how many is enough?

You workout! check this out,,,shayloss

2011-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

getting close to maintenance EEEKK

2011-12-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here is my post from myfitnesspal.com for today. This site has helped me to stay on this weighloss journey.

I love coming here and reading all the posts it really helps to keep me going, you ladies are so encouraging and motivating and even when you are down in the dumps or going through a hard time I know I can't give up because you are counting on me to reach my goals and show you it is possible. It might take me awhile but I will get there. Maintenance here I come..... I hope I am ready.....LOL I will figure it out as i go along just like i have figured out the weight loss journey one step at a time, sometimes only a 1/2 a step, but moving forward is the key no matter how slowly......

I have lost 89 lbs so far and only have 11 more to lose to reach my original goal of 100 lbs. WOW this has been an incredible journey full of many ups and downs. For many years I have said when I lose the weight I will be happy, when I lose the weight I will go hot air balloon riding, when I lose the weight I will be able to take the kids to the waterparks, when I lose the weight feel in the blanks.....LOL. I am happier, but simply losing weight doesnt make us happy. We are still the same people. I did take the kids to the waterpark this summer, 3xs even AWESOME, what an accomplishment. So I guess it is time to plan a hot air balloon trip , me and my hubby. That has been my dream for yrs. I am sure there is a weight limit, but now I dont have to worry about it.YEAH. I now weigh 167.4....WOW I haven't weighed in the 160's in about 10 yrs.

I am scared of maintenance,I have been here before was down to 128 lbs kept the weight off for 4 yrs then got sick with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, hypothyroid and gained all the weight plus some due to meds, being in pain and not exercising then got depressed and turned to comfort eating. If you have any tips for maintaining please share them.....thanks

family day at the snow

2011-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

Follow this blog

This weekend we decided to take the kids and the dog and go up to the mountains on a pic nic and a hike. We had no idea we would run into snow. The kids were so excited and had a great time throwing snowballs at each other and the dog tried to catch all the snowballs mid-air. It was a great day and even though we weren't dressed for snow noone complained. My son didnt even have a jacket. Of course I told him to grab his jacket but 15 yr olds know best. LOL. Maybe next time he will grab his jacket. Naaa probably not. LOL

For the Love of Cooking: Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Tangy Slaw

2011-08-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Cooking: Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Tangy Slaw: "I had a pork tenderloin to use up so I decided to make tacos. I found a recipe on the Food Network for a tangy slaw that looked good so I a..."

plateau

2011-08-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have been eating healthy, watching my weight and exercising since last july. I have been losing pretty consistantly. I have lost a total of 77 lbs, I have gone from a size 24 to a size 14. I feel so much better and am able to do alot more then I ever thought i would again.Since the kids have been home from summer school (the last 3 weeks) I have not been able to go to the gym. I am still exercising, walking, swimming, badminton, bike riding, but I have only lost 2 oz in the last 3 weeks. I really think once the kids go back to school and I am able to go back to the gym regularly I will start losing weight again, but it is still frustrating. So this week I am upping the exercise to see if I can kickstart my weight loss again.

If any of you are trying to lose weight I would love to hear how you are doing it and how much you have lost. I really want to lose 23 more lbs to make it 100 lb loss then I will evaluate it and see if I want to lose more. Have a healthy active low-cal day......

just a quick ramble about my weight loss

2011-04-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have lost 63 lbs now. I never thought when I started that I would have lost this amount. It seemed so overwhelming, so out of reach. I just kept looking at the next 10 lbs. For every 10 lbs I have lost I have bought myself a pair of earrings. Nothing fancy, just some funky earrings that I happen to like. I think maybe for the next 10 lbs I should buy myself some new makeup. After loosing so much weight I think it is time for a mini makeover. I am going to get my hair colored and cut this weekend. I usually do my makeup very soft in neutral colors, I think I would like to do something a little bolder. Not way out there, just a little bolder. I really dont feel like I have lost that much but when I see pics, or when I try on clothes, or I see other people on here that have lost about the same it sinks in. I know I still have a ways to go. When I first started I decided I would try to lose 100 lbs and then decide if I needed to lose more. So that is the plan. But now I know I can do it, it is a plan not just a dream......

If You Give A Binge Eater A Cookie

2011-03-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

If You Give a Binge-Eater a Cookie...

If you give a binge-eater a cookie...

Chances are he’ll want a second one.

And if you give him a second one, you might as well give him the entire box.

