Joni: it's so funny that you mention bundling up because I've noticed that I am freezing all the time. Especially here at work. I failed to notice that, duh...it's because i lost so much of my insulation (fat) haha!!
LeaAnn: When I click on your avatar a bigger version of your picture shows up. What a great looking family. You look fabulous. I can kind of see Boo in the bigger picture, but she's so tiny! Wow, the houses in Amarillo are huge! Probably way cheaper than the small houses here in San Diego.
Joni.........Girl..........you are HOT!!! Really........you look incredible, and you should be proud of your pictures!!! I would be!!! I hope DH knows how good he has it
Nashville Debbie.....stay strong. It will be sooo worth it. Judging by my weaknesses at Thanksgiving, I don't know how well I would do on vacation.......but I do know (as do you) how much it sucks to relose what had been lost. That being said........if you cheat, you WILL recover. YOu do need to enjoy life.....you never know how many days you have left.
Lee Ann, Kim, thank you for your concern for my DD. I am about going out of my mind about it. She falls through the cracks. We are not poor, she is not pregnant, she is well behaved at school, she does not have a medical diagnosis........so any program our school assistance are not available to us. Unfortunatley, we are not wealthy enough (5 kids, one income) to put her in private or specialty school. The counselor we have been seeing informed me yesterday that she no longer has a contract with my insurance co.....so now we will have to pay her cash. It's just one frustration after another. Luckily, we caught a break yesterday.......there is a private school that has a contract with our public school, and she can de some credit recovery there.......if I can get the principals to recommend her for the program. That could be tricky...but I am a mouthy mom when I have to be. Also, a crisis counselor that works for our schools returned my call yesterday, and she referred me to a child psychiatrist ( I know, it sounds really scary, but we need a psychiatrist to diagnose and prescibe med if necessary) who is actually taking new patients!!! That my friends deserves a WHOOHOO!!! You would think that wouldn't be a difficult task......but it truly is. They are not real common around here. My counselor recommended she be evaluated by a psychiatrist, and possibly be started on anti-depressants, just to see if maybe it will kick start her a bit, and it would possibly be only temporary. My pediatrician would not prescibe for us in the interim, so I was about to pull my hair out. Finally, the help we may or may not need is in reach, and I am feeling better about the whole thing. The school crisis counselor said that she really respects and likes the doc she recommended. She said he does not just prescribe.....he actually takes the time to get to the bottom of the problem, which is a huge relief for us. I am not a huge fan of meds, but if my girlie truly needs them, then I want her to have them and be ok. Anyway, we see the doc on Dec 20th, and I'm sure the receptionist thought I was a loon, cuz after we set the appt, I said, "Oh, I could just kiss you....." She laughed. Ok, enough about my teen age daughter and me......how the heck is everyone doin????
I think my DH might actually stay home with me today. If so, we will be drywalling and mudding. We are also in the throws of construction, but not yet building our kitchen. We have a lot of prep work to do before that happens. We basically knocked down all of the walls that seperated our kitchen, dining room, working pantry, and formal living room (no it has never been formal with all these d*** kids). We still have to move the basement stairway, remove a **** load of ceramic tile, patch a few more pieces of drywall on the ceiling, and do a bit more electric work before we even begin to install the new stuff. What a pain.........but it will be nice when it is done.........in 10 years.
Oh, heck, I have to run.........have to get youngest DD off to the bus. Talk with you all soon Have a POP day............so you can all look HOT like Joni and Evette!!!
p.s. I almost forgot, Lee Ann.....I love your family picture
Evette--thanks a bunch! Boo is my BABY!!! Of course--she is about to get in trouble because she refuses to go outside in the snow and I am sure she is about to bust. I am kicking myself for not having before photos to compare--I RAN from the camera!! Will keep looking. I with you--freezing most of the time--and I still have lots more insulation than you.
Martha - I just went back to find the "trickeration" reference and OMG - you have lost over 40 lbs since July! We weigh almost the same, but I've been doing this since the end of June and only have 17 lbs behind me. I'm feeling pretty lame right about now. Congrats on hanging in there and dealing with the antics at the COD. At this point I use my COD for weigh in/accountability and it's gotten to the point that if I want a serious consult, I write down the name of the counselor I want to see (there really are only two that I consider good); all the other times, I just talk to whomever they assign to me so I can be humored and find out just how much they don't know!
General statement for all: I know it's been said on this site before, but the LAWL Centers are, in fact, a "for profit" business and unfortunately sales tactics go along with it. Don't ever let anyone talk you into something you can't afford or don't need or don't want. You'll regret it in the end and be bitter. If you really have strong issues with your COD, speak up so whatever it is they are doing will stop and you won't dread making your scheduled COD visit. The program works, it's healthy and it can change your life if you do, in fact, want to be changed!!
Nicole--it sounds like you are doing everything right. I hope everything starts running smoothly for you and your family. With medical help and your love she'll get through it. The most important thing right now is that she knows you are trying everything in your power. Kids need that from us! Okay--much as I would like "new stuff" I don't want anything to do with all the work you are doing--but I love the visual--you are a great writer!
Yeah - I have deadlines too, but you see where my priorities lie!!
LeaAnn - poor, poor, poor Lexi - I think you need to PhotoShop her into the picture! I think it's cute that you're all in red except Boo and your youngest are in black. You probably kept Lexi out since she didn't fit the red/black theme!
okay--now I feel guilty that Lexi never gets her photo shown so here she is. I'll leave this one for a while--then back to the family. She is the greatest dog--much better behaved than Boo--but gets way too excited when the camera comes out. Boo is too snotty to act goofy!
