analytics

Yep, I am up at this weee hour of 4am, while on vacation. Actually have been up since about 2am. Why you ask, because I was rear-ended a couple of weeks ago and tonight for some reason my fingers keep going numb while I was trying to sleep and my neck is completely messed up. So, I am sitting here in the dark playing on the internet. Thank you Apple for the light up keyboard. I heart my apple probably about as much as Jess loves John. Speaking of Jess or friends rather, I was cruising my blog and noticed that there is a new tab; I am not sure how new it is... but I have never noticed it before, and I LOVE it! It is the Stats tab! YAY!

On that note, I would like to thank Sarah, you didn't even know you were doing it, but, you are sending all kinds of traffic to my blog! The runner up is my straight talker Jess. And my third place finish goes to Cristina.

Thank you ladies for being loyal readers. Most importantly thank you for being an amazing friend.

Now that I know people are actually reading, I might post a little ditty more often. eh, we'll see. Heres to a new year!

Frosty the Jerel Man

Every year at work we have a door decorating competition, my awesome boss, allowed us take a silly picture of him to decorate his door. We made good use of the picture, at least I think so. Here is a look at the door we made. Yes, it is 3-D.

I'm A Snow Man! (sung to the music of Soul Man)

Taken with a camera phone. Picture credits: Felice

Here is a song that Mike - one of my coworkers wrote to go along with our fun:

Comin’ to ya on a snowy road

Good lovin’ I got a sleigh load

And when you get it, you got somethin’

So don’t worry, cause I’m fallin’

I’m a snow man

I’m a snow man

I was brought up on the North Pole

Learned how to skate before I was old

I was educated of good stock

When I start fallin’ I just can’t stop

And in case I have not said it enough, I LOVE my job and I truly love that we work hard and play hard!

Cool finds!

I have a couple of friends that are pregnant. I am beyond excited for them, so I thought I would share a couple of really cool finds to hopefully assist them in the planning for the next or first peanut to join their family.


Pottery Barn Kids
Did you know that they give you a complimentary design consultation to assist in the planning of the room. They also provide this service for updating your child's room.


The SidekickTM Original Joy


I think this is fantastic! It is a baby carrier and diaper bag all in one! To say I love this would be an understatement; yesterday Baby steals had it featured for $59! I know some people do not like to wear their baby; but I, on the other hand am a total baby wearer! I wore Emma everywhere, and daddy wore Emma everywhere. My baby carrier was truly amazing when my bird bladder would kick in and OH no! Where am I going to put Emma? SCORE, I have my baby carrier on. Not a problem.


A couple of other cool websites:

Kid Steals

Mama Bargains

tipping my photography hat

I might do more of these photography posts because they were make me think back to my basic photography days of when I was studying photography at SHSU.

Here are some quick tips that I came across in a photography magazine that I picked up for free at my favorite local photo shop, Precision Camera on Lamar.

1. Darker -medium to dark background
   
2. Depth - spot foreground, middle ground and background (a full wall of ivy is beautiful but does not make an movement for the eye)
   
3. Dense - avoid background that have hot spots of sunlight and shadow
   
4. Design - look for leading lines, patterns and diagonals in a location
   
5. Diverse - try to find one location that offers multiple perspectives
   

Keep in mind all of these are just tips. You are your own designer, so bend and break the rules as you see fit for your composition.

A touch of photography... Just for Jess

I have a friend with a new DSLR Camera (Digital Single Lens Reflector). She is a little overwhelmed by all the features as any person would be, this includes a professional or just a hobbyist. These cameras are loaded with amazing features including, internal filters, an endless array of lens, in camera editing, instant start up vs delayed start, on screen built in rule of thirds, swivel LCD screens, auto focus, face detection, just to name a handful of options.

I will start with the basics, while shooting in Auto mode. Things to consider when taking a picture.

First, the rule of thirds, what on earth is this? This is the way you will begin to look through your view finder on the camera - the goal here is to line up important aspects of the composition at the intersection of these lines. Here is an example of how it looks through the view finder.

The grid line is the rule of thirds. Having an image in the center of the photograph is OK, however, once you get the hang of using your composition this will make your pictures stand out. Using this rule allows the eye movement to follow a natural flow around the picture. It creates a virtual hierarchy.

Don't be afraid to move in a little closer. In some situations you don't have the perfect angle and you just go with what you are given. However, when shooting people go ahead and zoom on in. Think about the goal of the picture you are about to take, is it for the background or the foreground? If it is for a cute little head shot of your little girl then get in close so you can capture all that detail.

My recommendation enjoy the Auto mode on your camera for awhile, it is a great catchall that when the lens is opened the camera's internal brain does a few quick calculations based on lighting and speed of the object in the lends and triggers the best capture for that element.

A good tip for shooting on a bright sunny day or an overcast day - use your fill flash.

Friends!

Sometimes it is a long time between visits with Sarah and Luis, but this weekend they came down, and we had a BLAST!





Friends, they are hard to come by, they are awesome and low maintenance, AND they are always ready!

