Turkey Day

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was good but different. This was the first year in my 13 years of marriage that we didn't go visit family/family didn't visit us and it was, well, different. In some ways, it was nice. We still cooked for 20 people, even though there were only 4 of us. That morning we hung out with some of our new Bville friends while Scott fried their turkeys and in the evening we went to a friend's house for dessert and had a great time. It never really felt like Thanksgiving usually does...it was just a day that we spent with friends eating lots of great food. Good but different..

Speaking of great food, this Thanksgiving the Simpson family had a "Pioneer Woman" menu. I am a huge fan of PW and I really think we would be great friends if she and I were able to meet. We could share in our love of food (both cooking and eating it), laughing, and quoting movies. She could teach me how to decorate Christmas cookies without pulling my hair out and I could teach her....well, I have no idea what I could teach her but, whatever it was, we'd have a ball! I promise I am not a stalker but I was beyond thrilled when I found out the town she lives in is only about 30 minutes away from MY town. See? We were meant to be friends, I just know it!

Ok, enough with that, let me get back to what is really important...the food! Scott cooked 2 turkeys this year. Yes, 2...for 4 people, one of which is on a diet! We always fry a turkey but, now that my hubby is the proud owner of a new, custom-built smoker that looks like a train engine, of course, he had to smoke one, too! I, personally, do not like smoked food of any kind. I don't like the taste and I don't like the smell. If I'm going to smell like I've been to a bar, I want to have earned it by actually going to a bar and dancing the night away...not by walking out to my patio. Fried turkeys have always been my favorite but I will admit (and, yes, I admitted it to Scott) the smoked turkey was better this year. Scott brined it overnight and it was very moist. And, once you cut off the smoked skin, it was pretty tasty, too!

I took care of the rest of the food and, like I just mentioned, PW provided the awesome recipes I used. I cooked her green bean casserole, her sweet potatoes, and her pies (cranberry, pecan WITH the whiskey cream sauce, and pumpkin cream). I also cooked my usual corn dish and my grandma's cornbread dressing. I told you we cooked a lot of food! In my defense about the pies, two of them I cooked to bring over to our friends' house that night, so it wasn't ALL just for us.

It was all so good! The amazing part of the whole holiday, for me, was that I didn't gain any weight! That has to be a first for me. I didn't lose any but I wasn't expecting (or really trying) to. I kept up my water intake and exercise and when I weighed in at JC this past Wednesday, the scale didn't budge from where I'd last left it. Ah, relief!

I still feel like I am in a weight-loss funk. As my consultant said, "The excitement of weight loss is gone" and she is absolutely right. Don't get me wrong...I love being 20 pounds lighter, healthier, able to fit in my clothes better and needing to buy new clothes in a smaller size. I love looking better, feeling better, and having more energy and I am not planning on stopping JC any time soon. It's just different now that I've been doing the program for almost 3 months. In the beginning, I'd follow the program, go to weigh in while feeling unsure about my progress, and BAM! 3 pounds were gone...just like that! Now, I follow the program, I cheat on a few occasions throughout the week, but I exercise now and when I go to weigh in....eh, 1 pound (maybe) is gone. I've never gained with JC but the scale has been a bit slower lately and twice, the scale has stayed the same. Of course, that was a great thing right after Turkey Day...

I'm sure it's the cheating thing...duh. It's just hard NOT to cheat, especially now that the JC food just isn't tasting as good to me as it did in the beginning. Also, I'm sure that being in the holiday season isn't helping either...this is the best time of the year to eat! But, like I said, I am not wanting to quit. I just have to get myself re-motivated.

Wow. Sorry for the long post. Hopefully, it reads fast! If I blogged regularly, this wouldn't happen, I bet. :-)

My kids: What I am thankful for and what I love about them!

1. I am thankful for the opportunity God has blessed me with, being able to spend my life being their mommy and all things that go along with that title.

2. I am thankful that they are built like their daddy and that they are tall and proud!

3. I love that Mackenzie is exactly like her dad and that she gives him a run for his money.

4. I love that Jack is mostly like me....he's gonna make a great husband! I just don't know that I'll make a great mother-in-law....

5. I am thankful that neither one of them likes Justin Beiber!

6. I love that Mackenzie had to ask me the other day who Madonna and Britney Spears are.....and, after my vague answer, she still doesn't know!

7. I love that my kids have no problem speaking their minds or asking me about anything...and I mean anything!

8. I am beyond thankful that they are both Christians and I looove that they both accepted Christ on or around Mother's Day (one year apart)!!!!!!!

9. I love that they love school and are good students.

10. I love that they completely love each other, even though it is hard for them to admit it sometimes.

11. It cracks me up that Mackenzie (almost 10 years old) still wants to sleep with Jack on the weekends....and I find it hilarious that Jack always says NO! He says it is because she doesn't really want to sleep, she wants to play/talk/read and all he wants to do is sleep!

12. I love that Mackenzie LOVES Harry Potter. She has loved HP/Daniel Radcliffe since she was 3 years old and I look forward to planning their wedding in 15 years.