And if you give him the entire box of cookies, he’ll probably want a glass of milk to go with it.

And all that sweet stuff will probably make him want some cheese and crackers.

And if you give him some cheese and crackers… well, you’re probably going to have to get him some more cheese and crackers.

And since he’s probably f’ed up his weigh-in at this point, he’ll probably go ahead and order a pizza.

And if he orders a pizza, he’s going to want a beer to go with it.

And then another beer.

And another.

And another.

Etc.

And if he drinks all that beer, he’s probably going to want a little something sweet to settle his tummy.

How about a cookie?

For the Love of Cooking: Green Chile Chicken

2011-02-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

For the Love of Cooking: Green Chile Chicken: "This is one of my husbands favorite dishes (and mine too). My Mother in law gave me the recipe & I tweaked it just a bit. The chiles add..."

weightloss update

2011-02-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to lose weight, eat better and exercise since mid july. I cannot believe the difference it has made in my life . I have lost 57 lbs so far and I feel like I am starting to get my life back. Before my health was so bad with the fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and hypothyroid that I had no energy. I was in extreme pain daily and if I over did it my body would just shut down,. For awhile I was falling asleep in mid sentence. I felt like I was only surviving, only doing what was absolutely neccessary. I feel like I am starting to live life again. Infact I went to the park with my 14 yr old son this weekend and played him a game of basketball (horse) of course I lost. LOL. But only by one letter. I also jumped on the trampoline with my daughter and went to the nature trail with her. It felt so good to be able to do these things with my kids again.
We are also planning a trip over to the ocean during Easter Break. It will be a great time, and this time I will be able to participate instead of just sitting back watching everyone else. I thank God for giving my life back to me.......

I am doing awesome

2010-12-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

I have been watching what I eat, keeping a daily food and exercise diary. I have been trying to stay within about 100calories of 1200 calories a day. also I have been trying to walk about 3 mile total a day by wearing a pedometer. I have been at it now for about 4 1/2 months and I have lost 40lbs. I am thrilled but have quite a bit more to lose. I really think the main thing is the mindset. If you do not have the right frame of mind you are not going to stick with it.
My fibromyalgia is doing better also probably due to not carrying around so much weight. I did have a flare right after thanksgiving. I think due to the weather change and overdueing it. My mom came down for the holiday on monday and my daughter and her husband on wednesday. we also had my older daughter, her husband and 3 kids(my precious grandbabies, my oldest son and my son in laws sister, grandmother and great grandmother. So we had a whole house full. We had a wonderful time but alot of work. And I lost 1.8lbs thanksgiving week YEAH for me. So pray for me and wish me luck as I try to lose another 60lbs. It sounds like alot but I am trying to break it down into 10lb increments , so that it is not so overwhelming.I will be posting before and during pictures

weight loss update

2010-10-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have been using myfitnesspal.com it is a great site full of alot of information, motivation and encouragement. I have only been trying to lose weight for 3 months and I have lost a total of 28lbs. I have a ways to go but I am diffinately off to a good start. Keeping track of my daily food and exercise has really made me aware of what I am putting in my mouth and the calorie and fat content of the foods. It has really helped. I have memorized the best things to order at my favorite restaurants or the families favorite places. One of my favorites is the honey chicken bowl at I love terriyaki. I only eat 1/2 the amount per meal so it is only 250 calories and it is delicious. I have also been walking alot the kids love it because I take them to the park and they play while I walk around the trails. Also tomorrow we are going for a day trip to do some fishing and hiking. I also do the wii fit, it is a fun way to get in some exercise. I am really happy with how I am doing so far......

For the Love of Cooking: Sweet and Sour Chicken

2010-10-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Cooking: Sweet and Sour Chicken: "I wanted to use up some fresh pineapple I had in the refrigerator so I decided to try a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken that I found on S..."

I have been trying to find some good lowfat recipes. This one is delicious, try it

I keep loosing wow

2010-09-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it I have been doing things I havent done in years. The other day I went bike riding with my daughter, I have not been bike riding since she was born. She was so excited , she said :Mom you loosing weight is the best thing that has ever happened to our family" LOL. Anyway I have been bike riding, doing lots of walking, swimming, and doing wii fit plus, The wii is alot of fun and a good way to get in exercise without it feeling like exercise. The only problem is that it is so fun I dont want to quit and it is easy for me to over do it. Anyway I have lost 16.9 lbs since I started loosing weight about 7 weeks ago. So hopefully I will keep loosing at the weight that I have. If any of you have any low cal recipes you would like to share that would be great and I will soon start sharing some of mine.