We went and played a little paintball, followed by an evening of Brian's BBQ, a little bonfire, a win for the Aggies and then we crashed!

I have been playing

I have all these great photography tools that I often do not get to play with. So enjoy!





Notice the people in the background missing; that is right; I am the bomb!!!


I love the way old photographs look, so I might just start playing with this filter more often!


Oh, and then we have my niece, doesn't she always make her way into my pictures! Because she is so stinkin' cute!

Look, looking, pumpkin!

This past weekend a friend of mine said she was coming to town and would love to meet me at the pumpkin patch! Well, HECK yea I would! It is a rarity that one my friends venture out to my neck of the woods so I was totally excited! Plus I have been wanting to take Emma out to the pumpkin patch for some time now. Double Bonus! One of the cutest things out there was the pumpkin hunt. We got to ride a tractor tailor out to the Christmas tree fields, where they had "hid" pumpkins for the kids to find. Emma found her first pumpkin in one of the trees so she proceeded to start picking up pumpkins and putting them back in their proper place. And as she was doing this she was saying look, looking pumpkins! Telling us she was looking for pumpkins!

Jonah found one too!!!


My niece Harlie joined in on the fun too!



Claire was more interested in her stroller... such the life of a 9 month old...




Then it was time to take your pumpkin and decorate them...........


Then Emma played in the Maze!


She won a pigs nose!


Next, Emma took them for a ride on the tractor..... And Harlie became a model....



The general census - Everyone had a good time!

AWESOME DEAL!

I just purchased Emma a super cute halloween costume at this website! AND, it was an amazing price!


Halloween Costumes

Promise I will post pictures of Emma in her adorable outfit!

Last night I was watching one of my favorite shows currently on TV called Glee. I really enjoy this show all of the cast is extremely talented and charming. Last night, I was a bit disappointed while watching my favorite TV show. I am so glad Emma is too young to understand exactly what was going on. I foresee a lot of Disney and PG rated channels in our near future. On prime time TV last night, there was a girl who lifted a boy out of a wheelchair and laying him down on the bed and her then straddling him and him loosing his virginity to her. I understand that these are real issues that happen in a High School environment and maybe I am just being naive thinking that these are inappropriate at 7pm on a network channel. Or maybe I am just becoming Conservative as a I age? No, that can't be it... at least not for another ten years... I hope. I do have the power to turn the channel but I truly enjoy the show. I am so torn! I would just like to be able to watch a TV show that does not cross any boundaries that is appropriate for my family to watch. And I don't want to be one of those people that complains about everything! Or even worse one of those that complains to the network or writes a blog about it! Darn it, I guess by writing this I am... DOH!

Waiting, waiting on the world to change...

Emma Developments

Emma turns two in just a couple of months, very exciting! So, in the news, Emma has lost the Paci, she no longer requires it for anything. She just told her one day that it was "all gone"... and she believed us! Who knew it was going to be so easy!

A couple of weeks ago her cousin Harlie taught her how to jump. She took a great liking to jumping! Now she has learned how to do the frog leap. She will "ribette" and all! She loves pretending she is a frog.

She has also started putting her stuffed animals down for naps. Although, occasionally I will open a dresser drawer and find a teddy bear stuffed in there. It is a good thing she is not going to be a baby sitter any time soon...

A great read, then danielle starts to rant...

I was at the library on Saturday looking at books and came across the book, "Rich Dad, Poor dad" I have heard about this book but have never read about it. I truly believe that in life when we are ready for something, suddenly it becomes very convenient that we stumble upon it. I have not only been trying to learn about financial literacy for my own life but for work purposes as well. I am in the education field and as my job has evolved over the past couple of years so has the questions that I am asked when people call me. I am a one stop shop (so to speak) for people to call and get information about loan forgiveness. As the economy has plummeted the seriousness of the questions has evolved as well. Back in the spring these calls were becoming more and more common. I told my supervisor about these calls and then I went to a conference on Financial Aide and apparently it is across the board becoming a problem. More and more people are experiencing a financial hardship.

The problem is too many people have dug themselves a whole and instead of putting the shovel down, they keep using it to shovel deeper, thinking if I could just make more money my problems would go away. Then as society/government has taught us, the entitlement factor kicks in, Isn't there some sort of government program out there to help people like me?

Instead of sticking your hand out, why don't you try a different approach. I don't care if you use, Dave Ramsey's, Robert Kiyosaki's, or Suze Orman's. Bottom line is if your current way of thinking is what got you into this mess, you need to try a different approach.

If you are reading this thinking there is NO way to fix your debt issues unless you get a new job or a pay raise try doing this, stop using your credit cards and stop buying liabilities. Immediatly sit down and do a wallet detox. Remove ALL credit cards from your wallet, and if your debit card keeps getting you into trouble toss it as well! Next, set up a budget. I can not express how much I LOVE Dave Ramsey's software online for setting up a budget.

