Skot and Christi

Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree :)

2010-02-18T08:40:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving... Yes I am that far behind

2010-02-18T08:14:00.002-06:00

Empty House

2010-02-11T19:23:00.004-06:00

Our last night in our house. :( I think this was November 22nd. What a sad day and an empty house that was our home. We will miss you Illinois home!

Goodbye To Some of My Dental Friends

2010-02-11T17:48:00.003-06:00

A few of my school buddies. We had a little get-together to say goodbye. Awesome people I will miss. :)

The Beginning of My Re-cap FEST!!!

2010-02-11T17:27:00.007-06:00

PACKING! This was around early November. We were keeping our fingers crossed that all would go well with the buyers. We sold our townhome to a sweet young couple.

We also sold as much of our stuff as we could stand to. That included our college car, the silver '97 Acura Integra. When we sold it there were about 240 thousand miles clocked on that odometer. It is so hard to let go of your junk.

I Owe You An Update

2009-12-06T12:06:00.003-06:00

Yes. It is true. I have neglected my posting. Actually, it really was a stall tactic. We have had so much going on and I haven't been able to discuss any of it openly. That can make a girl go mad. So, you may ask, what have you had "going on" lately? Well....

WE ARE MOVING BACK TO GEORGIA

It's okay, just breathe. Shocking, I know. There are many details to share... soon. I'll return to this post within the next couple of days and finish the information sharing. :)

AND..... here I am again.

Where do I start? I don't even know. Ummm..... okay. How about the part where we put our house on the market? Our townhouse was on the market for quite some time. We did a by-owner deal through Kale Realty and sat and waited. For what? We didn't know exactly at first. We were thinking about moving back home at some point in time, we just weren't sure when or what we were supposed to do or what "the right thing" for us to do was. (Did that sentence work?) It took a lot of praying. Then, we waited... for about a year.

We (or I - whatever) finally started feeling like we really needed to move closer to family, then we got pregnant. Talk about finding fresh motivation to get the ball rolling. We had open houses just about every weekend. Finally, a lovely couple decided that they wanted to purchase our home. We closed on November 24th and then our sweet friends, the Warrs, let us take over their basement. We have been living with them since November 19th so that we can finish out our year working here in the Chicago 'burbs.

There is so much more...
- We have packed all our belongings and have been living out of our suitcases since Nov 19th
- We are getting a POD on Saturday and all of our stuff will be delivered to Georgia next week
- I am trying to get licensed in Georgia so I can continue to do my dental hygiene gig; I severely dislike all the paperwork involved.
- I just took a special exam in Wisconsin today so that I might obtain the said Georgia dental hygiene license. (That was slightly stressful).
- We are driving down to Georgia next week... at 32 weeks pregnant... 2 separate cars... 12 hour drive... yikes.
- All this while still working, trying to get ourselves to 6 holiday parties, executing and designing our Christmas card, registering for baby stuff, oh AND lets not forget the Christmas presents...

I might lose my mind people.

That's okay, though. It may sound crazy, but I am okay with our super busy, out of control life right now. I am trying to live in the moment and just enjoy it all because this is such a special time and we will never be able to duplicate it. Thank heavens. :)

Sigh...

2009-11-15T22:01:00.000-06:00

I love my life.

Picture Preview...

2009-11-09T11:31:00.007-06:00

More pictures and explanations coming soon. These are from my ultrasound last Friday...

Alrighty now, the update. Our first ultrasound was September 25th and it was at the typical 20 weeks. It was a less-than-happy experience because my ultrasound tech was not very nice to me. I felt harassed and pretty emotional afterward. I had a discussion with the right people and was offered a second ultrasound - not medically necessary, though.

These are the pictures from my 26 week ultrasound. It was an awesome experience!!! The tech was nice and showed us so much. Of course I was able to see all the medically interesting stuff that I want to see, like the four chambers of the heart, skin layer, spinal cord, etc. and that made my day. Then, we were able to just watch the baby be itself for a few minutes. The baby yawned!!! I must tell you, I have never seen anything cuter. That moment made me fall in love with this little package that much more. Human life is amazing. After our sweet moment with the cutest yawn ever, the ultrasound tech showed a profile of the baby's head and happily pointed out that our precious babe has a healthy sucking reflex already. That was another great moment, just watching that cute little mouth open and close.

I could go on forever, I'm afraid. I am in love! Actually, I should say WE are in love. Skot is incredible. He has been the best future-daddy and pregnant lady helper ever.

Fingers... so cute.

Facial profile... so cute.

Knee, calf, and foot... so cute, again.
Our baby practicing pilates. Can you see the thigh, calf, and foot right in front of "it's" face? So cute.
Awww... cutie baby foot.
I think I would rather omit this one. This is the baby's middle finger. Obviously, I didn't request that this picture be taken. Hmmm... I wonder who did? Not as cute.

I still don't know the gender. I still don't WANT to know the gender. I do appreciate my hubby's photoshop skills... BOY?

Or GIRL?
Some of you out there know the gender... just a reminder... DON'T SLIP!

SLEEP!!!

2009-11-09T08:28:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I curse bedtime. Anxiety lurks just around the corner as the sun sets. Will I sleep well tonight or not? Last night was not much fun. Left side, baby rolls and kicks, my shoulder and hip and attached extremities go numb, Skot's rear-end is in my way and he is slumbering like a kitten. Curse him. Right side, baby rolls and kicks some more, numbness ensues, bathroom here I come again... Did I even sleep at all? Ahh, the joys of pregnancy. :)

Baby Swimmer Transformation

2009-11-03T10:32:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note about the baby and mama. I am doing well, feeling well, and had a great check-up last week with the OB. He said he is very happy with my weight and that I am measuring (from pubic bone to top of uterus) exactly what I should be. How nice to hear. Needless to say, I was glowing after that appointment. What a simple thing to hear, but so important to me right now.

The baby is so ACTIVE! I told a friend the other day that my little swimmer has now transformed into my gymnast / martial artist. I have experienced rolls and little tumbles with some surprising, no, STARTLING kicks that have literally made me jump. Needless to say, it is fun and interesting and all new.

Halloweeners

2009-11-03T10:21:00.002-06:00

Quickie pics of the angel and kitty and belly.
Halloween night was spent at our friend's house, the Leites.
Just a quick little adjustment of the tail... and an accidental shot of the rotund.
Okay, lighting is poor :( and I really hate that. My angel boy, so pure and cherubic. :)

Birthday Girl

2009-10-13T10:45:00.004-05:00

Yes, I had yet another birthday. I turned 32 on October 3rd. :) We had a lovely, quiet day together. We watched general conference, made a yummy cake, and Skot bought me tickets to the opera to see Faust.
No I am not eating batter with raw eggs in it.

It's my birthday, I can eat the middle if I want. ;)

Apple Pickin' 2009

2009-10-03T19:54:00.012-05:00

Let me give a quick prelude to the apple picking... I have a great husband. I love spending time with him and I just can't get enough of him. Making fun memories, like apple picking, just adds to my appreciation for him. I really like this guy. :)

We went to a cute family-owned farm in Woodstock (Illinois) called "More Than Delicious" orchard that had numerous kinds of apples. I think we left there with 10 different kinds of apples. We brought home Cox's Orange Pippin, Jonathan, Jonalicious, Senshu, Snow, Tolman Sweet, Gala, Lustre Elstar, Sweet Sixteen, and McIntosh.