10lbs lost

2010-08-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

I only started on my weight loss journey 3 1/2 weeks ago. I have joined myfitnesspal.com it is a free site, that gives you alot of information, motivation and encouragement. It also helps you track your food and exercise daily. I really love it. I have added walking and swimming to my routine. I need to take it slow and hopefully add more and more exercise as I go along. But because of the fibromyalgia it is hard to exercise. I would love to do some exercise dvds but know if I do I will be in bed for a few days. It is very discouraging. But regardless I have lost 10lbs so far and am really happy with my progress. I have been eating healthy too trying to stay between 1200=1400 calories. If any of you are trying to loose weight I would love to hear about your journey and progress so far. I can do this , I have to just keep going and dont give up.

saying goodbye to an old friend

2010-07-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Ice cream is one of my big downfalls. I love ice cream. I can eat tons of it. I love almost any kind. But we all know that eating ice cream in large amounts several times a week can wreck havoc on our weight. So at least for now I am having to say good-bye to my old dear friend, ice cream. I guess I can have skinny cows once in awhile, but no real ice cream. I am bound and determined to get into better shape, loose some weight and feel better about my body. I only started about 2 1/2 weeks ago and have already lost 8 lbs YEAH.
For anyone else out there that would like to loose some weight I would love to encourage and motivate each other.........

weighty matters...............

2010-07-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have really let myself go because of my health issues. I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and hypothyroidism. Because of the medications I am on for fibro and cfs I gained alot of weight, also due to being in pain daily and having extreme exhaustion I quit exercising, which caused me to gain more weight. I also started treating myself to ice cream and comfort foods because I didnt feel good most of the time. All of this has added up to alot of weight gain. I have decided to do something about it.
I have struggled with my weight all of my adult life. I had lost 105 lbs about 13 yrs ago and kept it off for 4 yrs. When I got sick I gained it all back plus more. So I know all the info and how to do it. It is just a matter of doing it. Putting my mind to it. And I know it is going to be alot of hard work.
I would love for people to join me in my weight loss efforts. It is so much easier to do when you have support. I will be posting tips, recipes, and my weight loss efforts.........HELP me to stay accountable.....PLEASE

Family camping trip

2009-08-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went camping. Our family, my daughter and her husband, my mom and her husband, 3 of my aunts and uncles and 3 of my cousins. We went up near yosemite at Pine Mountain Lakes campground. It was so much fun. Everyone took one day they that went in with one other family member to make meals , then everyone was on their own for lunch. It worked out so well everyone only had to do one day of cooking and we ate so well. Me and my mom went into together to do meals and we picked saturday. So for breakfast my mom did fried potatoes, eggs and bacon and I did pancakes and sausage and for dinner my mom did tacos and chili verde and I did taco salad and chips and homemade salsa. YUM. Also my aunt and uncle brought their 4 kayaks and we spent all day saturday at the lake. We had so much fun I think we may have to make it an annual thing........

rag rugs

2009-08-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

This is a rag rug I recently made. It is a good way to use up leftover material or old sheets, and they look so nice.........

Plarn my new pastime

2009-08-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I have discovered how to crochet with plarn. You take grocery bags and cut them into strips and attach them together like you do rubberbands and then use them to crochet. I have been doing purses. My husband took one to work to show the recycle specialist and 2 of the ladies at his work want one. So guess what I am busy doing?
Here is a pic........

our trip a few weeks ago

2009-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

We were able to get away a few weeks ago and go to monterey. Can you tell the ocean is one of my favorite places. It seems to melt all the stresses of everyday life away. I would love to live closer to the ocean someday, but I guess for now I will settle for living within 2 1/2 hrs of the ocean......

We went to the ocean

2009-02-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

my oldest daughter and the 2 grandbabies are visiting from nebraska for a few weeks. So on friday the hubby took off work and my other older daughter came up and we all went the half moon bay for the day and had a pic nic at the beach. It was so much fun. Here are some pics from our adventure.....

