***HAPPY HALLOWEENY***

Hey y'all, hope you're not gorging on little boxes of Smarties and mini bags of Lays as we speak. Nooo, nooo! Stay away from the goody sack! Just kidding!!! :) There are 3 days in the year you can enjoy guilt free junk food - Halloween, Easter and of course, Valentine's. I, however, choose not to indulge. Not when weigh in is just 2 days away. I did share one of E's mini Kit-Kats at daycare today - well with her and another little girl. I think I got a 1/4 of it...oh and I licked off E's chocolate coated fingers. SOOOO FUN!!

E's daycare put on a great day for the kiddies. 3 moms from each room brought in treats (2 healthy and 1 treat). They shared my fun cheese shapes (stars & flowers) and crackers, a fruit tray and they'll have cupcakes this afternoon...with a few mini boxes, bags to share in between. E is dressed up as a kitty and there were lots of other animals (duck, lobster, poodle) and a princess and a doctor too. Very cute mini scrubs. :) I stayed for an hour, sang songs, helped dool out snacks, read books and played. It was a nice break from the day.

Tonight's big adventure is to take E on her first "walking" Trick or Treat tour. Our lane isn't well lit, it's rocky and the neighbours don't socialize. I thought it would be better to take her to the subdivision up the road to go door-to-door. We'll probably go out for an hour and call it a night...we'll see how E deals. She was up early and cried her eyes out even before I left the daycare at lunch. Hopefully she'll nap well and be good to go tonight. Hope you and your little goblins have a great time runnin' the roads tonight. Take care, till tomorrow, I bit you a sugar filled night.

~B

It's GORGEOUS!

Our office is just amazing! They painted over the weekend and I am just thrilled!!! I'm not sure if we did get Jalapeno (reddy-orange) in the end...but it's still beautiful. I think it's called Amber Sunset. It's a lovely orangy colour. It matches the sunset in my Monet print perfectly!

Anyway, we have a fab weekend. Friday night, my gal, my man and I watched "Over the Hedge". HILARIOUS!! I highly recommend it. In the extra features, there was a little movie with Hammy, the Squirrel. Well DH laughed for about 10 minutes straight. You know the kind of laugh where you start wheezing until you're mouth is wide open but no sound is coming out? Yeah, that kind of laugh. He made me laugh at him more so than the movie. Anyway, E watched bits of it. We had fun.

Saturday we laid low. Did lots of housework in the a.m. Then in the afternoon, DH, E & I went to the Dartmouth Sportsplex for the members swim. SOOOOO FUN!! E just loved playing and splashing in the water. And they have a little slide in the toddler/kiddy pool. She had fun going down that a couple of times. My favourite part was the pool being heated. Nice walking into a giant bathtub. :) After we got home and had dinner, I braved the stores and got groceries. And in the evening, I rented another 2 movies - Fast & Furious-Toyko Drift and Nacho Libre. FF was great. NL alright.

Sunday we went to church in the morning. Afterwards, we went to East Side Marios in Bayers Lake for lunch. It was a bit early but E wasn't used to the time change. She was great...spagetti sauce all over her face...so cute. And she stayed awake enough to pick up some stuff at CostCo (aka Price Club). (Sorry but I must say I really love Sunday shopping.) DH ran into Kent AND Home Depot for a gravel rake without any luck. Guess we'll have to shop around. Sunday afternoon & evening, we just relaxed ready for another exciting work week.

Well, that's the latest. Chat at ya tomorrow.
~B

Check me out!!!!

Another 4.5 off baby!! I'm so proud of myself I can't even tell you! And DH, after a hard week of cheats still lost 3 pounds!! Man, talk about encouraging! And it gets better ...

... a certain fitness company has asked me to be their spokes person! I'll get a free fitness membership and in January, a free food plan membership for lending my thoughts and results via our radio stations. I won't name said company until the details are finalized but I can tell you I'm super thrilled!

