Weekend Wrap Up

I hope all of my blogging friends had a wonderful weekend! It was BEAUTIFUL here in West Central Georgia! I was so glad to see the sunshine and it's warmness!

Friday --- I went with Ashley to her induction ceremony for the Education Program at her college. We didn't know what  to expect, so we dressed nice and got over there in plenty of time to get a good seat. We went to the table that was set up in front of the room that we were to be in and Ashley gave the lady her name. The lady gave Ashley her certificate and we got a proram. There weren't many people there yet, so we had no problem finding a seat at a table. They had a small (very small!) table set up with some breakfast foods --- all store-bought pastries. I took a very small poppysead muffin and a very small apple danish thing. The muffin tasted old, so I didn't eat it. Blech! The danish was ok. The "ceremony" was very lame, to say the least. They just had the students stand up, all together, to be recognized. No individual names were called out. Then, they went over the Student Handbook, of all things! Then, that was it. It was time to go. So... I didn't take any pictures, since it really wasn't that kind of an event. Oh well. I am still very proud of Ashley for her accomplishments!

In the evening, we went to the concert. It was VERY GOOD!! Here are some pics that I took. The "close ups" were pics that I took of the "jumbotron". I was glad that they had those! :)

This is Jerrod Niemann. He is an up & coming country musician. He has a couple of songs that are being played on the radio right now. He sang those and a few more that we hadn't heard yet. He was VERY good!

Next.... Darius Rucker performed. He used to be the leader singer of the group called... "Hootie and the Blowfish". We love his music!

During his performance, Brad Paisley pulled one of his famous pranks and had several audience members spray Darius with Silly String!!! It was so funny!!

He just kept on singing!

Then, during Darius' rendition of "Purple Rain" (a Prince song), this guy came out dressed as cupid, throwing purple glitter everywhere!! Too funny!!

Now, it was time for Brad Paisley to sing!! This was his H2O Tour, the letters here said that before they sunk into the ground. I missed the shot! Ooops!

Then, brad appears from what looks like a swimming pool!! Very cool!

Here he is again, in front of the "water".

I like this picture! In one of his songs, he mentions The Beatles!

He put on quite a show for his fans!

He even came down to the "cheap seats" (where we were!) and performed a couple of songs on what looked like a swimming pool!

At the end of the concert, it was one big party on stage!

We had a great time and saw lots of people that we knew. Miranda even got to see her 3rd grade teacher!! It was fun to get to talk with her! Miranda was so excited! Mrs. Galyon was (and has always been!) her very favorite teacher!

Saturday --- David and I took our bikes down to Columbus and rode them 15 miles on the fairly new bike trail that the city has added!! It is part of what I think is a nation-wide program called.... "Rails to Trails". The bike trail is put where old train tracks used to be. We had a great ride! The weather was perfect!

Sunday --- We went to church first. Ashley's boyfriend, Nick, joined us for the first time. It was a new experience having our family of 6 (the four of us +2) spread out across a whole row of seats!! It felt really nice to have us all there together.

We hung out at the house for the rest of the day and watched the Nascar race in the afternoon. We decided to make it interesting and place bets (small bets - $2) on who would win. We each got to pick one driver to be our favorite driver and then we drew names for four more. Ashley was the winner! Jeff Gordon won. He is NOT one of our favorite drivers, but because she drew his name... she won the cash! It was a fun way to enjoy the race.

Now, it's Monday and I'm anxious to get to town and go to the gym and to the grocery store before the rain comes this afternoon. We might get some storms. I kinda' hope so! I love thunderstorms!

Early Start to an Eventful Day

I was awoken by Chester at 3:15 this morning, needing to go out and potty. Hopefully, this isn't a new trend that he is starting!! Then, my RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) decided to "kick" in and I couldn't go back to sleep!! NOT fun!

Check out this photo that I took of him last night. (It was taken with my Ipod Touch, so it isn't the best quality) He loves to drag the towel out of his crate and "play" with it. It's a game that he plays. He will bring it to us and we will put it on over his head and then, he will pull it off and then bring it right back again! Sometimes, we do this to him... We wrap it around his head and laugh at him looking like a little old lady! He loves it!

Anyway.... Today is going to be a busy, but fun, day!

This morning, I am going with Ashley to the college for a ceremony & brunch, honoring her and other students that were accepted into the Education Program. Oooh!! That reminds me... I better make sure my camera battery is charged!! -- Ok. It's good! I will, hopefully, have some chances to take photos and maybe post them in an upcoming post.

The weather is rainy this morning, so I am not sure what I am going to wear. It's warm, but since it's raining.... sandals are not a good idea. And it's really too warm to wear my boots. Hmmmm.... I'll have to think about it. Luckily, I have a little bit of time!