A lovely sample and rather large apple, actually.
Prolific fruit- bearing trees.
A little cheese with our apples.
Spying on my apple picker.
A view of the farm from the orchard. Just finishing up...
Our loot.

Chicago Temple

2009-10-03T19:50:00.001-05:00

Unwired

2009-10-03T19:25:00.004-05:00

I am a bit behind on my posting. We have had a lot of stuff happening lately and I have not been reporting! To back-track a bit (to Sept 11th) I thought I should share pictures of Skot's most recent day of liberation... the day the oral surgeon removed his super-tight rubber bands and allowed Skot to open his mouth.
Skot checking out his Panoramic x-ray from August.
Dr. Steichen removing the super-tight elastics and replacing with stretchy ones so he could open.
We took a trip to the doughnut shop and Skot was able to eat his first piece of solid food in 6 weeks!
Happy, happy, sweet boy.

Gender

2009-09-28T09:08:00.005-05:00

As some of you may know we had an ultrasound on Friday. I decided not to find out the gender of the baby. (Yes, I'm calling it a baby more now than a fetus). However, Skot really wanted to know, so he found out! We'll see how this goes. Right now I want to wait until the birth, but who knows, maybe I'll change my mind. If YOU want to know what the gender of the baby is all you have to do is send an e-mail to Skot at skot@samatamason.com. There is one main rule. DO NOT SLIP AND TELL ME THE GENDER! If you think you might slip you have two options: don't talk to me about the baby OR don't find out and just wait with me.

Some people want to know what we are going to do about decorating a nursery and buying clothes for the baby since I don't know the gender. Obviously, decorating based on gender gives the whole secret away! Well, it's simple, we are going neutral which is what we would want to do anyway. Yes, that means no pink or blue. Skot has his own reasons for not wanting pink and blue; he wants to do some kind of a social experiment. I'll let him post about that on his own.

Speaking of Skot, he is doing well. His sweet mouth is unwired and he can eat now... and talk. He ended his broken jaw / liquid diet issue at 139 pounds. He was already thin from all his cycling and then dropped an additional 11 or 12 pounds. Crazy. No worries, he's gaining, you can stop cursing his skinniness.

New Link...

2009-09-21T18:34:00.008-05:00

Hey everybody! Skot has started a website to help those who are suffering with "wired jaw syndrome." Take a look. It is still being worked on but is meant to have recipes, hygiene tips, etc. http://www.blenditloveit.com/

Excuse Pee, Please

2009-09-09T20:41:00.002-05:00

Is anyone else sick of peeing ALL THE TIME? I can't count how many times I've gone today. So, so many times and I hear it only gets worse. Well, on the bright side, I felt great today. I went walking for 35 minutes, ran errands, cleaned, practiced piano - it was a pre-pregnancy sort of day. How nice to have a break.

Photography Is Hard

2009-09-08T10:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, folks, that's right. Taking a truly good, high quality photograph is not an easy task. We now have a Canon T1i. I really like it a lot. I really am having a tough time mastering it. So, the truth is I haven't taken enough time to work with it, but I am trying. While we were at a neighborhood carnival, Skot tried to teach me a few photography principles. This is my attempt to focus on a subject and have the background blur. I can't remember how I did this. The photo isn't that great, but it's the concept I'm working on right now and I managed to nail it. If only I could do it again...

Another Baby Bump

2009-09-08T09:41:00.003-05:00

So, it is time for another bump picture. I surrender, here it is. This is a not-so-good picture of me, but I don't care anymore. For the past 3 months I have looked terrible. It's true, I have lacked motivation to dress myself up. Feeling yucky has taken precedence over everything. That's okay, though. I have reached the stage of acceptance and my sweet husband has been so encouraging, how could I possibly feel bad about myself?
This is me at 17 weeks. :)

Explosion

2009-09-08T08:55:00.004-05:00

For the most part I have tried to stay away from Skot's adventures in blending. Being pregnant and frequently nauseous means that I have been pretty much disgusted by his pureed food. Yes, to the point of gagging. On the positive side, I have been so proud of his efforts to be creative and to not let this whole mouth-wired-shut situation get him down.

With that said, he has had a few hiccups. Somehow, I thought we would skip this one, but apparently not. We had a blender explosion in the kitchen. I know, how sad. This was on a Saturday. Skot decided he wanted to blend eggrolls. No, no, don't gag. It's okay, I understand the throw-up feeling in the back of your throat. Anyway, he put all the food in the blender without placing the lid on, didn't see that the toggle switch was in the on position and plugged into the outlet. I heard a loud noise, then Skot cursing the blender and food and life itself. I jumped up thinking he for sure had injured himself only to find this...
Food on his face, in his hair, down his backside...
Itsy-bitsy pieces of food - everywhere...
And guess who cleaned up most of the mess? Trust me, it wasn't because he wasn't willing to do it and he did help some. I insisted on taking care of it. He needed a break. Poor boy.

Food Glorious Food

2009-08-16T19:23:00.006-05:00

I've made some "thumbs up" and some "thumbs down" food choices recently. Christi calls them desperate. I don't think so. It's just the way it is.

1. Breakfast: pancakes, eggs, butter, and maple syrup.

Review: Not bad really. I actually went back for more. Had the taste of pancakes, with a hint of egg and syrup. Nothing was really overpowering anything else. Thumbs up.

2. Juice: Cantaloupe, mango and mint

Review: I think the cantaloupe taste was a little strong. The mint added a slight bite to the juice which was rather refreshing. The mango smoothed the taste out. Overall, OK, but I was done after one glass full. Cantaloupe taste was a little too much. Thumbs sideways.

3. Chips and Salsa: plus sour cream and re-fried beans

Review: If you love chips and salsa, you'd love this. It was mighty tasty! The chips added the saltiness and that good 'ol chip taste. The salsa was super refreshing, and the beans and sour cream added the extra "full" element that it needed. Thumbs up.

4. Spaghetti and Marinara: plus parmesan

Review: Couldn't get past the third sip. The noodles just became too thick and starchy. I did microwave everything AFTER I blended it, so maybe that was the problem. It was just too frothy. I added extra sauce, water, milk and still too thick. Thumbs down.

5. Wendy's: Chili and Baked Potato

Review: Oh yeah, thank you Wendy! I didn't taste them individually. I poured the baked potato first (with added butter and sour cream), then added the chili. Super good! I had 2 servings worth. What a deal. Thumbs up.

6. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (not pictured)

Review: Add the bread, peanut butter, jelly (in this case strawberry) and milk. Need I say more? This was super awesome. I wouldn't be surprised if you found this at some kind of smoothie shop somewhere. I've had it twice. Thumbs up.

Scar Face

2009-08-16T19:12:00.002-05:00

Skot has a lovely leftover scar on his chin. The sutures were removed 1 week ago.

Little Bitty Baby Bump

2009-08-13T09:59:00.005-05:00

Okey dokey people. I know this isn't much to look at, but you can sort of see a little bump. There is a baby in there. We checked yesterday or rather the OB checked and the heart is still ticking away. Notice there is no makeup, no cute hair... I really am struggling with my desire to look nice right now. I'm just waiting for my 2nd trimester "honeymoon phase" to hit - you know, the part where you feel more normal again. :)

Dig In

2009-08-09T10:41:00.002-05:00

Skot thinks he is really funny. Okay, I think he is funny, too. At least he can laugh at his suffering diet.

Caution! Graphic Yuck Face Pictures!

