Ten Tricks Thursday

No, I’m not going to talk about the tricks of prostitutes. Get your dirty little minds outta the gutter!

Shame, shame!

I thought I’d grace your intelligence with some of the little ‘tricks’ I’ve found out about real food and eating clean.

1. With the exception of whole, raw foods like fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, etc., I typically use the ‘5 Ingredient’ rule of thumb when picking out the best packaged food choices at the store. For instance, I’ve been craving something crunchy for a few days, so when I was at the store I meandered over to the Natural Food section and looked at the types of crackers and chips they had. I found some that were organic and only had a few ingredients in them. Most important, they are made with whole grains and not enriched wheat flour….which is basically white flour by the way.

Yummmers.



See, now that has more than 5 ingredients, but they are all natural things that I can actually pronounce. That's pretty safe, so I purchased them.

2. I steer as clear as possible away from the ‘inner rows’ of the grocery store. This is mainly where all that packaged stuff is anyway. If I do need something from those devil aisles, I usually look at the very top or bottom shelves for the healthiest options. Did you know that grocery stores place all the tempting, sugar loaded cereals in the middle shelves strictly to entice your kids??? I don’t have kids but ohhhhhh do I remember going to the store with my mom and every other box I was like, “I need this one mom!” “And this one!” And she’d be all poopypants Polly and say crap like, “No.” Then I’d throw a full-on meltdown right there on the floor. Very lady like. Ever happen to you mommy’s out there??? Thought so. If my children even have a spec of ‘me’ in them, they are going to be straight up Satan children. Lord help me. Moving on.

3. To help keep within my budget I bought a Gift Card (Visa) of $100, to last me every two weeks. Only using the GC for food when I go to the store, and tucking my debit card in a secret hiding place in my suitcase, I mean purse, where I’ll probably forget about it, then freak out in 2 months that someone stole it. But, meh, if it works, right? If you live in an area where there are Dillons grocery stores (or another store that you get points for fuel discounts from buying GCs), you can buy the GC there and get double fuel points. BONUS! Then turn right around and spend it on their groceries!! I am totally outsmarting the industry!!!! Bah ha ha ha (evil laugh)!!!!

4. Cravings. They suck green gator balls, don’t they? I haven’t had any bad ones since starting this real food thing, but I have a slow, creepy feeling of the need for chocolate starting to rise. Like I have my own personal stalker inside my mental capacities and he is just a Peeping Tom now, disturbing but harmless. But soon he will be throwing bricks through my window and texting me every 2.7 minutes. Is it weird I just compared cravings to a stalker? Never mind, don’t answer that.

Anywho.

Basically I know I’m going to get to the point where the need for chocolate is going to completely override all my senses and I’ll cave. BUT! First, my plan is to have on hand ‘healthy’ alternatives. I once read that if you’re craving chocolate that you might need more magnesium, so you should eat nuts, seeds, and fruits. So step one is to incorporate some nuts into my diet pronto.

Second is to channel my energy into something else when the craving goes all psychosauce. Like if I’m sitting at home, watching TV and The Cocoa Force comes calling, I might go to the gym or get on the computer. Nothing like a little Pinterest to distract you from…….well………..everything.

Third, and this is a last resort if I can’t fight off the craving, is to make my own chocolate desert, therefore I know it is all good and healthypants and I know exactly what I’m shoving into my mouth. I’ve found some good recipes for granola bars with chocolate, or I also thought about making a smoothie and adding straight cocoa powder to it. The bars would still have processed chocolate in them, but if it’s mainly oats with a few chips, that’s better than Hostess Cupcakes, right?! Right.

Yes, please.

5. Going out to dinner has also been kind of a hassle. Ryan and I went out last Sat. night and my usual ‘Cousin’s Night Out’ was last night. Staring at a menu with eye popping pictures of loaded nachos and cheese fries is pretty much a sure fire way to derail any diet. One thing I’ve just started to do is look at the restaurants website and pick out what I’m going to eat ahead of time.  Sometimes they have nutritional info, and sometimes not. Like last night, they place didn’t provide it, but looking at the menu ahead of time I found a southwest chicken salad. Even though it’s not organic, it’s better than the deep dish meat whore pizza that my cousin ordered and then temped me with for 1.5 hours.

Jerk.

