Getting Old????

I totally broke down and bought one of the pill organizers...Does that mean we are getting old? LOL....No...seriously...we are getting serious about our health. I want to be around to see my grand kids...and maybe even my great grand kids:-) I bought one for me and one for Joel. He actually took all of his vitamins today:-) So proud of him! It's great that he is on the same page as me.....it would make it so much harder for me to reach my goal if he was going in another direction.

We have had more snow so far this winter in Texas then I think I have ever seen....how cool is that! I am scared to take my camera out in the snow...but I managed to get a shot of the snow yesterday! Wish it would stick around a little longer...Oh well...guess I should be happy with what we got!

Joel and I have had a lot of time recently without the kids...Thomas is in Utah and Haley and Brenden live with their Mom so we only have them every other weekend. We have watched A LOT of movies:-) The guys at Blockbuster know us pretty well now. Lets see Fac so far is "The Ugly Truth"...Great movie...LOVED it...and laughed my ass off! My least Fav so far is BY FAR Paranormal Activity - THE STUPIDEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME - I mean...we all know that the movie isn't real...but they could at least pick an actress that can make you think it's real...LOL. She was HORRIBLE!

Waiting for Joel to get home so we can hit the gym again! Looking forward to it. Then...home to eat some Pot Roast...yummy...then working on Thomas's X-Mas surprise!!! FUN FUN!

Party Plans tomorrow night with the in-laws...in east TX...Should be a good time!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Power Thoughts

My Mom gave me these really cool cards for Christmas. They are called Power Thought Cards. Every few days I will pull one out and read it...they are very inspiring:-) Thanks Mama!

Today's Power Thought Card:
I am willing to change-
I am willing to release old, negative beliefs. They are only thoughts that stand in my way. My new thoughts are positive and fulfilling.

Weird...I just quit smoking ...hmmm....

Just thought I would share the Power Thought of the day with you guys:-)

Merry Christmas!!!!!

It's Christmas morning and it's just me, Joel and the dogs. A little different I must say! We had Christmas with Haley and Brenden yesterday morning and it was great! The kids got a lot of cool presents and even better...we had a great day with them:-) We made Christmas cookies....made some really cool things with popsicle sticks to hang up in their room.....and of course hooked up and played with all of their new toys!! The kids went home to their Mom last night and Joel and I made it a movie night and then crashed. We got up this morning and opened our gifts to each other. Joel got me and AWESOME cutting board and new pot holders from William Sonoma...oh he did so good! LOVE HIM! I got him a new wallet and a flip video which he can't quit playing with. He is recording a video of his new dirt bike right now!!! It's really hard not having Thomas this Christmas...but I know he is having a blast shredding the mountains of Utah on his new snowboard:-) I will be able to celebrate Christmas with him as soon as he gets home...and boy do I have a big surprise for him!!!! I can't wait for him to see it. He is going to LOVE IT!!!!

Joel and I are trying to quit smoking again! Yesterday was our first day...it wasn't too bad. We are wearing the patch so that helps us. So far today is great....don't want a cigg at all. I guess I am getting what I need through the patch. We are going back to the gym Monday. I am REALLY looking forward to that. I haven't been able to work out in 4 months because of my back surgery. I am still a little sore...but am ready to start a light workout and build up to a great workout. I am ready to lose this weight I gained after surgery. Next summer I am going to be rockin' a new figure...I hope:-)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!!! I am blessed to be were I am in life right now. I would want it any other way:-) Life is good!!!!!

I am about to start Christmas dinner...then this evening Joel and I are going to make plates for the homeless and go downtown and hand them out to people that don't have food. I know that most of the homeless people are just drunks that are too lazy to get a job....but not all of them are...and it makes me feel good to think that I might make a small moment in someones life just a little better:-) I would hope that if I were in that situation someone would be willing to do the same for me. I believe what goes around comes around and I want to be a good part of that process!!

Time for some Changes - Me Time!!!!

Ok....it's about that time. Time for some changes around here:-) I had back surgery about 4 months ago and my back is FINALLY healed long enough for me to start working out again. YAY! I can shed the weight I gained after having the surgery. I am really looking forward to getting back into the gym...feeling better and looking better:-) Joel has been healing from his broken collar bone and wants to start working out soon too.....So....we are going to get through x-mas and eat whatever we want...sleep as long as we want.....be completely LAZY if we want....then have a fresh start for the New Year. I am NOT calling any of this a New Years Resolution....because it's not. It just happens to be that time of year that everything is falling in place.


