Owner: Roots or Wings URL:http://rootsorwings22.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:04:05 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: SAHM of two boys, wife of 11 years, and homeschooler blogging away for 365 days. My life, joys, struggles, family, pictures, and whatever! Come join me and see what we are up to today! Site statistics:Click here
Move It or Get Old, Fatter, and Die 2008-02-09 12:02:49 5 years ago, I lost 60 pounds. I hit my highest weight of 210 pounds (not being pregnant), and decided that was it! NO MORE! I joined WW, bought a Gazelle, and went to work. 6 months later, I was 150 pounds. (I am 5 foot 8 inches tall, just so you know.) I stayed at my 150 pound weight for 4 and a half years.Last June, I quit my job and our family experienced some of the most stressful times we have yet to endure. It's not that it was horribly stressful, like a death or divorce, but the stress just dragged on....and on......and on.......and on. It just got to the point that all my good habits died a swift death and old, bad habits resurrected themselves in one big ole' hurry.I am an emotional eater. OK, not really emotional, like anger or frustration, but stress and anxiety. Brin
Happy Birthday Weekend!!! 2008-02-08 08:51:59 1. I'm looking forward to _SPRING!!!____2. __Australia___ is a place I always wanted to visit and haven't made it there yet.3. I've fallen in love with __saving money on groceries___.4. Six of one, __free with a coupon___.5. Addiction ___is prevalent in my extended family__.6. The ___boys__ crack me up!7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __going out for my nephew's birthday dinner___, tomorrow my plans include ___a big family birthday party for my DH and nephew__ and Sunday, I want to ___give my DH a big birthday kiss__! 39/365 Read more:Birthday
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Fashion Disaster Part 2: Shoes: Foot Coverings or Fashion Statement? 2008-02-07 08:35:03 (We are in the midst of a powerful winter storm and our power is blinking on and off. I hope to finish this before I am officially sitting in the dark!)Like most women, I developed a love for shoes at an early age. I loved trying them on, buying them, and showing them off. In college, I had the means to purchase myself 60+ pairs. What happened to all those shoes you ask?I ended up at 18, with normal, size 8 feet. By normal, I mean not wide, not narrow. Just average size eights. During my first pregnancy, not only did I experience hip spread, but foot spread also. My perfect size eights, grew....and grew....and grew. I ended up with size TEN, super WIDE feet. I wore DH's shoes for awhile, and then I found a pair of sandals that accommodated my swollen feet. I didn't know I would Read more:Fashion
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Fashion Disaster Part 1: My Fashion History 2008-02-05 09:12:46 Today is the beginning of the long awaited series on me, the queen of fashion disasters! I will post every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of February, (with pictures! after today anyway) about the various areas I am a fashion flop. I was hoping to get some old pictures of me up, but it is hard to take a picture of a picture and I have no scanner. Sorry!Today I will tell you why I think I am a fashion disaster.I grew up in a family that didn't have a lot of money. We spent a lot of time in the warmer months going to garage sales. The majority of my school wardrobe was usually purchased over the summer at various sales. I made this work though! While I didn't have the newest stuff, I was know for my eclectic, but cool style. My one fashion flop in junior high and high school were Read more:Fashion
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Saving Appoximately 50% on Groceries 2008-02-04 07:58:33 I have never liked grocery shopping. It was a necessary evil.....one that sucked hundreds of dollars from my wallet every. single. week. I have two hungry boys, and one hungry hubby to feed, other than myself. Our grocery bill has climbed from $400 a month two years ago, to $600-$800 a month now. I'm not happy about that, as we seem to be getting less and less, as the prices go up and up. (I don't believe people in finance these days who say we aren't headed for a recession......have they EVER been to a grocery store?!?)So, I used the trusty internet to scope out some money saving options and I found The Grocery Game! It is a service that matches coupons and sales together so you can get rock bottom deals. It gives you lists by store available for your zip code and tells you the sal Read more:Saving
Isn't Winter Getting Old?!?! 2008-02-03 07:48:33 "Bury It To The Axels""Wait Many Minutes For Help To Arrive""Get Pulled Back To The Safety Of Plowed Arterial By Very Large Chain"**********OK, I know the snow and winter pictures are getting old, but this is seriously all we did this week. We stood at our living room and bedroom window and watched all the people get stuck. This was the best of the bunch, and it involved a large chain, so it won for this week.BUT.....Here are some pictures of my star candle holders if you can't handle any more winter. I think they are pretty when the light shines through them."Oooooooo, pretty!""Lovely, textured glass!""Foggy Sunrise"This one had to go up again because it was ON THE NEWS, PEOPLE! For like five seconds! I am getting my 15 minutes of fame in 5 second increments.....I figure I have 14 mi
New Orleans Chicken 2008-02-02 09:28:14 Janet, over at Friday Fill-ins, asked what New OrleansChicken
is. So, here is the recipe! (I would take a picture, but for some reason all my food pictures look like vomit, thus making everything look unappetizing! I'll let you use your imagination!)New Orleans
