Random Pictures

Cailin LOVES great grandma's kitty. Cailin just calls her "meow". (can you believe this is the shirt she wore on halloween last year?

Cailin LOVES to be just like Mommy and Daddy... She found my socks and put them on her feet... they were taller than knee-highs! We actually got a picture of her big smile!!! She is a very happy girl and SMILES all the time... until a camera comes out...

Cailin looks like a princess at Adrienne's wedding shower. She was watching the clouds in the sky.

Fashionably late

I realized that I have not posted pictures yet from Halloween. Cailin had a blast. She was a frog, or as she calls them, a BIBBIT! She loved being a bibbit. It took her 2 houses to catch on that when she knocked on a door, someone would open the door and put candy into her trick or treat bag. She didn't want anyone to help carry her bag, she didn't want anyone to carry her. She wanted to eat everything that night. (We are only 3-4 pieces shy of what we started with now). After we went trick or treating, we went to a safe kids fest put on by the fire and police departments. It was great. They had games, food, prizes. The games were fairly simple games. One was throw the ghost into the pumpkin. They took golf balls and covered with a white hankerchief. They had to stand on the appropriate line and throw them into a pumpkin bucket. Cailin took the ghosts one at a time, and walked up to the bucket and put the ghost in. NONE of the ghost stuck out of the pumpkin. she pushed it all down in there nice and need. Then she would walk back, get another, and do it again into the next buck, and the same for the third. Of course she won a prize for getting them all in. She got a temporary tattoo on her hand. She thought the first one was soo neat that she gave them her other hand for one as well.

Here are some pictures of my adorable little bibbit!

Oops, I did it again...

When I was working on my quilt, I decided to actually make sure my ribbon blocks were really squares. I might have shaved off just a touch on each one... Well, apparently that 'just a touch' was too much... I have enough room to add 5 more blocks on each side. My options are to either start from scratch and make 10 more blocks and NOT trim them and make sure they fit, or to make 5-20 more and just add that to what i have... It would mean more folds on the ribbon on one side of the quilt than on the first. Since I am trying so hard to finish this before I head out to FL and MD, I am opting for making only 15-20 more little blocks.

Today is the day...

Chris has the ONLY interview for a promotion! It is today at 10am Central time. PLEASE say a prayer for him. He has already talked to Dave, the guy that wants to hire him. This interview is with him and someone from HR. I think they are going to be negotiating pay. Chris thinks that they will be discussing pay. Chris says if he gets it, he would probably start on Dec 1... which is as soon as we get back from our trip... I am excited and nervous, and scared for him at this point in time!

My Tribute

To those who have served in our army, navy, air force and marines, THANK YOU! I do not care if you were on actived duty just during peace time, or if you served in a war; if you stayed here on US soil, or over seas. Regardless of where or when, you put my life before yours and I appreciate that. You are willing to sacrifice your life, and leave your families for periods of time to defend people whom you have never met. For that, I thank you! I am proud of each and every one of you and would love to shake your hand and tell you personally Thanks. You are not working in vane.

I'm a Quitter

I hate to say it, but I am going to stop my serious attempt on south Beach until I can do it more faithfully. With Holidays comming up, and traveling for 2 weeks, It is going to be UBER hard to say the least. I am going to start Right after Christmas. I am not saying that i am going to go all out and eat everything... I am going to eat in moderation and still kind of watch, but I will do this more faithfully come January 1.

Ewwww... Grosss

Tried the ricottoa creme 'dessert'... I think i am going to pass on dessert until i find something better... I had the chocolate ricotta... it was nasty. Don't bother with it... blah

Anxiety Sucks!

Chris called today at lunch time to tell me that he has an interview on Monday. He is the ONLY one with an interview. I asked him if it was an interview or a pay negotiation... He said that again it was mostly a formality and he wouldn't be surprised if they talk pay on Monday. Looks like we are getting closer and closer!!!

You applied didn't you?

Today Chris came home and told me that the CEO had him working on something in his office. While he was in there, CEO says "I think that job opening for Business Analyst would be perfect for you, you applied didn't ya?" with a smirk. CEO knows all that is going on in the company. Chris said that he thinks he has the job... he is just going to have to negotiate on the pay part of it. We are still waiting because Dave has been out of town this week so chris couldn't talk with him yet... I am so not good with waiting.