Placement number 3

2009-01-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Our 3rd placement was a challenge. It was a 12 yr old boy "A". He came from a boys home where he had been living for about 6 months. He had alot of anger issues and didn't want to be part of our family. Even though he had been abused horribly by both his parents he really wanted to go home to his dad. He would do things to push our buttons constantly. If I took him to the store he would say really loud will you buy me a lighter so that I can smoke some weed. And of course everyone would turn around and look at me like I was an unfit mother. So I started saying "You need to ask your social worker and if she says you can smoke weed I will buy you the lighter. Well of course he quit doing this sort of thing in public because it embarrassed himself. We also had quite a few violent episodes with him also. He had a social worker that would call and ask to talk to him and would tell him lies about was happening with his case and of course this would just get him to act out. He was in reunification and had counseling and weekly visits with his dad. His court cases were in nevada city about an hour from us and his social worker requested that he be at everyone. He was with us for 5 months and he had a court case every month. Every month they would postpone it and tell his dad he had more things to do to beable to get his son back. A also had a sister but the sister wanted nothing to do with the father. At the last court date my husband took A and when he came back he walked in the door and I said where is A. He said they sent him home. I thought he was joking. I said what? They really did send him home from the court room, no time to say good bye or anything, we were instructed to give all his things to the social worker to give to him. As difficult as he was I thought when he went home I would want to celebrate but I didn't it was kinda sad.We actly missed him a great deal, even though most of the time he was pushing our buttons he really was a sweet kid and I guess we attached to him more then we realized. I have prayed for him many times since he left our house. I heard that he went back into fostercare almost a year later. So sad, I just hope he realized after we left that we did care.........

2009-01-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a good new years eve. As I think about this last year there have been so many changes in our family both good and bad. 2 of my daughters got engaged this last year. One of them graduated from college with a BA degree,she is currently doing her teaching intership in a 3rd grade classroom.We are so proud of her. My grandbabies are turning into little people and growing up they are now 1 and 3. The new year holds many possibilities and I know that if we put our trust in God we will see many awesome things unfold in the coming year.Welcome to 2009.......

our second placement

2008-12-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

Our call for our second placement came about a month and a half after we got J. It was on a saturday afternoon and the social worker called and asked if we would take an emergency placement for a newborn girl being release from the hospital. She was a drug baby and they needed a placement just until monday. Of course I said yes. I walked out to the garage where my husband was working and told him we are getting a newborn baby girl in about an hour. He thought I was joking. She was an adorable baby and so good. We loved her and had so much fun with her. On Monday they asked us if we could keep her for a couple more weeks. Then it turned into a few more weeks and then until she comes up for adoption. When she finally did come up for adoption they asked us first if we wanted her since she had been in our home for 6 months. We prayed about it and felt it wasn't right.We felt we were suppose to be available to help others.That was so hard saying we decided not to adopt her. I loved her like my own and felt like I was rejecting my own baby, but I also felt that God had a home for her.I prayed many times God are you sure. She stayed in our home 11 1/2 months before they found the right adoptive family. When we finally got the call that they found a family and they would be coming over to meet us in 2 days and then set up several meetings over a week and then she would leave I didn't know if I could go through with it. I cried for those 2 days. But when we met the couple we knew it was right. They were a christian couple that couldn't have children of their own. They had been married 11 years. The dad looked similiar to my husband and the baby kept looking at him and then my husband and then him and then my husband. She seemed to take to the dad immediately and to the mom shortly after that. The couple that adopted her sent us pictures twice a year for the next 5 yrs and let us know how she was doing. They adopted another baby a few years later. A little boy and they invited me and my older daughters to the baby shower. It was so bittersweet. Handing them the baby for the last time was the hardest thing we have ever done and yet it was so awesome to be part of that families miracle. To be able to give them such an amazing gift.