6.  A new app that was mentioned on another blog is making it sooooo much easier for me to determine what is ‘good’ food vs. ‘bad’ food. It’s called Fooducated. AND IT’S FREE!!! Basically you scan the barcode of the food you’re about to buy/eat (for droids or iphones, but they do have a website where you can type in the UPC) and it will come up with a grade for it, calories per serving, different ‘interest’ points about the product (ie whether it’s highly processed, has BPA packaging, etc.), and other alternatives that might be better than this. Cool beans!!! (As my mom would say. So 1996 Mother. But because of you I’m bringing it back. You're welcome.) Trust me, download that and you will be scanning everything in sight!

7. I never let myself get really hungry. Like stomach-making-sounds-that-equal-a-war zone hungry. If I’m that hungry I tend to overeat and to binge on the wrong kinds of foods.  I stick to eating smaller sized meals about every couple hours. Around 7am, 9:30, Noon, 2:30, and 5:30. Now, there are pros and cons to this, and people have done countless studies (booorrrring) about whether this is really good for your metabolism or not. Basically eating every few hours could keep your blood sugar levels raised…..that would be bad.  But on the other hand, if you are giving your body a steady flow of nutrition, you metabolism has to work extra hard all the time to keep up.  Since I don’t have major issues with my blood sugar, I’m not worried about it ‘possibly' being raised a lot, however someone with diabetes should probably consult their doc before doing this type of eating.  On a more common sense note, I’m hungry about every two hours. So I eat. Easy Peezy.

8.  I'm also not going to deprive myself of ANYTHING. I mean, the minute you say, "I will never drink another beer!" all you will be thinking about every nanosecond of the day is a nice big frosty one. True story here folks. But I know on Saturday, when my ten days are up, I'll have a beer. Or 6. It's fine. But I'm not going back to my 'old' ways of having a few cold ones 6 out of the 7 nights a week. Maybe drink some only one night a week. Or limit myself to 2 nights, but only have 2 beers each night. See how this works?

9. And to go along with that: Everything in Moderation! Quoting Miss Paula Dean, who....shockingly....was just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Bet y'all fell out of your chairs when you saw that, huh?

I know there will be a time coming when this calls my name:

But sooo pretty.

And the only thing that is going to stop me from mowing down this deliciousness is someone straight jacketing me, tying me upside down on a flag pole, pantless. I'm just going to want one. Point blank. But that doesn't mean I have to eat a whole box of them. No. One, every other day month will do the trick.

10. All in all, the main thing I do is keep one big thing in mind: I WANT TO BE HEALTHY! And to do that I have to completely morph my bad habits into good ones. I have to remember why I'm doing this - not be a tub of blubber - and remember what's really important in life - being around to see my 'hopefully' great grandchildren grow.  To sound oh so cliche, "This is not a diet! This is a lifestyle change!"

Now go forth and carpe the F-bomb out of the diem to your new healthy lives!

Brought to you by a beer/dog/food/Mary Poppin's loving crazy blue eyed bandit.

The end.

1 Year Blogiversary

It has been one whole year that I have been posting reedonkulousness on this here blog.

Wow.

And people actually read it.

Double wow.

Can you believe that?! A full YEAR?!

I sure as shit can't.

I went back, just now, and looked at my very first post. That was fun. Don't know what the crap I was thinking, going to lose 20 pounds in 90 days, psshhhhtttttt. But it was interesting to read what was going on in my noggin back then and realizing how I've changed since then.

Ohhhh, how I've grown.

But not around the middle!!!
I was all sad sack over the Xmas holidays because I knew my one year blogiversary was coming up and I was only going to show a 2 lb loss.
But I'm proud to say that as of this morning I am at 150, about 9 lbs from when I started this one long year ago.  And its the same weight that I weighed when we went on our honeymoon, two years ago, which I thought and felt I looked all fab-tastic back then.

So I'm calling the 9 lbs in a year a win.

I'm also calling the better eating habits, the fact that I actually run now *gasp*(ran my first 5K last Oct! woop woop), and Sweet Baby Jesus's I feel soooo much better, all big ol' WINS in my book.

This blog started off as a place I could catalog my new health efforts. To keep myself accountable. To actually 'see' what I was doing to change. Somewhere along the way it turned into my mind wondering into type, to writing about emotions, family, funnies, trips (lord knows we traveled last year), and problems. It became a release. And it became a place to make some wonderful friends! I've always loved to write. And have always done so much better in my life when I could write something down.