This evening.... David, Miranda, Rory (her b/f) and I are going to the Brad Paisley concert!! The girls and I bought the tickets for David for Christmas. (Well.... mine & his tickets! Miranda & Rory bought their own.) I am super excited about going!!! We haven't been to a concert in quite a while. Darius Rucker (formally from the band "Hootie and the Blowfish") will be opening for Brad! I can't wait! I'll take my camera and try to get some photos!

Ashley will be spending the evening with Nick, her b/f. They will be celebrating his new job as a police officer for a nearby town in Alabama!! YAY!!! We are super excited for Nick! He is a great guy and we are so happy that Ashley is finally happy!

Remember the photo of the material that I posted previously??? It looked like this...

Well, I ordered the fabric and picked it up yesterday. It looks so beautiful and vibrant in this photo.... but.... in real life..... it's a good bit "darker" than this photo presumes it to be! The background here, looks like it is almost white. Well.... it's not. It's more of a "yellowish white". And the reds & greens aren't as bright. They are much darker. I am a little disappointed. But... I have not found any other pillows that I like... so... I guess I am going to go with this fabric. I think I may do the back of the pillows in a coordinating fabric, tho. I'll have to go back to the fabric store today and look around.

I also ordered a slip cover for my navy blue chair. It was delivered last night. I haven't tried it out yet, because I didn't get home until almost 9pm. I will try it today and see how it looks. Maybe I will take some more photos and post them, as well.

I better go and hit the shower before the girls do!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

I'm Stuck!

I have been an exercise "junkie" for the past week and a half, and I am seeing NO PROGRESS what so ever!!! The number on the scale WILL NOT MOVE!!!  Yes. That was me "yelling" thru my typed words. I am so very frustrated. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I could drop 5 pounds with no problem. Well, apparently, those days are long over and I am depressed about it.

From what I have read ... and I read a LOT!.... you are supposed to burn more calories than you take in. Well.... right now, I feel like I will have to quit eating all together in order to do that!

Don't worry. I wouldn't be able to do that even if I tried. I honestly don't know how anyone can go without eating! But.... I DO wish that I had that mindset to a degree. I think it would help.

Not losing weight depresses me. And when I feel depressed, I just want to curl up in a blanket and do NOTHING! So, this is how I feel right now. I just want to crawl back into my bed and CRY.

But... I can't and I won't.

I will keep going forward and I will keep trying. I won't give up. Not yet, anyway.

I tried to find a clipart picture of a woman beating the cr*p out of a bathroom scale... but, couldn't find one. I did find this one tho and thought it was good for a laugh!

Is this a tease or is it real?

I'm talking about the weather.

It has has felt very much like Spring here in the South and I love it! The sun has been shining and the temperatures have been in the mid to upper 70's!

I can't help but think about that little groundhog up in Pennsylvania that did NOT see his shadow on Ground Hogs Day. According to the legend, since he did not see his shadow... this meant that Spring was/is "just around the corner" (as opposed to 6 more weeks of winter!) Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since then, and we have had beautiful weather for over a week now. So.... I am guessing that the little critter just may have been right! Hahaa!

I am not a weather "know-it-all", but I can not remember the last time that it was this warm in the middle of February!

But..... this just might be a tease, because in on March 2009, it snowed a LOT here in the south!

So... who knows!

Miranda, Jackson & I enjoying the snow on March 1, 2009

Look at me! I don't have anything else to write about, so I am resorting to writing about the WEATHER, of all things!! Sad, huh? **Smile**

I Want to Get Physical

Last week, I did really good. I made it to the gym 4 days in a row!! And yes... I DID exercise! Two of those days, I even went BEFORE work!! I thought it would be tough, but I did it and I liked it!

I am actually ANXIOUS to get there today and I am actually looking forward to working out! YAY! I am excited to be back in this mode of thinking! I have been here before (several times!), but somehow... the excited-ness wears off, and I go back to hating exercise.

Olivia Newton John's song.... "Let's Get Physical" is playing in my mind at the moment (even though... I don't think that was what she was singing about! LOL!)

But, that is what I want to do! I want to "get physical" so that I can "be fit"!

Excercise really isn't the hardest part for me. It's the "eating" part that is hard! I KNOW what I am supposed to be eating and what I shouldn't eat. But, I have a hard time following the rules. Temptation ALWAYS gets the best of me!

So, off I go.... to eat a HEALTHY breakfast, do some chores, and then head to the gym.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

The Beautiful Psalm 139

Each morning, I recieve an email from The Upper Room containing a devotion for the day. This morning, it was Psalm 139. I have read this Psalm before and I am sure that it "touched me"" then, as it did this moring. But, that is one of the reasons that I love reading the Bible - God's Word - so much! Each time you read it, God speaks to you in different ways.

Let me share the Psalm with you ~

Psalm 139 (New Living Translation)

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3 You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night—

12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!

Get out of my life, you murderers!