Oh, speaking of weight loss...congrats to DH's uncle Greg. He joined LA Weight Loss and looks FAB!! Just 8 pounds till his goal. Way to go Greg!

And Survivor was a repeat...recap...whatever. I didn't watch but the boss said it was a good show. Gave a lot of details not seen before. We were out last night to visit family...very nice time with my inlaws. E had a VERY off day at daycare (teething - 2 molars coming in) so I thought she'd be a bear. She was surprisingly great with Granny Doo Doo. And we got some lovely pics of them together.

Well, I must get going. I'm really excited to have MBF Shay's oldest (Makayla - also my goddaughter) come into work this afternoon for a tour. It's part of her Guides badge. It should be really fun!

~B

While the cat's away...

...the mice will goof off! Not too much anyway. :) The boss is out sick today so we're all being extra silly here at work. Poor guy, he's got a touch of the Norwalk virus, or something like it. Hope you feel better soon!!

Anyway, I'm chillin' here, excited about E's first Halloween on 2 feet. Her daycare is having a party next Tuesday. I'm making cheese and crackers for the kiddies...hopefully in fun shapes. :) And I hope to take her to a neighbourhood close by to go trick or treat-ing. She has a cat costume (purple with pink stitching) I bought last year from Walmart (marked down to $4!!). It fits her fairly well, a little short in the torso, but we'll make due for 1 day.

And it's Thursday - weigh in and Survivor. Plus we're going to see MIL's Stepmom tonight...lovely refered to as Granny Doo Doo. It'll be nice for E to spend time with her...and the rest of us too. She lives in Ingonish, CB, NS and we don't get to see her often. So it'll be a busy but fun night. Not sure what'll happen tonight in Survivor. Gotta look at the preview again before I make my picks.

Well, I'll keep it short for now and get some stuff done. Till tomorrow.
~B

Voicing concerns

So I'm wondering if I should filter everything I write on my blog. I guess there's a fear there to offend or hurt feelings. And what do you keep private and public. It's hard to discipher. Well, I'm not what you'd call a closed book, especially when it comes to me. But when it comes to my family, I feel I should be more tight lipped. With that said, I'm feeling disappointed. You go through life with certain expectations from others. Sometimes you just have to admit that this is the way they are. This is the way they'll always be. No matter how much you want said person to change, especially if it's for their benefit, you can't make them.

It frustrates me but I realize that not everyone has the mentality I do. They can agree with me, but not enough to make the change. This time, a switch was turned on in me. I felt I HAD to do it this time for the sake of my daughter. To think that every bad choice is a more immediate step toward my own death. And that's just how it is. I HAVE to eat this way if I want to live. No bad choice is worth dying for...and I truly believe that's where it leads. I think others believe it won't happen to them and just put the blinders on when they're making bad choices. And who am I to say what they should do. The only one I'm in charge of is me...and the health of my daughter. I don't want her to grow up being teased about her weight or being embarrassed by her mother. She'll learn to eat well by what she sees. Yes, there are others in her life who will choose poorly in front of her...but it won't be me! I refuse to be the contributing force in teaching her to make poor choices.

Going through this journey of weight loss is a very personal battle. I watch X-Weighted a LOT on the Life Network and I see the effect it takes. The gal last night said that losing weight is a lot more than shedding the 25 pounds she lost. With every layer of fat, you can see a transformation within. It's as if we've buried the problems, worries and hurts of our lives in each layer of fat. So when we start to strip off those layers, those things we've buried come to the surface once again. Personally, the major hurts I've carried have been laid to rest. I do feel like I've dealt with them and have moved forward. The little hurts linger somewhat...the "big girl" comments from childhood. The grand uncle who said "you must weigh a ton", in a very innocent sort of way. But those don't hurt as much since I know the intent wasn't to hurt.