I love doing this. I love blogging. I love reading blogs and finding inspiration. And providing inspiration, if I do ;-). I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Anyways.

Thanks y'all for reading and sticking with me, and thanks to all the newbies too! You guys rock my world!

And I hope you'll keep on a-readin' as the next year unfolds (and the next year, and the next)!! I'm sure there will be some laughs, cries, insanity moments, etc that you won't want to miss!!!

Thank you Ryan. Thank you very much. Means the world to me. You're hot.

Interesting Article

Y'all know I'm trying to eat clean/real foods, as close to what mother nature intended as possible, right now. Mostly fruits, veggies, meats, etc. And all organic. No processed/packaged foods! Bad, bad, bad.

Well, my friend and co-worker has been on this transition to eat raw/clean/real foods for awhile now. She found this article and I thought it was crazy interesting about how you can think somethings 'good' for you, when really it's not. Made me think twice about how foods can still be processed even though it might be 'natural' or 'organic'. 'Raw' apparently is the word of the day.

Check it:
http://nourishedkitchen.com/when-natural-foods-arent-natural-agave-nectar/

And if you search on that sight it provides some other interesting articles about traditional food.

Another kinda shocking thing......there are many people out there that are starting to realize that the low fat/non-fat approach to eating is also hurting us in the long run. Anything low fat has been processed beyond belief! When in fact eating whole raw foods like whole raw milk, butter, cheese, etc is better for you than all that processed junk you're putting in your mouth now, just to lose weight. Inuit Indians in Alaska mainly survived on an almost solid diet of fish/animal fat. Yes, I said FAT! And they survived w/o heart disease, diabetes, being obese, etc. I don't know where I heard that or read that, but I know I did. I tried to search more info, but couldn't find it. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Anywoozle, I know I'm never going to be the perfect clean eater, or completely give up processed foods.....Helllllooooo, I love BEERS......but I know that some changes just might help me later in life, or possibly help my kids, when we start having them. Who knows. I think my quest for being super duper stick skinny (exaggeration btw) isn't as appealing now that if I find out in 50 years my eating a lot of processed foods has caused my, or God forbid, my children's health to be hurt (i.e. cancer, diabetes (again, my husband has for 'no' reason), infertility, heart disease, mental illness, etc.).

Just something to think about.

That is all.

Challenges Galore

This is Day 5 of the 10 days of Real Food Challenge and Day 2 of the Looking Hot for our Hunky Husbands Challenge with Jordan.

So far so good ladies and gents!

I can’t believe it’s been 5 days already.

Not that I really can’t believe that. It’s just that I can’t believe I’ve gone 5 solid days with no beer. Wow, that sounds little AA-ish, huh?

Moving on.

The food part has been soooo easy. Oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, salads for lunch, sautéed veggies and rice for dinner, with a little yogurt and fruit mixed in there…..nothing to it. But then again, I can eat the same shit day in and day out for weeks. 'Cause I’m cool like that.

This last weekend proved to be a little more of a challenge. First of all, my hubby was home, so I had to prepare meals that wouldn’t cause him to run screaming from the house.  Second, I had a baby shower and we went out to eat.

Dun, Dun, Dunnnnnnn

Oh, and said husband was popping the tops on beers all weekend! OK, well, not all weekend, but he had his usual few a night and Ohhhhhhh Mr. Foamy Temptation………did those frosty beverages look scrumdiddlyumptious!

But I persevered! Because I am a champion. In the making. Don't hate.

Friday night was tacos with ground beef; I made a taco salad with veggies and topped it with salsa. I also bought some organic whole wheat tortillas and had a little burrito too. Yummers. Leftovers are for tonight!!! Can. Not. Wait.

At the baby shower on Sat., the hosts, thank the good Lord, provided fruit, yogurt and granola, so that’s what I loaded up on. I don’t know if any of it was low fat or organic or whatevs, but I figured that was better than the chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, cheese and crackers, and sugar loaded punch that occupied the rest of the table. Damn my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Saturday night we went to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. GO SEE THAT MOVIE!!! Now. Seriously, go. Soooo good. Even Ryan liked it having never read the books. I, however, have read almost all of them (I have a smidge left of the third) and loved it too. The books can start out very slow but if you stick with them you will not regret it!

