gathered our things for that evenings outing and headed out about 1:30pm. We went to Wal Mart in search of a Frisbee, do you know that they DO NOT make Frisbees any more?!?! We've been to 3 different Wal Mart stores and cannot find a Frisbee. Oh well, I digress. While at Wal Mart we picked up some Cokes, bug spray and the closest child's toy that we could find that resembled a Frisbee. And we were off again. At 3:30 we were back at Kevin and Heather's house to let out their dogs (Kevin and Heather had been gone since 9am). Then we met our Sunday School class at the church, piled in our church van and headed to Stone Mountain Park. We had such a good time. We stopped and had dinner before we went into the park, then once inside the park we found our place on the lawn and a group played football, they were SO nasty and sweaty when they were done, oh my goodness.

OK, so here are 4 of the guys after playing football for 45 minutes, they all realized that they are spring chickens NO MORE. (that is Jay, my husband, on the far right)

This is most of the "gang" before playing football. We had just arrived and setting up camp!!

We didn't get home and in bed on Saturday night until about midnight, but again it was SO worth it!!

Today we went to church, came home got some lunch and then I made 2 dishes (one that I'll share tomorrow on Menu Plan Monday and one from a box, hee hee) for our annual church picnic. We had to arrive at 2:30pm to help set up the picnic pavilion. Thank goodness it was air conditioned this year. We had a blast again today. We ate (we are Baptist), played horseshoes and the kids - young and old alike- played with footballs, baseballs, boomerangs, the massive Frisbee what we bought yesterday and much more. Here are a few photos from today:

The guys cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. (That's my Daddy in the reddish colored shirt)

This is me, Andrea and Jeff talking after the meal.

"Friendly" game of horseshoes!!

I really am sad that this weekend has to end. This has been the best worry-free weekend that we've had in quite some time. I hope that you all had just as great a weekend.

Fit4Life Friday - Week 6

2007-08-03T08:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks goodness it's Friday and I can move on to next weeks goals and weight! I have not made good choices at all this week. It all started last Friday after my weigh in and report... I had 2 friends call and invite me to lunch (apparently that's what "stay-at-homes" do - Lunch) so I went and where did they decide to eat, but my favorite Japanese place, so that was the start of my week, but I thought "Hey, one meal won't hurt" WRONG. On Sunday we had a family reunion and I had to sample everything, so that was another day waisted. And the rest of the week has been fueled by those 2 days of bad choices. And if all that wasn't bad enough it's that time of the month and I don't know about you all, but I feel like I eat non-stop during this glorious time!! So, here are my weekly stats and NEW goals for the week.

Week 6 Stats:
Starting weight: 175 lbs.
Current Weight: 163.2lbs.
Weekly change: +1.4lbs.
Total loss: 11.8lbs.
Goal weight: 145 lbs.

Weight Loss Goals:

Get back to journaling and counting points
Gym - MUST go
Re-lose 1.4 lbs. plus 2 lbs. for a total weekly loss of 3.4lbs.
Watch portions

Better Me Goals:

Continue on the job hunt (I did have an interview this week and if offered the job I'm pretty sure I'll take it) YAY!!!
Finish up budget and stick to it
Continue DAILY devotions (I've been very good at this, but want to keep it on my list)

I think that wraps up my list for the week. I'm off to the grocery store, yuck! I hope you all have a great and healthy weekend!

As always THANKS to Deedra for hosting Fit4Life Friday!!!!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-07-30T08:24:00.001-04:00

It's that time again, Menu Plan Monday... Our meals are very quick and simple this week. We have a revival at church Monday - Wednesday that starts at 6:30p.m., which is a crazy time for us. Jay does not get off work until 5:30p.m. and to come home, shower, eat dinner and get back to church by 6:30 is almost impossible. So, we will either eat VERY quickly before church or very late after church, either way I needed quick meals, so here they are...

Monday ~ Bacon / Eggs / Grits / Toast
Tuesday ~ Chicken Sandwiches / Chips
Wednesday ~ Tyson bagged Chicken Stir Fry / Fruit
Thursday ~ Fettuccine Alfredo / Salad / Garlic Bread
Friday ~ Meatloaf Muffins (from the freezer) / Green Beans / Mashed Potatoes
Saturday ~ KFC Chicken - Laser Show at Stone Mountain with our Sunday School Class
Sunday ~ The Usual - Eat Out

For more menu ideas check out I'm An Organizing Junkie! Thanks Laura for hosting!!!

It's a Contest

2007-07-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

5 Minutes for Mom, with the help of Best Buy is giving away this awesome TV. It is an Insignia® 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV (it has a retail price tag of $799.99)!!! I've entered to win, hop on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and enter to win today. The winner will be announced August 17th. I hope I win, this would be a great Birthday / Anniversary present.

Fit4Life Friday - Week 5

2007-07-27T08:51:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone!!

Week 5 Stats:

Starting weight: 175 lbs.

Current Weight: 161.8lbs.

Weekly change: -2.4lbs.

Total loss: 13.2lbs.

Goal weight: 145 lbs.

The only goal from last weeks weight loss goals that I met was the lose 2 pounds! We didn't go to the gym (hubby was sick... need I say more?) and I didn't do so good with the water.

I'm going to call my better me goal from last week a particle success. I still don't have a job, however, I did put in a couple more applications. I'm hoping someone will call soon!!!

Week 5's Goals are...

Weight Loss Goals:

Lose 2 more pounds
Drink more water
Continue to journal all food and it's point value
Gym - I'm not sure how realistic this is for this week b/c we have a bible conference at church Sunday - Wednesday, maybe I can go to the gym in the mornings, even though hubby will not be able to go with me.

