Happy New Year! ....Huh?

This is my first post of 2011.  It seems a little belated to talk about the new year and new beginnings and resolutions, but Chinese New Year is only two days away, so it's like a second chance for us procrastinators.  My resolution this year was to not go on anymore diets.  Guess what?  This is the longest I've ever struck to a resolution, and, unfortunately, I've got the number on the scale to prove it.  

I've decided I'd just like to be a professional blog reader.  I'm trying to learn to post links to some really great blogs I've discovered.  They all have skills way beyond mine so their blogs are all fancy while mine looks decidedly "do-it-yourself"-ish.  I've found many great recipes and photo tips and many things that inspire me.  Just check out my sidebar and start clicking away on all those cool buttons!  Tidy Mom and The Krazy Coupon Lady are my two most recent favorites.

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?