We also went out to eat. I chose Chili’s vs. a Mexican food restaurant, figuring that I could get a better selection of sandwiches or salads. We typically get the bottomless chips and salsa, but since I love them and will mow them down instantly if I see them didn’t want to sabotage my diet, we opted not to partake. All my good nutrition choices are starting to rub off on the little hubby too. He has decided that he does want to participate in my clean eating…..provided he can keep his beloved potato chips…..which is fine by me! He went with ribs and corn on the cob, I went with the Southwest Chicken Wrap, with a side salad, no cheese, and low fat ranch and salsa for the dressing. Well, I just looked at the nutrition and it normally is 1350 calories. Christ!!! But I got the ‘healthy’ way, which the menu stated was under 750 cals, so I’m going with that number. Not the best choice, but I didn’t load up on French fries and a juicy burger, so I determine that as a WIN!

Sunday was the best day by far. I decided to make chicken lettuce wraps, sorta like PF Changs. So easy, just marinated chicken in Teriyaki (low sodium) Marinade, then sautéed the chicken with water chestnuts, carrots, and green onions and eat it with lettuce leaves, kinda like a taco. And for desert (because I forgot to make it as an appetizer, it’s the loss of beer in my system that I’m forgetting simple shit, I swear), I made some Edamame tossed with chili powder and salt. Not the healthiest sodium levels, but man was it good AND not high in cals, fat, carbs, or sugar, but protein spiked to the hilt!

All in all, this Real Food thang is going good. I’m already down almost 2 pounds. Bonus! I ‘feel’ better. I don’t know if it’s the good food or the lack of alcohol…..I’m going with the good food, because no way would beer betray my ‘feelings’. Bonus #2. And I just plain like the food I’m eating. I don’t feel bloated, or have stomach pain, headaches, or have the need to unbutton my pants at the dinner table after eating. Super Bonus #3 (for everyone)!

And for once, I’m not even thinking about the ‘end’ of this ‘diet’. I’m just convinced this is the way to eat and will probably continue after the 10 days. It’s not supposed to be a diet, it’s a lifestyle change after all!

Next up is exercise. I’ve been slacking waaayyyyy too much these last few weeks. I need to get back in the gym. I need to get running. Especially if I’m going to woop Jordan’s ass in our challenge. So that’s my goal this week is to get to the gym at least 3 times.

Tune in next time for some more scintillating news about me and my crazy challenges!!

Let the games begin.....

OK, I would have posted this earlier, but I used my free time to nap instead. I know, I know, shoot me. Well a quick little nappers turned into a 2 hour slumber! Yikes.

Because of my lack of defense against free napping time, I now have to rush this because the hubby and I are going out with my family for the evening to watch basketball.

There will be beer.
EEEEEEEKKKK!!!

There will probably be some sort of bad food choices.
EEEEEEKKKK!!!!

But I will prevail!!!!!
YEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Anways, the real reason for this blog is this is the first day of my friend Jordan and I's "Look Hot for Our Hunky Husband's"!!!

I posted about all the particulars on Thursday blog, but a quick recap is that we will start today and finish on Valentine's day. The winner will be determined by highest amount of percentage of weight lost in that time frame. And then they get a prize! $25 to Vicky's Secret! (Where I plan to restock my granny panties.)

Jordan has already posted her weight on her blog, so go check out that. (And don't worry Jordan, you get used to putting all sorts of embarrassing information about yourself out on the interwebs!)

So, in true form, here is my starting weight:


Drum roll please.............


Louder!!!!...........


152.2

Woop woop! I already lost 1.5 lbs from starting my 10 Days of Real Food Challenge on Thursday! Yippee skippee.

I'm also going to keep track of my body fat %, just for the shits of it, but don't have time to measure myself right now, so I'll do that tomorrow morning.

Jordan's a little competitive. (OK, maybe A LOT!)

And I'm a little competitive. (OK, really A LOT!)

So this should be interesting!!!

Let the games begin!!!

Real Food/No Booze Shenanigans

Day 1 = Dominated.

Yup, I'm a bad ass. Y'all already knew that though, huh. I have completed one whole day.
Dolphin Claps please.
Because this shit's amazeballs.

I did not cheat once! ONCE! I made it the whole day on water, salad, chicken, veggies and rice. And it was awesome.

Wanna know what I learned through this new fandangled real food thang????