2009-08-07T10:46:00.006-05:00

OK, so now it is time to give the promised story about Skot's unfortunate cycling accident. Road cycling, as much as Skot loves it, has it's down side. One week ago Thursday Skot was cycling with a few members from his cycling team in Wauconda (yes, that would be Illinois). It had rained briefly and the roads were slick. They were slowing down to turn left when a cyclist in front of Skot started to slide out. This created a domino-effect of falls in which Skot took a face-dive into the pavement. He landed on the lower left corner of his chin. The impact forced his jaw to the right and back which snapped just below an area of the jaw called the condyle. I included a simple little image to assist your imagination. Skot's injury is located more towards the subcondylar line on the image below.

In the emergency room, ice pack in hand. I laugh because Skot says that a lot of friends are saying that his injury looks under-whelming. So I put some fun pictures on here for the dramatic effect. Who knows, maybe they are still under-whelming. Whatever. Forgive the quality, these were all taken with his iPhone.
Skot and his lovely open wound. It was about 1 1/2 - 2 inches across and 1/2 inch deep.
This is the E.R. doctor (Dr. Peeters) giving Skot an injection of Lidocaine. Honestly, I cannot believe how large the gauge of needle he chose to use on my honey's face. I only give intra-oral (in-mouth) injections to my patients (obviously) and use a very small gauge needle - something like a 27 or 30 gauge needle. I can't even begin to guess what size this one was. It was huge.
Skot post-suturing. Notice the blood. This is after the clean-up. The doctor pulled the wound wide open to check for and remove road grit. Between that and the suturing he had the blood dribbling down both sides of his neck. I think he had about 7 exterior sutures and a few gut-sutures deeper in the tissue.
He was such an great sport about this whole process. I would have been crying FOR SURE. He was very calm. Normally I love watching (and participating in) anything medically related. This was a different story. When it is a loved one it becomes a little less "medical" and a bit more emotional.
Great pic of Skot with lovely cheek retractors. The oral surgeon placed brackets on his posterior (back) teeth and then "wired" them together with tight rubber bands. He had a couple brackets pop off over the weekend and his orthodontist friend, (Dr.) David Forbes, was a sweetheart and replaced them.

Hope this answered everyone's questions! Oh, and yes, he was banged-up elsewhere. Some road rash and bruises which look bigger and nasty, but those pale in comparison to the fact that he will be wired shut for 6 weeks.

Skot Schmot

2009-08-05T18:46:00.002-05:00

I received a frowny face from Skot today. :( "Liz says she never sees anything about me on the blog. Why don't you ever write about me on the blog?" Waaaaaa..... I say, "Why don't YOU write about yourself on the blog? Maybe it would be nice to make a guest appearance from time to time." That means you do it yourself my darling boy. :)

I do have a post coming up soon that is all about Skot and his broken jaw and busted face.

A Little More...

2009-07-27T16:51:00.002-05:00

Nausea, that is. Life is so unpredictable. I was slightly more nauseous today. :( I will take that nausea, though. I had a friend today tell me that she is also in the same current state of suffering as I am. My burden suddenly feels a little lighter. A fellow sufferer with matching sentiments. I have to give that one an "Amen Brother Ben!" Yes, you may stop talking to your computer screen now, I know you are calling me a big baby. That's okay, say what you like. My friend feels my pain. :)

The Magic of Medicine

2009-07-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

Did I forget to mention??? My OB prescribed a lovely little pill that melts on my tongue and then MAGICALLY takes away almost all of my nausea. It is called Zofran (generic - ondansetron). I almost feel normal. I went on a walk yesterday with Skot and now I am about to go on another one. :)

Cooked Food

2009-07-22T07:30:00.002-05:00

I had some spaghetti last night. It is the first real solid meal I have eaten since Friday. The Warrs brought over pizza on Friday, which I made myself eat (it tasted good). I paid for that one. I have some mild food allergies and there was for sure something in the pizza that my body did not like. :( Tummy ache.

My New Best Friend

2009-07-21T09:05:00.004-05:00

I love butterflies. Of course I do. I'm a girl. A week and a half ago I was at a local farmer's market and found a stand with some cutie little girls selling butterfly chrysalis'. I was intrigued, bought my chrysalis and took it home to hang it up and wait for an emerging butterfly. Here are some pictures of my sweet-boy butterfly friend. (Yes, we identified the sex).

Fetal Position

2009-07-19T19:38:00.003-05:00

Wow. What a strange title for a post you may say to yourself. Well, it certainly has a double meaning. I've spent a lot of the past month in the fetal position due primarily to the fact that my body is trying to support one right now... a fetus, that is. YEP! We are pregnant. Yes, I know - Finally! That's what everyone is saying. We (or I, whatever) are 10 weeks along. We went to the OB on Friday and heard the heartbeat. Thank goodness! I did NOT want all this suffering to be for nothing.

Before I list my complaints I would just like to go on the record as saying that I am extremely grateful for my current status. Yay! Baby coming in February!

Now for the complaints. I'm suffering from almost constant nausea. Oh, it's so yucky. Plus, three of my favorite things have been sacrificed in the process of forming this alien fetus. First, my enjoyment of food is pretty much gone. I severely dislike ALL cooking smells. This means I eat crackers, fruit, cereal, and yogurt. That's it. Second, I now detest the smell of my sweet husband. His scent, which was my favorite, now is just, well, yuck. Poor sweet boy. Third, I haven't run in - get this - FOUR WEEKS!!! I know - NO WAY! Yikes! I actually found myself winded after climbing my stairs today. What the heck? No likey. :(

Disney Sample

2009-07-07T09:29:00.004-05:00

Skot in "Morocco" at Epcot.
On Cinderella's carousel at the Magic Kingdom.

Ok. These are just pics from Skot's phone. I still have to go online to purchase pictures that we had taken at Disney. Sorry this is sort of lame. :)

Fallen Princesses

2009-07-04T09:38:00.006-05:00

Snow White
Jasmine
Belle

I love these pictures. I ran across them on a friend-of-a-friend's blog. They were concepted and shot by Dina Goldstein. Obviously she imagined these fairy tale princesses dealing with (sort of) real world issues. I really love Princess Jasmine! She looks so tough.

I am disliking blogger again today. I tried to center the names under the pictures and every time I publish the post and click view... it looks just the same. Why? Why? Why?

Coming Soon

2009-07-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

We just got back from Disney. Pictures coming soon...

Guilt and Sickness

2009-06-23T09:48:00.002-05:00

The guilt is finally overcoming me. I haven't posted since the 1st! Crazy! Skot and I were really busy at the beginning of the month with preparation for youth conference and working (of course). Youth conference was on the 12th and 13th. We were a host family, so we had about 10 teenage girls sleeping in our house that Friday night. Talk about sleep deprivation. The 13th (Saturday) was the finale to the conference when all the kids performed their pretty cool dance routines. Fun!

That weekend was fun, but ended with my allergies out of control. An upper respiratory infection ensued followed by a lower respiratory infection, lots of stuffiness, coughing, body aches, etc. Today, eight days later, my sinuses are finally starting to clear up. I HATE BEING SICK! Especially in the summer. Anyhoo, I'll have more to post next week... with pictures!