Our first placement

2008-12-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

We waited anxiously for our first placement. We were so excited to see what God had in store for our family. Every time the phone rang we wondered is this the call that is going to change our lives? Finally we got our first placement a 9 yr old boy J. J was adorable,small for his age. He had blonde hair and really big blue eyes.He was removed from his home because of neglect,abuse and drug addiction. All 10 kids and the mom were found living in a condemned house with no electricity and no running water. The kids went to the bathroom in the toilets, tub, sinks until they were full, then in the corners. He remained in our home for 2 1/2 yrs. He had 9 siblings, and had visits with all 9 siblings and the mom once a month.The dad was in prison. The visits were supervised at the county office. He was a good kid but had attachment problems. He had a wall up, not to let anyone get to close. He was scared of getting hurt again. After him being in our home for 2 yrs they terminated the parental the parental rights and adopted out the 3 younger girls. They asked the fosterparents of the boys if they would be interested in adoption ,guardanship or long term placement. We felt because of his age and his attachment problems that adoption was not the right answer but agreed to long term placement. As soon as they terminated the parental rights and started talking about making a permanent plan he started acting out. He broke out our upstairs window twice and threatened to jump out of it. He threatened to jump over our upstairs balcony, ran away, started fighting. We had to call the cops on a couple occasions. Once he was 51/50 and sent to mental health for 4 days. Eventually we felt we had no choice but to give notice. The day the social worker came to move him he was playing out front with his 2 best friends, he just got up came in and got his bags and got in the car. No goodbye or anything. He didn't even say goodbye to his friends or tell them he was moving. A few days later they came to see if J could play. We found it so sad that he could be in our home for 2 1/2 yrs and just walk away unattached as if he was just going for a ride. There seemed to be no emotion.......

moving forward towards our journey

2008-12-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

We didn't give any more thought to fosterparenting until about 3 years later. Me and my husband started talking about it again and prayed about it and decided it was time to become fosterparents. We really felt called to do this. We thought we will provide a loving home for these kids and care for them until their parents can get their act together and they are able to go home. Unfortunately we found out this is not reality. Only about 10% of the kids go home and out of those 25% go back into fostercare within the first year. But we were ready to move forward on this journey. We had to do everything over again because too much time had pasted.We were excited about the possibilities that were before us. We agreed to take in kids between the ages of newborn to 10 yrs old

our journey to fosterparent

2008-12-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

I really felt when I had my first child that all children deserve to be wanted and live in a house full of love where there needs are met. I vowed that someday I wanted to do fostercare. I went on with life having several more children and didn't give much thought to it. Until about 8 yrs later and then I started talking to my husband about doing fostercare, he agreed that it was something that we should do. We checked into it, went through the orientation, the cpr and first aid classes, tb tested and had everything in place all we had left to do was the home inspection. We prayed about it and decided that our children were still too young and this wasn't the right time.

HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE?

2008-09-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

When people see me with all the kids or they ask me how many kids I have and I answer 7 I usually get some type of response such as " How do you do it?" "Are you done?"," Do you know what causes that?" "Are they ALL yours?". When people find out that 3 of them are adopted, there whole tune changes and these same people who thought I couldn't possibly be a good mom to 7 children giving them what they need and providing for them suddenly act like I am GOD because I rescued and am giving these children a home. How come if I adopted them I can provide and take care of 7 children but If they are all my birth children there is no way I could do it and I must have a screw loose for having so many kids?
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more birthday pics

2008-07-20T23:44:00.001-07:00

steve and caleb trying to dunk each other in the pool. Looks like the Dad is winning....

having fun in the pool

2008-07-20T23:40:00.001-07:00

We had a bar bq and swim for my husbands birthday. We had such a fun time. He maybe getting old but he is still a fun dad. LOL.....

a dress for my daughter

2008-07-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

this is the first time I have made any clothing except hats, scarfs,slippers and ponchos. I love it. I think it turned out great. It was alot easier then I thought it would be, so now I will have to make all kinds of clothing......

cradle purses

2008-07-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

I made these cradle purses for my daughters and they love them, they are a bassinet for a little doll with a blanket and you fold it over and use the drawstring and it is a purse. These are so cute and easy to make.......

A hat and scarf

2008-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

I love how this turned out, but it is hard to see in the pic, because it is so dark.....themommie

GUESS WHAT???

2008-01-31T00:05:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER DOILY GIRL........ofcourse I think I am becoming addicted to these. I love how they come out......themommie

another doily girl

2008-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love these doily girls they are alot of fun to make and yet a challenge. WOW it is beginning to look like maybe I am a crochet addict after all.LOL. /what types of projects have you been doing lately?......themommie

2008-01-30T23:58:00.000-08:00

I did this kitty square awhile ago. It's kinda cute and was fun to do....themommie

an afghan I just finished

2008-01-30T23:53:00.000-08:00

here is a round ripple afghan I just finished. What do you think? It was fun and worked up quickly. I like the colors....themommie

MySpace.com - ^DreamCatchersDance^ - 34 - Female - Pennsylvania - www.myspace.com/dreamercatcherdance

2007-12-05T11:08:00.001-08:00

MySpace.com - *^*DreamCatchersDance*^* - 34 - Female - Pennsylvania - www.myspace.com/dreamercatcherdance