I learned that balsamic vinegar is DEEEEEE-Lish on salads!
See----------------->

Ok, not the best pic, but you get the idea.

I just threw together some roasted seasoned chicken, with cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and a little reduced fat feta cheese on top of some leaf lettuce, sprinkled a little balsam on it and..........Oh My Lord Almighty!!!! Good stuffs peeps, good stuffs indeed.

Then last night I had sauteed veggies with chicken and brown rice. I added a little low sodium soy sauce for some extra flavor too. Also, amazingly delicious.

And no beerzies.

I had a talk with our beer fridge last night and I expressed my wishes that there will be no more flashing me by opening the door and displaying all the yummy boozeliciousness that he contains. For 10 days. I also said that I know it's a sad time. But we will be strong and persevere.

So far today's right on track also.
Eggies for breakfast, yogurt, left over chicken/veggie stir-fry for lunch, and taco salads tonight with organic lean ground beef for dinner.

And waterwaterwaterwaterwater.
Yesterday I drank over 100 ounces of water. ONE FREAKING HUNDRED.
That just equaled lots of potty time. I might as well move my desk into the bathroom already. I'd probably get more work done.
Oh well, it's good for me! (not the endless peeing part, but the water drinking part, just in case you were cornfused)

And tomorrow is Jordan and I's first weigh in for “Looking Hot for our Hunky Husbands Challenge”!!!!!

Get EXCITED!!! 
I know I am!

Ten Things Thursday

So this 10 Thingy's is going to be a little different. Because mainly I'm going to talk about my new challenges, not only to myself, but with a little buddy friend of mine.

1.  I have decided to take the 10 Days of Real Food Challenge. Yup. Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna eat food for 10 days. Haha, just kidding. Gosh I'm so darn funny. Really, it's 10 days of eating clean. No processed crap, no fast food (goodbye Chipotle), no refined grains (goodbye donuts), no deep-fried goodyness (goodbye my lovely chicken strips), no NUSSING. No chemical packed, pesticide filled shit. It's eating WHOLE foods. NATURAL foods. Good for you all around foods. I'm kinda excited about it, I'm not gonna lie. It's not a 'diet'. It's just eating better. I'm going to try and watch my calories/fat/sodium but, really it's going to be more of a focus on not eating junk. I'm not doing it to lose weight. But I'm secretly hoping I will lose some because I'm doing this other challenge...but more on that later.
And I'm hoping at the end, I want to continue on my eating better mojo!
I'm doing it to be healthier.

2. Here's the rules (taken off the above Real Food website):
What you CAN eat:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
2. Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers’ market)
3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread and check the Understanding Grains post for more info)
5. Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
7. Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation
10. Also check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes

What you CANNOT eat:

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. No deep fried foods
5. No “fast foods”

3. Now, the little lady Lisa, on the website, also emphasizes eating organic. Mmmmkay, I can handle that. Especially since she quoted this dude saying this: "Coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer – four of the top ten chronic diseases that kill most of us – “can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food” according to Michael Pollan."  Ummmm, who's hubby got diagnosed with diabetes a year ago....not having a family history of it.....nobody knowing why he got it because otherwise he was totally healthy......this hot, smart, and funny chica.  It just really hit home that maybe it's the way we eat, ya know? I mean, we are putting tons of chemical bullshit in our bodies every day! It's gotta effect us somehow, right? Right. (BTW, Honey, I'm going to try and force you beyond belief suggest that you try this with me. It'll be fun. I swear.)

4. I went to the store yesterday to stock up on all the organic essentials. BUT, I already had a lot fruit, chicken, lettuce, eggs, and others that aren't organic. No wasting in this little hacienda, so I just figured it'll be a slow transition into the organic lifestyle. Once I run out of my already overstocked pantry and fridge, I'll go back and restock with the good ol' organic way. It was actually surprisingly easy to buy organic everything, and really, it didn't cost all that much more in the long run.

One of the comments on Lisa's page was that even though this family buys organic, they actually equal out on what their non-organic grocery bill was because they used to throw a lot of the food out, now with buying organic, they don't. I hear dat! I'm constantly throwing money down the garbage disposal! And it just sickens me. But maybe with spending the extra money, and saving money on the fast food shenanigans, it'll all even out.