Next, when setting up your budget, stop paying more than the minimum due on your credit card and start putting every extra penny in the bank until you have $1,000 saved up for an EMERGENCY! A true emergency. No more going out to eat, no more "I wants". The only thing that is to be satisfied is basic needs.

Basic Needs are:

1. Food
2. Clothing
3. Shelter

If you are thinking YAY! Rule 2 says I get to go shopping - return to the top of this blog entry and start rereading - that is the thought process that got you into this mess in the first place!

If you are thinking WOW, this chick is a genious, nope, it is Dave's get out of debt process. Check out his website at www.daveramsey.com

You can also listen to him live everyday from 1pm-4pm on this website or on the radio.

Did you know that 40% of congress has been in office for longer than 20 years....

Of all things I was listening to the Dave Ramsey radio show today and I heard about this website; the reason why they were speaking with Dave Ramsey is they were discussing the national debt... oy, I don't even want to think about it; you know one of those times when you have gone on a spending spree and you don't want to balance your checkbook or open your credit card statement; I avoid the national debt in the same way. Sadly even though lots of our political leaders are aware of the money problems our country faces they are still pulling to get funding for their political agenda, um, duh. they have an agenda! I am not saying I know the best way to fix the problem, but I do know that pulling funding from certain programs will not hurt anything. I am trying not to be political but more educated about the state of what is going on around us.

I then decided to google National Debt by president: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms

Blowoutcongress.com

The Mission - Why is the replacement of Congressional members who have served more than 12 years in the House or Senate -- such a seemingly drastic step -- necessary in America today?

Sadly, the American Congress, in both the House and Senate, has taken extraordinary steps during our modern history to ensure that her members are virtually insulated as incumbents -- almost impossible to defeat once in office. Congress has also created a system of seniority, where members are awarded powerful committee leadership positions on the basis of longevity, rather than ability. The result of these actions is that America is wounded politically, morally, and in recent years, financially. By any credible measure, including independent polling, voting trends, and the dramatically increased involvement of American citizens in the political process, the United States Congress is consistently identified as an utter institutional failure by the American people. It is a rare day in America today when a new tale of corruption, greed, incompetence, moral failure or ethical breaches from Congress members does not splash across the news. The House and Senate, comprised of 535 members, rarely rise above a 25% approval rating, and drop to as low as a 15% approval rate consistently. The opinion of the American public regarding the performance of Congress is abysmal.

Baby Step 1, COMPLETE!

A few weeks ago I wrote about using the Dave Ramsey plan of attack on debt; I am excited as can be that we have completed baby step 1!!! Which may not seem like a whole lot, but we are excited to be here. So, now on to baby step 2, which is pay off all debt. OY! This baby step is going to take us some time... In the past month I have discovered the software on Dave's site, The Total Money Makeover, I am in LOVE with this software! I used this software to build a budget, it calculates my "snowball" time line, and tells me exactly how many months until I pay off a debt using the "snowball" affect, my emergency fund, saying this software is amazing is just truly not giving it enough justice. It is so intuitive. It is not free, which is the only downside, however, it is pretty inexpensive, there are a couple options to purchase the use of it, Monthly or annually.

I am continually impressed by the way Dave runs his business, his lifestyle and how giving he is to strangers.

that is right, I am a dog lover....

One of my coworkers had found this wonderful new restaurant that serves international street food. She sold us all on it at work, so Tuesday we decided to load up and head over there to check it out. The restaurant was truly amazing! Anything that you can buy from a street vendor around the world they serve in this restaurant, and it is truly and completely yummy!

As we were leaving the restaurant that is located in a strip center with no trees, I am backing up my car, and my coworker who is sitting in the passenger seat, yells DOG! I hit the break because I don't know where "DOG" is and await further instruction, followed by a, "what?" The then points to the car beside me and says; "dog!" She then picks up her phone and dials 311. The dog was in a car with the windows cracked the dog is panting like crazy, the windows are not tinted (in my mind this would help, at least a little bit, right)?, the driver of the car is no where to be found and it is 1pm in the afternoon and hot and humid at heck! So my co-worker is on the phone with 311 and she is routed to 911. The operator with 911 is asking all the questions about the car, after we finish giving all the car details this man emerges from somewhere out of the strip mall, walking very briskly over to me and yells "is there a problem?" I respond yes, your dog it is hot! Co-worker tells the operator the owner has arrived at the car. He proceeds to yell at me saying he loves his dog, and he hates people like me! People LIKE me! DUDE! We have been out here for five minutes in the heat and your dog has been out in this car for I don't know how long. I am stunned that the man is yelling at me so I get unusually quite, and just keep telling the man that his dog is hot... Why is he not listening to me, co-worker tells operator that it is escalating, operator shushes her, one of my coworkers removes herself from the backseat of my car and escapes to a Car to go... Yep, that is right, passing right past me and crazy man that is yelling at me; she was late for a meeting... OHHHH... ok, she is forgiven...