The biggest contributors to my emotional eating these days are worry and stress (especially financial), sabotage and temptation. I let our financial woes get to me and stress over the littlest things. It's hard to shut off. But now I am recognizing it more. The latter is harder to battle. Yesterday there were leftovers in the lunch room from a meeting. Lovely pastries, croissants, breakfast pitas and a big fruit tray. I convinced myself not to choose anything that wasn't on plan so I walked away with a big bowl of fruit. It felt great and powerful to make that positive choice. I feel I owe it to myself after the train-wreck weekend I had (over indulging on pumpkin choc-chip muffins and eat hotdogs for lunch on Sunday). I admit when I'm off course...but now it doesn't take me as long to steer the ship straight.

Well, thanks for coming along the journey with me today. More self discovery to come I'm sure.
TTFN!
~B

Playing catchup

Okay. So here's the scoop from the weekend. Mom came up Thursday without any trouble. DH was off early and picked her up. We had supper together and DH & I went to weigh in. (I stayed the same, DH up 2). Went home for Survivor. Great show! Too bad I can't remember half of it to chat over. I'm kinda glad Cowboy got the boot. As interesting and wise as he is, it get's old very quick. We'll see what's next.

Friday night, DH & I finally went for our Anniversary dinner. Sushi at Hamachi House (Morris St., Halifax). Deeeeeelish!!! Loved it!! Had seafood tempura to start, and a deluxe sushi combo with yummy salad and miso soup. God I love it there!! My only hang up was the salmon skin maki. At Durako (also in Halifax) they make a salmon skin handroll where the skin is crispy and sooo delicious. Hamachi doesn't crisp the skin and puts it in maki rather than a handroll. However, it was still good, just not my favourite.

Saturday-day, I went to Croptoberfest (Scrapbooking). Got 8 pages of the 2006 album done. It was so fun. Special thanks to my consultant (& MBF) Shay and daughter (my goddaughter) Makayla for preparing SFL snacks for me. :) The jello was especially lovely. (hehehe) After the long day of scrapping, I chilled at home with mom, MIL, DH & E. It was really nice to relax.

Sunday-day, DH, E & I went to Hatfield farms with the Spring Beans (mommy-baby) group. Soooo fun to see the kids together again. After our hayride, we went into the games room and the kids played on the bouncy castles. E was TERRIFIED for the longest time but eventually got on and had fun. Afterwards we had hot dogs and treats in the lodge. It was such a fun day!

So, yesterday you got the scoop on the appointment. We're all clear for next Thursday's surgery. DH has Friday off so he'll stay home with E for the day. My folks are coming up next weekend too so they'll be there to baby her. :) Last night I went to Stampin and made 6 lovely Christmas cards. Can't wait for Shay & Myrn & I to get together tomorrow night to work on more C'mas cards.

Well, I must be off. Toodles peeps!
~B

Monday quicky

Don't have time to talk. I was in late today. Had to take E in for her ENT appointment. They suggested we could wait and see or go with the tubes. I fear that wait and see since it took me so long to get an appointment. Plus, cold & flu season is coming and I don't want E to be miserable. So, she's getting tubes...next week!!!!! I was so lucky because it's the last appointment available for the holidays. So, that's the scoop. I'll write tomorrow with all the wknd news.

~B

Burnt toast

I'm sooo feeling this right now. In fact, all week I've been "eating" burnt toast. It's pissing me off and making me very frustated. So much this is my 4th attempt at blogging. I guess that's how I teach people to treat me. I'm a door mat. I'll take care of everyone and leave myself last. So they leave me last. Or maybe it's just a lack of consideration on another person's parts.

If you can read between the lines, I'm sure you expect that "someone" is frustrating me. That is the case but I'm not about to mud sling on my blog. Truly, I should confront said person directly but I am a coward. So that's what I get. I don't like confrontation...unless it's with DH...because of the make up sex of course. :) Just kidding. When we "fight" it's me blabbing, him getting defensive and mad, then we both apologize. But when you complain to someone who is generious and helpful (in some ways, not in others), you feel like the heal. 'How dare she complain about me after all I do?' But it's not what you're doing, it's what you're NOT doing. (God love Dr. Phil) Anyway, that's weighing on me today. Which sucks because I want to be happy...

