The Fall Vegetable

Me:  Okay (talking to Laci and Leyton), let's say our scripture.  Ready.

Them:  Yeah!

Me:  God...

Them:  God ...

Me:  God is...what?

Leyton:  (In a very matter of fact tone)...clean!

Me:  Did you say clean?

Leyton:  No, I mean yeah! He's clean.

Me:  I imagine He is quite clean.  But, how about.  God is...love.  1 John 4:8

Laci:  Tell me a story!

Me:  Okay, let's sing Zaccheus (so we all sing along).

Leyton:  WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.  

Laci:  Okay, let's sing "Somewhere Out There" (she and I proceed in high-pitch off key unison)...

Us together:  ..."Beneath the paaaalllleeee moonlight!"  

Leyton:  I SAID TO WAIT!!!!

Me:  Why?

Leyton:  Because it is time to go to the vegetable.  

Me:  The what?

Leyton:  (Very seriously).  Mommy, we got to go to the vegetable at church where we will wear our costumes and get candy.

Me:  Oohhh...the Fall Festival.  Yes, we are going there Saturday!

Pass the Prayers Please?

Please keep my family in your prayers.  My aunt Cindy is going in bright and early tomorrow morning to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction.  She found out a few months ago that she had breast cancer.  At one point they said it had not spread, now they are looking at a spot on her ribs.  She will be in surgery for eight hours tomorrow.  It will be a very long recovery and then she will have to begin chemotherapy.  

My brother is also having some tests run this week.  He possibly had a seizure on Monday and is scheduled for an EEG to verify or rule it out.  He had epilepsy as a young child, but has not had a seizure in almost 20 years.  We certainly do not want them to come back - EVER!  

We will take all the prayer you can pass our way.

Party Animals

This past weekend, my nephew Jonathan celebrated his first birthday.  Yesterday, he took his first step as well.  We had a fun weekend.  Football game at my old high school on Friday night and party on Saturday.  What can I say, we're just a bunch of party animals!  No laughing.

Training Week 2

So today begins week 2 of training at Michael's Fitness.  I've really enjoyed my time there so far.  Thursday is D-Day.  Or actually W-Day.  Weigh in to be exact.  It's a double whammy!  Weigh in for our facebook weight-loss challenge and weigh in at the gym(you know the kind that is going to go on my "chart").  Yes, I am pretty sure there is a chart with my name on it.  And I can promise you the stats recorded on my chart rank high on the ugly chart.  Even though I am not an Oprah watcher anymore, Oprah likes to talk a lot about going into her "ugly cry."  Well, I will try to contain myself and not go into the "ugly cry" over my waist size.    Even after today, when he asked me if I wanted to take a before/after picture in my sports bra.   Hmmm....  Maybe you heard my laughter.  Will the woman whose stomach was stretched to unimaginable proportions like to take a before/after picture with her shirt off?  Oh, a resounding HECK NO!  So, I took the picture...shirt ON of course!  

On the G-Free front, I've discovered the world of protein shakes:  

Odwalla juice.  My friend, Yunus, who I went to Baylor with, turned me on to this tiny protein shake with a punch.  The chocolate is sinfully good.  Watch yourself though..it is a 300 calorie splurge.  But, if you are counting it as a meal...not bad at all.  

Otherwise, 1 cup soymilk, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein, and 2 tsp cinnamon can do the trick!  

Da Boys

Rundown

Today I was nominated for "Mother of the Year!"  Fine, you're right!  Not only was I NOT nominated, but I felt about an inch tall when dropping my kids off at school.  We arrive to the classroom door to a sea of turquoise shirts.  Turquoise shirts as far as the eye could see, except for the 3 dots of red (being my children) entering the classroom.  Now, it's hard for me to believe that I am the "only" mom who has ever forgotten anything in regards to their kids school.  Am I? Am I? Well you would have thought that no mother ever in the history of this school has ever (except for me) not read a note that was sent home.  Fine! It happened to be a note that apparently went something like:

On Wednesday, October 21st your child's class will be going on a field trip.  We are going to the pumpkin patch and they must be wearing their new turquoise shirts.  Also, send $2 for pumpkins.  And please return one permission slip per child and please fill in all the blanks (no skipping Mrs. Kirkland).  

Ohhhhh.  I didn't realize I had been labeled a "blank skipper."  But, apparently there is a sign on my back that says Stupid!  Follow me here, I'm venting. 

