Weigh in

Today is my weigh in for the Sisterhood, Team Q. I have not weighed in since March 8, so when I got on that scale and saw an 8 lb. loss, I was thrilled! Thanks to my sister, Diane and bestest bloggy buddies Nancy and Donya, I feel the motivation and love again. I go faithfully 3 to 4 times per week to Curves and still enjoy the workout and fellowship with the ladies. I added sit-ups on my exercise ball before bedtime to my exercise routine, along with walking as much as I can get in. I admit that Shredding was not my cup of tea, but there is always something out there for everyone. The main thing I learned is to keep moving....and try new recipes. Don't get stuck eating the same thing over and over. The internet can be your friend when it comes to looking up light, low calorie meals to make. I did that yesterday and made a weight watcher's light pasta dish that was amazing. I am on this journey for life, and am so glad I have a great support team on my side.

Because they love me...

Gods timing is perfect. Today at work I had a surprise visit by my daughter and four grand kids. They came bearing cards they made, a vase of purple and yellow tulips (like in this picture), candy for my candy dish and a favorite yogurt treat, even with a spoon. Since it was at my lunch time, we went down the street to McDonald's to enjoy lunch together. I felt so special that they would take the time to do this for ME. I put all of the cards on my wall to look at each day to remind me how special my little blessings are.
I had been feeling a little down lately and this is just what I needed to pick me back up.
Thank you Noah, Carter, Grayson, Ivy and Steph for making my day!

Friday Fun with Four

I was at Steph's house bright and early Friday to spend the day with my four grand kids while she was away for the day in Chicago. Noah and Carter amaze me at their maturity level. They get up and get ready by themselves with no help. They even get their own breakfast and Carter had his lunch packed and in the frig the night before. Noah likes to buy lunch. They had their backpacks on 30 min. before the bus arrived. Carter was too busy to pose for a picture.

After Noah and Carter left for school the fun began. Gray woke up the happiest little boy I've ever seen. He wanted to give his sister a hug and she wanted to sit in the chair by herself.

After lunch, Gray wanted a special ice cream treat I always have for him. They are called "Frog Spit" I know, kinda gross but they are just a push up and since he is allergic to dairy, I found these to take it's place and he loves them. Look at the twinkle in his eyes!

Little miss Ivy LaRue loved to play on the slide. She insisted on wearing her new coat. I was hoping she didn't get grass stains on it.

Gray was so excited at catching some lady bugs and putting them in his bug box with grass. And yes, Gray had on his favorite coat and it was on the warm side in the sun.
Ivy loved hiding out in her playground cubby hole. Isn't she so pretty?

I love how Ivy's hair is sticking out. I called her Cindy Lou cause she reminded me of the little girl in the movie Grinch. This was our first trip outside in the morning before she spotted her new coat.
Have you ever seen Gray so happy? He was loving all the attention from Mimi. We had a fun day. It's funny cause Steph had gotten me a bunch of my favorite magazines to read while Ivy napped and I never had a chance to pick them up all day. While Ivy napped on my lap, I watched Gray play Wii and he was so excited to have an audience, he would high five me every chance he got. He's pretty good at golf. Later in the day he beat me at boxing....We did a lot of story reading throughout the day and the time flew by and before we knew it, the brother's were home from school. All of the neighborhood kids piled in the backyard and I passed out snacks to all. I felt like I took advantage of every minute of the day to make some memories that count with my grand kids and not just sit and watch them play. I got involved, I held, I read, I wiped dirty hands and faces, I hugged, I ran. I will never get a chance to do this day over and I can honestly say, I wouldn't want to do it over because it was a perfect day. I am truly blessed.

Happy 3rd Birthday Princess Abigail

We celebrated Abby's 3rd Birthday last night. Her Birthday is March 13. Actually she is having 2 parties. She was literally the "Belle" of the ball. This little girl lives in a fairy princess world. She gets up every morning wanting to dress up in her princess outfits, shoes, tiara and all. I asked her what she wanted for her Birthday and she said a Belle dress. So, it was off to the Disney store and I not only found a Belle dress, I found a Belle gown that you can actually sleep in. Abby is surrounded by lots of Boy cousins. Carter is so sweet sitting by her. Look at his little hand around her. This is cousinly love.

Ivy and Abby played so sweet together, making pizza.
Gray and Noah giving Abby the gift from them, a baby Panda. It was the cutest thing. Abby would rather take care of animals than baby dolls. She is feeding him a bottle.

All 6 of my grand kids in one spot. A hard task, but we did it! Jack is in Noah's lap (my oldest and youngest grandson's), Carter holding Ivy, Gray & Abby. Abby looked very tired, from playing with all her Birthday things. Aren't they all just so precious? My heart just swells with pride when I see all 6 together.

Abby is in love with the dress from Aunt Steph. She actually hugged it. She gets very attached to her dresses. I have lots of other pictures of the great time that was had. I think you get an idea of how fun the night was. The boys did enjoy playing Wii racing and bowling. I lost count of the number of strikes Noah had. He is a Pro Bowler. Abby had a wonderful party and I wish her a Very Happy Birthday Today!

Unearth your inner Winner!

I started the Spring Challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.
The Challenge is 8 weeks, Unearthing your inner winner. I am on Team "Q" with team-mates I have never met, but am excited to meet and get to know.
The Challenge is to do the 30 day Shred work-out dvd with Jillian Michael's from the Biggest Loser and of course eat a healthy diet. Wednesday we will weigh- in and report our loss. This is a big challenge for me because I am already working out 3 to 4 times a week at Curves and I have a bad foot. I plan on finding some good support workout shoes and suck it up. This challenge will be very helpful to me as I approach the March for Babies I am walking in on April 24th. This challenge came at at time in my life where I was feeling like a failure at winning the battle of the bulge. I guess maybe I can blame it on the weather. I had my exercise under control since joining Curves last October, but my eating was not under control.
Thanks to my very special BFF Nancy who has been encouraging me to join the challenge and I also visually saw how she has shrunk within months, gave me such a motivation like I haven't had in a long time. We are both grandma's and need to feel good and be able to bend without losing our breath. We have so much to shred for. And, also, thanks to Donya for also encouraging me and even helped me get on my team.
Now, let's get this party started...stay tuned every Wednesday for Shredding results....And if you would like to get on board with us, go check it out....there's probably room on my team!

March for Babies

I am excited to be walking in the March for Babies on April 24, again this year with Team James & Jake. These precious boys left this earth too soon. I am honored to be a part of such a great cause, the March of Dimes. If you would like to make a donation to help me with my goal for this year, please click on the side bar where it says Sponsor Me, and it will take you to my personal page. I appreciate any donation, large or small. Thank you!

New Do

Hot off the press....My New Do....The picture does not do it justice. It looks much better in person. I took the plunge and got my long BoB cut off. I wanted something short, easy and sassy. The good thing about my hair is, it grows very fast, so if I want the BoB back, it won't take too long to grow it back. I do like it.

March into March and Happy Birthday Randy

This is 2 feet of snow in case you are wondering.....

Are you ready to March into March? Are you ready to say good-bye to snow? It is all going way to fast for me. I can't believe we are already in the 3rd month of the new year.

I would like to wish my brother, Randy, who lives in Idaho a very Happy Birthday today.

Happy March everyone!