Weekly Goals - Week of 2/28/11

YAY! Spring is right around the corner:-) I can't wait!!!! This is my favorite time of year. I seem to be most motivated this time of year too...so maybe I will get some things done!! Whooot Whoot!

1. Yoga/Jogging 3-4 times this week
2. Vitamins
3. Eat healthy and pay attention to portions
4. Do a scrap page
5. Finish Prayer box
6. Keep up with laundry!!!!
7. Make time to read every night this week.
8. One on one time with T-Man
9. Nails and Toes
10. Start working on designing the office space:-)

Weekly Goal Results 2/21/11

1.Yoga/Walking 3-4 times this week - Almost....but not quite!!
2. LOTS of water - Yes!
3. Lots of sleep - Yes...going to be early:-)
4. Eat good! - For the most part yes:-)
5. Portion control - Yes!
6. Work with T-Man:-) - Yes!
7. Keep up with all of the laundry - Not even close! UGH! I HATE laundry
8. Start training Singer on simple commands...sit..stay...no - He is too young still...need to wait a few more weeks.
9. FINISH THAT DARN PLAYROOM! - FINALLY! It looks great:-)
10. Work on excepting things that are handed to you:) Embrace them...and love them! - Working on it...life can throw all kinds of things at you....I just take it day by day:-)

New House Project:-)

So I am going to work on my office next....the picture above are pretty bad I know...but it gives you an idea of what it looks like now. It's DIRTY!....but I will clean it up soon...promise:-) You have to remember this is where my puppy stays during the day too while I am working.

I am going to fill the wall space above my desk with nothing but pictures in black frames. I think I will use only black and white photos...but I haven't decided yet....what do you think? I have a lot of black and brown in my house...maybe I should do both...hmmmmm.

House Projects

Well, slowly but surely I am starting to get some things done around here. It's funny that it's taken me FOREVER to get these darn posters hung up in the kids playroom. I get free movie posters from work all the time and have decided to bring them all home and hang them in the kids playroom. It's an easy and cheap way to fix it up a little:-) I love the way it turned out. It's not a big deal...but ads something to the walls....and makes it look more like a playroom...movie room...whatever you want to call it. The kids are getting older...so I am not sure it's still called a playroom...maybe the "hangout" room...lol.

My next project is going to be my office. I spend a lot of time here now that I work from home some...so I want it to be set up soon. I am going to fill both walls above my desk with nothing but pictures...lots of pictures...of family..the kids...the dogs...etc.....all black frames all different sizes! I think it will look awesome when it's done. Can't decide if I want all of the pictures to be black and white or not yet....hmmm...I will have to think about that one!

This one of my favorite parts of having a house! It's all mine and I can do whatever I want with it. I look forward to fixing it up just the way I want over the years:-)

Singer - 8 weeks old!

Singer is growing like a weed! Joel and I have been kept super busy by this little guy:-) He is still getting us up throughout the night be we know that will get better with time. He is still working on his potty training...but we have seen a lot of progress there too.

Singer is such a sweetheart! Him and Bella have a lot of fun together. Bella is a great big sister.

I told Joel tonight that I have wanted a male great dane for as long as I remember...and now that I have one I am in heaven! He is my sweet angel!!!! Here are a few pics...you can see how much he has grown in just a week! I will keep posting picks as he gets older!!!

"The Help"

YAY! I am so excited about our next Book Club book. We all met up and talked about the last book over dinner and I had a blast! What great girl time:-) It doesn't get much better. I am really enjoying it!!! Does a book club make me a nerd?? Ah...who cares!

I have heard really great things about this book. I started it a few nights ago and so far I am really enjoying it. I like the way it's written:-)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Power Thought of the Day

I accept my uniqueness

There is no competition and no comparison, for we are all different and meant to be that way. I am special and wonderful. I love myself.

-----------------------------------------------
This one fits in my life right at this moment....more then you know:-)

Weekly Goals: 2-21-11

Hoping for a great productive week this week! I CAN DO THIS!!!!

1. Yoga/Walking 3-4 times this week
2. LOTS of water
3. Lots of sleep
4. Eat good!
5. Portion control
6. Work with T-Man:-)
7. Keep up with all of the laundry
8. Start training Singer on simple commands...sit..stay...no
9. FINISH THAT DARN PLAYROOM!
10. Work on excepting things that are handed to you:) Embrace them...and love them!