So, man is very unhappy that I have addresses his dog sitting in the heat in the car; I get it, he is a bit defensive, however, a couple of weeks ago, in the Fry's parking lot a dog died of heat stroke while the man ran in for a "quick" return.

Please under no circumstances leave a dog, or a child in a car, as the police say, "I don't care if it is five minutes for fifteen minutes, Do NOT do it!"

I would do the same again if I ever see it happen again, at least the man will think twice before leaving his poor poochie in the car.

update....

Yesterday I stepped on the scale and I was delighted to see that I am officially down 12 pounds!

What a wonderful surprise! That means I only have 12 more pounds to go and all the "Emma Baby weight" is officially shed!

Your Cupcake Horoscope!

I am a Libra - it is completely ME, Emma is a Sagittarius, we will see - her cupcake is still in development stages ! Thank you Cupcake Bar for this lovely post!

Posted Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:52:52 -0700

Aries- Sweet vanilla cupcake with whipped cream filling, topped with chocolate fudge icing, rainbow sprinkles and pop rocks

Taurus-Lucious Red Velvet cupcake with caramel filling, topped with pink cream cheese icing, mini chocolate chips and walnuts

Gemini- award -winning Tres leches cupcake with whipped cream icing, and toasted coconut topping

Cancer- Decadent Carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese icing and topped with crushed pecans

Leo- Pineapple coconut cupcake with mango filling, topped with praline icing and coconut

Virgo- Refreshing strawberry cupcake with chocolate whipped cream filling, topped with strawberry icing, fresh strawberries and white chocolate chips

Libra- Irresistible Dark chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling, topped with chocolate raspberry buttercream icing, dark chocolate m&ms and a fresh raspberry

Scorpio- Texas Sweet Potato Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing Filled & drizzled with caramel and toasted walnuts

Sagittarius-Heavenly chocolate peanut butter cupcake filled with creamy peanut butter filling, chocolate peanut butter icing, topped with reese's pieces

Capricorn-Frosty Chocolate Mint Cupcake filled with Chocolate Whipped Cream and topped with Milk Chocolate Icing and Crushed Candy Cane

Aquarius- Scrumptious Cranberry-Vanilla Cupcake with Orange Buttercream Icing and Topped with Dried Cranberries and Almonds

Pisces- Delicious Italian Creme cupcake filled with caramel, topped with vanilla bean icing and marshmellows

digging deep..

Three weeks ago I started going to a boot camp offered here at work. It is an exercise boot camp that is offered three days a week at two different times each day. The first two weeks were trial weeks and this is my first official week, so I decided to sign up. I have to admit that I am in horrible shape so keeping up is quite difficult at times. Scratch that, all the time! Never the less I am still going, I am determined to loose weight, get in shape and get my pre-baby body back. I think I am on the right track. So I am working out at boot camp three days a week, Yoga once a week and in the mornings, I walk a mile with one of my coworkers as soon as we get to work. We come in, drop our stuff of at our desk and go straight down to the indoor "track" in our building. By 7:15am I have my walk on. By 7:30 or so we are running up our five flights of strairs to go back to our desk to start our work day. Not a bad deal, get it out of the way immediatly! I like it!

In addition to digging deep in that aspect, Brian and I have also started digging deep in telling ourselfs "no" more often. In the last month my husband and I have had a few major purchases and with that comes getting further into debt if you do not have the cash flow to fork over the money for it. The worst part is they were unavoidable purchases, our house is only 6 years old so it is a bit premature, but they were bound to happen in the next few years... So, I was stairing at our bills spreadsheet that I keep every month and looking at what comes in verses what goes out. The amount that goes out has dramatically increased, triple what it was a couple of years ago to be exact.... oy, we have a problem. At this point it is just a problem, not a emergency situation, but definatly one that needs to be addressed so that it does not get worse. I have a friend that told me about Dave Ramsey a couple of years ago, I decided to look him up and see what his process is for getting out of debt. He is a national spokesperson on getting out of debt and staying out of debt.

Here is what his baby steps for getting out of debt and staying out of debt perminatly - there are 7 I am going to put my short term plan into effect here is the first three I am going to focus on.

1. $1,000 emergency fund - if we would have had this saved up, we could have paid cash for that refridgerator or lawn mower..... ugh... tack it onto the this credit card please...
2. pay off all debt using the debt snowball - List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first
3. 3 to 6 months of expensives in savings - Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund. Ask yourself, “What would it take for me to live for three to six months if I lost my income?” Your answer to that question is how much you should save.

The Dave Ramsey website has a lot of tools to use to assist you in a budget and help keep you motivated. I have started listening to Dave everyday from 1-4 pm to help keep my motivation up, because lets be honest, once you loose motivation, you will or at least I will end up back in the same spot where I previously was... And frankly I am tired of living like that.


As Dave says, " If you will live like no one else, later you can LIVE like no one else"

FYI... just sharing....

Please heed....

On the way to Canton Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running
through my head.

But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton PD and they were going to check it out. This is what I was told... "Several things to be aware of .. gangs and thieves, are now plotting different ways to get a person to "stop" their vehicle.