I'm also going to start a budget and really try to stick to it. 50 bones a week. That's it. That's all I get. If I go over, I have to subtract from next week. But if I go under, I can spend it on something fun! Like gas. Or vitamins. But that 50 is strictly for nutrition, it doesn't count TP and light bulbs and cleaning shit.

You don't count, you eat the same thing every day.

Sorry this isn't as scintillating as usual. Keep trudging through, you'll make it to the bottom....eventually.

5. I'm also going to give up beer. WHAT?!?! Apparently the food chemicals are already eroding my brain. No really, I just need a break. 10 days isn't so bad. Right??? RIGHT??????? I'll survive. RIGHT???? Ohmyprettybudlights I'm going to need y'alls help with this. Majorly. And if I became an insanely crabby freak, you can not judge. Mmmmkay????

I will miss you purple Jug N Plug coozie and my little Mr. Bud Light can. Don't worry, you're really not dead to me. It's only a little, teeny, weeny break from each other. We will be together soon! I promise.

6. On to the next challenge. Because why not complicate my life with more shit. It's fine. I will be competing with this here little buddy friend of mine, Jordan:

We will be doing the “Looking Hot for our Hunky Husbands Challenge”. For Valentine's Day. Ahhhh, aren't we sweet? No, not really. We just selfishly want our bodies to look better. That's all.

I'm so excited to have someone close to me to do a challenge with! Like, we will see each other....hopefully....and push each other and kick our asses and all that good stuff!!!

We will start our challenge this Sat. the 14th and end on Feb. 11th. It is weight based, so who ever loses the most weight, or percentage of weight, is the winner winner chicken dinner. We will weigh in every Sat. morning-ish and I'm also going to keep track of my body fat percentage too. Just for shits and giggles. And we'll let all you readers know our amazing progress on each of our blogs. Hers is HERE.

As a prize, the weeener (haha, I said wiener) will get a $25 gift certificate to Miss Victoria's Secret. Ya know, pretty things to wear for our hubbies and all. Not really, I just need new funderpants like it's going out of style. The 1998 granny panties have holes. Lots of holes. Be jealous.

Game ON!!!

7. Because I just have to throw random shit in here somewhere, the last thangs are going to be just that. Randomness.

Wanna know what my momma got me for Christmas? Well, I don't care if you don't care. You're going to find out anyway.

She made me a book!!! Not just any book, a book of all my blog posts from last year!!! How freaking badass is that?! She went through every single post and copied and pasted into a Word document, complete with pictures and everything!!! It's not printed yet, but I'm getting ready to start looking at doing that. She was going to print it, but you will never guess how many pages it ended up being......600!!!! Yes Six Freaking Hundred!!! Who knew I wrote a book last year. Hell, two books. Pretty much the best Mom ever. EVER!
Love you Jules!!!

Love this pic of her 'trying' to look mean! You're not doin' it right Jules.

8.  Winter has finally arrived in this here flat lands. Only took it until almost the middle of January the big lazy ass. Not that I'm complaining. I love warmth. Sun. 108 degrees sweating my tatas off. Love it. But last night at the grocery store, I went in......with only hurricane force winds and 30 degree temps. Came out.......blizzard. Stupid Kansas.

Pretty much thought it was going to be 24 inch snow drifts and downed power lines. Until I got home 30 minutes later, looked outside and noticed the snow stopped. And left me with this:

Just a dusting.

Way to go Winter, you failed again.
Spank you very much.

9. I have come to be obsessed with like a new TV show, that wouldn't be the typical 'lady' show. (Because we all know I'm full lady.) I completely blame this on Ryan, BTW. It's: Ax Men. Yes, you read that right. Ax Men. A show about dudes cutting down timber. It's official, I've lost it.

And my favorite character.............Shelby Stanga (yes, that is his real name):

And yes, those are cut off Daisy Dukes he's wearing.
Nothin' quite like a psycho Cajun dude that says shit like, "Com' on Paw Paw!!" Have no idea what that means, but I find it endlessly entertaining.

I know, I'm weird. You still love me.

10. Last weekend I went up to Kansas City to have a Sheik Family Christmas/Grandma Margie's 90th B-day Party! Ohhh Emmm Geeeee! So much fun! It's my Mom's side of the family and everyone but two cousin's were there. All the aunts and uncle, all the cousin's spouses, almost everyone! I took oodles of pics and can't wait to tell you all about it in a post this weekend! Suspense.....don't you love it?!

Until next time little snugglemuffins!!!