So, I arrive to find that my children are going on a field trip that apparently was announced via note (via a note that I did not read).  So, the teacher and I had this conversation.  Let me preface this with the "you're a poor pitiful, unorganized mom tone" that was directed at me while I was given the "rundown" of all the things I apparently "just...couldn't....get...right."

Me:  Hi, how are you today (glancing at the sea of turqoise in curiosity).

Her:  (Careful condescending tone) Are your kids not able to attend the fieldtrip today?

Me:  (deer in headlights look) Fieldtrip?

Her:  Yeah, today is our first fieldtrip.  

Me:  Where are they going?

Her:  Across the parking lot...to the pumpkin patch

Me:  Oh, I had no idea.  Sure, they can go.

Her:  You should have brought permission slips.

Me:  Well, I will sign one now.

Her:  They were in your bag last week (smirk)

Me:  Oh, well if you have extras I can sign them now.

Her:  They have to be wearing their shirt too.

Me:  Shirt?

Her:  They were rolled up....in the backpack...with the permission slips.

Me:  Well, I can go home and get those. I will go home and get them both.  I'll be back.

Her:  We are leaving by 10 so.....

Me:  Well, I only live 5 minutes away.  I'll be right back.

Her:  You have to fill out all three slips. No skipping any blanks. 

Apparently, I am an embarrassment, a blank skipping, unorganized mother.  Would someone like to put a star on my sticker chart?

Vent over.

Walk-Squat-Lift-Repeat

For two and a half weeks, myself and 15 others have committed to weight-loss. We post our daily food intake on our facebook pages in an effort to stay accountable to one another. So, in an effort to take this a step further for myself...I have hired a PT.

Today is day two with the Personal Trainer. I can tell that I am going to be really, really sore tomorrow. He didn't make me sign a contract. So, I bought 5 weeks with him. I figure this should give me the push I need to remain committed to the challenge. I really do not eat bad. Sure, I have my days. But, overall, I eat rather well. By default, when one is allergice to wheat, milk, and eggs, there are not that many directions to stray without facing "violent" consequences.

I have done a lot of walking, squatting, lifting...repeat in the last 48 hours. I feel good. I will be waiting in expectation for the needle on my scale to move on down the road.

Howdy!

So, it has occurred to me that I may have perpetuated some "ideas" about Texans with my blog this week.  When I was attending Baylor, it always surprised me to hear educated young minds who really and truly believed that Texans (all Texans) had a horse and carriage saddled up in the back yard.  They believed the yard was more like a "farm" and so on and so on.  Now, don't get me wrong; there ARE farms, cows, horses, and cowboys that do live here.  And good people might I add.  But, I've never said the word "howdy" in my life like many of my ex-Bears believed.  Now, there is a certain college that was approximately 60 miles down the road from Baylor that has been known to run words like "howdy" and "gig'em" in the ground.  But, we won't name names (especially since there are a few of those that read my blog).  

So, it occurred to me that our one week of "dress up" might actually confuse some of my "non-Texan" readers. So, let me clarify to any of my readers that are "non-Texans".  We are actually not Cowboys everyday.  Or really EVER... not at my house anyway.  Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun "dressing up like cowboys and "cowboygirls" as Laci called herself, but we are really just big fakers.  So, don't be getting the idea that we saddle up our horse and giddy up to the Chevron to pick up a Coke.  Although we have been known to make midnight runs to the Chevron for some icecream, we don't ride our horse there.  And actually, when I say "our horse," well that's figurative as well, because we don't have a horse at all.  Unless, you count the one's we decorated for the stick horse competition (which we didn't win anything but a participation ribbon...even after we spent hours in the heat...almost having heat strokes...) but we didn't and we dont' have horses or a horse to our name.  We do have a golf cart that resides elsewhere that we treat kind of like a horse I suppose.  We all saddle up on the golf cart and parade through the pasture for fun.  Oh, the pasture doesn't belong to us either (don't worry), it belongs to the grandparents.  We do have grandparents and they are pretty great.  And great-grandparents too!  But, sadly we are not cowboys, and we don't have horses, or pastures to our name.  BUT, we do live in a pretty great state called Texas and the occasional horse, cow, and cowboy can be seen from time to time.  So, I'll let you sleep on that for the night!