"There is a gang initiation reported by the local police department that gangs are placing a car seat by the road...with a fake baby in it...waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the baby. Note that the location of this car seat will usually be beside a wooded or
grassy (field) area ...and the person - woman - will be dragged into the woods- beaten and raped- usually left for dead. DO NOT STOP. DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW.

If you are driving at night and eggs are thrown at your windshield, do not use your wiper blades and do not spray any water because eggs mixed with water become milky and block your vision up to 92.5%. You are then forced to stop beside the road and become a victim of thieves.

please share with friends and loved ones.

What is your influence?

I had the thrill of getting to attend a presentation done by the very inspiring Ako Kambon, he is from the Visionary Leaders Institute. I have heard a lot of keynote speakers, but never to the degree of this gentleman. Ako was amazing! His presentation was interactive, he was very comfortable and part comedian I am sure of it, in fact his delivery of jokes was similar to that of Eddie Murphy. He was down to earth, intelligent and very approachable.

The purpose of his presentation was to inspire teachers to go back to the classroom and teach to the current day student. Too many teachers are teaching ineffectively to our generation of techies.

One of the most shocking pieces of data he presented was the change of influence over the decades. I jotted them down so that I could share them.

1950's

1. Home
2. School
3. Church
4. Peers
5. TV

1980's

1. Home
2. Peers
3. TV
4. School
5. Church

1990's

1. Peers
2. TV
3. Home/Media
4. School

#10 Church

2000's
Media - important to note that most children/teens use one device for the media - their lifeline the cell phone..
Videos (TV & games)
internet
computers
movies
TV


With this he asked everyone in the audience who had a cell phone to raise their hand; as you would expect there was about a 99% participation. The he asked how many of you have yours on you right now? Again, same participation, "how man of you have it shut off?" crickets! He followed with "Why on earth would you expect a child to shut theirs off if you don't shut yours off?" Another point he made was rather than try to enforce a rule that is never going to succeed why don't we teach our educators how to use the cell phone as a tool! I am happy to note that there are lots of teachers that are using the cell phone as a learning tool already; but it is the first time I have heard of a administrative level personal embracing the idea.


His presentation made me think about how I will teach to Emma, and how much drastically different growing up will be for her vs. when I grew up. What will be her #1 influence? I hope and will work to make home her first influence.

too much for eternity...

I was driving home from work this evening listening to the radio when I heard about the building of a Muslim Mosque where the World trade towers once stood larger than life in New York City. Immediately I thought, this is not a good idea. I am far separated from any one who lost a loved one in 9-11, and yet, when I heard this, as an American my heart cried for those who had lost a loved one in this travesty.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/07/22/bloomberg-paladinos-opinion-on-ground-zero-mosque-doesnt-matter/

My personal opinion on this, is it is too much. Too bold, too extreme, too incomprehensible and will not help those heal who lost a loved one or a dear friend. I can not speak for those that lost someone, but I do not feel that this will break down barriers or build a bridge.

I am rarely speechless.

Storyville

Here in Austin, we truly have an amazing community that genuinely cares about others. There is a company here in Austin (also has stores in Baton Rouge and New Orleans) called Storyville; they sale unique locally designed T-shirts. They have started a line to give $5 of the profits for each T-shirt sold to the gulf coast fisherman and their families that have been affected by the BP oil spill.

You can purchase these T-shirts at the store or order them online!

Product Description

For years to come, the Gulf Coast will be feeling the effects of the BP Oil Spill. Giving to charities such as the Greater New Orleans Foundation can, in a small way, help speed up the Gulf Coast's recovery and, in the meanwhile, provide aide to victims of the oil spill.

For every "Save Our Coast" shirt sold, Storyville will make a donation to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. One hundred percent of all donations to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund will be granted to organizations working tirelessly in the effected areas. The Oil Spill Fund's focus is to help fishermen and their families in the following Louisiana parishes: Plaquemines, St. Bernard, lower Jefferson, Terrebonne and Lafourche.

"Save Our Coast" is printed on a dirty water-colored, 50% polyester, 50% rayon Alternative Apparel Topango Heather Burnout Crew top with black ink. The top is made of a burnout material, which means that it is a super sheer fabric that has been put through an extensive process to reveal years of weathering. Therefore, no two tops are exactly the same. This top is only available in the unisex cut. If you'd like to see an Alternative Apparel sizing chart, click here and refer to the "women's size chart." This Storyville Original was created by Natalie Naquin Harvey and is modeled by Alicia Schulz and Fredy Garcia. To see more Storyville Originals, click here.

Let's Move!

I have a friend, Jenny who is currently interning for the White House, thus I get all this amazing stuff to read about and learn about! This morning she sent me an email about the Let's Move campaign. I love it! There is also a blog for this campaign. (read about Jenny's journey here)

On the website they have information about

• Raising healthier kids;
• Food and nutrition;
• physical activity;
• simple steps;
• lets move together!