20 They blaspheme you;

your enemies misuse your name.

21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?

Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?

22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,

for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

My thoughts ~

V. 1-6 ~  The Lord knows everything about me. He knows my every thought, no matter where I am. He knows what I am about to say, before I say it. He knows where I am at all times. He is with me when I travel. He travels before me and behind me. He blesses me with His hand on my head.

V. 7-12 ~ No matter where I go, He is there with me. Wherever I am, He will guide me & support me. The dark is light to Him and He can see still see me.

V. 13-16 ~ He "designed" my body - all of my parts. From every cell to every hair. He "knit" me together in my mother's womb.  He SAW me before I was born! Every day of my life is recorded in His BOOK. He has my whole life planned out for me! Many parts of it I have yet to even see!

V. 17-18 ~ He thinks about me so much that His thoughts can not be counted.

V. 19-22 ~ I have no thoughts on these verses. I'm not sure why David (the author of this Psalm) included these thoughts here.

V. 23-24 ~ Lord, please help me to relize my sins and guide me down the path that you have laid out for me.

May God bless you today and may you feel His love!

Photo of New "Do"

Ok.... here is the photo that I promised at the end of my last post. (click to view)

I took it myself with my Ipod. I kept trying and trying to get one with me actually looking at the camera... but, failed to!! LOL! So, you are stuck with this one! It's not the best picture, but you get an idea anyway of how the new "do" looks! I styled it myself this morning, but had trouble with the "sides" cooperating. It's hard to tell in this photo. It's going to take some getting used to, that's for sure! And if I not... it's just hair and it will grow back! **Smile**

A New Hairstyle

Hairsytles come and go. Mine haven't changed a whole lot over the years. I have had long hair most of my life. The only two exceptions that I can recall are... once when I was little, my mother cut my hair into a "pixie" style (short!) because she had heard that it would help my hair to thicken up. I am not sure if this worked, but I remember HATING this haircut because no one recogized me and they thought I was a new BOY in the neighborhood!! Yikes! The next time was when I was about 19 years old. I let a friend talk me into letting her cousin, who was studying to be a hairdresser, give me a "perm" ! BIG MISTAKE!!! It ruined my hair!! There was no way to save it, other than to chop it off to about shoulder length. It was about midway down my back, before the perm!

Here is a photo of me on my last day of high school in June of 1982. "Wings" were still in style and I used LOTS of hairspray to keep them in place!

My natural hair color is a dark brown, but I have dyed it many times.

When my kids were little (around 1994), I dyed it blonde. It looks pretty good in this picture, but in reality... it was way to "brassy".

I eventually went back to my natural color and wore my hair in this style for MANY years! This pic was taken around the year 2000.

I grew out the bangs above, when they began to be "out of style" and I began to get my hair "highlighted" when I started seeing a few "grey" strands! EEEK!!

This pic was taken right after I got bangs cut into my hair - again! (2007?)

This is when I began to HATE these bangs! I couldn't keep them out of my eyes! (March 2009)

By June of 2009, I had grown them out - again!

Since then, my "look" (color & style) has pretty much stayed the same as the picture above

.... until yesterday!

I got bangs, again!!

I don't have any pics of myself yet, but here are the pics that I showed my hair stylist to give her an idea of what I wanted.

I love Sally Field! And I love her bangs in this picture! I also love the length of her hair, here.

But..... since, "somebody" likes long hair..... I want to keep my length. I picked this photo of Calista Flockhart to show my stylist how I invision the rest of my hair to be, which is pretty much the same as it has been .... only Calista's is MUCH prettier!

So, now you have to imagine the two hair styles together, and you will be invisioning my new hair style! My hairstylist "straightened" my hair yesterday, which really isn't the "look" that I want. So... today, I am anxious to "play with it" myself, so that I can HOPEFULLY achieve the look that I am wanting. I think that my stylist cut a little "too much" of my hair to make the bangs, but I won't know for sure until I do it myself.

IF....and that's a BIG "IF".... I like the way it turns out... I will have a picture taken of myself in my new "hairdo" and show it to you. But.... if I don't like it.... there will be NO PHOTO!  I will be in hiding until these bangs grow out!! LOL!

Possible Color Scheme

I think I may have figured out a color scheme for my living room!!! Take a look at this BEAUTIFUL fabric that I found at http://www.joann.com/! Won't it make some gorgeous pillows???

Pillows

Now, look as I have gathered some other colors together to get an idea of what the room will look like with the above as pillows...

Let me know what you think!!

Couch

Slipcover for blue chair (might go a little darker)

Curtains & accent pillow for chair

Accent pillow for chair (or couch)

Wall color (possibly)

Carpet

Decorating Dilemma

Have you ever gotten a new piece of furniture and then realized that your whole room needs a new "look"?? Well, that is the dilemma that I am in at the moment!