YOGA

Other than this week...I have been on a pretty good routine of going to Yoga. It's FINALLY starting to pay off. I have lost a little weight and the way my clothes fit are changing. Summer us just around the corner...and I hope to be where I want to be by then! Staying motivated is the hardest part. I keep telling myself...if I can quit smoking then I can workout more...eat better...and have the body and health that I want! RIGHT?? Easier said then done...but I am moving in the right direction.

Last week we got a new puppy and he has me and Joel up every few hours each night....so it was a rough week and I didn't make it to workout once:-( I did walk the dogs a few times...watched what I ate...and drank TONS of water....but I didn't workout:-( Our puppy "Singer" is already getting use to his new routine...so this week should be much easier. The weather is AWESOME too...so that should make it easier to take more walks with my babies!!!

Yoga is also helping my back TONS! This week my back was a little sore and I know it's because I didn't go. When I go to Yoga at least a few times a week I can tell a HUGE difference in my back...I don't have any pain...and I am much more flexible:-)

I am looking forward to a good week!

"The Guardian" Review

I posted a blog about the book "The Guardian" that my book club was reading. I have finished the book...and LOVED it! Here was my original post

http://kpattersonblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-book-club-book-guardian.html

I LOVED the book. It was a great love story. A little predictable...but so are most Lifetime movies...and I love them too:-) Julie loses her husband and is given a little great dane puppy to help her get through the loss and pain. She names the puppy Singer they become very close. For years she doesn't get into another serious relationship...then finally decides to start dating. She dates this guy Richard only a few times...but doesn't fall for him. She ends up falling for a guy Mike, that her and her husband were both good friends with. Richard is crazy and doesn't want to let go of Julie. He comes after her and just like the book title says.....Singer is her "Guardian".

I adopted a little great dane puppy just a few days after reading this book....so it only seemed fair to name him "Singer"

Great book...good story....easy to read....sad...but loving ending:-) Would recommend!

Singer...first week at home. 7 weeks old

Our new baby Singer is an absolute doll! He is going to make a perfect addition to our family:-) He is very smart, sweet, funny and playful:-) Bella has taken a little while to adjust...but she is getting there. She was protective of Singer today when the neighbors dog tried playing a little rough.

I am sure that some of you are wondering where I got the name Singer...well...read my post about the book I just read "The Guardian" and you will know why...and you should read the book too...it's great!

Here are a few pics of Singers first week at home. I will start to take more and post more as he gets bigger:-)

Weekly Goal Results 2-14-11

More sleep...getting up earlier - Went to be earlier...but havin a puppy didn't help the "getting more sleep" part very much:-)
Workout 3-4 times - I didn't workout once this week:-( Shame on me!
Eat good...portion control - Yes! My eating habits have been good!
Work with T-Man- Yes!

Weekly Goals 2/14/11

Only focusing on a few things this week....

More sleep...getting up earlier
Workout 3-4 times
Eat good...portion control
Work with T-Man

Weekly Goal Results 2-7-11

1Continue working with Thomas - Yes...being a teenager is hard....he will get through these tough times:-)
2. Yoga/Walking 3 times at least! - Oh yeah!!!
3. Walk Bella and Brice EVERYDAY morning and night! - Every day...but not every morning...and we don't have Brice anymore...
4. Get up earlier! Go to bed earlier! - Getting there!
5. Playroom (get Thomas to help) - Working on it tonight!
6. No eating out! - NONE!
7. Vacuum house - Doing it tonight:-)
8. LOTS OF WATER and vitamins - Every Day!
9. Be nice...and understanding.... - Working on it....not everybody thinks the same way I do....finally starting to relaize that...and know that it's ok:-)
10. Prayer box - No, still need to finish it.!

Sad News.....

Well, Joel and I had to make a really tough decision. We had to take Brice back to the shelter. He wasn't a good fit for our family. He needs to be out on a ranch and have room to run which we didn't have to offer him. We hoped that walking him 3 times a day would help...but it didn't. He just isn't an inside dog. We hope and pray that someone with some land will adopt him soon. He was such a sweetheart and it was a really tough decision...but we know we did what he had to:-(

Joel and I are going to do a little more research before adopting again. Our heart just fell for Brice even though he wasn't a good breed for us. We are thinking of adopting another dane. I know you think we are crazy because they are so big...but danes are a good breed for us. They are very good dogs...easy to train....low energy....very relaxed and super friendly. Bella has been one of the BEST dogs anyone could ever ask for. They really are gentle giants:-) Hopefully we will find the right dog for us (and Bella) soon:-)