Mrs. Obama will be answering your questions about the Let’s Move! initiative in a live video chat today at 10:00 AM EDT. Go to letsmove.gov to watch!

I am very excited about this initiative! I loved Food Revolution with Jaime Oliver and was immediately concerned about the lunches that schools are serving children and the nutritional requirements of our kids.

I will be watching the video chat today!

Quacks 43rd street backery - the promissed followup

As promised I went to Quacks! Yes, consider me a tiny bit impulsive... or maybe over the top, I don't care either way! I was in their neck of the woods so I figured I would drop in on my way home from volunteering last night.

Let me just say, I really had to breakdown my feelings about these cookies. They are shortbread cookies that are iced. As I am eating this cookie, I find myself asking questions, why is it not sweet? Why is it so salty. Do I really want to waste my calories on this? But I just kept on eating. I like it, but I am not crazy about it. AH! They are vegan.

Brian LOVED them! He ate TWO! They are not small cookies. I omitted the vegan information, because my husband has the pallet of a small child who only wants to eat hamburgers and french fries.

I did also sample the cupcake you see above, raspberry buttercream, delish! It hit the spot, it was so large I shared it with three friends. They have a huge variety of treats at the bakery, I predict I will be dropping in from time to time. I love Austin!

I NNNEEEEEED a Cookie!

I have a new favorite place! I have not been their yet; but I assume, from the bottom of my growling belly that it is coming, and coming FAST!

It is called Quacks 43rd Street Bakery! And they are opened very extended hours, so I do not foresee it being a problem!

Doesn't this little turtle cookie look so cute!


I will report back after I have tested these cookies thoroughly.

Obituary for Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has
been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since
his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be
remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair; - and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in
charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job
that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not
inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and
criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her
lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by
his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son,
Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you
still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do
nothing.

*this was an email forward that I received today and I love it!

shedding the pounds

This morning I jumped on the scale, and boy o boy am I glad I did! I am down 9 pounds! YAY! I am a rock star!

The MIRACLE mix for diaper rash!

This past weekend, Emma had her first bout of the Ritavirus. Let's just say the ritavirus doesn't care that it is a holiday weekend.. With this virus it usually starts as vomiting and then ends up as diarrhea. What does diarrhea do to a child in a diaper you ask? Great question! Well, after just one diaper, Brian came to me saying Emma is getting a really bad diaper rash.. Really? How odd? We haven't changed anything and she never gets them! The next morning, I see the evidence for myself, only this time - WOWZA! Much worse! Her little hiney was bright red, front to back, and when we went to wipe her she would scream and yell "MEAN" and she would try and crab walk away from us. I thought she was going to climb the wall. So, Brian and I did everything we knew how to make her feel better, used Tylenol, Motrin, switched back to the gauze pads and warm water, instead of wipes, and slathered the butt paste on as if we were icing a cake.

Sunday night, I was awaken many times to the cries from Emma. She was in so much pain, her poor belly was still really torn up and still having the bouts of diarrhea. So, first thing Monday morning I got out of bed and clock watched for the time the pediatricians office opened. 10:30 am appointment, so sense we live an hour out, I throw on some clothes, got her ready and headed to Austin. Sense she has a horrible diaper rash the last thing she wants to do is sit. So that trip to and from was a blast! She was screaming bloody murder the entire time. Broke my heart, that there was nothing I could for her.

So the doctor prescribed the following for Emma or any child with the Ritovirus: FYI- the pediatrician said 1 of 3 kids in their office right now has this virus...

1. BRAT diet - ( Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast); and other starchy foods
   
2. Lactos Free whole milk
3. Carnation Instant Breakfast - if she has not successully eaten durning the day
   

And the BEST thing EVER! The diaper rash mixture that made me raise my eyebrows but worked within minutes!

• Mixture of Butt Paste (she was very specific about the brands she named Dr. Smiths or Boudreaux's Butt Paste, Maalox (yea, I was like really??) and 1% hydrocortisone cream
• I mixed all this together which makes a nice cream - however does take a bit to blend I used a popsicle stick to mash the different textures together.
  
• Then loaded it up on Emma's hiney

The result, a much happier Emma emmerged. I feel like every mother with a child in a diaper should know about this mixture! It was amazing how quickly it worked! Thank you lord!

It's in the DNA

So, in the last two weeks, I have had nose surgery, and been hosting my baby sister who is 18 for the first time ever at my house. And by first time ever; it pretty much applies to everything! My baby sister I have known about sense she was born however; things happened that I am not aware of and I have never asked about and next thing you know our biological father dies and we officially meet for the first time, three years ago. Since this time we have talked on email, social networks and text messages; however there has been no opportunity for us to spend quality time together and really get to know one another. Sadness. However, here we are in present day and she is here! At my HOUSE! Spending weeks at a time with me! I have to say that she is not at all what I was expecting based on previous conversations with her and text messages.