Blogged with Flock

at grandmas house

2007-11-19T17:00:00.001-08:00

At Grandma's HouseI
like the taste of turkeyAny time throughout the year
But it never seems to taste as good As when Thanksgiving's here.
Could be it's all the trimmings That are cooked with it to eat-
But I think it's eating at Grandma's house
That makes it such a treat!~Author Unknown

Crochet Girls

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as we grow up

2007-11-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

MySpace.com - ~Happy~2~B~Alive!~Deb~ - 47 - Female - Vernon, Texas - www.myspace.com/djs7960

Blogged with Flock

I choose

2007-11-15T09:52:00.001-08:00

I choose

I choose not to live in fear.I choose to live in faith.I choose not to live with hate in my heart.I choose to carry love with me.I choose not to live in loneliness.I choose to live with family and friends around me and to have a mate.I choose not to live in poverty.I choose to use the gifts God gave me to provide for myself and those that I love.I choose not to live with worry.I choose to live in the knowledge that no matter what happens, The Lord will carry me through.I choose not to live in sadness.I choose to live in happiness all the days of my life.I choose not to live mad at God.I choose to live only in praise of Him.I choose not to reject Jesus.I choose to have Him in my life and accept him as my Lord and Savior.© Deb S. (me), 2007

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and still more crochet things

2007-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

she calls herself a crochet addict

2007-11-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

I know, I know what you're thinking. She calls herself a crochet addict and it has been along time since we have seen any crocheted items. Well of course because I wasn't on here posting I was crocheting. DUH. ROTFL. ok ok so here are some of the things I've been making...

I'm a crochet addict

2007-10-06T23:31:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I am an addict.It has taken me along time to admit it,to come to terms with my addiction. Crocheting gives me something to do during those appts when everyone is pretending to read a magazine,like at the dentist office,LOL.But then I crochet every chance I get whether at the dentist office or at home. There are so many colors and textures of yarn,so many patterns and awesome things to make, there are so many wonderful things to make and so many new yarns it is not your grandmothers hobby anymore. I would love to hear from all kinds of crocherers and see some of the awesome projects you have made.

here is another baby blanket I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:28:00.001-07:00

and another

2007-07-10T16:27:00.001-07:00

this is another doily I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:21:00.001-07:00

here is a yarn doily I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:20:00.001-07:00

here is a baby blanket I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:18:00.001-07:00

a hotpad and dishcloth I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:17:00.001-07:00

a carolina doilygirl I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:16:00.001-07:00

a granny square I crocheted

2007-07-10T16:15:00.001-07:00

this weekend was an emotional rollercoaster both good and bad

2007-06-30T22:25:00.001-07:00

CarePlace - New Journal Entry

This weekend was such a rollercoaster of emotions. I have 2 daughters that were expecting. the one any day and the other on august 2. Sandi my oldest had a beautiful little boy luke samuel 8lbs 2oz 21" on friday morning at 12:42. He has lots of dark brown hair. The next morning at 10:45 my other daughter was scheduled for her appt and when she went in they couldn't find a heart beat and no fetile movement, they don't know what went wrong but she lost the baby.She said he was moving just the day before.So it has been a very emotional weekend,with highs and lows. I just ask for prayer for me to know how to handle it and say the right words and for my daughter as she grieves for her baby boy.......themommie