R-O-D-E-O

One word can do these pictures justice:  H-O-T.  It was a scorching, suffocating, day underneath the Big Barn!    More pics to come over the next few days!

And these boots...well they're made for rodeo time! This week the hustle and bustle of horse trailers and ferris wheels can be heard from our back porch.  This week is Liberty's annual Fair & Rodeo.  We shall be in attendance.  

These boots (along with a whole slew of cowboy/girl attire) was purchased on Sunday and has not come off since.  Leyton has been sleeping in his.  It's funny how a change in clothing can also promote a change in personality.  Immediately, one of them bumped into me and said "Sorry Partner!"  

Hmm.... Partner!  That's a new one.  

Needless to say, tomorrow will be a busy day. Parade, stick horse competition, mutton busting, and Rodeo time!  Rodeo, here we come!

*Wanted*

I have *wanted* to post something brilliant.  I have *wanted* to be able to say that I have, after 1.5 weeks of the facebook weightloss challenge, lost 20 million pounds.  I have *wanted* to fill my blog with recipes and health tips that would rival Martha Stewart on her best day.  I have *wanted* to do a lot and yet I find that my days speed up and I simply run out of time every time.

I *wish* I had a better blog for you tonight.  But, sadly, I don't.  Could somebody please get my brain out of over-drive?  But, sadly I don't think you can help me.  So, instead, I will torture you and bring along for the ride.  Wanna peak inside my brain?  Here goes...

Busyness.  If you looked up *busy* in the dictionary, then they might just have a picture of me there.  No, I don't believe any of you are any "less" busy than I.  It's just that I don't know how I got to this level of ...well....busy.  How did this happen?  I even remember having the "you need to learn to say no" conversation with myself.  And I also remember "agreeing" with myself that I was certainly going to do that...learn to say no that is.  The funny thing is, I actually thought I did it??!?!?!  I do recall saying "no" to several things and removing myself from some things so that I would not get overwhelmed.  And yet, all of a sudden I have been racing the clock every day and I still feel frazzled.  I am leading a bible study, participating in a Bible study, carting Laci to dance, driving kids to and from school, working 2 jobs, serving on a committee at church, and trying to lose weight.  Pen to paper, it doesn't look so bad.  But, I am feeling it! Life seems to be rapidly speeding up.

Country. Call me Patriotic, call me what you like, but I am not the only thing *speeding up* around here.  I am so saddened by what I see on television.  It doesn't matter what news station you watch; I do my own research.  I never thought that I would EVER see freedom in our country threatened as it is today.  Aren't you saddened by this trend by our government to steal our freedom?  Democrat, Republican, Conservative or Liberal ...we are a free nation.  Is that not worth fighting for despite political beliefs?  Our freedoms are being snatched away!  Our government is about to cast their votes on a piece of legislation that doesn't even exist tomorrow.   How can this be possible?  That is absolutely wreckless behavior!  This administration is robbing my children of their future and for what?  Power?  Prestige?  Global control?  Sad...sad...sad... What are they in such a hurry for?  Despite their policy, Obama's administration is moving quickly to change things...everything!  I am very sad at what I see.  America is rapidly declining....spiraling...wreckless..out of control...things are speeding up and I don't like this run away train.

Rapture.  I know that I have said before...I love Bible prophecy!  You want to know why?  First, let me clarify that the prophecies in the Bible are, have, and continue to come to pass.  Truths prophesied thousands of years ago are coming to pass.  I have been completely glued to the television, especially lately, because Bible prophecy is coming to pass as I type this.  I follow a couple of blogs that do a really good job at laying out prophecies versus current events.  I think it is amazing that in my lifetime, Jesus will return.  No, we cannot know the exact day, but I know that it is very near.  The unfolding of Bible prophecy serves as reinforcement to my faith.  Even those that walked with Jesus personally, thought that they would be the generation to see Jesus return for his own.  And here, thousands of years later, my generation just might get to witness it.  What an honor and a blessing to be living during this time!  If you would like to know more about what the Bible says about the end of times...see Mattthew 24.  If you don't have a Bible, you must have a computer (if you are reading)...you can Google it.  

Random Blog of the Month

Don't these gators give you goose bumps?  We went to a petting zoo in Arkansas and they were laid out everywhere.  They actually looked dead - none of them moved, you couldn't see them breathing really.  So nasty, but fascinating at the same time.
These boys used to be terrified of Hootie the Hawk.  Hootie is the mascot at Robb's school.  My children spent the first football game glued to him, but only because they were afraid "Hootie" might come try to give them five.  
This Barbie used to have a face.  I'm not sure I have answers for this?

