Stampin Up

has got some exciting stuff in their summer mini catalog...

smooch spritz, and paper that will 'magically reveal' their design when you use "our smooch spritz, aqua painter, or brayer and ink"

can't wait till after May 1...hope it doesn't sell out while I'm cropping that weekend!!

babysitting Adriana was a blast and exhausting! the only time she wasn't moving was when she was watching her baby Einstein dvd (well for most of it), while she was eating...and she only took a short, one hour nap (I was napping too!)...so, I think I walked/ran a couple of miles throughout the day! gotta get this house a bit more baby-proofed!!

I almost did not give her back...if I only had a crib for her...

what is it about those grandbabies? I think when it is our kids, we worry... gotta worry about their character, education, health...all that stuff. When its your grandbaby, well, their parents get to do all the worrying and us grandparents get to simply enjoy the fact that they ARE!!!


I've gotten into some thinking/considering about my job of 'spoiling'. I know I don't want to spoil her with 'stuff'..that can create entitled little brats. I want to spoil her with 'praise' but that could lead to someone who is obnoxious and big-headed...I guess the spoiling will have to be with 'time'...???

I want to walk that fine line, I do want to spoil her, make her feel special...but I don't want to 'ruin' her. hmmmmm....

waiting, waiting....

Tomorrow is Adriana's birthday party...her parents are preparing, so I get to babysit..and I am sitting here, waiting, waiting for her to arrive!!

her b-day isn't until the 27th, but tomorrow is the party...

my li'l cupcake is turning one!!

we got the pic above done at JC Penney
(we bought the cd, so its okay to post)(I think)
we went in with the other 2 babies from work to do these messy cake pics...Andreas was born late Feb, Adriana late April and London late May...the moms were 3 of our 4 preggos last year.

my weight loss is going well...down 27 lbs...but I'm sure doing it the slooooooow way! I guess when you want to keep eating what you like (only smaller portions) its gonna be that way. Don't get me wrong, I've given up a lot...like cake and rich desserts, soda, hamburgers...fries...mac and cheese (boy, I miss mac and cheese)but I haven't done anything really drastic with the food. Guess that's why its more of a 'lifestyle change' than diet. (learned that from Sparkpeople.com)
hopefully, making it more sustainable....we'll see!!

okay, gonna put on my duster slippers and burn some calories while I wait!

exciting day at the 'ranch'...

this morning 3 or our neighbor's bulls crashed their way thru our fence. The neighbor told me that 2 of them were fighting and that is how they went thru. So, we had bulls in our yard. Dh had planted permanent pasture, and the bulls were enjoying a nice fresh snack. I told him, "If you plant it, they will come"

Then tonight, a coyote made its way to the area between the stable and the house! Closest we've ever seen one. DH got out his shotgun and....shot in the air 3 times to scare it off. Still makes me nervous, and I'd prefer it if the dogs slept in the garage tonight.

yup, 'ranch' life, nothing like it!!

Cut Loose

so, yesterday was a miserable 'allergy' day..you know how those go. Just felt like a drippy, sore throat, piece of ca-ca. Did get more functional toward late afternoon, evening.

I did get to 'babysit'..and I say that loosely, I watched tv and listened to the monitor while Adriana napped...so, Nyki could run errands and Jason could finish working in the backyard. But, when Adriana woke up...I did get to spend a li'l over an hour with her...can I just say it...she is sooooo ADORABLE!!!!

I then came home and with my hot tea in hand...watched Sabrina. I LOVE both versions of this movie, the one with Audrey Hepburn and Julia Ormand..(I think thats her last name). "I have been following footsteps all my life, save me Sabrina Fair, you are the only one that can"...siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh....

I've always been one who saw color combinations in movies, esp used in home interiors. Something dd and I always did. But what I noticed this time, is I was looking at elements of design...such as in Linus's office. Ever notice the glass etchings..the solid square within the open square? or the big slate looking art behind his desk. It is nothing but one color...gray...but there is something to it...I can't describe it...that made it art! (Reminds me of a Sarah Jessica Parker movie I started to watch, she was an 'artist' who only painted one color...)

so, where am I going with this odd rambling...I got myself a copy of "Cut Loose" by Crystal Jeffery Rieger. One of my fave GASC classes last year was her Prima class.
And within the first chapter..I got excited..by rethinking scrapbooking..perhaps I can discover 'art'!! so, I'm thinking, I'm going to start doing the challenges in her book. and maybe someday, I'll create one of those 'art journals' that I love seeing other people do...maybe!

gonna start a biggest loser..office

got the idea from Bob' tip minute during last Tuesday's episode. So, talked to a few people and we are going to start our own 'competition'

so far, here is the 'plan'...each person puts in $5...it is a monthly competition, the person with the highest % of loss wins at the end of the month.

We have a 'neutral' person to oversee weigh ins..will be using the shipping scale! (a few guys already have their bet going, and they use the shipping scale...we have oneof those big old fashioned ones)

will set up teams for encouragement...so far, 5 or 6 of us have signed up.

I got the okay from my boss...as long as it is employee run...and they even gave us a display case in the employee break room. So, of course I was on my 'cricut' cutting out letters..teehee

We talked about doing a mini-challenge for the last 2 weeks of April...

any ideas ya'll can 'throw out' will be most appreciated!

Happy Dance...no more 'red' team on Biggest Loser!

So glad they are gone! So HOPE they really are...and the producers don't come up with a new way to bring one of them back.

Ddil watched the last 20 min or so with me (she normally doesn't watch BL)(this is my first season)...and after Melissa'a speech...she even said, "this is a test as to what kind of people they are...if they have a heart they'll keep Drea"

I told her about the cupcake episode and how most of them would not eat any and 'play the game'...so I was hopeful. Though, I am still hoping Michael and Drea go next. (cuz they did eat cupcakes, though not as many as Lance)


At the end, Melissa was all 'teary eyed' saying she has 'learned what is most important'...pbbbbbbllllllt...I was yelling at the tv "No One CARES!!"

I left before the show finished, ddil asked "don't you want to see her finish her marathon" pbbbllllltttt!

I don't really have an faves on this show...maybe Sam...would like to see Ashley lose a lot of weight...but for now, just so happy, no more red team!

And they are Texans, I should LOVE them...but I didn't.

It feels like when our former neighbors moved. A few of us got together to 'celebrate'...we drank out of plastic champagne glasses then threw them against the fence...yeah, kinda like that.