Better Me Goals:

Continue daily "quiet time"
Continue looking/applying for jobs
Keep up with the house work (a little each day)
Keep up with the budget I made this week (Thanks to Jodi for the inspiration)

I think this is enough to keep up with for the week. I want to thank Deedra for hosting Fit4Life Fridays it really makes me work hard throughout the week, because I know I have to report to you guys on Friday. Also, I'd like to thanks to all of you who come by and leave me encouraging comments, it really helps!!! Hope you all have a great and healthy weekend!!

Thursday...

2007-07-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that it's already Thursday! I'm not sure where the week has gone, the days sure seem to fly by when I'm at home working and checking things off my "to do" list. I reported three weeks ago that I hated being at home and that I wasn't sure I could ever be a stay at home wife/mom, but I've sure gotten used to the idea. I'm lovin' staying in my "lazy" clothes (not to be confused with my jammies - most folks would call this type of clothes workout clothes, but I'm not working out!!) until about 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon and then showering, drying my hair and put on something presentable just in time for hubby to arrive home. And I have to admit now that the house is clean, closets are organized, laundry is caught up, books on my "reading list" are getting read, daily devotions are getting done DAILY, dinner is cooked and the kitchen is cleaned up and there is STILL time before bed, I feel good. I feel like the wife my husband deserves. I really have to go back to work, because our budget requires two incomes, but I think I could be content being a stay at home wife/mother... Who'd a thunk it!!

I promised last week that when I finished cleaning the guest bedroom I'd give you the "after" pictures and I just realized that I never did that, so I thought I'd share those pictures.

I don't have much else to report today. It's been a somewhat quiet week. Yesterday, I ran errands most of the day. Took hubby's truck to have some recalled parts replaced, delivered Mary Kay products, went with hubby to the doctor, went with hubby to put in a job application, washed clothes, cooked dinner and watched "Don't forget the Lyric". A very exciting day indeed!

I'll see you all tomorrow for Fit4Life Friday!!

Memory Lane...

2007-07-24T11:40:00.000-04:00

I saw this meme over at It Coulda Been Worse and thought it looked like fun it is all about your high school memories!!!

1. Who was your best friend? Jenny Malcom. There really isn't enough time in the day to tell you all of the things we encountered during high school. We've been though the good, the bad, the ugly and BOYS (oh, the boys).

2. Did you play any sports? Um, NO... I don't have an athletic bone in my body. My 9th grade physical science teacher, who just happened to be a coach too, told me that if I made it to 21 with out being in a wheel chair I'd be doing good. Well, I've almost made it to 28 without being in a wheel chair... Ha Ha, Showed Him!!

3. What kind of car did you drive? I drove a 1994 Nissan truck, which had nothing automatic. I actually drove this truck until September 2002 then it was passed down to my husband who drove it until May 2006 when some 18 year old kid ran a stop sign and t-boned him. The insurance company totalled it. It was 12 years old and only had 140,000 miles

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? If its football season and there was a home game we were at the football field. If it wasn't football season our location depended on which boys we (Jenny and I) were chasing.

5. Were you a party animal? No. I was VERY scared of my mom!!!

6. Were you considered a flirt? Not so much. I had the same on again off again boyfriend all thru high school.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? None of the above.

8. Were you a nerd? I don't think so...

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? No again scared of my mom.

10. Can you sing the fight song? I don't think so, maybe if someone else took the lead.

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Hands down Mrs. Pittard. She taught home ec. and childcare. My senior year I had her classes for 3 or 4 hours of the day. Jenny and I could get away with murder in there. I actually still see her a good bit, we are Mary Kay team members

12. What was your school mascot? Redskins (actual mascot was an Indian chief)

13. Did you go to the Prom? Yep. 3 years

14. If you could go back, would you? Maybe just for a week or 2, those were good times.

15. What do you remember most about graduation? The trip afterwards.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? Most of our class went to Six Flags, but Jenny and I went shopping. We didn't like Six Flags that much.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? Yes. I worked as a clerk at the Blue Willow Inn Gift Shop.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? Well, senior year we had year book class right before lunch and we'd leave campus to "sell" ads for the year book, so there was really no telling where we really were. If we were not "selling" ads we all ate outside together or in the year book/art class room.

19. Have you gained weight since then? Yep... enough said.

20. What did you do after graduation? Went to Panama City Beach for a week. Then in the fall I attended college.

21. What year did you graduate? I graduated from high school in 1998.

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Joey Snead (who was not a boyfriend, he was a long time family friend).

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? My 10 year reunion will be sometime next year and Heck Yeah I'm going.

Ok, if you play a long leave me a comment so I can check out your past!!! Have Fun!

This is one of my senior pictures... Enjoy!!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-07-23T09:28:00.001-04:00

Some of our meals for this week are "carry overs" from last week that didn't get prepared for one reason of the other. However, we did very good last week we only ate out two times, which is huge for us. We ate out on Saturday night in celebration of my Dad's birthday and we ate fast food last night after church. Church wasn't over until 8pm, we had a night of music, and 8pm was way too late to have a nice dinner with "the gang" and it was too late to come home and cook. So Wendy's it was, and we ate for under $10, yay us!!

Monday ~ Salad with Grilled Chicken

Tuesday ~ Cube Steak / Mashed Potatoes / Lima Beans

Wednesday ~ Mexican Chicken / Rice / Green Beans

Thursday ~ Grilled Hamburgers / Chips

Friday ~ Pizza / Salad

Saturday ~ Roast / Carrots & Potatoes / Rolls

Sunday ~ Eat out with the Gang

For More Fun Menus check out I'm An Organizing Junkie.