What........The Year is Half Gone!

Where has this last six months gone?

 I have to be very honest and say that I probably haven't even had our computer on more than half a dozen times this year. Since I have my iPhone, there's not much use for a computer. Except to download music onto my iPod or post to this blog, and you can see how often I do that these days! There's even an app for blogger, but I haven't figured out how to use it yet.

I re-read my last post just to see where I left off. The changes I made in my life have stuck, so far anyway. I haven't had a drink in over six months and that along with a healthier diet and a little exercise have helped me shed over 20lbs. I feel so much lighter and better. I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but I'm a heck of a lot closer than I was. I joined the Fitbit community and wear it 24/7 except when showering. It helps keep me accountable and really helps me understand my moods. Just by looking at my sleep log I can tell when I'm stressed and need to just chill. The best thing that I have learned about myself these last six months is that it's me, no one else, that needs to make this happen. NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!! It's hardest at work....hard to say no to whatever food everyone else is eating, hard to stick with my sack lunch some days. I just keep telling myself that "they" are not living my life and it's up to me to make my life better. Honestly, it's been easier than I thought it would be. A lot of days they don't even ask me anymore, they know I'll just say "no, thank you".

Summer is in full swing here in the beautiful Ozarks. It's been wetter than it's been (at this time of year) in several years. We're almost taking a year off from a garden, we're down to cucumbers, zucchini, a few volunteer tomato plants, and a row of huge sunflowers. The sunflowers were planted for Emily, she loves them. Her Papa hopes she's around when it's time to harvest the seeds. She usually gets out of that part. We're having a hard time keeping up with the cucumbers already.

Hopefully I'll post before another six months goes by!

2015

2015 started with a bang. Brad and Amber welcomed a baby girl to the his/hers bunch. That brings their combined total to 6. I hope that's a final total! Love all the kids, but enough is enough. Now I know why my Mom is an absent Mother/Grandmother/Great-Grandmother.......how can she keep it all straight.

2015 has brought about other changes for me. I'm trying to make some healthy choices in my life. So far, so good. The hardest part is at work. Too many temptations with other people engaging in all sorts of bad habits from using foul language to eating out everyday. I've had to learn NO a lot.

2015 can be the best year ever. I can make it the best year for me. I just have to stick to the plan!

Sorry, Again

Once again I am hanging my head in shame when I see the amount of time that has gone by since my last post. Really, where does the time go? I feel like I do have at least a half-way decent excuse. My computer is really on it's last leg. I hate to even turn it on. One day it works fine (like today) and another day it is so slow that it will take hours to load a simple web page. I was seriously considering purchasing a new laptop but then I took the kiddo's school shopping, lol. All I can do is apoligize and try to to better.

A Long Cold Winter

What a beautiful day we are having. I slept in this morning (till 8:30, I was awake for a good part of the night), and woke up to a bright sunshiny day! Seems like nature just turned a switch, or it's almost spring in Missouri. This week has been up and down, hot and cold, you never know how to dress this time of year. All in all this winter wasn't so bad. Cold, cold, and more cold but as far as getting to work and where you needed to be it wasn't too hard on us. I really can't "just call in" so no matter how snowy or icy the roads are, I'm expected to be at work. Luckily for me, Doyle also works in the same town so a couple of days I rode with him. Hopefully we are past that for this winter!

My blog has suffered over the past couple of months. You ever just not have anything to say? Or as I was taught, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything"? Hopefully with the time change and the birth of spring I will once again have "something" to talk about. To be honest, this is the first time in about two months that my computer has been turned on. I'm in need of a new computer but my dislike for Windows 8 is keeping me from buying one. I know that if I just break down and use it I will get used to it. Just seems to me that you must have a touch screen to get the benefits of it and I'm too cheap to pay for it.

That's it for now, blog friends. I hope you have some sunshine in your life today and everyday. Remember, make today count for something and someone!

2014, Here I Come

I'm a little behind on my posting. 2014 got here, and it's been non-stop. Work has been busy, partly due to the flu, sickness, etc. and partly because we have a tech was has been in and out of work this past week. I've been busy at home, NOT! I started a 2000 piece puzzle about a week ago and it's consuming all my leisure time. After I sorted and found all the edge pieces, I also found out that it is too big for my card table. That means that it's going to have to be moved to the dining table, which is fine but we do eat at the table, every meal. I've decided that I'll work on it in sections for now and maybe next weekend move it, I'll have four straight days to work on it then.