Harmony in your household - -

2007-05-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Harmony in your household -Category: Life-Long but worth the read. This is great for mothers, whether you are an at-home-mom or one who works. If you don't have time to read then I encourage you to come back and do so. Or find it at crosswalk.com in Live It section.Enjoy Harmony in Your HouseholdWhitney HoplerEditor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Kathy Peel's new book, Desperate Households: How to Restore Order and Harmony to Your Life and Home, (Tyndale House Publishers, 2007).You step over piles of clutter as you rush to get the kids ready for school. When you open the refrigerator, you discover that you're out of milk again, but dry cereal will have to do for breakfast. There's no time to run to the store because you're running late. Then your kids tell you that they can't find any clean shirts to wear because you haven't gotten to the laundry. You wish you could go to school in their places because you just want to escape from the chaos in your house for a while. Does this remind you of your household?If not, how about this: Your young son comes in the house from playing in the backyard and immediately tracks mud all over your clean carpets. You yell at him and feel bad when he cries, but doesn't he realize how exhausted you are from cleaning the house all day long? And now you have to finish cooking a dinner from scratch. Your daughter offers to help you cook; she even says it would be fun for her. But fun is the last thing on your mind right now. You send both of your kids away so you can focus on getting everything done exactly right.Neither extreme is healthy. You can have a clean, organized, and peaceful home -- and time to enjoy it -- if you seek God's wisdom about managing it.Here's how you can enjoy harmony in your household:Manage your home as well as you would a business. Recognize that running your home is much like running a business. You and others in your household provide important services like food preparation, child raising, laundry, transportation, housecleaning, caring for the sick, caring for the lawn and garden, home and car maintenance and repair, acquiring goods and services, and financial accounting. Managing your household is important work that requires someone to take charge, and the person who assumes responsibility for serving as the manager deserves appreciation and respect. If you're a single parent, you're your family's manager. If you're married, figure out who can best serve in the role (you or your spouse) -- according to who has the most amount of time at home (even if you both work outside the home). Understand, though, that while just one person serves as the manager, he or she manages a team of family members who all pitch in to do the work -- just like in a professional workplace. Divide the various household chores among yourself, your spouse, and your children, according to each person's giftedness and availability. Know that your work at home has just as much dignity, honor, and value as professional work. Do your best to work together to create a home that runs as smoothly as a successful business.Discover your personal management style. Instead of wasting time and energy trying to run your home the way others do, figure out how to make your unique design and God-given gifts work best for you. Make a list of activities that energize you, and another of tasks that drain your energy. As you study the list of what you like to do, notice what patterns you see repeated in them. Do you enjoy working with people, numbers, tools, words, ideas, techniques, colors, fabrics, food, or physical things? Then ask yourself how you can spend more time and energy on tasks you enjoy and do well. How can you maximize your strengths and delegate the jobs that drain you? Are there other family members who like to do what you don't like doing yourself? If so, could you delegate those tasks to them? If not, could you barter with a friend to switch tasks sometimes at each other's homes, or hire help to get certain tasks done? Remember that there will always be jobs you hate doing, but you can learn to work with your strengths and work around areas where you're not gifted and through people who are.Write a family mission statement. Sit down with your spouse to think and pray about setting priorities for your family. Why does your family exist? What is God's purpose for your family, and what's your basic approach to achieving that purpose? What are you trying to accomplish as your family's manager? What core values guide your decisions? What type of atmosphere do you want to create in your home? What type of memories do you want your children to take with them once they grow up and leave home? Realize that if you fail to set clear priorities and build your decisions around them, your family life will likely end up quite different from how you'd like it to be. So write a family mission statement that explains what's most important to your family, and why. Then keep that mission statement in mind when you make decisions every day, so you can build your choices around what's most important to your family. Whenever your plans are interrupted by something unexpected happening, pray for God to help you put those interruptions into perspective so they don't cause you unnecessary stress, and to give you the wisdom you need to respond to them well.Communicate wisely with your spouse. Share the workload around the house. View each other as the equal partners you are, and seek to bless each other when you do chores, rather than resenting the work you have to do. Forget tradition when dividing household responsibilities; instead, divide them by who's most gifted to handle what and how much time you each have at home. If your husband is a better cook than you and has the time to cook, encourage him to do so. If your wife can perform house and car repairs and is available for it, invite her to do so. Figure out how you and your spouse's strengths and weaknesses complement each other. Expect that you'll each sometimes fail to complete chores on time or well; whenever that happens, forgive and help each other. Whenever you disagree about a job that needs to be done around the house, pray for God to help you resolve the conflict with wisdom. Discover projects you both enjoy and can work on together to strengthen your bond.Build teamwork among your family members. Give every family member in your house the opportunity to express their goals for your household. Then do whatever you can to work together to pursue common goals. Avoid nagging or yelling when trying to motivate family members to pitch in with their share of the work around the house; realize that nagging and yelling never motivates people and creates negative relationships with them. Instead, identify