Got Milk?

Cailin's vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds. Some of the things that she says cracks me up. Some makes me say "thank goodness we are at home with no one else around". Today was one of those days that I said that exact sentance. Her favorite things to say lately are "What's this, Air'd Go, Ereeet isss". Tonight, Cailin was taking a bath. She pointed to her boob and started asking "What's this?". I told her it was her boobie. She asked again and I told her it was her breast. She pinched it and says "Milk... my Milk"... she kept pointing and saying milk. I told her that her milk was in the frige... not in her. She kept it up, so I started to find something else for her to look at, think about and talk about.

It was all I could do to not laugh.

On a similar note, Cailin found a pile of lingerie that I have that I have not worn because it wasn't flattering, and just not something I would wear. I had it in a small pile in my room to get rid of. She decided to "dress" herself. She put her head through both legs of a black teddy, and then found a pair of my undies to put on her head. This is how she answered the door when Grandma came over.

Almost there

I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have all of the pictures sorted and decided on. Today I printed them and I am taking a break as I type this from cutting them out. Tomorrow, I will take them to the silk screen place. I am getting there. I am hoping to take it to the quilter before I leave for our turkey day vacation.

Bad Timing...

I have decided that I have picked the absolute worst time to try to loose weight with a fairly strick diet... at least a fairly strict first 2 weeks... I did really well on Saturday and Sunday. The most that I "cheated" was i had 1/2 glass of pop on Sunday. I wasn't even hungry to eat lunch when I had the mid-morning and mid afternoon snacks... This wasn't going to be too bad... Then came monday. I had to do a Pampered Chef demonstration. NOTHING that was on the table was on the 'safe list'. I tried to crunch on the broccoli, but I was hungry and I was there later than planned... I caved. I had a piece of Lemon chicken ring as well as a piece of Garden Ranch Chicken. THEN... to top it off, I tried a piece of Jen's pumpkin cheesecake! It was delicious! I probably gained back anything that i might have lost in the past 2 days. Tuesday came and I was determined to get back on schedule. This was a challenge because I was in OK all day. Billie made a meat loaf and it looked really good... except that minor problem that it was made with Ritz cracker crumbbs. I left Cailin with Grandma and Great-Grandma and went to walmart to get stuff that would be better. I got some fake crab meat as well as a pot roast and some lima beans. I did good. I probably ate more fake crab meat than I should though. I passed on ice-cream, even when Cailin offered me a bite and said "MMMMmmm, tis good momma". Today was MOPS. I love going to MOPS. I forgot that we were going to have a "progressive breakfast" today. I said "no thank you" to the bagels and cream cheese, however, I couldn't pass on these little balls. I think they were a chesses, sausage, bisquick ball that Billie raught me to make. They were great! I also had a slice of pumpkin bread and fruit in yogurt. Is it really advisable to start changing eating habits around the holidays?

How's Your Sniffer?

I have decided that I want to start using some fresh herbs. They are expensive, so I got an herb pot and planted my own… I have parsley, basil, chives, mint, `cilantro, marjoram, and thyme. There are 3 in the top of the pot, and 1 each on the little cups off the side of the pot. I am Excited!!! I already have sprouts popping up!!! There was one minor flaw in this plan. I didn’t label what I planted where, so I guess I will have to sniff before I cut!!! Oops.

South Beach Day 1

I finally had a chance to go grocery shopping. Yesterday I spend quite a bit and a lot of it was on fresh produce. This means that today will officially be Day One to start the South Beach Diet. I know I shouldn’t think of it as a diet, but instead a new way of eating, and a healthier way of eating. It is hard.

Today, I woke up and got on the scale. It says 184. Not what I want to see, but I am hoping to change that starting today. Part of why I am 4 pounds more than normal is due to that wonderful monthly cycle that just ended for this month… I always seem to gain 3-4 pounds and then gradually loose it until the following month it happens again.