...Because Mom is coming today!! Now I'm a little stressed about that too. I wanted MIL to take her car and pick mom up after work. Instead DH said he'd pick her up. I don't like relying on him because dispite his best intentions, he can't predict what the day will bring. Anyway, I'm hoping all that'll work out. Oh, and besides, I'm not sure when she's getting in town and I can't reach her. YIKES! I wish I had a switch to shut off my worry monitor. I find it doesn't matter how trivial something is, I stress over it. I hate it!!!! Anyway, I'm sure it will all work out in the end. It always does. I just have to trust in that.

~B

1 More Sleep...

...till Mom comes!! I'm so excited! Last time we were together was 4 months ago. Also the last time she saw E. She'll notice a huge difference this time. I keep E in contact with mom and dad over the phone. We got a new cordless that has speaker (and it's very clear). E is getting better at responding. Not so much saying actual words but lots of baby babble...which I find so funny because she says a lot of words now. Anyway, it will be very nice to visit (Thurs-Sat). Not sure what we'll do but I'm sure will come up with something fun. :)

This weekend will be very fun as well. I mentioned it briefly already Saturday's scrapping event, called Croptoberfest. If you're not familar with Creative Memories products, check them out online. (www.creativememories.com) And if you're interested in getting into it, let me know. I have a great connection to a consultant. :) Right Shay?! Yes, MBF Shay is a CM Consultant and can get you started easy-peasy! I have to fit in a power layout tonight so I'll be ready for Saturday. It'll be difficult though because MIL is out tonight and DH will likely be late coming home. Can't leave it till Thursday with weigh in, mom coming and Survivor. Friday is belated anniversary dinner with DH.

Also on Saturday is Nicolle's (see links for Nicolle's blog) Halloween party. We're really stoked about that!! I'm dressing up as a dominatrix and DH as a pimp. :) So fun. I went to VV and bought a black skirt (altered it-shorter), a black top, whip and wig and I'm borrowing "boots" from MBF Shay. Sunday we'll leave E to the dressing up for her Spring Beans Halloween Party at Hatfield Farms. I bought a cat costume (purple/pink) last year at Walmart 1/2 price. Hopefully she won't fuss wearing it. :) And that's our fun weekend in a nutshell. Hope y'all have something fun planned too. :)

~B

Freakin' spam!

Got this message today...which made me quite upset because I thought it was from MBF's DH. Once I read, I realized it was freakin' spam. Talk about maddening.


From: "Mark7"
Date: 2006/10/17 Tue AM 12:41:17 EST
To: sean.callaghan@ns.sympatico.ca
Subject: Email.Delivery

Forwarding message service by FMS
From: Mark
Subject: Dieting

This is not meant to be an insult or anything but people are talking at work about your weight.I thought you should know. I know it would upsetyou if you knew but I know some friends here andoutside work that have used a program that worked within weeks. I am not pushing anything on youbut thought it wouldn't hurt if you looked at it.I also think I am doing you a favor as it's alwaysnice when people talk about how much better you look than how much you've been putting on. I hope I amnot intruding, just trying to help out. My cousin &friend Alex used this and it helped alot. Here isthe page I know they got it from direct.http://www.011.doasimilatecat.comAgain, I'm just trying to help out.Thanks for listening.Mark

I get crap all the time in my inbox, but this was different. An actual plea to read. It made me so mad to think someone persumed I was overweight and unattractive. Whoever sent this has no idea that I've been working hard for almost 2 months and lost 23 pounds. Anyway, just hurt to see how someone's ignorance can hurt.