Enlarging the Library in My Brain

2009-06-01T22:24:00.003-05:00

I have been making an effort to read more for the past.... year? Well, apparently I can't remember when I started so it could be for the past 6 months. I really want to read more classics. I had a 4-book break while reading the Twilight series earlier this year, but quickly returned to the classics. I just recently finished Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. How is it that I have not yet read these? That is crazy. I am now revisiting Pride and Prejudice for the third or fourth time. Next? Not sure yet. I heard The Shack was good, so I bought it. I don't know if I'll read it next. I really want to read some Charles Dickens and C.S Lewis. Depends on my mood. :)

Breaking the Fast

2009-06-01T11:01:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I broke my month-long sugar fast. I decided that I would "go out with a bang," and that I did. I decided to make this extremely sinful cake whose recipe is found at the vanilla kitchen site at the end of this post. This is a chocolate cake iced with a chocolate and peanut butter ganache and filled and topped with Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups. It is very heavy, very rich, worth having only (not at least) once in your lifetime. I'm sure I clogged at least one artery eating my portion, which I could not completely finish. :) I should mention that the Warr family joined us for dinner and dessert, Monica had nixed the sugar as well.

HERE IS WHAT EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW: What are you going to do now Christi? Do you HATE sugar now? How do you feel? YOUR ANSWERS: I am going to eat sugar in moderation, use replacements like stevia and honey, and try to eliminate it from dishes that really don't need it. No I don't hate sugar, I just don't like the way too much of it makes me feel (physically and mentally). I feel EMPOWERED! Sorry for the girl-power cheesiness, but I really truly feel empowered and more in control and less obsessed over sweets. I don't need it like I thought. HALLELUJAH! I feel FREE!

http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake-with-pb-c.html

Eeeeek! Vampires and Werewolves!

2009-06-01T10:50:00.003-05:00

I am shrieking for joy! My sister just posted a link to the new movie trailer for NEW MOON (so I thought I should do the same), the second movie based on the Twilight series books. I am getting temporarily excited. Hello, I cannot maintain this level of excitement until it is released on November 20th. Excitement for one day works for now. :)

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/31/the-new-moon-trailer-is-live-tell-us-your-reactions-twilight-nation/

Inspiration

2009-05-28T11:01:00.003-05:00

I checked my friend's blog today (lizlikes - see it in my links) and fell in love with another blog (hence the inspiration) that she had posted on her blog. Wow, I am just in love with blogs. Dunno why, I suppose I just love that people can share so much incredible information about themselves and this world and all you have to do is click a few buttons to gain access. So, the new site I just added to my links list is goop.com and is written by Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm very much in like with this blog. Instead of boring you with why, I will let you explore it and discover for yourself. Besides, I really needed to leave to go running about 10 minutes ago and can't spare time. :)

Just a quick note about sugar-free me; MY BODY FEELS GOOD! I feel cleaner inside. I still have a mental addiction to the blessed substance and I am not sure yet what to do with it. I am planning on breaking the sugar fast this Saturday. Yes, it has been a month now. I haven't yet decided how to go about this. The emotional part of me wants to binge to make up for lost time. The more sensible parts of my brain are saying "Take your time, Christi" and I am trying to plan so that I succumb to the sensibility and NOT the emotion. We shall see. I may tack on extra days since my girlfriends started after me. I really want to end my sugar fast with them.

Silence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

2009-05-24T08:37:00.002-05:00

No post since Monday!?!? No pictures?!?! What the heck? Well, this has been a busy week. I'm trying to keep myself together. My in-laws are in town. Originally they were coming to visit, then they weren't, then they were arriving on Sunday, then the plans changed again and I found out Thursday night that they were to arrive on Saturday. Had to work Friday. Needed to clean. What to do? So, yes, life has been crazy this week. I am also trying to get into school for a Math class in July... there's more, but I don't want to bore you with details.

Sugar? Today is day 23. I am almost finished with this blasted sugar fast. Yes, I said BLASTED! It is a holiday weekend and the temptation is definitely presenting itself more than I like to admit. Oh, and I did unintentionally eat cereal this week that had sugar in it. It was a Kashi cereal. Oops. :( Oh well, there wasn't much in it, so I don't feel all that guilty. I have learned something new about myself this week. I crave sugary food not when I'm feeling down (then I don't eat at all), but when I am stressed! Hello? That's when I do my mindless eating. Interesting info. :)

Quickie Update

2009-05-18T10:10:00.003-05:00

Still sugar free, still doing okay. Today is day 17. At this point I feel differently about sugar and my ability to control my consumption. I will add sugar back into my diet at the end of this crazy fast, but I feel (right now, anyway) that I won't be needing dessert on a daily basis and I feel like I will have better control over my cravings. Going without is DEFINITELY only as bad as you make it.

Ahhh!!! I Ate A Cupcake!

2009-05-11T12:47:00.003-05:00

Ha! I feel no guilt. It was totally sugar-free! My sweet hubby and Jason Warr made a Mother's Day dinner for myself and Monica Warr (they are our Illinois pal-buddies). The boys made us cedar-plank grilled salmon and asparagus. Yum! Then they ended our dinner with a sugar-free treat. They bought and made a Sweet-N-Low cupcake mix and topped off our cakes with chocolate icing. Now, it really wasn't the same as a treat made with real sugar, but I was grateful for the thought and the welcome break from plain-tasting food. Love my boy!

Just an aside: I may venture to purchase a new cookbook for when I end this sugar-fast. It is called "babycakes." It is a cookbook written by a girl who runs the babycakes restaurant in NY. She uses organic alternative products for baking such as: agave nectar, rice milk, coconut oil, gluten free baking flour, etc. Sounds interesting to me, we'll see how eager I am at the end of the month. :)

Chocolate

2009-05-05T08:14:00.002-05:00

I just heard something about chocolate. We all know that dark chocolate is good for you, right. Well, (and I've been wondering about this) apparently the chocolate should be at least 70% cocoa. Now you know. By the way, I will not be eating chocolate this month because of the fact. I'm sticking to my guns!

Just an aside here: I baked cookies last night with my hubby for a friend who has a birthday this week. Not easy keeping my hands out of the cookie dough.

Sugarbaby No Mo'

2009-05-04T19:59:00.002-05:00

Ha! Today is Monday May 4th. This no sugar thing is totally do-able. I really am not suffering very much at all. The hardest part is controlling reflexes. I was at a friend's house for about an hour on Saturday and there was a bowl of M&M's sitting on a side table. I stood up to grab a handful and had a quick, twitchy convulsion of a moment when I realized how thoughtless some of my sugar consumption can be. I got a funny look. Friend says "Oh, go ahead, have some." I had to say no thanks. I was sad all of 2 seconds. This is so liberating!!!

I'm really getting excited because I now have 2 friends that have decided to join in with me!!! Thanks Jana and Monica! Yay! I love that other people want to join in. How fun is that?

Sugar, sugar.... Ahhh, honey, honey...

2009-05-03T10:54:00.003-05:00

Jenny McCarthy is doing a 30-day fast from sugar and is blogging about it on Oprah's website. You can go to this link to read her first entry or, hey, I'll post it here so you can just read it now.

http://www.oprah.com/bi/jenny-mccarthy

May 01, 2009 5:10 AM (archive)

Let's Give It Up!!!!

Woo-hoo! I'm so excited to get started. I wanted to do this "give it up before summer" blog because I would always complain to my friends that I wish there were AA meetings for chocoholics. A couple of my friends said they needed help giving up caffeine, and other friends wanted to give up lying or gossiping. So I said, "Let's start a 30-day blog with Oprah.com to come together every day to bitch and moan about how well or horrible we are doing." There are no rules to this. It's simply choosing something you have been wanting to give up and making it happen this month. The good news is I'm not asking you to give it up forever...just 30 freaking days! I'm a sugar addict, so I'm going to clear out my hidden drawers of chocolate bars and throw away the nightly chocolate crispy cereal that I would have before bed. I'm also going to stop eating after 7 p.m. I'm a late-night eater and would like to put the kibosh on that! Call your friends; tell them to join you in this. It's a lot more fun having support and cheering each other on. Woo-hoo! Let's do it.