Another thing that is about to make a turn in my life is all of about some ME TIME. Let me tell you a little about my life and me....then maybe you will understand why I feel it's important to have some ME TIME. All women need to have ME TIME to stay sane:-) I can't stand someone else folding my laundry...if they do I have to re-fold it..... I hate cold weather....I LOVE to cook and am pretty good at it (but hate cleaning the kitchen)....trying to learn more about the whole baking thing....I am a total tomboy...trying to become a little more girlie....but it's hard for me......I love country music...and am a total country girl...even though I live in the city....I have the best family in the world....and the coolest sister EVER!!!.....I love to take photos...scrap....and read......I am NOT am morning person...at ALL....I can't dance...unless it's two steppin'...I hate taking my vitamins....they make me gag every day...UGH!....I am married to a wonderful man...I have one son who is at the WONDERFUL age of 13...and two step-children that are 10 and 11. I have a full time job as an Office Manager/Sales Assistant. I LOVE my job and the people I work with ROCK!!!! I am also trying to learn more about photography. I hope to make it a full time career at some point in my life. I have been really busy trying to take lots of pictures...learn how to edit them.....and learn everything else there is to know about photography while still running my family. It's been a little stressful. Every day I come home and cook a nice dinner. I feel that eating a home cooked meal sitting at the table with your family is one of the most important times of the day. Turn that darn TV off and talk with one another:-) Then I always have some type of battle with my 13 year old son. Oh...what an age:-) If it's not one thing it's another....homework is always fun trying to get him to do it...IF he even remembered to bring it home..UGH! I keep telling myself....I WILL GET THROUGH THIS....I WILL GET THROUGH THIS....My Mom did. I use to do the same stuff to her....man if I knew then what I know now:-) After homework...there is always a nice HUGE pile of laundry waiting to be cleaned...dried...folded and put up. By this time Joel is starting to feel neglected so I have to make sure I spend some time with him. The house needs to be straightened up....kitchen needs to be cleaned from making dinner (I have the BEST husband in the world......he normally cleans up the kitchen for me).....Finish laundry...make sure everyone has what they need for the next day...clothes..lunches..etc....By the time all of this basic daily stuff is done it's like 9:30-10:00 and I am so tired...I don't have much left in me to do the things that I want to do....edit....scrapbooking...blogging....reading...etc:-) So for the most part I go to bed...watch a few minutes of TV and crash....get up the next morning and do it all over again:-) Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my life and I love taking care of my family...but I need to make some changes to wear I have some time to do the things that I enjoy and still have the family taken care of. So I have a plan:-) ( As Joel would say...uh oh...that's scary)....Once a week....Wednesday is the day I have planned on. I am going to take the day off...NO laundry...NO cooking.....NO cleaning....Ok....I will still help Thomas with his homework...can't really stop that one:-) But we are either ordering in or Joel is cooking dinner...and if anyone needs clean clothes you better do it yourself. I am going to take the evening to spend time doing what I enjoy:-) Editing...scrapping....reading...whatever I want!! I think this will be a good break for me. I am looking forward to it!!!!!



SMOKING...Oh yeah...I am talking about it again:-) I still haven't been able to quit. UGH! I think about it all of the time and I told Joel that we really HAVE to quit. It's going to freakin' kill us!!! So, once again we have decided to try to quit in a few weeks when we get back into working out etc....I am going to try the patch again. The whole cold turkey thing was pretty tough on me...I was ready to kill someone...and that's not a good way to feel. The patch seems to make it a little easier to bare. Since I am making other changes in my life anyways...maybe this change will just slide right in there and go with the flow:-) I sure do hope so. I know I can do this. I have been trying for years....and it's going to happen one day!!!

One last thing that I am totally excited about.....Joel and I are going to buy a new house soon. I can't wait!!!! It will be so much fun finding the perfect house for us and the kiddos. We need a 4 bedroom so all of the kids can have their own rooms. This is a little further down the road...but it's in the plan:-)

Well, that's my life in a nutshell pretty much. I am looking forward to getting healthier...having some me time....and moving into a new home for our family to enjoy!!! Life is GOOD:-)

Christmas Cards

I just LOVE making X-Mas cards!!! I know they aren't perfect....I will get there....but my heart sure does go into making them:-) I can't show the picture that I am putting inside until after everyone has received their cards...lol. This is the design I came up with for this year. They are very simple...but super cute. I got the idea off some website!! Oh....please just ignore the laundry behind the cards...I was multitasking ok!!!

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!

Christmas Crafts with the kiddos

I found these cute little ornaments at the craft store the other day. I knew Haley and Brenden would love to make their own ornaments. I wasn't sure if Thomas would but I grabbed him one just in case. As I guessed...Haley and Brenden were way excited...Thomas...not so much. He thinks he is too old to do stuff like that....whatever:-) Brenden decided to make one and put Thomas's initials on it for him. How sweet of him! They turned out great. The kids are so crafty!!!

Women's Dinner at IBC

My Mom attends this almost every year. I always try to make it....lots of women....food and great conversation is always fun. Mama's table looked so pretty tonight. All of the women decorate their table...there were so many that looked awesome! Gave me some great ideas for a center piece:-)

A Life Taken Too Soon:-(

Lamar, Brandon Scott Brandon -Scott Lamar was born March 16, 1976 in Dallas, Texas- He passed away November 24, 2009 in Dallas. Your beautiful smile and loving heart are in the arms of our Lord. We love you and your memory will be in our hearts forever. He is survived by mother, Tivilla Lamar; father Michael Lamar; step-mother Sherri Hughes Lamar; half-sisters, Emily and Dixie Lamar and grandparents Shirley Dean, and Hugh and Susan Lamar. Funeral services will be at 1:00 pm Monday, November 30, 2009 in the Jeter & Son Chapel.

Why? I asked myself that a lot since I found out about Brandon's death. It just doesn't make sense. He was so young. Brandon and I dated a while back. He was such a great guy and had a beautiful heart. It was so hard for me to see his mother in so much pain. I can't even begin to imagine how she feels. Brandon will be missed by so many people. I am greatful to have spent many years of his life with him. We went through some good and some bad...but it was all part of life and growing up. I always knew he was a wonderful person. Once again....this makes me look at life in such a different way. The sadness which comes from death is unlike any other sadness I have ever felt. It's horrible. Love the people who surround you and let them know that you love them. You never know when they will be taken from you...