I must also rant about Reader's Digest. I love the magazine...and the Sesame books E gets monthly through them. But I'll tell you, I'm extremely reluctant to deal with them ever again. Weekly, if not daily, I receive junk mail from them. 'If I'd only buy blah books, I'll be eligable to win a billion bucks or something.' Yesterday I got what looked like registered mail reading "FIRST NOTICE". I started freaking wondering what bill I forgot to pay and are they taking my house. Yeah, it was RD trying to get me to sign up for something and win $500,000. Frig! I was furious. Once I finish E's subscription (Sesame alphabet books), I think I'll write a stern letter to the company regarding their harrassment!

~B

Snotty Monday

Yip, my month long healthy streak has been broken. E had a cold over the wknd and I knew it was only time. E's eyes were bad for all last week. I knew it would get worse. Now it is. And I have it too. Started with a sore throat, then progressed till my nose was so blocked up, I couldn't possibly conceive how it could be running profusely. But it did. Of course. It took me hours to get to sleep last night. I last looked at the clock at 2:30. AGH!! Surprisingly I'm not tired today. Maybe it'll catch up with me around 3 o'clock.

Anyway, aside from a snotty wknd/Monday, we had a great time. Friday night, DH, E & I watched movies. Saturday a.m., work took us to Imax - Open Season 3D. Brought E to her first IMAX movie. She lasted 20 minutes. So, we hung out in the lobby while DH enjoyed the show...he really liked it. Saturday p.m., we went to MBF Shay's for the night. Shay & her DH Mark served us a delish dinner!! Thanks guys. Then the gals scrapped while the guys played video games (heaven for all of us). Sunday we left early because DH had Safety training with work. E & I spent the day together, very nice. Went on her little slide outside for a bit, coloured some Halloween pics for the window, napped. DH came home in the afternoon with an anniversary present for himself...remote control car. Told me to go shopping for new clothes for my ann present. That was fun!! DH watched E and made a FAB supper...Spagetti & meat sauce. Best ever!!

So that was our weekend. Got another busy one lined up. Mom coming Thursday, took Friday off so we could spend time together, Saturday is scrapping event 9-5, Saturday evening adult costume party, Sunday kids costume party, Monday morning E's ENT appointment, Monday night Stamping. And somewhere in there we need to visit MIL's Stepmom (up from CB too). Can't wait!! Should be a fun one. Have a great day!!
~B

Is it me???

Or is Survivor way boring the first few weeks? I know, it's sacralig to even say it but I'm feeling it. Last night I hopped between Ugly Betty and Survivor. I missed the final vote...and all the little relationship thingies that happen. But UB was too good to turn off. I wished I had watched it from the start because I feel I've missed a lot. I did find it kind of unbelievable that her boss would talk to her so graciously. Guess I missed out on his true personality from the get go.

Anyway, Survivor. Liked the tag team idea. I found it crazy to see the guys dropping out of the match before a lot of the ladies. Did they pile on more weight or something? Guess I need to tape it. Or tape UB. Problem is we don't have a DVR and the VCR is in MIL's room. Anyway, guess I'll figure something out.

Well, busy day. Must go. Chat with ya's on Monday.
~B

Anniversary alone...

...but I'm handling it okay. I don't mean to be pathetic...just miss my hunny. We did exchange "happy anniversary"s this morning on the phone. E talked to him on speaker...it was so cute. Anyway, we'll celebrate when he gets back.

So, you've heard I'm in stamping. Well I made a really nice card for DH last night. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the embossing powder/heater. It makes the card look like it was professionally made, I think. I'll take pics after DH opens it. :) Anyway, really love card making.

Back to the anniverary. 4 years doesn't seem very long. But DH & I have been together for 14 years. I was 16 on our first date. It was April 8th/1992. DH & I knew each other. He was MBF Shay's cousin. And our parents knew each other. We just didn't see each other very often. Then one night, Shay invited him to one of her get togethers. 2 weeks later, he asked me out. I remember trying to be calm on the phone. Then I called Shay and was totally freaking.