Okay, on to the reason for this post, 2014 goals and resolutions. I hesitate to even use the word "resolution", I think that's just setting yourself up for failure. So I'll list my 2014 goals instead. 1) To save money, where ever, however I can. I want to become fugal and wise with my money! 2) To "really" get organized. I want everything in my home and life to have it's place! 3) A while back I eluded to a "secret" that I wasn't quite ready to share, well, my third goal is to meet my half-sister that "found" me earlier in 2013. My sister, Irene and I long suspected that she was our sister and she finally confirmed it to us last year. She is my oldest sister and she lives in Florida so a trip to meet her MUST happen in 2014! That's it, three simple things, right?

A Busy Week

The past week was crazy busy. You would think that this coming week would be the busy one, but not for us. Here's a quick rundown.

Sunday we got around early and made a trip to West Plains to do some shopping. Some for Christmas, most of it was just grocery and household items. Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal. Work for both of us.

This month I have been on "Jury Duty Watch" and had squeaked by until Tuesday afternoon when I received a call at work that I would need to be at the courthouse at 8:30am on Wednesday. Luckily we had an extra person scheduled to work on Wednesday so she took my shift and I went to the courthouse. This was my first experience with Jury Duty and it was very interesting. After 5 long hours I was thanked for my time and told that I wouldn't be needed. This was not a big surprise to me because as the lawyer was questioning us I realized that I had worked with the plaintiff at Wal-Mart years ago. I'll just say that watching someone get that many people going where they need to be when they need to be there was like watching someone try to herd cats! I do not envy those ladies. Hopefully with the holidays the next two weeks, my relationship with Jury Duty is done.

Thursday we left our house super early to get to Springfield for Patrick's surgery. He had two hernia's that needed to be repaired. One under his belly button and one in his groin. Of course the surgeries were running behind (which is pretty normal) and he finally went to the holding area, where only his parents could go with him, an hour after his scheduled time. He was so scared, it broke my heart to see him that way. I knew he was in good hands but still you just worry so much. After about an hour and a half the nurse came and put us in one of the conference rooms to wait for the Doctor. He came in and let us know that things went fine and that Patrick would be in PACU in a little bit and Chely could go be with him then. Finally they brought him back to the pre op room and we were able to see him. He was pretty cranky, he wanted his IV out. Of course they didn't want to take it out until he drank some juice and had a Popsicle. If he got sick, they would need to give him more fluids. He drank and had his Popsicle and kept them both down, so he was able to get rid of the IV and prepare to be discharged. His leg was still a little numb and we all tried not to laugh as he was helped to the restroom but he looked so funny dragging that leg. Thank goodness everything went smoothly and now it's done.

After some last minute shopping for the kids, we went to Chely's and picked up Emily and Cameron for the trip home. First we went and had supper at Texas Road House. It was really good and I was so proud of Cameron at the restaurant, he was so well behaved. After an informative ride (Cameron never stopped talking) we got home and got the car unloaded. Then it was time to get everyone ready for bed, which was a chore since Cameron was wound up from seeing the tree and all the presents. I think it was close to 1am when I woke up in the chair and took myself to the bed.

Friday Doyle had to work and I had lots of help around the house. Cameron played hard and watched a lot of Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Emily helped me wrap gifts and was just good company. Brad came and picked them up for his weekend visit later in the day. I slept good on Friday night.

Today I've kept busy with the normal weekend chores. I have two more gifts to wrap, two gift cards to buy, and some treats to get made. Other than that I'm ready for Tuesday evening when we will have our Christmas with the kids. I have to work all next week except for Wednesday. Hopefully we will get the tree taken down and the house put back in order on Christmas day. I love seeing the kids open their gifts but when they are gone, I'm ready to pack it all up again.

Merry Christmas to all who see and read my little blog. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday and remembers that family, friends, and faith are what this time of year is all about.

A Snow Day

Brrrr, where did this cold come from? Wednesday it was in the 50's, now when I look outside all I see is snow. Snow on the ground, snow on the trees, snow on the roofs, and snow in the air. Did I mention that I really don't like snow? Luckily my boss told me to go home early yesterday and to stay home today. I was scheduled to be an "extra" person today so it all worked out. They can still operate in a timely and efficient manner and I didn't have to be on the roads. I read earlier that the highway department was urging people to stay home as they were having trouble keeping up with the storm. Doyle left the house at 4:30 this morning for his 6:00 shift, I haven't heard different so I'm assuming he made it. I love being at home but I really need to get out this weekend and get some shopping done. But as long as it keeps snowing, it's Internet shopping for me!