Dieting. Blech!

I just joined Weight Watchers.  Again.  For about the 200th time in my life I think.  The last few times I joined all I did was gain weight.  I don't know why I always think it will be different this time.  I just get desperate.  I picked a solid, fairly-easy-to-achieve 20 pounds to lose as my goal.  I'm doing it online and just paid $17.95 for one month instead of boxing myself in to the 3-month plan.  I think the three-month thing kinda freaks me out and I feel trapped and can hardly stand it.  We'll see if taking this one month at a time will help.  I want to get back to looking like this picture.

Sunday Slackin'

Just sitting here watching some country music awards show.  The ACMs or AMAs or some such combination of letters.  I totally slacked today.  I read a Harlequin.  That's really about it.  I just have to say I love Reba; the red hair, the accent, her sense of humor.  She's the definition of lovely.  I've come to realize that blog posts aren't quite as interesting when there's no picture accompanying them, so I'm going to try to include one with every post whether it really  has anything to do with what I'm blabbering about or not.  My first thought was to re-post my picture with Keith Urban since he's up for at least one of the awards on this show I'm watching, but you've seen that one so I'm going to go browse and pick one out now. Oh wait, I almost forgot I have another picture with Keith.  Somehow I have won a meet & greet twice now.  I like the other picture better, though.  Maybe it's crazy, but the reason I like the other one so much has less to do with Keith Urban standing right next to me and so much more to do with the fact that my weight that day was in the 120s.  Oh how badly I miss you 120s.  

If Ever I Loved Thee, My Jesus 'Tis Now

Because of Easter, this is the song in my heart right now:

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I copied this from metrolyrics.com from a version by Amy Grant.  It was written by William R. Featherston.  

Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee, originally uploaded by fourtrans.

This is a picture I took in front of my sister's townhouse in Raleigh. She grew the biggest lavender plants there. Looking at this just makes me happy. It also makes me really want to go buy a new lens for my camera.

5th Grade Field Trip

So, my daughter begs me and begs me with tears in her eyes to come along on her field trip, even though they were not asking for chaperones. While I'm no sucker for crocodile tears (usually), I agreed. I'd never been to Morningside Nature Center and it sounded like fun. After all the begging, the little rascal wouldn't even sit with me on the bus. That's okay. I get it. She still wants me and needs me, just maybe not so much all the time. I'm definitely entering a period where I'm going to be struggling to find the balance between holding on and letting go.  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the fact that she is still asking me to come along.

I Think I'll Eat it Now.

Surfing the internet while eating lunch = an empty plate and me wondering whereintheheck did all my food go?

What Amazes Me

Don't you love it when something truly amazes you? The source of pretty much all of the "amazement" in my life seems to be the Lord. Like this morning, when I found myself in the middle of an answered prayer. You see, there are a lot of days when I don't even think to pick up my bible. I always have good intentions, but life gets in the way and sometimes I just absolutely don't even think about it. This is something I've been praying a lot about lately for God to change in me. So, this morning I couldn't get this verse out of my head. It's one Pastor Ken quoted recently, but I could only remember part of it. All I could think of this morning was, "If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most pitied," but I knew that just wasn't quite right. I'm convinced God put that partial verse in my head knowing that it would drive me crazy that I couldn't remember exactly how it went and I would come home and Google it and figure out how the rest goes. Before I knew it, I was into the Word, devouring it, just like I always do once I get to my desk and open it up. Why do I find it so impossible to just go to my desk, grab my bible, and read it and pray every morning? Just like with exercising, the hardest part is just getting started. Once I'm into it I can't stop asking, "Why do I always put this off? It feels so good and I know it is so good for me." Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayer and getting me to read your Word in spite of me. By the way, here's the whole verse. I'm giving it to you in the King James Version just because that's the one my pastor would have quoted. I can also give it to you in NIV, New King James, or New American Standard if you like. And yes, I did look it up in all four versions. That's just my personality. I Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Sweet Baby Boy when he's not sick:

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Sweet Baby Boy

My sweet baby boy is sick. Boo strep throat! Boo antibiotics that make you throw up and give you rashes! (Sorry if that was too much information!)

I solemnly swear never to make another batch of cupcakes unless I'm taking them somewhere to share with others. Just kidding. I never swear.

The cupcakes and I

Yesterday, because it was St. Patrick's Day, I made cupcakes. Today, because of the cupcakes, I did 30 Day Shred with Jillian. It was 20 minutes of heaven. On opposite day.

I did get to try out my new favorite product, the Cup-A-Cake container. Now I can put cupcakes in my kids' lunches and they won't get squished. I got them at cupacake.com.

I've got some catching up to do!

Thanks to Facebook, I had all but given up on my blog. Seriously, with everyone in my family (heck, everyone on the planet) on Facebook, what's the point? Well, I've decided that I want a more personal way to post my photos and the goings-on in my life. Besides, today I'm a little bored.