a very merry birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!

today is our niece's 4th birthday.  it seems hard to believe she's already 4.  we don't see her often and i hate that, but i am glad we get to keep up with her in pictures.

haley, courtney, and lindsey (haley and lindsey are sisters and my first cousins)

resolution revolution.

i really hate making new years resolutions.  i always end up breaking them at some point in some form or fashion over the winter months.  i find it hard to keep resolutions when it's so cold and dreary outside.  (well, except for today.  it's sunny and 60.  yes.  60 degrees!)  now, where was i?

oh, right.  resolutions.  i think sometimes we set ourselves up for failure.  even when trying to make the goal easily attainable it is sometimes still a bit unrealistic.  for example, "i will only eat healthy foods."  okay?  who doesn't love a piece of chocolate cake every now and then?  or a plateful of cheese enchiladas.  mmm... mouth-watering isn't it?  you can't deny yourself of all your cravings.  not all of the time, anyway.

i have again been watching The Biggest Loser on NBC.  i have again been saying to myself, "if these grossly obese people can work out and eat right then why can't i?" as i sit and snack on unhealthy foods and tell myself that i'll workout tomorrow.   and when i put on my favorite pants, which are usually my "fat pants" and they fit... well, it made me want to be on the biggest loser ranch with bob and jillian.  well, maybe for just a day.  and certainly to get a cooking lesson from curtis stone.  he's just as yummy as the food he makes.

my problem?  i love food.  i love my favorite foods- most anything mexican, pizza, macaroni and cheese... and you know what?  i don't have to give them up.  i just have to learn newer, healthier ways to make them.  

i am re-joining Weight Watchers.  actually, i rejoined yesterday.  jay has rejoined, too.  i am gathering friends on facebook, and in my town, who are also doing WW or just trying to get fit and we plan to form an "encouragement" group.  it's hard to lose weight alone.  my problem is maintaining my healthy weight once i've lost it.  

my new weight loss journey isn't just a resolution.  it's a revolution.  i plan to make healthy changes and stick with them.  not for a few months this time.  but for good.  and i know that isn't something i can accomplish in a month.  it's going to take awhile.  and i know i can't do it alone.  i want to know i have support from my friends who are also doing the same thing.  and  i want to support my friends in their journeys too.  my weekly weigh-in day is friday.  friday is the only day i have off every week.  so, every friday i will post my weigh-in results.  hopefully they will be all negatives, but we'll see.  i also measured my waist, arms, legs, hips, etc so i can also watch the changes in these as well.  i may post the changes every 2-4 weeks of those, too.  :)

are any of you out there doing the same?  feeling the same?  need some encouraging words?  don't be shy.  leave a comment!!!  

praying for joanne.

joanne heim is a 38-year-old wife, mother of 2 daughters, a writer, a friend.

on january 11th she had a stroke.  she was found by her school-age daughters.  unfortunately she has had serious complications.  she has suffered severe swelling in her brain.  she is ventilated and sedated to the point of having little to no brain activity.  this is how her doctors want it, though they are going to try to start waking her soon.

if you click the "button" (aka her picture on the right) it will take you to her blog and you can read updates her husband, toben, is writing.

(no, i do not know her.  in fact, i had not heard of her until i was reading another blog asking for prayers for her.  please join me in praying for joanne.)

♥ barley. ♥

it's that time of year again.  doggie birthdays!  

barley's comes around first. she was born on january 15th 2007.  she is now 4.  

the girls actually spent the weekend at At Play with Sparky.  they love "sparky's."  their ears perk up with the mention of the name.

today they are still thoroughly worn out.  and they are clean after having baths before coming home.  tired + clean dogs = a great combination.

  

yes, i still make the dogs wear a party hat every year.  they seem to be getting a bit used to it by this point.  i think barley partied too hard this weekend, though...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BARLEY!  

we ♥ you!

the post where i talk about more snow.

yes.  more snow.  although, i think a lot of you also had snow this time around.  and despite the warmer temperatures and sunshine over the weekend, we still have snow on the ground.

and i do hate the old wives' tale.  you know the one... "snow that remains on the ground is just waiting for the next snow."  have you ever heard it?  it seems, most unfortunately, to be true around here.  i am ready for more sunshine but it seems that may not happen until the weekend.  when i work.  so i will get to enjoy it through the windows.  sort of like the way i enjoyed the snow last monday.

 i pulled out the camera and cotton thought she needed her picture taken too.  we enjoyed the warm fire as we watched the snow fall.  all.  day.

(p.s.  barley says it's almost her birthday!)

we, of course, had to measure the snow.  jay tried to get an area that wasn't so vulnerable to the wind to measure the amount so he chose the grill.  we pulled out the handy "buy the foot" macy*s ruler from my high school days.  (we sold these to raise money for our trips to NYC when we were in the macy*s thanksgiving day parade.)

so at that point it measured about 6 inches.  we had about 7 inches by the end of the day.  yep.  we did take the dogs out to play but we didn't get any pictures of them playing.  hope you enjoyed your snow.  well, if you got any.  ☺