We are on the lookout for our new baby!!!!!! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Weekly Goals 2/7/11

1. Continue working with Thomas
2. Yoga/Walking 3 times at least!
3. Walk Bella and Brice EVERYDAY morning and night!
4. Get up earlier! Go to bed earlier!
5. Playroom (get Thomas to help)
6. No eating out!
7. Vacuum house
8. LOTS OF WATER and vitamins
9. Be nice...and understanding....
10. Prayer box

Weekly Goal Results 1-31-11

1. Yoga/Walking 3 times a week at least! - Almost!! The weather hurt my chances this week!
2. Lots of water - YES
3. Lots of reading - YES! I read a bunch one night before I went to bed and dreamt that the bad guy in the book was after me...it freaked me out!
4. Get up earlier during the week - Didn't have to because we were snowed in...will work on it this week!
5. Keep pushing Thomas in the right direction:-) - Trying...teenagers are tough:-(
6. Try to do something for you...scrapping....photography.....something.... - Not once...I need to work on this
7. Vitamins - Every day!
8. Lots of sleep - Oh yeah!
9. Eat healthy and watch your portions - Yes!
10. Finish the kids playroom! - Not done yet....dang it!

Our New Addition "Taz Patterson"

Well...Joel and I made a total impulsive decision yesterday to stop by the Arlington Humane Society on our way home from Costco. We do that every once in a while to see the puppies. There were lots of cute dogs there...and less pit bulls then normal which makes me happy. They have a really hard time adopting pits. We saw this sweet dog and decided to meet him. The second he walked into the room he came up to me and leaned against me as if he was giving me a big ole' hug! He melted my heart and I knew he needed to come home with us. We named him Brice at first....but after having him a day we renamed him Taz...for tasmanian devil...he is a wild one!! He is some type of Blue Tick, Australian Cattle....mix. He is a sweetheart and is full of energy! It's going to be a big change for us. Bella is a big ole' lazy great dane. She is super easy to take care of. We have been reading more about his breed and it sounds like he will keep up busy. He needs LOTS of exercise and lots of attention! I am looking forward to giving it all to him! He might just be the changing part of our life that we need....he will whip us into shape:-) Here are a few pics we took of him right after we picked him up...and a video of Bella and Taz meeting for the first time. Bella really likes him!!!!!

ICE of 2011 - Gotta' love that crazy Texas weather!

Here in Texas we don't usually have a tough winter. It will get cold for a little while...then before you know it Spring is here:-) That is one of the reasons I LOVE Texas! I am NOT a winter person. I have lived here for going on 15 years and haven't yet seen a bad winter. Well....this year might just be the one. It's not that we got a lot of snow or anything....but we got ICE! Two days ago we had a huge winter storm come in throughout the middle of the night. It woke me and Joel up around 4am and I am not sure I really ever went back to sleep before getting up. It was thundering and lightning like crazy...but instead of rain it was sleeting loud....windy...banging up a against the windows! It was a little creepy I must say. Then we got up around 6 and everything was covered in about an inch or two of ice. This is a picture of my back yard. Doesn't look that bad does it? That's what I thought too.....

Here we are two days later....and there is still 1-2 inches of ice on everything. All of the school are going on their 3rd day of NO SCHOOL. That is UNHEARD of in TX. I have NEVER seen Thomas's school close for more then a day EVER! Because if the ice a big power plant had to shut part of the plant down which has called for mandatory black outs throughout the state. So not only are people stuck in their homes....a lot of them have no heat. The last week we have hit record low temps in Texas. It's been 15 years since the temps have been this low.....8 degrees tonight...and windy. Since the temp isn't expected to rise above freezing until Sat.....everything will probably stay shut down until then.

Luckily I work from home part time...so this week I have just worked from home all week. It hasn't been much different for me other than having my husband and son home with me. Thomas is having blast being out of school...Joel...not so much. He gets stir crazy very quickly. He is dying to go back to work and luckily they are letting him tomorrow.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the SUPER BOWL is this Sunday in Dallas! All of the people trying to get to Dallas this week are stuck...they can't fly in because of the ice.

Let's just say it's been a crazy week. I know that people up north will laugh at this post....but for us Texans....this is some wild stuff going on!!

I am looking forward to winter being over and taking a dip in my nice sparkling pool this summer!!!!!