DH & I stayed together for 2 years before he moved from Sydney to Halifax (5 hr drive away). We did the long distance thing for 2 more years till I moved to Halifax for university (Sept./95). 5 months later, DH moved to Calgary with his BF. We decided to go our separate ways and lived separate lives for over a year. We remained in touch and after 14 months, he called to say he was coming back to Halifax. I already planned to go to Toronto for a year for post grad school. So, back we were, long distance for a year.

In June, 2000, I moved back to Halifax to work. DH & I got engaged, moved in together and got married 2 years later. It's been a crazy adventure...2 trips to Ireland, 1 to Turkey, the birth of our first daughter...all in 4 years. After everything we've been through, I wouldn't change a thing. I love DH more everyday and can't wait to see what our future holds.

~B

It's big baby!

After 5 years, it's finally happening. They're painting our office!! For real!! I've worked in the Creative Department for over 5 years. Right from the beginning, we've talked about how great it would be to actually look like a creative department. Ditch the once white, now off-white walls for something fun & funky!

Well, the jury has decided (alright, just my co-workers & I). We're going southwest! Check out our new favourite Sherman William's colour...Jalapeno!

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/

Log on to the website above, click on the "Launch Colour Visualizer" icon on the left. Then chose a room (doesn't matter what one, I did living room). In the "Quick Search", type in Jalapeno. Two accent colours will come up with it as well. Then click and drag or click the "Apply to Room" icon. Nice huh?? I love it! It may be too much for someone's home but really great for a creative environment like ours. Not only that but it's a warm, passionate colour...and we're all pretty passionate about what we do in creative. Play around with the SW site. Lots of fun, especially if you're jones-ing to paint your house over.

Well, must be off.
~B

P.S. I'm trying to hold onto all the excitement I can. DH got sent to CB this a.m. with work and will be away till Friday. Which means E & I will be spending DH & my anniversary together. :(

Crawl Space Pics

So here we are! The first pic is not a mad man...or some creapy extra from Chainsaw Massacre. It's DH passing me the exacto knife so I can cut the insulation. 2nd pic is of the finished (new) section of the house. 3rd pic is the (at the time) unfinished (old) section of the house...and the dirty old insulation DH tore down. And last, but certainly not least, is moi. Protection at all times peeps.
~B

It's a workin' woman I am...

...and I've been down underground for the whole weekend. DH & I hammered away at the crawl space. Insulation and vapour barrier. Let's just say my thighs are not pleased with me. Very, very sore. It hurts to sit down. But, we did it! Just one section to vapour barrier and it's complete. Kudos to dear MIL who watched E all weekend long, and still managed to make a delish TG day feast. I have lots of pics to post of our project but alas, they're home and I'm not. I'll post them tonight.

First, I'll give you some background. Our house is 45 years old (we've been there 2 years). The house was originally a cottage but an extention was put on (where our bedrooms now are). That entire new section had NO insulation or vapour barrier. Dreadfully cold floors. So we got in there Saturday and put up the insulation and finished most of the vapour barrier.

Sunday we finished the new section and prepped the old. Tore out all the old insulation (littered with mouse droppings I might add). And that's as far as we got. Had Thanksgiving dinner with MIL, DH, E and Aunt-IL. Then DH changed Aunt-IL's tires over to winters.

Yesterday we went back out and DH bagged the old insulation while I cut the new. Between the 2 of us, we put up the new stuff. We finished just in enough time to shower and head out to other Aunt-IL's for dinner. No vapour barrier up yet but really, there are only 2 sections (under living room and computer room) where we can put it up. The rest is heating ducts and water pipes.

I felt a real sense of accomplishment for all our efforts. Especially me. It's a very labourous job...and I did it! We did it! And my sore thighs and bruised knees are the evidence...or badges of honour...however you see it. Anyway, must get going. Hope you have a great TG weekend!!!

~B

Happy Turkey-day weekend!

Howdy y'all! Just wanted to start by wishing you & yours a happy festive feast. Try to cut back on the stuffing though. :) We're celebrating at home this year with MIL, Aunt-IL, DH, E & I. Sadly, we weren't able to make the trip to my folks' in CB. But I did get some good news yesterday. Mom is coming to visit next week (Th-Sa). I'm taking next Friday off so you'll have to wait till the following Monday for my Survivor reaction.