Here is why, she is shy, a bit guarded, and comes across as very soft spoken, so trying to get to know a teenager who lives in another state via text message or a social networking site is a bit hard, especially when all you know about each other our dad just died.... oh, were to start.... Shortly after our dad died I was pregnant - fast forward to pregnancy brain, then I had a child, fast forward to even more craziness and next thing you know Emma is now 18 months old and Shelby is now 18... wow! I also did not know what her mom wanted me to share with her or what she did, my fault I should have addressed those boundaries sooner, but oh well, that is in the past now. moving forward!

So, Shelby! Let me just tell you, NOT soft spoken at all. Very direct, opinionated, and knows what she wants. Likes expensive things and is very expensive! Good lord is this child expensive! WOW! I had no idea! I am sure most teenagers are expensive; but this teen, really takes the cake! But what makes it OK, is she will tell you; yea, I like expensive things. What makes it comical is that she is from now where land Oklahoma! HAH! Our first trip into Austin, she was just looking around and soaking it all in like a 3 month old who is just starting to see color. She also has a very great sense of humor and a lot of nievity.

Who does this remind me of..... ME! Shelby is totally me before college! Well, and most aspects are still present today... Hah, but wow, who would have thought that two siblings raised in two very different families and don't know each other end up so similar. Shelby told me the other day, "It's in the DNA". She is totally right. I am crazy about my little sister, I was a little worried wondering what we would talk about or what we would have in common.... She is too cute, and pretty sweet most of the time, but she will try and trick you if she can. Some of the best times I have had since she has been here is watching her interact and play with Emma, Emma totally adores her.

updates!

As of today I am down 5 pounds! No not an earth shattering 30 by any means but a 5 solid pounds! And I am even more proud of my five pounds because I have lost them all on my own! No assistance from anything! The only tool I have used as my weight loss accomplice is www.mynetdiary.com

I have been very structured about what I eat; I have an occasional treat, but I am honestly eating really well! I am proud to say that I don't even think about Soda's anymore, this post aside.

Here are the small changes I have made in my life.
I take at least three flights of stairs (up and down) everyday when I am at work. I have also started walking a minimum of one mile a day when I am at work, this is so easy, where I work there is a walkers route that is inside and air conditioned so I don't even have to break a sweat! It is awesome! Usually takes about 15 minutes to walk. Eleven laps around my building and all done! Then once a week I do Ashtanga Yoga, which I have to say has been a big game changer for me.
Things I did not know about Yoga

1. It really does tone your body - I was a nonbeliever until I met Rachel my yoga instructor
   
2. It helps with your allergies - WHO knew!
   
3. It is calming - I have never done anything so relaxing in my life
4. I have seen more benefits out of the last 10 weeks of yoga than I ever got out of 10 weeks of running. My body feels stronger! I wish I would have had this opportunity right after I had Emma, because my abs were shot!
   

Another addition I will be making is bike riding. Brian and I used to go on Bike rides all the time around our little town. That is until we had Emma. Then we put that on the back burner for obvious reasons. Well yesterday we decided we are ready to hit the pavement again! So we got a tailor for Emma and we got us a couple new bikes and we are ready to ride! That below is a picture of my new bike! What a beauty! I have to say that when I was trying it out; I almost busted multiple times! There is a different center of balance on a cruiser vs. a 10 or12 speed.
I have changed the way I look at working out; I no longer believe that I need to push myself to the point of exhaustion to believe that I am benefiting my body. I would have never have believed that if it would not have been for my introduction to Yoga.

And Tomorrow I go in for my surgery! I can not WAIT to breath!

my new nose.....

All of this started because I continually get sinus infections. There are no allergy pills, nasal wash, Netty pot, or nasal spray that can prevent me from getting sick. They ordered a CT of my sinuses and discovered that I have a 4mm deviated septum in my right nostril. They also followed that up with an allergy test to see exactly that keeps making me sick. The results were quite shocking. Nothing. That is right, I am allergic to nothing! So, after much debate of my options, keep getting sick or have surgery to remove the blockage. So, my doctor and I discussed and surgery it is. I just met with my surgeon, as he was checking out my nose and getting a game plan, he also noticed that when I take in a deep breath through my nose, my left nostril collapses. Perfect! This explains a lot! Anytime I have ever gone running I have never been able to breathe through my nose. No Wonder! How exciting! Wish I would have known about that collapse a long time ago! It would have been a game changer for running! So my right nostril is almost nonexistent and my left one collapses! GREAT combo folks!

Next Tuesday I have surgery to rebuild my nose. Not as glamorous as it sounds; the doctor prepared me that my nose will be bigger.... My family is known for its wide honkers and I always thought that I had escaped the "warren" nose... Alas, I have not. The "warren" nose is quite great I have come to find out. It is a nose that can stand the test of time, wide allowing adequate air flow and strong enough that air flow does not make it collapse. I look forward to my new wider nose. AND, my new great sense of smell! I am so excited, I can only imagine that I will be able to walk out my front door and smell the Veteran's Honor Roses that bloom right beside my porch. Now that will be amazing!

Very delicately put....