Our 10 year old couch had to be "retired" to storage. As much as I loved the way that it looked (and matched) my color scheme... it had to go. It still "looked" nice, but as soon as you sat on it, you SANK! There was no comfortable "spot" any more. **insert sad face** We tried restuffing the cushions, which helped for a little while, but didn't last long. Then, we tried a thin board under the cushions. Nope! That wasn't comfortable, either! So.... we started thinking that maybe it was time for a new one.

Here is a photo of my living room with the "old" couch. It's hard to tell, but it was is (We still have it) mostly navy blue with the colors of mauve/burgandy, tan/brown, & a little bit of light blue. When we bought it, it was VERY comfortable!! We wanted one of those couches that enveloped you as soon as you sat down, and this one did!

The recliner that you see in the forground is a burgandy leather one. The color was chosen to match the couch. At the time, this choice of color seemed like the right color. Now... not so much. But, there is nothing wrong with the recliner, so it's staying.

David has ALWAYS wanted a leather couch, but I have never wanted one. But... I have learned the hard way over the years, that "woven" fabric and long-haired "inside" doggies do NOT mix! So.... I gave in and decided that a leather couch would be the best choice for our family. So... a few weeks ago, we began our search for our new couch.

We first looked at a couple of small home-town furniture stores that are going out of business, but didn't see anything that we liked or could have afforded, even at their "discount" --- LOL.

After giving it some thought, David came up with the idea that a "sleeper sofa" might be a good choice for us since we only have 3 bedrooms. I had never thought of this idea! So, we then started shopping the big name furniture stores and quickly realized that our choices were limited when it came to sleeper sofa's.

As far as color goes, I knew that I did NOT want burgandy! I knew that it would match the recliner, but I also knew that I would be tied into that color for a very long time if I chose a couch to match. So, during our search for the right couch/sofa (Same thing!), we decided that the traditional "brown" would be the right color for us. Not too light and not too dark. And... it will be a color that will never go "out of style".

We made our choice and this is our NEW COUCH, in our living room....

I didn't realize it when we were looking at it in the store, but it is a bit "shorter" than our old one and it is not as "deep". Hmmmm.... oh well. It is leather and it's a sleeper, so it IS what I was looking for. I like it!

Now... for my dilemma. But, let's look at a few other photo's first.

Look at the color of my walls. I know that you can't tell, but they need to be painted... badly! I would like to "warm up" the room by painting the walls a darker color. Maybe a shade of brown. I am afraid of going "too" dark, tho.

Also... look at the burgandy recliner and the navy blue chair, to the left. I am not liking the way that they look. I don't like that I now have three pieces of furniture in 3 different colors! It's really bugging me!

I have been looking all over town for some throw pillows that have these colors (or at least TWO of them), but can not find any that I like. And... there are NO navy blue pillows to be found ANYWHERE! Red, green, brown & turqoise seem to be the "in" colors right now.

In this picture, you can see my red curtains. I bought the red curtains and pillows a couple of years ago because I really wanted "red" in my color scheme. Now, I love the red... but, I dont like it with everything else!

I am sooooo confused!! I really do not know what I am doing when it comes to decorating! I want the room to be "warm" and "inviting". Right now, it isn't.

If any of you have any ideas that might help me... please toss them out!! I am open to suggestions!!

Two things that I have thought about are... finding fabric and "making" my own throw pillows. I would have more fabric choices, that way. And also putting a slipcover over the navy blue chair. I'm thinking of a light brown color. 

Here's a picture of the paint color that I am considering. It is called "Fawn Maple". Just to the right of it, you can see a small portion of my kitchen wall. I LOVE the color of it! The side of my kitchen cabinet is next to it.

THIS is what is on my mind right now! I want to "love" this room. ----- HELP!!



L.O.V.E. for my Valentine

L is for....

the love that you have for me.

how in love I am with you!

how much you make me feel loved.

the little things that you do for me.

how loyal you are to me.

the way that you make me laugh.

how lucky I am to have you!

how you listen to me when I need to talk.

giving me a love that will last a lifetime.

giving me the life that I always dreamed of!

O is for....

how overjoyed I am to be married to you!

how you make me feel like I'm on cloud nine!

the outstanding way that you provide for our family.

you being the only one for me!

the oodles of fun we have together.

V is for....

Valintine. Thanks for being mine for the past 29 years!

how you value our marriage and our family.

how very much I am in love with you!

how much I love to hear your voice on the phone.

all the wonderful vacations that we have been on!

how you maintain our vehicles.

E is for....

how excited I am to see you when you get home!

for everthing that you do for me.

how excellent you are!

the encouragement that you give to me.

providing our girls with a wonderful education.

how you energize me!

how much I enjoy spending time with you!

the enormous love that I have for you!

being the best husband in the entire world!

being my equal.

the extraordinary person that you are!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I love you David!!!!!