It is only 3 o’clock and I have to say that this is not going to be an easy first 2 weeks. Breakfast was good, but it took significantly longer to make the Cheesy Frittata than it would to pop a frozen waffle into the toaster. Luckily, I have enough that will last for 2 more days… and that includes some for Cailin for breakfast as well. I look forward to attempting an asparagus omelet later this week. This morning I had a mozzarella cheese stick for a snack after breakfast, and I wasn’t very hungry for lunch. Breakfast was late anyway. For an afternoon snack, I had a wedge of cheese (garlic and herb flavored) on some celery. Tonight we will have marinated London broil which sounds delicious and smells good so far with the marinade. We are also going to have South beach surprise mashed “Potatoes”. It is actually cauliflower. Billie suggested it. She said that it is no where close to potatoes, but it was good. I am also going to make a salad and then for dessert, I am going to try the almond ricotta crème. That part sounds delicious.

Before I go to bed, if I can find my tape measurer I am going to measure my sizes on arms, legs, and tummy area. I would like to see numbers on the scale go down as well as inches.

My hardest challenge today was when I was making lunch for Cailin. She had peanut butter and banana sandwich. She didn’t eat it all. A lot of times, I will eat what ever she doesn’t eat, and today, it is still sitting on the table. I hate throwing it away, so I am going to offer it to her as a snack when she wakes from a nap. She also had a small MICROSCOPIC sized Hershey bar from trick-or-treating. I sooo wanted a bite of it to snack, but I passed.

I am determined to do this. As well as loosing weight, another bonus is that I will be kind of forced to fix healthier meals for dinner for Chris. I will be cooking more on a regular basis and not fast fixes like fish sticks and mac and cheese with a can of green beans on the side or Macaroni and Cheese-burger… I am going to work on real meals… sides, a lot of chicken. I am going to attempt to eat some fish. We have lots of halibut in the freezer.

You've Been Promoted

Chris was worried about two weeks ago. There was a rumor heard that one person in his department of 5 people were going to get laid off. We were stressed to say the least. Tensions could be felt here at home and I hated that feeling.

Two days later, he came home and told me we needed to talk. I asked about what, but he wouldn't tell me until after dinner. I was terrified that he was going to tell me that he lost his job. I didn't think that there was a chance that he would... he is one of two that actually has a a BS degree. He has a few other qualifications that no one in the office has but someone needs for this area. I don't forsee him loosing his job. I tried to reassure him that even if he did, I am sure he would have NO TROUBLE at all finding another job... and even getting raise as well. He has been trying to get a raise since he has his BS, but his boss has been more pre-occupied with saving his department members' jobs instead. That is understandable, however, he could have at least told Chris.
The whole thing that Chris needed to talk to me about though was this. Dave is a manager for another division of the IT field. Dave went to Darren and got the okay ot offer a job to either Chris or Gary. Gary didn't want it because it would involve dealing with people more and he would rather deal with the machines. That leaves Chris. The job would be a IT Business Analyst. Quite a difference from IT help desk. I told chris that if he thought it would make him happy, then do it. He told me that this way, there would be room for promotions, as well as saving someone else in his department from loosing their job.
The following day, Chris goes to work and tells Dave that he is interested. Dave then goes to talk to HR, CEO, Chris's current boss among other people to get the ball rolling. HR tells dave that they have to post the job opening internally to basically cover their butt. The posting went out yesterday. The job requirements matched Chris's resume to a T. Even the specific IT degree that Chris has. The kicker to it... the job was posted on Thursday, and resume's have to be turned in no later than Monday. Dave has told Chris not to worry about this... it is just a formality that they have to go through.
Another bonus for this job position being offered to Chris... is SHOULD come with a substantial pay raise!! YAY.
I am so proud of Chris. He works hard. He puts his heart and soul into whatever he is doing, no matter if it is computer work, or reffing a soccer game, or building something here at the house. Sometimes it takes him a while to get started, or to get his plans laid out, but once they get started, he does great work. I am turely proud of him for all that he has accomplished. It is about time someone at the company recognizes all of his hard work and rewards him for it!!!!

Keep it Down

Today, Cailin and Natalie were in Cailin's room playing. I was using the carpet steamer and cleaning the hallway carpet and the bathroom carpet. Apparently i was too noisy because the girls slam the door closed. I opened the door for them again and they pushed me out and closed the door again. As soon as I finished, Cailin knocks on her door from the inside and says "knot knot momma. OUT!!". I was done, so they wanted the door to be open again.