Can you hear it?

Can you hear it?  Go ahead.  Sit there for a second and listen.  Do you hear that lion off in the distance?  Can you hear it roaring?  Oh wait, that is my stomach.  That is my stomach...growling.  That is my stomach screaming at me actually.  It's saying, "1631 calories a day?! Have you lost your mind woman?"  

Well, the Facebook Weightloss Challenge is in full swing.  And just in case you were wondering, a resounding yes, this is a made-up game.  Need to lose weight?  Try my weight loss solution better known as "public scorn and humiliation."  I truly believe this works for me.  Why?  I am playing on my own weaknesses as a person.  I "care" about what people think of me.  Plain and simple.  Can I please everyone?  No!  Do I care about what people think of me?  Probably more than I should.  Consider this a very "transparent" post.  So, what better way to whip my eating habits into shape - play on two of my biggest fears:  fear of embarrassment and fear of criticism.  Anybody with me?  Do I stand alone in this?  

So, other contestants and I have been going strong for 4 days now.  We log our food onto our facebook pages for the world to see.  Weigh in is Thursday.  I will post everyone's progress, shortcomings, or stagnant weights on my blog.  Then, we can all cheer or scold each other! :)

So, in all honesty, I am feeling the pressure.  I mean, after all, I did make up this game.  So, I should probably do better than everyone, right?  Hmm...can you see the sweat on my brow?  Or maybe you can hear my stomach growling from where you sit?  Did you hear me gasp this morning when I got off the scale and there was only a 0.6 weight loss?  The gasp was a gasp of disgust, not triumph.  So, what have I been eating?  Here's a few ideas in case you are low on new recipes.  Remember, I have to eat "wheat free" due to allergies.  

Lemon butter fish:

I cooked 4 fish filets (for me and Mickey- one of our contestants) at our office the other day.  I chopped up about 4 stalks of green onion, 1/2 fresh tomato.  Olive oil in the skillet - sautee them until they are almost completely cooked.  Add your fish to the pan.  Mix together about 1/4 stick melted butter, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic salt (amounts are up for personal preference).  Season fish as desired.  Pour lemon/butter mixture over the fish.  It all cooked up in about 10 minutes on medium heat.  

Broccoli Slaw:

1 bag broccoli slaw from produce section at your local grocery store. 

Prepare as bag says (mayo, salt, pepper, 2 tblsp of vinegar).  

*This makes an excellent side (tastes like coleslaw).

Turkey Chilli

1 pound of turkey

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 can rotel

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

*Cook meat, onion, and red pepper together.  Add other ingredients after cooked thoroughly.  I season with chilli powder, garlic salt, salt, cilantro leaves, paprika.  I also cooked rice for mine.  Top with low-fat cheese if desired.  

*Although I call this "chilli" it actually cooks up like a hearty tomato soup with meat.  Quite tasty if I do say so myself.  

Okay!  All this talk of food is really making me hungry.  I ate dinner at 5:30 pm tonight which is waaayy too early for a girl that blogs late.  No more talk of food tonight.  Til tomorrow, good night!

Jessica

Weight Loss Challenge Participants!

Cynthia Brown
Shannon Reeves
My good buddy, Yunus Ahmadi..ahem! I mean Dr. Yunus Ahmadi!
Mandy Stewart.
Stephanie Greenhaw.

Weight Loss Challenge Participants!

Well, the weight loss challenge has officially begun.  Let's meet some of our contestants.  There will be multiple posts so that I can fit everyone in.  

Christi Hartman.   
Wendy Puente
Jessica Kirkland (yes that's me!)
Ana Ybarra
Mickey Noonkester 

Thanks

Thank you Mary for letting me be a part of your quarterly E-Zine. To view my story and other's for the quarter, go to:

http://www.marymaywrites.com

Click "Read Free E-zine"

"When Halloween is No Cakewalk" is an article I wrote that talks about the struggle that my husband I have each year when Halloween rolls around.  Opinions on Halloween participation are broad and it is often a hot topic among Conservative Christians.  Hopefully, this will help your family make the wisest decision for your own family.  Enjoy!  And thanks again, Mary!