... In Christi's world on 5/1/09...
OH MY GOODNESS!!! I can't believe it! I am so dang excited about this! OK, let me calm myself (deep breath in).
So, I just had a conversation with my husband & it went something like this:
Me: "Sooo... honey?, if I decided to give up sugar for a whole month (he sighs) would you maybe do it with me?"
Hubby: "Ummm... huh, probably not. Sorry." (I can almost hear him smiling apologetically. What a stinker.)

I will tell you why I am excited. I am excited to do this with other people, even if they are completely invisible to me. I have a love-hate relationship with sugar, well, mostly chocolate and baked goods. I wish, wish, wish I could eat it in more moderation. I consider moderation just a few times per week, tops. I eat it EVERY DAY! It wouldn't be such an issue except that I daily think about when I am going to get my next "fix"! Yikes, I can't believe I'm saying this (sort of) out loud. I do not drink alcohol, coffee, tea, soft drinks or use tobacco products (not to mention illegal drugs or prescription drugs)... i.e. I have no addictions... OR DO I? Another facet of this sugar issue is my weight loss. I exercise multiple days during the week, and hard. I stay the same weight! Yuck. I'm pretty sure it is the sugar. Just extra, empty calories waiting (and I mean waiting anxiously) to permanently plaster themselves to my curvy body. Darn that sugar, it IS my achilles heel!
So, once again, I am excited to have some support (sans hubby)and not the kind where people stand on the sidelines and cheer you on, but the kind where others are participating together. I'm TOTALLY IN! Today, May 1st 2009 is my last day of sugar for 30 days! Thanks Oprah and Jenny! Halleluah-er!

I Probably Owe You Some Pictures, BUT...

2009-05-03T10:50:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I have none for you at this time. Skot dropped our camera while snowboarding (or landed on it, or smashed it or something) and it no longer shows a picture on the LCD screen on the back. It is very difficult to take pictures when you cannot see your subject through the camera's eye. Anyhoo, my next post is about SUGAR! Check it out. OK, you probably already did seeing that it is posted above this post. Whatever.

Snowboarding

2009-04-08T10:30:00.004-05:00

Boarding, boarding, boarding... Christi's kinda boring... Skot's fun... La la la la la la... lol. :) Okay, I will spare you from more of the weird singing. Not sure where that came from. So day two in Utah was snowmobiling (already posted that), day three and four were boarding days. My plan is to compile a lot of my falling down videos for a post. We'll see if I get around to it.
Me trying to snowboard. I'm definitely getting better! Woo Hoo!
Yeah, yeah expert boy. Did you really go down that? Hmmm...
David and Ali Cox ("Ali" from Allison C Photography - she's on my links list)
If you squint you can see Christian doing some boarding trick on that protrusion. Wow, I know so little about this. This is day four, by the way. Skot boarded with Christian and cousin Audrey.
Christian (Heidi's hubby)
Woah. It's really stinking bright. Where are your goggles Skooter? Oh, on top of your head?

Hang In There

2009-03-29T21:52:00.002-05:00

I will be posting more from our Utah trip soon...

My fav pics from Daniel's Peak

2009-03-22T23:17:00.002-05:00

Waldron lunacy

2009-03-22T22:47:00.005-05:00

If I sound a bit upset, it is because I was. Skot was being Mr. Hot Rod, raced as fast as he could down a very long hill and instead of staying on the trail decided to jump another giant hill without knowing what was on the other side. Sorry about the wind noise. We were up pretty high... just under 11'000 feet.

Snowmobiling pics (did I spell that correctly?)

2009-03-22T22:10:00.007-05:00

On Thursday the 12th (Happy Birthday sister April) we drove in a northeasterly direction to a place not too far from Park City called Daniel's Summit for a day of snowmobiling. I have never been in my life and had a blast, minus one incident that scared and shocked me (that will come in a future post).
I love driving up Provo Canyon. It is beautiful and I have a ton of fun memories from playing in the parks that line that canyon.
Getting ready.

Gear. Thanks Aunt Bobbie and Cousin Heidi for all the warm stuff.
Puffy marshmallow people. I didn't feel the cold even a tiny bit. OK, so it was 30 degrees outside, which isn't very cold, but when you're going 50 miles per hour on an open vehicle you get pretty cold.
I AM A MAN AND I LOVE CRAZY FAST MACHINES THAT ARE REALLY DANGEROUS!
The place.

Trip to UTAH!!!

2009-03-22T21:54:00.004-05:00

I am hating Blogger again right now. :( What is the problem here? Is the issue that I am using a Mac? Grrrr... I was trying to type this above the first picture and I cannot get it to stop underlining all my type. ANNOYING!

OK, on a lighter note, Skot and I went to Utah on the 11th and spent several days playing in the snow and with friends and family. We flew in early on the 11th and spent the afternoon reminiscing. We stopped by my old crib at the "Riv" in Provo. I lived in apartment 47 in 1997!

Sweet friends

2009-03-22T21:48:00.003-05:00

Our pal Schuyler... Skot and I work with the youth a lot at church and have watched all these cool kids grow up so much over the past 5 1/2 years we've been here in Illinois. This was his Eagle Court of Honor (a bit belated). He left a couple weeks later to serve a full-time mission in Chile. That's way cool. We are so happy for you Schuyler!

Finally... new hair pics.

2009-03-22T21:30:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here is the new hair color. I promised a pic of the brown hair quite some time ago. Sorry it took so long. I know I should avoid making negative comments about myself and body, BUT my lips look weird in this picture. What's the deal? Yikes, I think I look older, too. Weird.

Cutie Girls

2009-03-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

A couple of my cutie girls from church. What sweethearts. :)

Ranunculus

2009-03-03T10:24:00.005-06:00

This is one of my favorite flowers, the ranunculus. I am not a big pink person, I prefer orange, yellow, and green. I also usually prefer tropicals, but the ranunculus, even though it is small, has so many petals in this tight little bud that it it has impressed me. I grew yellow ranunculus last year in a pot on my front porch. Unfortunately after it was finished blooming and died away during summer, the ground squirrels came hunting and dug up the tuber (or bulb, but I think tuber), so bye-bye yellow ranunculus.

Notice the nasty snow in the background. I think I am now ready for spring.... no, summer. Spring here in the Chicago area is too much like winter to me. I am ready for summer!

Ummm... so, yeah.

2009-02-20T22:10:00.002-06:00

I really don't care about being cool, so I put no effort into trying. I do, however, put a little effort towards being less awkward. I am one of the clumsiest people I know. Minor-accident prone for sure. You know, stuff like dropping the cereal box, cereal flies everywhere, I grumble while I pick up every little piece. One problem with my improvement efforts... the harder I try, the more awkward I get. That does not make sense! And you know what else doesn't make sense? I walk with ease in high heels. What the heck?

Boarding buddies

2009-02-17T09:32:00.005-06:00

Valentine's Day... Skot took me out for my first snowboarding experience. Now, in order for you to understand what a huge deal this is for me, you should know that I have never played any sports in my life. Sure, I exercise, I workout, but I am lacking in the coordination skills department. I have heard for years that the first time you go boarding is so hard, all you do is fall down, you get really frustrated. Well, I certainly fell down a lot, but I really didn't get very frustrated, I just kept trying. Thanks to Skooter for being so darn patient. I have never seen him be so patient in the years that I have known him. What a sweetheart! He made the day so easy. :)

SNUGGIE!!!