Chicken:1-1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed3 tsp. canola oil2 medium carrots, chopped1 large onion1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped1 medium green pepper, chopped3 cloves garlic, minced2-3/4 cups hot water1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained1 (8 oz.) package of red beans and rice mix (Zatarain's is what I use)1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drainedShredded Parmesan or Asiago Cheese to topIn a large skillet, brown chicken in 1 tsp. of oil over medium high heat; remove and set aside. In the same skille
It's February! 2008-02-01 08:24:26 1. Once I was __a nanny for two and a half years___.2. ___I spend most of February
__ being sick.3. Today I work at ___making sure to take a shower, get dressed, and brush my teeth before ten o'clock__. 4. What's __being frugal___ all about? 5. If I make a mistake I __fret about it constantly___.6. When I woke up this morning, I thought __"There had better not be any new snow on the ground!"___.7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __making New Orleans chicken___, tomorrow my plans include __watching the Zags play Santa Clara and taking the boys ice skating___ and Sunday, I want to __go to church and get my grocery list made___!32/365
Cornucopia of January Stuff 2008-01-31 09:17:12 Since it is the LAST day in January
, I am going to recap all the exciting things that have happened this month.......ok, maybe not exciting things, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want!First of all, I can't believe I have made it through one. whole. month. in the Blog365 Challenge. One month down, 11 more to go! (I do have a request though, from you bloggy graphic artists, badges for each month you successfully blog this year would be great!)Exciting Stuff From January!!!!!!1. It has snowed more here than it has in 15 years. My DH, who hails from the South, has never seen this much snow in his life.We hear about help going out to flood victims, hurricane victims, tornado victims, etc. How come we never hear about help for snowstorm victims?"The National Guard has been deployed wit
Sun? Sun? Is that you sun?!? 2008-01-30 20:20:10 Wordless Wednesday*Update* This was chosen as the weather picture of the day by one of our local news stations!30/365
Teasers and Meme 2008-01-29 09:06:31 I have been thinking of some interesting series to do here on my little corner of Al Gore's great internet. Here is a teaser of things to come.February: Fashion Disaster MonthEvery Tuesday and Thursday I will blog, with pictures, about what a disaster I am. I may even solicit your help in picking an outfit that can't be purchased at Walmart.April: Apartment Dweller MonthI will share my vast knowledge of apartment living and share some of the funny stories we have acquired over the years. It will either be two or three times a week.So, stay tuned!I am going to try and do just ONE meme a week this year of blogging madness. It is so easy for me to do them and then never think of anything to blog about on my own. So, it's Tuesday meme day! YA! Got this one over at Momisodes.The rules a
It's. Never. Going. To. End. *Sigh* 2008-01-28 08:51:41 That says 14" of snow! We took some other measurements around the complex, and our average was 17" of snow out in the open with no buildings or trees blocking the snowfall. We are in for one storm after another this week, with another 12-15" by this weekend.I don't know about you, but I have a tough time the end of January through February. Winter has lost all of it's appeal. It is usually snowy and cold, the days are still short, and the sidewalks are covered with slush and ice making getting out difficult. Knowing we have about two more months of this, and then a month of rainy brownness before any hint of spring makes it hard for me to keep my mood up. I'm sure part of it is the whole seasonal affective disorder, but I also think it is just that winter sucks. We are very active Read more:Going
Unattended Children....the Other White Meat 2008-01-27 08:50:46 We visited a small local zoo yesterday with my boy's boy scout troop. We saw some amazing cats, and took some really cool pictures. (Notice I did not say good pictures!) This zoo specializes in big cats, most of which were rescued from people who thought they would make really great pets. (I don't think of a 700 pound lion as a nice house pet!) The fact they have been rescued and placed in a zoo is probably an indication of what kind of pets they really make.LynxCougar (sorry, not Jennifer Aniston)Absolutely gorgeous....and HUGE! Definitely the king of the jungle! He looks out of place in all that snow.The white tiger.They had a new litter of baby tigers two months ago. The plexiglass sort of distorted the picture, but isn't that face just the cutest!!!! (OK, I can kinda understand Read more:Children
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Money in the Mail? 2008-01-26 07:26:31 OK, I know it's not official yet, but there has been significant talk online about an economic stimulus plan in the works. It breaks down like this:$600 for individuals who pay income tax$1200 for married filing jointly? who pay income tax$300 for each additional childWith some other stipulations, of course. You can read more about it here.IF (big if),this actually goes through, my family and I would get $1800. We only have two options. It goes into savings, or we use it to finish paying off our stupid mistake that has been draining our financial resources for the past 5 years car. No vacations, or tvs, or fun stuff. NO! We are on a mission, and if the government wants to send us money which will help us complete our mission......YA!The question of the day is:What would you do with Read more:Money
