the governments "gift" to us...

Just wondering if any of my friends wanted to share on how they intend to spend the "economic stimulus" $. We are paying on 2 bills plus hopefully going on a little vaca w/ any extra.

how 'bout you my friend?

thank you Jesus and Uncle Sam...

Not wanting to count our chickens before they hatch but the Lord is smiling down (more brightly than usual) on us at the moment! We are going to be able to pay off our car note and possibly something else-not sure what. WOW! This is a 99 % possibility and we are continuing to pray. We know what they say we are supposed to get back on our tax return so we are praying that everything holds true and after we recieve it we will start paying some bills. That in turn will free up at least one note and possibly another. Then we will take that money and stick it on another bill. We might also be getting some more money from a law suit we won back in September of '03 when we took our old land lord to court over a security deposit. we won $1100 but never saw the money so we put a lien on the house which was supposed to be paid whenever she sold it. well it has been sold 2x and someone didn't do their job as far as researching the title and we haven't gotten our money. brian is going to take it as far as we can w/out spending any huge amount of money.

i'll give an update as soon as we know anything.

oh and we will probably be paying a bill with that some of that economic stimulus $. well, if we are able to we will put most of it back into the economy and use a small amount for the rest of it on a bill:)

we desperately need to put the trailblazer in the shop and fix brian's motorcycle.

Recipe Blog updated...

if interested i've put several healthy recipes on the blog! more to come...

blah blah blah, updates, and living in the moment

blah blah blah i know all i've been concentrating on these last few posts has been my battle w/ the bulge but this has been a struggle for so long an i'm finally winning. not only am i watching what i eat but i'm exercising too. i've tried too exercise when i can and as consistantly as i can.

updates...anywoo, (so totally stole that word from michawn...i just love it:)) ryder is officially potty trained. praise the Lord! mattie is going to give 1st grade another try. she totally needs to do this and is ok w/ it. still doesn't give a lick about homework and learning and all that very important stuff. maybe this summer something will click. brian is doing well. his mom is too. she has been such a huge help w/ the kids!! and cleaning my house. i'm kind of spoiled at the moment. she comes to our house about 3 days a week then spends the rest of her time w/ her mom. she's 83 yrs. old and needs someone there w/ her more often now.

i'm tring to live each day in the moment. time is flying. our kids are growing up. they won't be this little ever again. ever agian. those words ring in my ears. man. gotta take advantage of the hugs and kisses and 'mommy hold me' ' mom can you get ....for me'. pretty soon they won't need us as much and that fact is saddening. but they still need brian and i and we need them. i love my fam!

10 lbs down 15 lbs to go!!!

i'm not a "flat belly dieter"...

i do not have the time nor the money to do that kind of diet. it's very specific and the type of food is expensive. i'm going back to my "Special K" diet w/ exercise. it worked before and it'll work now. i did learn some good things but it was just too much thinking. we all need to be eating more whole grains, less salt, and more healthy fat....avacodos, sunflower seeds, olive oil, almonds, low fat cheeses, etc... anyway, our lives are INSANE. i've got to stick w/ something that is easy and works for me.

Goal for May 19....135 lbs! 7 down 13 to go. easy cheesey.

My Sis...

Just want to say "CONGRATULATIONS"! They are offically debt free. Although they had a few set backs they got out of a fairly large amaount of debt in 23 months. Wowsers.

My little photographers!

he's sneaky i tell ya. sneaky.

satan. the great deciever. the great liar. i don't talk much about what i do, come to think about it i don't think i've really said much about it. i work as a secretary/office assistant at our church and i help Brian as we serve the Lord in youth ministry. he's the youth minister i'm the helper! it sickens me how we as christians have allowed satan to decieve us. we allow our children and our selves to be too busy for Him - dance, baseball, civic organizations, work, etc. oh wait hold the phone...we can even "busy" ourselves serving in the church. oohh did i just say that? yes i did. we can let the church and all it's activities take our time away from what we are called to do. we busy ourselves. we tell ourselves, "i go to church i serve on this committee that committee, i hold the babies once a quarter, i tell a nice little bible story to the kiddos every now and then. i'm there every time the door is open. heck yeah i'm servin' the Lord." but are we really. are we just convincing ourself that we are. do we witness to the waitress that brings us our food. do we tip them. do we leave a track on the table. do we speak to the cashier at wal-mart. ask her/him how their day is. do we even look like we are happy. have you every caught a refection of yourself as you pass a mirror or the glass front window of a store. i scare myself. i have to ask myself, "how many people have i witnessed to lately?" none. this next statement sounds cheesey i know but i've heard a saying, "how many people are in heaven b/c of you....how many people aren't in heaven b/c of me". scary sutff. we are on this earth for just a breath, just a moment. what am i doing w/ the days He has given me?

flat belly diet idea...

check out my exercising blog for more info....

Expelled - the movie...post #2 for today

stop what you are doing right now and go to this site.
www.expelledthemovie.com

this is Ben Stein's new movie blowing the whistle on university professors and scientists that have been or are being fired b/c they teach against eveloution being the only "way".

DON'T MISS THIS MOVIE! IF IT ISN'T SHOWING IN OR NEAr YOUR TOWN MAKE A FUSS AND GET IT THERE!

confessions of a lover of food....

one word: frustrated. simple word really. when i came home from being w/ my family on Easter, that Sunday morning i stepped on the scale and to my delight it read 146 lbs. so excited i was. then a few days later...keep in mind i was exercising 1x maybe 2x a day..i step on the scale again and to my dismay it read 148 lbs. "WHAT" my mind screamed. how can that be. well, i just kept on exercising, drinking my "metabolized" water, and watched what i ate. after the retreat in Branson where we ate everytime you turned around (but i did exercise everyday i was there) i step on the scale Sunday morning and it read 150 lbs.

how could i gain 4 lbs. aaarrrggghhh.

well, this is what i'm gonna do...go back to my cereal diet and stick to it. we are going on an out of state trip in mid-May. my goal weight for that trip is 135 lbs. that's loosing roughly over 2 lbs a week. this is an attainable goal. i can do this. i will do this.

thank you..and having a great time....

first, thank you to all of my friends who so passionately shared their heart regarding "bc". like i said in my post i do not see anything wrong w/ it whatever the "way" the Lord, you, and your husband choose if you choose a way. thru this blog i have found out two things....getting out of debt/vacationing and birthin' babies is a HOT topic. i love my friends! so glad we can have a lively convo and still be friends after everyone's said their piece.

now for vaca...eating, exercising, eating, relaxing. so needed this! thankful for my mom-in-law! matt had to go to the doc for her ear again. thank the Lord Sue could take her!! havin' fun! but there are a lot of old people here...it's branson the mother ship for old folks!!!