expectations clearly (define what your family considers to be a clean house, and how certain chores should be done to be done successfully) and negotiate with kindness and respect. Use incentives like praise and rewards to positively motivate your family members -- especially your children. Remember that you're doing your kids a favor when you require them to help with household chores; you're helping them learn valuable life skills they'll need when they live on their own, and you're giving them opportunities to invest in their home to increase their sense that it belongs to them, too. Be sure to thank each of your family members for the chores they do, even though they're expected to do the work. Let them know regularly how much you appreciate their contributions to your family's household.Establish a calm morning routine. Recognize that mornings are the launching pad for the day, so if they go well, your whole family will start the day off right. Plan to get up early enough to spend time with God in prayer and through Bible reading and meditation. When you interact with family members, keep your communication positive. Spend time the night before organizing key items you'll need in the morning, such as by setting out your clothes and making sure you have enough food and drink for breakfast.Set school day rules. Save energy that you would otherwise use to argue with your kids by creating rules to manage school days well. Give your kids the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about school day logistics such as how they should get ready for school on time, do their homework, communicate with you about important items like permission slips, etc., and seriously consider their input when setting the rules. Then, presenting a united front with your spouse, let your kids know clearly what you expect. Keep in mind that your rules can change as your kids grow, according to what works best at a particular time.Create healthy meals and fun mealtimes. Aim to plan and cook healthy, delicious meals for your family regularly, and to enjoy eating those meals together as often as possible. Involve each family member in planning menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then post the menus in a prominent place, and shop for all the ingredients in advance. Have everyone pitch in to help prepare the meals as much as possible; assign everyone a job (even young children can help wash fruit and vegetables or set the table). Make eating together a high priority; try to arrange your schedules around eating at least dinner together whenever you can. Ask each other questions to encourage interesting and positive conversations at the table.Bust clutter. Rid your house of clutter that's causing stress in your environment. Rather than trying to tackle a big job all at once and becoming overwhelmed, schedule small bits of time to regularly work on getting rid of clutter, room by room, until your whole house is organized. Prepare for your work by having trash bags, storage bins, etc. on hand. Eliminate what you don't want, need, or use. Concentrate on what you use, need, and care about. For every item you handle, ask: "When is the last time this was used, worn, or played with?", "Does it deserve space in our home? If it weren't here, what would be here instead?", "Are there memories attached to it?" and "What will I do with it -- fix it, sell it, store it, toss it, or donate it?" Be sure to follow through on your decisions promptly to avoid second thoughts; put objects you've chosen to keep in their proper places and drop off donations and take out trash soon after de-cluttering. Set deadlines for your work to stay on track. Every time a new items comes into the house, take an old item out to make room for it. Think and pray about why you've accumulated too much stuff in the first place, and how you can avoid cluttering your house with more stuff in the future.Use your time wisely. Set up a "control central" area in your home to organize and track your family's schedule (consider places like a desk, countertop, or home office). Use a "daily hit list" to categorize the various jobs you hope to accomplish each day into seven areas: home and property, food, family and friends, financial, special events, and self. Then consider what you can delegate to others, and what you can delete. Move necessary jobs that you haven't finished on a certain day to the next day's list. Set realistic expectations for how much you and your family members can accomplish in a given time period. Make lifestyle changes gradually and rely on God's strength as you do. Encourage each other and hold each other accountable as you all try to manage your time well while creating a better environment at home.Manage your money well. Build your financial decisions around what's most important to your family; remind yourselves of your priorities often. Figure out how you're currently wasting money, and how you can save money without sacrificing a fulfilling family lifestyle. Scrutinize every area in your budget for ways you can reduce expenses. Before buying something, ask: "Do we really need it?", "Can we make do with what we have?", "How often will we use it?", "How much care does it require?", "Is it durable?", "Does its design and quality meet our standards?", "Is there information available to help us make our decision?", "Is the price right? Could we find it at a secondhand store?", "How much difference will its addition to our home and family life really make?". Avoid debt and pay down any debt you already have. Save for unexpected expenses and large purchases like family vacations or new appliances. Learn how to invest wisely. Give generously. Develop an effective filing and bill-paying system.Take care of yourself. Realize that you can't successfully manage your family's needs if you don't take care of your own needs. If you go to bed feeling more resentful than fulfilled, realize that you may be burned out. Step up your efforts to care for your body, mind, and spirit by setting some specific goals for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Every day, no matter what demands you face, make time to do something that refreshes you. Say "no" to activities that don't reflect your priorities so you'll be free to say "yes" to activities that help you pursue your dreams. When evaluating whether or not to undertake an activity, ask: "Am I passionate about this?", "What will it cost in terms of my time and energy?" and "What are the potential benefits?". Ask God to help you pursue the right dreams in the right way, and trust Him to make them come true at the right time. Be assured that each small positive change you make in your life will eventually lead to big blessings. Develop and nurture a close relationship with God from which to draw strength every day.

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