So last week I was seeing a doctor for my deviated septum and he asked me if I snore… Well, yea, I told him. Quickly following up with but my husband snores far louder! HAH! How do I know that!?!!! HAH! Very funny, I keep getting a chuckle out of that rebuttal. So the doctor asked; "well did you snore before you had your daughter? " Ummm… "yea, I believe so, I don't recall it happening quite so often or waking my husband up." Then he very politely asked me how much I weighted before I had my daughter. "I only weighted 130", he looked down at my information… "And now you weigh 162"… gulp. "yes, sir." UGH! So, he follows up with very soft tone, and very politely, "Danielle, you have to lose 20-30 pounds, this will not only improve your snoring issues, but will help you be more alert during the day." So, that was that, we talked about me having surgery on my deviated septum which is not really an option at this point since I am apparently not allergic to anything in the freaking world! So, I thanked him for the information and headed out.

A few days later, here I am gearing up to focus on my big weight loss. Sitting at the heaviest I have ever been in my life at 162…. Yes, part of it is weight that I gained from being pregnant with my adorable peanut and I would not have it any other way. But there is "this rule" that I have been told; if you keep it for longer than a year, it is yours to keep…. So, here I am 17 months later still carrying all this extra baggage. A year ago I was not mentally prepared to take on the challenge of weight loss. Now, with my head on straight, running after a toddler and a very support husband, I think we can make a good go of this! Thirty pounds would put me back at my fighting weight in college. No, literally, in college I was on the Texas A&M Tae Kwon Do team (whoop!) and my weight class was Middle weight.

What is my plan? Good question, I downloaded an application for my iphone called My Net Diary. I am going to log my meals, snacks, drinks and I am also going to log my exercise. Most of my day is spent sitting at a desk that would put my activity level as sedentary. That activity level makes an even bigger challenge to tackle.

Goals:

1. Increase activity level to thirty minutes – three times a week
   
2. Decrease calorie intake to 1600 calories per day
   
3. Stop putting creamer in my coffee (since I usually use as much creamer as coffee this is a huge calorie buster for me!)
   
4. Stop eating small unhealthy snacks that add up to big calories by the end of the day
   
   1. For example… one bite is not going to hurt anything…..
      
5. Increase water intake to at least three cups of water a day (8 oz)
   
6. Take at least two walks a day while at work – anyone is welcome to join me on this ;-)
   

Tips:

• You are not supposed to consume more than TWO soda's a month!! – either diet or fully loaded
  
  • I gave up soda back in February and I have not had any desire to pick them back up J
    
• One pound is equal to 3500 calories
  

That means I have to burn 3500 calories a week to lose one pound! L

A great little forward I just recieved; thought I would share.

Here's something to think about.

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After
two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing
'fairly well' for my age. (I just turned sixty-something.)

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't
resist asking him, 'Do you think I'll live to be 80?'

He asked, 'Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer, wine or hard liquor?

'Oh no,' I replied. 'I'm not doing drugs, either!'

Then he asked, 'Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued
Ribs?

'I said, 'Not much... my former doctor said that
all red meat is very unhealthy!'

'Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing
golf, boating, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?'

'No, I don't,' I said.

He asked, 'Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a
Lots of sex?'

'No,' I said...

He looked at me and said,.. 'Then, why do you even give a shit?

Yummy CHICKEN MARSALA AND ROASTED REDSKIN POTATOES

So, last night my husband and I were having our typical drive home from work conversation. What are we going to eat for dinner? eh! We both hate it when we don't have anything planned for dinner. With an hour drive home the last thing we want to do is stop by the grocery store to pick something up to then get home and cook it. By the time all that is said and done it is 7:30 pm before we are eating! So, he recommend corn dogs.... ummm... my sweet husband often forgets that corn dogs and a lady trying to watch her weight do not mingle nicely together... So, I got the point, something quick and easy we can throw in the oven.

So, here I go on my journey to HEB along with half of the other town after work. need I say more.... I head straight to the frozen food section, I grab him his corn dogs... And I start looking for something healthy for Emma and myself. I saw an HEB coupon hanging on the freezer door of one of the cases... What is this?! Bertoli coupon? What does Bertoli have in this section? I love the Bertoli pasta, so I am intriqued! AH! Bertolia Chicken Marsala! WHAT! I love Chicken Marsala! Even better the coupon was for $2 off! SCORE! Just under $4 for a meal for the three of us! Awesome! I opened the packaged, tossed it in a 12 inch skillet on high heat for three minutes, then turned down to medium heat for seven minutes to finish. Could not be any easier. To make it even better it tasted aaaamazing! I have to say that next time, however I will be adding more chicken, that is my only compliant. The taste was wonderful! Brian even ate the veggies in it! Mushrooms! Brian and Emma accompanied it with cheesy bread and nuff' said! They were in heaven!

So, sense the coupon was so amazing, I grabbed about four other flavors of the Bertoli frozen ready made meals, we can't wait to try them out! Not a bad deal!

Bertoli has a large selection of ready to cook meals: check out their website Bertoli.com