You know how they say that one 2 minute interruption in your day actually costs like 40 minutes of actual work time? That's probably because after I am interrupted at work I MUST check in here before I got back to what I was doing!!!! LOL!
Lea Ann - Gorgeous family! What a great x-mas card. Poor Lexi, her only problem is that she is too big to pick up and put into the right position for the picture! I always say that that's the best thing about Dodger - at 5 lbs, he really has no options but to do what I want him to do!
Nicole - and I thought I was crazy to embark on some painting and new lighting before Christmas! Yikes, that's one ambitious project!
Awwwwwwwww....adorable. Hey, if you double click the Lexi picture, you get the family portrait picture. Nice to see you are technically challenged like me with this picture stuff on the site!!
Kim - okay - I'm with you on the interruptions cause me to check this site before I get back to work. I have got to stop or I'll be in big trouble with the boss! Okay, I'm closing down and you won't see me again until after 5 PM!!
Miss Hawthorne - This new way of eating DOES work and there are plenty of ladies out here to prove it!!! We're here for ya girlfriend!!!
Joni - Wait.... You?... Blushing???? You gotta be kidding!!! - BTW.. "roasting a turkey"??? It's a lot more fun to smoke the sucker!!!
Cassi - Celebrating 22nd wedding anniversary in April! Yep, still head over heels, goo goo eyed for that man!!! Frisky? Nope - Captivated, mesmerized, and totally, totally blessed? - Oh YEAH!!!! I still get excited when he's on his way home and I wait up for him no matter what! (good grief, I need to get a life!)
Martha - Great to see you back with us... now stop lurking and join in on the fun! We need your input!!! And, I totally agree with you about the "deals"... my dh worked as a Retail Meat Manager for many years and he comes from a line of retail grocers... one thing they taught me quickly... It isn't a deal if it's followed by "if"... like 10% off if... or buy one get one "if"... Nope... just another way of saying I gotcha!!!
Nicole - Your daughter is in good hands! (YOURS!!!) With a support system like hers, she's one of the blessed that will make it through and miss a LOT of bumps because of the love she has at home and the consistency!!! Yep... just pray her through! As for snow... I've lived in eastern Virginia all my life and it still amazes me how everyone acts here when they start calling for a "major" snow, which around here is anything over an inch!!! Here's my problem with all of it... the people from "snow country" think they can drive here the way they did in "snow country", but because of the way the roads are treated here, much different from "snow country", they cause alot of accidents... So, I just try and stay home. - Of course, when you live in the country like we do, we really to stock up on necessities because we have been snowed in several days before the neighborly farmer up the road could get to us to dig us out... But then again, I buy milk 4 gallons at a time usually twice a week and probably at least two loaves of bread a week. And that's for my teens - not us! They drink decaf tea, an occasional soda, but God help me if I run out of milk!!!
By the way, you left out Snow Ice cream, which my boys also love.
Kim - as I said before, I'm the one buying the four gallons twice a week, so when I'm at Sams getting my "usual" purchase, I get scoffed at and hear comments like, "You planning on getting snowed in?", "You think it's gonna snow 5 feet?"... To which I ALWAYS reply, "Snow? What are you talking about? Are they calling for snow?" and that usually leaves them mumbling to themselves as they CRAWL away!!!
Deb - Disney! I'm so jealous! I've never been and neither have my boys! (okay, I'm a terrible mom! I know... but honestly, they've never had much interest in it!)
Joni - I love the picture! And what I love most isn't the huge difference in your weight! It's the huge SMILE on the second picture!!! WOW! You're gorgeous!!! I hope you smile like that all the time because it would have to be contageous to everyone around you!!!
Evette - You're so funny! I love it when you post! Besides, I love to see your ticker as a reminder along with JM that I can do this!!! My DH calls the "freezing" due to our "R Factor" rating going down. (That's the way the rate insulation!) Now, I freeze in the house with the thermostat set on 72!! What is that all about???
Kayla - I'm glad they're still working with you to overcome PCOS!!! Hand in there girlfriend! Something is going to click for you! I can just feel it in my gutt! (and there's a lot of gutt!)
Lea Ann - I love the photo too, but it changed right before my eyes! I'm so jealous of the Christmas photo! I'm still trying to get my teens still and close together in the same room without trying to kill one another!
Nicole - Drywall and mudding? Just don't mop your floor! You KNOW what happened when you did that!!! It was a "BUMMer"!!!
Okay, speaking of deadline - I've got to key and try and get one more job finished for the Christmas paycheck!!!
Hugs everyone - the sun is shining here and it's gorgeous! 60's right now...
Blessings,
Pearl--glad I am not the only Mom battling the fighting! That's why DH and I are a barrier between the 2 in the photo. They are either best friends or bitter enemies--all within a 60 second time span. ARRRGGHH.. Oh well, I have 2 sisters--so I know it will pass in time. Tell the boys you NEED a family photo for your friends--or we'll hound you all!
More later. The girls and I are curled up in front of the fire with cocoa and cider. Has anyone tried the sugar free apple cider? It is the best!! YUM.
Wow, the houses in Amarillo are huge! Probably way cheaper than the small houses here in San Diego.
This new way of eating DOES work and there are plenty of ladies out here to prove it!!! We're here for ya girlfriend!!!