2009-02-17T09:00:00.002-06:00

Pictures from our Christmas shoot with Chuck

2009-02-02T13:17:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I said I needed to get the files converted, but I found a couple Skot had already done on his own. These aren't the ones I want to post, but they'll do for now.

Looks like he should be walking around with a newspaper saying "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Okay, so he looks cute. What a great smile. :)
I'm not crazy about this shot, but I do look rather joyful. Took a while to get my hair like this.
Scary. Need I say more? Yes, actually, I need. Skot uses this as his screen saver. Is this what he looks at to prepare himself for going home? My goodness. Apparently all the smothering with hugs and kisses just isn't enough...

Did I Mention?

2009-02-02T08:18:00.006-06:00

Did I happen to mention that I dyed my hair yet again? It is brown. Medium brown I'd say, with a hint of red. Maybe next I will go all red? Who knows. I use a Magic 8 Ball to decide my hair cut and color choices. It is ever-changing and unpredictable baby. Soon I will post pics of the brownness (is that even a word?).

Did I mention that we had some awesome pictures taken again with Chuck Shotwell? Did I mention that I'm a slacker and haven't put any on the blog? Geez, what will it take to motivate me? The problem is that these pics are very high rez (as in I can zoom in and see individual pores in my skin). I can't just stick them on here. Your page would never finish downloading. The internet would crash and burn!!! (Dun, Du, Duuuuuhhhhnn) <- That is a sound effect. Do you get it? Anyhoo, (a little Canadian for Chrissy Claussen) there are a bunch of mega-big files that need to be converted to little-bitty internet-worthy files - that people can't steal - before I can post them. Soon I will post those pics and you won't have to read so many of my words any more seeing that I have been only posting blog entries lately with lots of words and no pictures and you are saying what's the deal I'm not reading all those words that's too much work what does she think I am, educated?

Do you like my run-on sentence? Hope so. C :)

Twilight to Dawn

2009-01-26T11:43:00.004-06:00

I will revise this post later to add more detailed information.
I just want to say for now that I finally got around to reading the Twilight saga... I disappeared for an entire week. Hubby is glad to have me back, although this does mean that I am distracting him from playing FIFA and Call of Duty on his PS3 now.
I'm sure that I won't find another set of books that drew me in like these did for a while...
Okay, gotta stop while I'm ahead. I feel a couple paragraphs coming on.
TO BE CONTINUED...

... AND HERE WE GO...
So, I had this thing about Twilight at first. I avoided it like an offensive odor. I saw blog entries and Facebook pages plastered with comments, pictures, fan clubs, and events. I couldn't believe that people were having Twilight parties! I thought that it was total madness.
Why did I avoid it? Well, hello... it is a series of teenage books about a girl and her vampire boyfriend. Need I say more?
I suppose the next question is: How did I manage to make myself read these books and why did I like them? Well the first answer is obvious. So many people were reading them and liking them so much, maybe, at the very least, I would like them too. Also, I ran across a copy of the second book, New Moon, at TJ Maxx for $6.99. Even if the books, in my experience, tanked then at least I wouldn't be put out about the money. About a month later I was, once again, at TJ Maxx and just happened to see the first book, Twilight, at the check-out counter, $6.99. Amazing, it was fate.
I like this saga because it was an easy read. I like it because it appealed to the moody, hormonal, indecisive teenager in me that used to be (like I mentioned to my friend Erika who dislikes Twilight). I like it because the character is self-depracating and clumsy - I get that. I like because Stephenie Meyer, the author, has her characters speaking the way I speak. I just get it. It gets me. Well, really it doesn't, but I like to think so.

Pay attention next time

2009-01-26T10:20:00.005-06:00

LONG, BUT WORTH READING!

I run about 3 days per week. Through the holidays I usually get tripped up a bit with my schedule. I'm back at home for now and trying to get myself back into step. I prefer running outdoors but have recently succumbed to the toasty indoor heating and bought a limited membership at the local gym so I would have a treadmill to run on while the local frozen tundra remains so.

Saturday (Jan 24th) I was short on time and decided I HAD to get a run in, even if I really only had 20 minutes. Okay, so 20 minutes? No problem. I have training runs on my iPod from Stin Hansen that are 20 minutes of high intensity intervals that totally kick my tail. I can handle the time crunch. As I dressed and left my house there was a small lingering thought in the back of my mind. Skot had mentioned that it was going to be really cold. I pushed the thought away thinking I could take the cold (probably in the 20 degree range, right?), I really could not miss a run, I need it so bad.

So this is how my run went:
Kinda hot already from running through the house to get dressed - double layers.
Leave my pull-over face mask behind, too hot, like I said.
Step out the front door.
Start walking briskly to warm up.
Dang it is cold, my face is freezing. Should I have brought my mask?
Start to walk faster, the cold penetrating through my single layer gloves.
Start a slow jog, I am interval training right?
Start running.
Breathing heavier hurts deep in my chest.
As I progress through each interval - walk, jog, run, run harder - my body continues to freeze.
Aren't I supposed to be warming up?
My face feels strange, I touch my chin only to realize I have temperature induced anesthesia.
My nose, my forehead, my cheeks - all the same - no feeling.
I become more in tune with the rest of my body.
Extremities: butt - frozen, forearms - frozen, thighs - frozen, inside bend at my elbow - frozen?
I tell myself I can endure for 20. Just keep going.
Breathing deeper, more labored, more painful.
My throat is actually burning (chest still hurting).
How cold is it exactly?
Am I out of my mind?
No, I am not out of my mind, just dedicated and I know what keeps my stress levels down, right?
I focus on my last interval set, straining for my best.
I jog home, then walk fast, throat still burning.
I walk in the front door, taking a deep and warm breath in.
Check weather.com to see what the temperature is.
At 2:00pm 8 degrees with a wind chill temperature of -6 degrees.
No wonder.
I undress, hop in the shower and cold water pours over my body.
I jump, check the water closer to the shower head - the water is very warm - hot really.
I check around myself realizing...
My skin is so cold that it is turning the warm water into an icy shower.

Oh, Misery, Depart!

2009-01-15T08:02:00.002-06:00

The true temperature right now at 8:03am? NEGATIVE 16 DEGREES! The wind chill factor? NEGATIVE 35 DEGREES! Do I dare leave home? Of course, the show must go on. :)

Surprise!

2009-01-13T10:25:00.003-06:00

Wow. What a surprise! I periodically check blogs and websites of people I know just to see what's new. Well today I checked our friend's website and saw pictures of Skot and I! So, if you want to see them just click on this link.

http://www.shotwellphotography.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=1&a=0&at=0

By the way, we will be posting more pics from this shoot later on.

Christi's sister-day - Earth, Paint, and Fire

2009-01-08T08:27:00.004-06:00

Christmas Day - Christi's Family

2009-01-08T08:15:00.002-06:00

Christmas Day - Waldrons

2009-01-08T07:43:00.003-06:00

Hi, my name is Johnny Cash

2009-01-07T21:47:00.002-06:00

Skot was quite the entertainer on Christmas Eve. He has been obsessed with Johnny Cash songs and sang a few for the fam. I joined in for a couple, but I have to careful 'cause he likes his spotlight. :)

Snow angels and Tom's Market

2009-01-01T10:02:00.004-06:00

I love going into greenhouses in the winter. It feels like summer in the stinkin' cold tundra.
Tom's - a cutie little country store and nursery in the not-so-country-anymore suburbs.
Skot searching for the famous apple cider donuts.
Is this bad?
My first snow angel of the season :)

Sledding with the Warrs (12/20/08)

2009-01-01T09:53:00.004-06:00

Jason and Isabel
Monica and Isabel
Christi and Amalea
Skot and Amalea... so cold, but so dang fun!

