Updates

I have been feeling REALLY good lately (except for the unbearable exhaustion...but, hey...I am a mom!) so I thought that I would share about it!

I have been busy, but not stressing about all of the things that I need to get done. I feel much calmer and more centered, but I am not sure why. I don't know if something is different...or if it is just my state of mind. Yes, I know that means that something is different, but... My days have seemed longer, but my weeks shorter. I have been getting most of my to do lists done, and feeling very calm about it all.

My stomach is good. I have only had to take the Prilosec one day since stopping. Remember, the directions say to take it for 14 days and then, stop. While I was on my scrapbooking retreat, I really ate poorly and paid the price with some serious indigestion, heart burn and general yuckiness so I took one pill and was back on track. I have also been sleeping really well.

The diet continues to be a success too! I have now lost 12 pounds and even though I did not have any loss last week...I know why and I will do better this week. We have been to a lot of parties lately and when faced with all of that yummy food I just have a little bit of everything and end up eating way to many calories. I am starting to think that my goal of 140 is not low enough to look the way that I want to, and I may continue on to try for 135. That would put me at the weight I was when I got married and I think that I looked pretty darn good. Heck, I wore a bikini on our cruise! I will NOT be wearing a bikini any time soon, however... the babies have left their marks and the tummy will never fully recover!

I worked out today! I have continued to walk Gavin to school almost every day, but the morning yoga and strength training never really stuck. My mom and stepdad just opened a gym near my home, in fact...it is closer than Gavin's school! I walked there today and it took me 15 minutes! I did all of the weight machines in two rounds which took me a half hour and then I walked home. I helped Andy prep dinner and then I showered while he finished it up. So, I am all ready for bed, except for brushing my teeth, which I will do as soon as I get off of the computer! (This is major for me, because there are lots of nights that I....fall asleep on the couch watching t.v. and Andy comes to help me get to bed and I just fall in with my clothes on...I know, it is very gross and really does not fit my personality...but... like I said earlier.... I am TIRED!)

The oven did finally get fixed and I can't remember if I told you that or not. But, it did. The correct part was ordered and took 2 weeks to come in, but when it did the technician came right out and it was fixed within 5 minutes. YEAHHH!!! I baked muffins THAT day, and have since made an egg casserole for breakfast, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, muffins again and a pork roast. I love having my oven back up and running!

We planted quite a bit to get ready for a "Gramma Shower" that we had at our house last weekend. We finished the pots on the porch... that is the photo at the top of the post! We also put some plants into the back yard and patio area. The fountain and the fan on the porch were used during the party and were appreciated by all. I found an inexpensive table, couch and chair set at World Market and we might just go and buy it. I could study on the patio!!!!

My financial aid paperwork is finally completed and I was awarded loans to cover all expenses plus an additional $2000. We talked about not accepting the additional funds, but we are really unsure of how much I will be able to work during my 6 weeks in school, so we will take it and sock it away and use it if we need it. I felt better to be safe, than sorry (and eating beans all summer) I am hoping to buy my books tomorrow and I will be working LATE to try to get all of the stuff done that needs to be done, before I start classes on the 23rd. I am a little nervous, but excited. I got my bookbag, and my folders are labeled....I know that I am a big nerd but it helps me feel like I have some sense of control.

I got to see baby Kelsey this weekend. I not only saw her, but got to hold and cuddle and ooh and goo over her. She is a little itty bity thing, but oh, so sweet. She is one special baby, and we all pray that her life will be one of joy and happiness. She will have challenges, but her parents are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to help her grow and develop. You can follow her story and see her beautiful birth announcement here: http://sweetpeakurtz.blogspot.com/This is Gavin's last week of school and he has grown up so much this year. Less tantrums and lots more cooperation. It seems that in the last two months of school, he has finally gotten the hang of it. We have been having loads of fun and we are going to be reading about Ancient Egypt tonight as we continue to make our way through the "What your 1st Grader Needs To Know" book! The kids are heading in right now, to get ready for bed and Andy is going to go to the gym, so I should wrap this up and get to it.

Summer is right around the corner and we are all excited for the adventures that await!

Oven drama

The drama continues! The repair guy ordered the part, the part came in, they scheduled a service call, the guy showed up, the guy put in the part AND.....
The BRAND NEW part, was no good! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Electric ovens are great, except when the electrical panel that controls them goes out! Right now, I would love a good 'ol fashioned gas oven, and I wouldn't even mind lighting it with a match! The part has been ordered ... AGAIN. They say it should be in early next week. I told the guy, that so long as it was in by Thanksgiving and I could cook a turkey, I would be happy! (I hope he doesn't take me seriously!)

We are heading out to the beach for the weekend to camp. I don't know if Andy tried to upload his slide show to You-tube or not... I will ask again. I would write more tonight and give you some pics....BUT... I want to work on my scrapbooks! On Tuesday night, I set up my table in the family room and caught up Ella's book. I have some journaling to do, but I will take that with me to work on during the weekend. Tonight, I want to finish up my 2005 book. I am getting ready for a big scrapbooking retreat and I don't want the tail end of these projects to weigh me down.

We had some work done on our back porch this week, too. An electrician came out and ran some wires, outlets and plugs, but... you guessed it...it is another not quite finished project and I do not want to put up pics until it's done.

I really hope that Andy can find the time next week to FINISH the kitchen...then, I will post! We are just so busy every night and every weekend, but now we have 3 projects going on that are not quite done...I hate that more than anything else. Next week, we will focus on the wrap ups, because during the Memorial Day weekend, we are going to start our next project. The bar in the kitchen....details to come!

Another week over

Another busy week is over and I am into another! Last week we had baseball games, dance classes, tumbling, scrapbooking and a trip to Dream Dinners. I have still not blogged about Dream Dinners, but they have really saved my life! I go and make 13 meals for the month in about an hour! It is incredible...but I will post on that another time!

During the weekend we, went to a Pancake Breakfast at Ella's school, headed to the local nursery to pick up plants for a project, stopped at Target for some supplies, watched Gavin play baseball (he hit a home run and a triple!) and later, Andy took Ella to a Father/Daughter Ball. He made a great slide show and I am going to try to upload it later!

Sunday, I taught Sunday School and then we came home and worked around the house. We set up our new garden fountain (an anniversary gift to ourselves), but we still need to have power run for it. The electrician is coming out later today, I hope that we can have this done before June! We also planted some pots for our front porch, I will post pics when that project is done. Andy did filing and I did laundry and later we had dinner with Andy's parents. We paid bills and had our beginning of the week "touch base" meeting. A busy but productive weekend.

Two weeks ago, our oven died. The electrical panel burned out and no buttons worked, at all. Luckily, we have a home owners warranty plan that pays for things like this to be fixed. The oven beeped like crazy, so Andy pulled the unit out and unplugged it. They sent out a guy, he wrote up stupid stuff like "They tampered with the machine and tried to fix it themselves" and got our claim denied! I was sooooo mad!!! I went around and around with the insurance on Friday and finally handed it over to Andy. He got them to send someone else out today and he said, no problem...they will order the part. So, I may have an oven again by the end of the week. Thank goodness! We are truckin along and going to have loads of fun this week...especially because we are going camping over the weekend!