Speaking of which, great show last night. Way to go ladies!! I don't think I've seen a girl alliance so well executed. Especially when they convinced 2 of the guys to cut their strongest ally. I got 3 points in the pool this week. I'm still behind but more or less in with the rest of the crowd. So yeah, J.P., buddy, what were you thinking?? 'I'm just going to lay down here and let the harem serve me.' Nice try buster! Off you go. NEXT...

On to the weight loss...down 2 for a total of 21.5. DH is feeling a little discouraged. He's down 1/2 a pound again. I think his total is 12 pounds down. We talked more about getting in all his snacks (which he skips a lot) and cutting down on tea (no more than 2 cups a day). I really hope he sees a significant drop next week. We're all geared up for the turkey day dinner. No gravy, stuffing or potatoes. We got the green light for carrots (yeah!!), wine (why bother) and rolls (DH is giddy!!!!!). He's decided to have 2 white rolls in exchange for sweet potato (which I'm having). I'm really excited and encouraged and I think this year's Thankgiving won't leave me with extra pounds. :) Stuff the turkey, not me!

Well dears, have a great long wknd. I'll try to blog Monday night with all our crawl space pics/news. If not, you'll get me Tuesday.

~B

Sweat of your brow

You know how you listen to a song but you really don't hear the lyrics. It's got a good beat, good music but you have no idea what the song says (like Jack the Knife). That happens to me a lot. I heard a song this morning that caught my ear. "Give thanks to the Almighty..."??? I thought, this top 40, hip hop chic is refering to the Almighty? How cool is that??? Most people don't want to hear it. Now I'm not a hard core Catholic...I do church, when I get there. Although I'm afraid I'm becoming a C&E Catholic (Christmas & Easter). I would like to attend more regularly. Aaaaaanyway, I was really impressed with the song. The artist is Jully Black...gorgeous gal, great artist. Here's a link to the lyrics which are very cool. http://jullyblack.com/web/lyrics/index.php

The song reminds me to stop being so selfish. I do have "food in my belly" and "my roof ain't leakin". And yet I complain. *sigh* Anyway, I'm so over it now. I'm going to, "Get rid of (my) worries. Don’t try to justify. The one who giveth can taketh at anytime. Enjoy all (my) struggles. And appreciate the plight. Cause when darkness turns to light. Everything will be all right!" And it will. It will be alright. I just have to trust in that. And deep down I do. Just need a kick in the head to remind myself.

So, tonight is weigh in. Still excited/nervous to see my progress. I feel like I'm not losing but the clothes tell the truth. I keep shrinking out of my wardrobe which is good...and bad at the same time. :) And of course, it's Survivor night. Can't wait to see what happening. Cao Boi is getting on his group's nerves. We'll see I guess. Well dolls, must go. Keep the faith peeps.

~B

Fun fall projects...

So you've heard me chatter on about the projects I have on the go/need to get done. Well, I have some FUN projects I want to tackle but don't make the time for them. Last night, MIL offered to bath E while I worked on my wedding scrapbook. I only had 3 pages to complete it and I finally did it!! It looks awesome. I'm so pumped to do more, tonight I'm going to work on E's first year. I'm a few months short of being done. I have all the pics, just need to get them down. Then I want to do a 2006 album, a family history album, and then I'll worry about everything before 2006 later.

Other than scrapping, I'm into stamping...well, card making. MBF Shay, MBWF Myrna & I are getting together soon to do Christmas cards. I'm really excited because it's easier when you have a smaller group. We're in a Stampers 10 group (10 ladies) and we all have to share the stamps. They do divide us in 2 groups which makes it a bit easier but still, it's hard to share. :) Anyway, I expect it will be a fun night. I'll get some pics of our stuff.

Well, must get going. TTFN!
~B

Cute pics of my girl.