Piano Schmiano

2008-12-19T11:44:00.003-06:00

The kid in the upper right hand corner is me. Yep, the only adult in a sea of piano students. This was my first piano recital. Cute huh?

I Like-a-you

2008-12-18T21:41:00.005-06:00

There are some people in this world that you just can't help but like. Chuck and Lynn were inducted into the Waldron "I Like-a-you Hall of Fame" a couple years ago. These two are awesome. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, "bosom buddies." Chuck is an amazing photographer, you can check his website by clicking the link here. Lynn is the boss... that's what wives are for, what more can I say?

As a side note, Chuck has taken our pictures for our Christmas cards for the past 2 years. What a humble guy. With all of his important work to do, he still makes time to take pics of little ol' us. :)

Giving Thanksgiving

2008-12-18T21:11:00.003-06:00

We hosted Thanksgiving at our home this year. We, of course, had the Warr family over for a day of cooking, thanking, eating, cleaning and bonding. On the menu (too much): turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, collard greens, cranberry compote, green bean casserole, roasted garlic, rolls, antipasti... is there more? Oh yes, Monica made an amazing warm dip for pre-feast noshing. Yummy!

Cold Warr

2008-12-18T21:00:00.003-06:00

We decided to go to the lighting of the Magnificent Mile with the Warrs. It was cool. Actually it was cold. Hence the red noses in every picture. We all did our best to be good sports about it, but the truth is that I couldn't feel my toes AT ALL by the end of the night! Chicago is such an awesome city. Why can't they move it to the Florida coastline?

Done being sick!

2008-12-18T20:54:00.004-06:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving I caught a fun bug... food poisoning. Yuck. OK, so that's all for now. I am all good. No more bugs, no more sore throat or aching body. I have been so busy and have neglected my blog. :( So the next few posts will be catch-up from the past month. Yikes.

Better is good

2008-11-21T20:51:00.002-06:00

Getting better is a good thing. I'm almost at the 3 week mark of my sickiness and not 100% better, but almost... still coughing. I went running for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks yesterday. It was 32 degrees outside, not the most comfy temperature, but do-able. It felt good to get in a healthy jog, therapeutic. Perhaps it was unreasonable to think so, but I thought that it would be a terrible run and that being "off" for 2 1/2 weeks would have rendered me unable to make it through a simple 30 minute jaunt. Can hard work be flushed down the tubes in just 2+ sickiness-filled weeks? Apparently not. Thank goodness. Life is good. :)

Sickiness

2008-11-11T11:51:00.003-06:00

I'm sick... again. So, I started feeling yucky last week on Monday. Achy, tired, sore throat, then stuffy head. Why do I have to be sick? I hate getting sick. It is such an inconvenience. I finally started feeling better on Friday. Not quite 100%, but better. Yesterday (Monday) it came back in the form of a newly sore throat, chills, etc. Now I'm at home feeling guilty for calling in sick to work. Oh well, here's hoping I get better... again. :)

PS - Guilty for calling in to work??? It's a guilt complex. I feel like I should just keep chugging along until I collapse or something. Isn't that ridiculous? If you are sick GO HOME and GO TO BED!

Skot's response to election...

2008-11-06T10:20:00.005-06:00

A Prelude...

Christi here. I just wanted to say something quickly before you read this. I am happy that we have an African-American man elected to be our president. I feel like this is the cherry on top of the sundae for the civil rights movement that started so many years ago. Am I excited that he is a Democrat? No. I am worried about our money, our investments, our future. We are trying to move ahead in this world and I feel frustrated with the notion that making under $250'000 keeps you safe from the future tax hikes... It makes me feel like there is a new glass ceiling over my head. Oh well, he will be sworn in on Jan 20 (i think thats right) and we will just have to see what happens. Following is Skot's view.

SKOT:

Yeah, it happened. The inevitable. Who's surprised? No one. I think there are 3 main things that contributed to this win:

1. Perfect timing - he got in at a time when people were sick and tired of the Republicans and people needed something different.

2. Great branding / marketing - if Obama has one thing on his side, it's the creative industry. These people did an amazing job of branding his campaign and messaging. McCain couldn't touch him. I have to compare it to the Mac (democrats) vs PC (republicans) commercials.

3. Republican failure - no one can speak against the fact that the republicans screwed themselves in this election. It's just like a sports team that fumbled the ball way too many times, made incomplete passes, too many penalties, and not enough touch downs. They only have themselves to blame.

Whether we like it or not, we are in a global economy. The world would have been disappointed in a McCain victory. Should we care? Yes. The American brand is important, extremely important. It has been damaged these past 8 years.

Obama is not a moron. He will not (hopefully) swing all the way to the left. The majority of voters in this nation are in the middle. If he does that, he'll lose the trust of a lot of people that voted for him. If he's smart, he'll pull in some Republicans to his cabinet, maybe even John McCain. That would be a smart move. Talk about bipartisanship. With a majority in both the house and the senate, Obama will have to be the bipartisan one. He's been ramming "bipartisanship" down our throats, let's see if he actually acts that way.

He's also appealing to the upcoming generations of this country that are or will be running it. The moral of this generation is important. If nothing else, these people are happy and excited. That is good.

I'm sick of all the negativity associated with both parties. Now that the Dems have control, shut up and do something. They've been complaining and crying for 8 years in every way possible. They have no room to talk now. They've been talking a lot, let's see if they can do anything. We definitely won't have any brothas complaining about being oppressed by "the man" because, hey, "the man" is a brotha! (Actually he's only half a brotha).

I'm happy to see a change of pace and an energy around the country that we haven't had for a long time. I'm not that excited to see the things that may come about as a result of Obama winning, but I don't think I would have been that happy about McCain either.

I voted for Bob Barr. Yes, he supports the Fair Tax, and he's a Georgia boy. Did I throw my vote away? NO. Can someone tell me again why we are one of the last countries in the world with a 2 party system? I guess it's better than a 1 party system. Why do I have to vote for a Republican or Democrat to feel validated? I shouldn't have to. My only two choices of something to eat are brussels sprouts or radishes. They both leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Whatever the occasion, it's historical. Cheer up. It can't be worse than it is. Well, I hope not.

Halleluah!

2008-10-31T16:17:00.001-05:00

Today we hit the 70 degree mark in the Chicago area. Halleluah!!! I am so happy. All the windows are open. The little bugs and birds outside are busy like it was spring. Life is wonderful, gorgeous and exhilarating today. I love warm weather.

Pumpkin Eater

2008-10-28T09:34:00.004-05:00

It's that time of the year. Time for cooler weather, excessive amounts of candy, fun costumes, ghost stories, and pumpkin carving. We finally got around to carving our pumpkins last night. We are trying to make a habit of having family night, so this was our activity!

Skot's carving process looks painful and difficult.
Way to impress your wife pal! Skot is not typically one to read directions.
Here I am trying to do some intricate carving on my pumpkin. I decided that I wanted to carve an ancient Aztec god on my pumpkin, but quickly ditched that idea when I realized what I was about to do to myself. What I mean is that I tend to make big plans when it comes to decorative stuff without realizing or comprehending the amount of work it will require to accomplish. I might have gone ahead with my idea if I had the proper tools, though.
Skot is finished way before me, of course. :) That's alright, it gave him time to take some more pictures.