What Can I Blog About Today?!?! 2008-01-25 08:21:11 1. _Sleeping____ makes me happy.2. I would like __a nap___, please.3. __Cookie dough ice cream___ tastes SO good! 4. ___Saturday__ is my favorite day of the week because __I can finally get out of the apartment___. 5. ___My eyes are__ my best feature.6. We could learn so much from ___children (if we just listen!)__.7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___making cranberry pork chops__, tomorrow my plans include ___taking the boys on a Boy Scout outing to the local zoo__ and Sunday, I want to __make a casserole to take to the church potluck___!**********I know that most of you haiku your way through Friday, but I feel haiku impaired. So I found this instead!Today
was the first day I woke up and had no idea what I was going to blog about! I have a list going of d
8 Things........ 2008-01-24 08:39:07 I was tagged on Tuesday by Momisodes, but I wanted to do Wordless Wednesday.....and I have a thing about posting twice in one day. (With this Blog365 thing, I try to hold onto my ideas so I don't run out!) So, here it is today!8 Things I Am Passionate About:1. My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Every. Single. Day. I am reminded about how much I need His forgiveness, and am truly, truly thankful for it.2. My DH. He is my best friend, and the love of my life. He gets me when no one else does!3. My boys. The best things in the world that have ever been loaned to me! Time has flown by, and everyday I am reminded just how short childhood really is.4. Homeschooling. It's what works for us!5. Reading my Bible. I have been a Christian for 25 years, and NOT ONCE, have I read it all th
Ten Things I Love About Blogging 2008-01-22 14:23:02 First of all, I have to say thank you to Momisodes for giving me my first ever blog award! I was so surprised when I went over to her blog this morning to see what she was up too. Thank you so very, very much!********************************I joined the "Top Ten" group on Blog365 and was going to try and do one once a week. Well, I haven't done one since joining the group. So, here goes:10 Things I Love About Blogging
:1. I get to write about whatever I want!2. Writing about stressful or problematic situations helps me to put things in perspective.3. Sharing pictures of my boys and my nephew.4. Peeking into the lives of others through their blogs. It's kinda like looking through living room windows when you drive around at night. (OK, that sounded stalker-ish.)5. Finding new blog
Bowl of Kibble Anyone? 2008-01-21 08:47:45 We made family resolutions this year, just some things we want to work on as a family. One of them is to eat better. By better I mean, more whole grains, fruits, veggies, less convenience foods, more home-cooked meals, etc. It also means changing our thinking. Chips and ice cream aren't there own food group.Both of my children agreed to this! (It was also a part of a patch they were trying to earn for Webelos, so that may have been why they were so eager to jump on the healthy, organic bandwagon!)I will be writing about some of the changes we make this year, and the response my family has to said changes.One of the first things we changed was our sugary breakfast cereal. No more chocolate covered sugar bombs for us! Now we are eating organic sticks and twigs, sometimes with a servin Read more:Anyone
Derby Excitement!!!!! 2008-01-19 10:02:56 It was a packed house last night at the Pinewood Derby! We got there about 15 minutes before it started and snatched up the last of the available seating. The track was set up, computers synchronized, and the kids full of anticipation.Here are some of the competitors (DS1 and DS2 cars are on the end of the first row). All together there were 59 cars racing. (I tried to get pictures of the rest because there were some very cool designs, but there was a thick crowd of scouts around and I kept taking pictures of their heads instead!)Each car was to race three times, once in each of the track lanes. The cars time was then recorded (down to the ten thousandth of a second!), lowest time thrown out, and the other two times averaged to get your official race time. No one would know how they Read more:Excitement
It's Race Day........The Pinewood Derby 2008-01-18 09:48:54 Tonight is the big night! Excitement is in the air........the cars are finished, graphite has been applied, they have been weighed and measured, and found to be acceptable to the derby masters.They are doing the alignment test here. You can see two of the three tools we actually own!DS2 looking like he feels wonderful! Poor kid! I hope he feels better soon!DS1 wasn't feeling any better, but he always looks happy! Wish I looked that way!Craziness at the weigh in table. People were still putting their cars together, adding weight, and putting on the finishing touches. (This wasn't us.)The final display case, where the cars spent the night and will get ohhhhhhed and ahhhhhed over by all the school kids today.I'm proud of the boys. They did very well and thought out a couple of really
Bring on the Head Cold 2008-01-17 08:02:55 We have a bad health month in our family. EVERY year since our marriage, we get sick the end of January-February. (I guess that is more than a month!) All of our prescription drug costs are incurred then. We also rack up more than half of all of our yearly medical expenses during this month.........WITHOUT FAIL!!!!!I think it is because we are really supposed to be desert people and we should move immediately to the southwest where they don't have winter. DH thinks it is because we volunteer in our church's nursery, where parents don't think green, snotty noses and hacking coughs are any reason to stay home.Whatever the reason, it was no surprise when DS2 started complaining about a sore throat on Tuesday. I woke up with it on Wednesday, as did DS1. (Did I forget to mention that DH
Closets Are Fun! 2008-01-16 09:55:40 Wordless WednesdayOk, I have to explain why my nephew looks so weird. I closed the closet door and it was pitch black in there. My boys knew better than to look at me because the flash would be blinding......my nephew did not. :)16/365
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