I couldn't resist posting these. E in the high chair at daycare is the most recent. I just love her perfect pose. :)

The French Fry pic is from last year. It just kills me! I laugh everytime I see it. It was the first time she had ffs and she loved them! We were out celebrating my Dad's b-day at Jasper's Family Restaurant in CB.

What a gal!
~B

The sunshine is back!!

Gosh, I was starting to get waterlogged and moldy! So happy to see the sun again, even if it is cool out. I love this time of year. The smell of the outdoors, leaves falling...makes me want to get all cosy under a blanket with a hot cup of tea. :) This morning it was particularly hard to get up. My bed was so cumfy. But alas, I have to pay the bills.

Not much to chatter about today. I'm getting over feeling bummed about not going to CB for Thanksgiving. This morning I mailed off a picture of a turkey that E painted on in daycare. It'll make the grand-folks happy. Besides, DH & I have a big project wknd coming up. The house we bought used to be a cottage. An addition was put on it. Well, the owners didn't insulate that end underneath the house. And the entire crawl space doesn't have vapour barrier. Not smart! That's how we ended up with a mold problem in our master bedroom (still walking on plywood I might add).

Anyway, we just spent over $1100 on new insulation, vapour barrier and all the trimmings (fitting for Thanksgiving wknd). Saturday & Sunday we're going to re-do the entire crawl space so we'll have warmer floors (hopefully) before winter. I'm actually looking forward to it. I like doing home improvement stuff...although I rarely do it. I have this terrible mentality that "the man" should take charge of it. DH, God love him, is an excellent mechanic but not much of a home improvement guy. Well, he is if someone else is in the lead. Maybe this wknd, we'll learn we're more capable than we give ourselves credit. Maybe I'll take some pics to show you how we got on.

Well dolls, best be going. Enjoy the sunshine!
~B

Reality TV

If you hadn't figured it out, I'm a HUGE reality TV fan. It's really all I watch these days. There are so many great sitcoms...Grey's Anatomy, House...and new shows I've heard are awesome...Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters. Still, I'm stuck on the real stuff. Sunday night it always a big night for me. Love my Extreme Makeover fix. I found it grounds me...makes me forget about how pathetic I am. All last week I was so pissy over our financial troubles. Then I watch this show with a young mother whose husband died, in their bed, just 23 days after the birth of their sixth child, which he delivered in that same bed. Now how sad is that??!! Then I realize I'm not near enough of a charity case to warrant such a reward.

Last night's show, as all the EM shows do, had me in tears. First, for what tragic lives these people lead. Second, for the generosity shown by the community. Yes, I know Sears gets a huge plug for their contributions. And the contractors too. But they're doing amazing work. It's not just a dishwasher, washer & dryer, etc., it's helping someone live their broken life a bit easier. Really, if there's someone deserving of the luxury, it's not me. I have a wonderfully healthy family, a home, a great job...I have no reason to complain. I need to remember this more often.

Aaaanyway, had a nice wknd with the fam. DH & I had a date Friday night. The Guardian was a great movie...highly recommend it. Saturday, DH, E & I did the groceries. E, to my amazement, stayed up till 8:45!! watching Curious George. She loved it. What a little trooper. Needless to say, she slept in Sunday till 7:38 (usually up between 5:30 & 6). Sunday, MIL, E & I did a little more grocery shopping. In the afternoon, DH, E & I went to our friend's twins 1st birthday party. Lots of fun. E wouldn't eat the cake...but she LOVED munching on cheezes. She's definitely a snacky vs. sugary girl. :)

Well y'all, best be getting my Monday going. Have a great one.
~B

Pic of the fam

Attempt number goodness knows what.

Finally success!!! Here's a pic of the fam. Moi, little E and DH. :) Don't we look sweet. This pic was taken at a birthday party for the mama & baby group I belong to (Spring Beans). Mama & daddy were smiling but E was too busy eating a cracker to smile.

~B