Sewing Allowed, but Only with Bright Colors

2008-10-27T11:44:00.004-05:00

I am sewing and enjoying it very much. I have had this project on the back burner for a couple of years. How sad that it has taken me this long, but at least I am finally at it. I have needed something to protect and store my good silverware, well, since I received some when Skot and I were first married. If you look close you will see the stitching is not exactly straight, but this was my first. Practice makes perfect.

Spoon holder.

The good 'ole sewing machine. I inherited this from Skot's mom, EJ, who inherited it from Skot's paternal grandmother. It's nice to have an "heirloom" that you can use on a regular basis.

Finished product, all wrapped up.

Pilates Studio, a New Frontier

2008-10-27T11:26:00.006-05:00

I decided months ago that I wanted to try pilates again, and not with the old video I purchased from an infommercial some 5 years ago. So, after discussing this with some friends at work (once again some months ago) we decided we would get a group of four together and proceeded to procrastinate our master plan. So, to my great surprise, they purchased a gift certificate for my birthday for a private training session. I went to Inner Peace Pilates studio on Friday past and enjoyed my first training session on the "Cadillac" and "Reformer" machines. Loved it, my abs are sore, my body feels limber. That's all I have to say for now. :)

The studio floor. No shoes allowed. I love "no shoes allowed" type places. It seems cleaner.
The Cadillac is on the left, the reformer machines to the right. The stuff hanging down from the bars on the cadillac (aka trapeze machine) are spring loaded, so you lay down and pull with arms or legs depending on what exercise you are doing.

Soothing purchase

2008-10-27T11:13:00.006-05:00

What the heck is wrong with blogger? I am trying to post some stuff and it is making me crazy. My pictures are going in the wrong order, despite the fact that I am putting them in proper order. This is craziness and frustration.

This picture was supposed to go on my last post, whatever. I went to my favorite flower shop in the whole world, called MUM, and purchased these lovely bits of nature. I have fresh-cut flowers in my house pretty much every day. I buy on Wednesday or Friday typically. I'll put a link to their website on here today... if the computer and blog site will cooperate. :(

...just a quick addition... now I can't even get the type face to adjust to the right size! Ahhh!!!

The Plant Lady Mourns

2008-10-27T10:50:00.005-05:00

The lovely amaryllis has finished blooming. We'll have to wait another year...

Ohh... Blah.

2008-10-22T10:03:00.002-05:00

I want a new camera. I am currently looking. I am frustrated with the basic cam. we have right now because I can't get a decent shot unless the surrounding lighting is absolutely perfect. So, I suppose that means I want something with a better flash. Maybe even a camera with changeable flashes? That automatically puts me into a higher price range - to purchase the flash attachments I mean.

So here are my wants: digital, good flash, big working screen, easy buttons, middle price range. Any suggestions?

Beet Red Continued

2008-10-19T20:09:00.002-05:00

I almost forgot... I have two more beets left. What do I do with them besides eat on salads?

Plant Lady is back

2008-10-19T20:05:00.005-05:00

The Warr's bought me a lovely amaryllis for my birthday and this is what it looks like 2 weeks later.

Purple carnation.
Yellow carnation with purple tips.

Spring, please come back!

2008-10-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

We have a looming winter at hand and preparing these spring rolls makes my heart whimper a little.

How lovely! How gorgeous! SO HEALTHY!
Amalea helped Skot and her daddy (Jason) soak the sheets of rice paper. She was very good at knowing when they were ready to roll.
Monica and little Isabel watched and taste-tested.

Beet Red

2008-10-19T19:06:00.006-05:00

It's a little embarrassing... I love to experiment with food, but I suppose that the word "experiment" is deceiving. I really only try out new food/recipes after I try it in a restaurant first. That does not make me a proper kitchen connoisseur. I have tried a couple of recipes without actually tasting the stuff first, but never had the outcome I was hoping for. Oh well, maybe one day I will become a little more brave again. For now I will just be the "Copy Cat Connoisseur."

Aren't these beets lovely? I had some amazing spring rolls when we were poolside in Las Vegas. So, of course, I felt compelled to make my own at home. There was quite a bit of preparation. I chose numerous veggies and had to julienne them all by hand because I don't have a food processor. This beet was one of those vegetables. I was so taken aback by the beauty of this red beet I had to stop everything and take a picture. The spring rolls will be posted soon.

Apple Pickin'

2008-10-15T09:53:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday we went apple pickin' at the Prairie Sky Orchard in Woodstock. We had fun, reconnected slightly with nature, bought pumpkins, and also picked some raspberries.

This is what happens when I ask Skot to smile for me. I get cheese face.

Conference and Blood Sucking

2008-10-15T09:40:00.004-05:00

We watched General Conference on the 4th and 5th. I love Conference. I learn so much. It is a time for reflection and personal inventory and I appreciate the effort the speakers put in to their messages. This is also the time of year that Skot and I give blood. There is a blood drive set up at our church building every April and October. I haven't been able to give blood for a while, but decided to try to jump back on the wagon. Skot, as usual, a real trooper.

Happy Birthday?

2008-10-15T09:14:00.002-05:00

My B-Day was Friday Oct 3rd. We had just finished our quick vacation to Las Vegas on Monday, so when Skot asked what I wanted for my birthday I said "I just want a normal day." In other words, come home on time, stay home for dinner and just hang out. So, I was out running errands and decided to meet up with Skot for lunch at good ol' Olive Garden. I was slightly mistreated.....

Skot squashed my head.
And poked out my eyes. I got him back. :)
I picked his nose.
And then... well you can see for yourself. Ha HA

Hold Your Horses

2008-10-12T20:33:00.003-05:00

I have new pictures... no time to post now. I will do it tomorrow afternoon! :) Just hold your horses.

What Happens in Vegas... Part III

2008-10-01T21:52:00.004-05:00

We stopped by UNLV's dental school. This is the one Uncle Steve started and was the Dean of.

The fountains at Bellagio.
Our yummy dinner at Yellowtail. Outside our window were the Bellagio fountains, great view.
Our gondolier at the Venetian.
Skot was just dying to get a picture with Donnie and Marie... :)

What Happens in Vegas... Part II

2008-10-01T21:40:00.003-05:00

Friday night, running around.

Saturday night, getting ready.
Out and about.
Dinner at the Wynn Hotel.

What Happens in Vegas... Part I

2008-10-01T21:27:00.005-05:00

A quick visit to gargantuan Hoover Dam.

The most important part for me - RELAXATION at the fake beach! Ha!

Learning, learning, learning

2008-09-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

I wish I could be hired to learn for the rest of my life. The list of things I want to learn is so extensive. I don't care to list them now, but that is what is on my mind tonight. OK, I'll say one. It just so happens that it is one I am currently working on. - Playing the piano - I know, it is terribly cliche'. That's alright with me. I started my lessons one year ago. It makes Skot proud to see me progress. He is a pretty good pianist. One day I plan on really impressing him. For now he gets to laugh at the simplicity of my abilities. :)

Ambushed...

2008-09-16T21:18:00.006-05:00

...by my sweet husband. I went running on Saturday. It just so happens that it was also raining. Skot got such a kick out of my shower/run session that he decided to drive around the neighborhood, find me, and take pictures. Funny boy.