13. I love that Jack still covers his eyes with his fingers and plugs his ears with his thumbs whenever he thinks something scary is about to happen in a movie.

14. It cracks me up that Jack still falls asleep almost anywhere we go at nighttime.

15. I am thankful they are healthy.

16. I am thankful that they are also loved by the people I love most.

17. I can't wait for Mackenzie to be old enough to read Twilight AND The Lord of the Rings AND finally admit to me that she loves them, too! She says it will never happen but I know the truth!

18. I love that they still think "stupid" and "shut-up" are "s-words." I finally told them they could say "butt" but only at home with me and Scott...they still haven't actually taken me up on it. ;-)

19. I love that Jack says the funniest, craziest things and that he lets me quote him on facebook.

20. I am thankful that I get to sit here and type up these wonderful things about my kids and share them with you.

21. I can't wait to add more to the list!

Halloween Update and more news

I forgot to tell you about the Halloween party we had for the kids. Remember, I was complaining about parents not RSVP-ing? Yeah, well, they never did RSVP and only one boy from Jack's class came. No one from Mackenzie's class came. Thankfully, we have made some wonderful friends in our neighborhood with children close to my kiddos' ages that were able to come over. Mac said that she didn't mind that her class-friends didn't come because she had fun anyway. I was so proud of her attitude! So, why was I, the so-called "Grown Up" bitter?? Because I refuse to let the idea of "good manners" die? Because I didn't want my children to be hurt and sad? Absolutely! I am over it now, of course, but it was still frustrating. Mac said that some of her friends couldn't come over because their parents don't know us. Well, DUH! That was the main reason for having the party...so that Scott and I could meet her friends AND their parents! Oh, well, we'll try again another time..

Jenny Craig is still going well. I am cheating a lot, it seems, which I don't like but I have still been able to lose. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to let myself have a "cheat" day, especially now that I am exercising regularly. Most of the time, I am able to stay "in control" of my eating habits but this past week has been harder. We went to the movies and out to eat Friday night, so I assumed that would be my "cheat" day. I didn't go overboard; I just enjoyed some of the food I haven't allowed myself to eat in the last 2 months. Unfortunately, the next day (Saturday) turned out to be a REAL "cheat" day.

We were watching the LSU game and I was cooking for Scott and the kids and I came down with a bad case of the munchies. After I had snacked on some Tiger Tators (Zapps potato chips from La.), I decided that I was going to eat a meatball sub with my family. For the past 2 months, my family and I have eaten different foods at every meal and I have been okay with it. But, for some reason, on this particular Saturday, I'd had enough. I wanted to eat with my family...not just "with" them but eat the same food they were eating. So I did. And I liked it. It felt good to kick back with my family and enjoy the football game with some great food. It felt "normal." It also makes me feel angry because I wonder if I'll ever be able to be "normal" when it comes to food. I absolutely hate the way I have allowed food to control my life.

So, now, I have a couple of days before I weigh in and I must get back on track. Honestly, most days I do not struggle like I did this past weekend. I think it must be natural to have set-backs like that and I hope I am over this one. I'm pretty sure I am. I woke up early this morning so that I could go for a walk/run but I couldn't find my sports bra anywhere without waking up my family, so I decided to catch up on my blogging! I'll exercise later, I promise!

And, for those of you who are counting, I've lost 18.6 pounds so far. My goal this past week was to lose 1.4, so that I can be at an even 20 (in 2 months!) but I don't know if I will make that goal. If I don't, I don't...if I do, I do...I just have to take it one day at a time....

Halloween

It is unacceptable that I have not blogged 18 days! The crazy thing is that I think about blogging all of the time: what to blog about, when I am actually going to sit down and blog, etc.. My reasons for putting it off usually come down to these 2: MY idea is not good enough or long enough to blog about and I don't want to go sit in the office to type up my blog.

We have an office in our house that allows Scott and me to each have a desk and computer, which is great, but I am realizing that I don't like to spend as much time in there as I did in our Borger house. Bella is not allowed in the office so, if I get on the computer during the day, I also have to keep an eye on her, which means I am constantly getting out of my chair and looking for her, making sure she is not getting into any trouble. Some days she makes it very easy for me and lays down just outside the office door. She knows she can't come in here, so she will put her head down at the exact spot where the tile in the foyer meets the carpet in the office...pretty darn funny.

So, if blogging during the day doesn't work, why not blog at night? Well, my family is here at night and I don't want to spend time on the computer when I can be snuggling on the couch with my kiddos. MY solution is to get a Mac Book Pro so that I can do my computer stuff and sit on the couch with the kids at the same time. Scott agrees that this would be a great idea...if Mac Books weren't so expensive and I didn't already have a working computer!

I thought I was one step closer to getting one yesterday because my computer was making a crazy noise. It sounded like a Harley Davidson was racing around in there. My wonderful, computer geek-of-a-husband knew something was wrong with the motor and he promptly took it apart and fixed it. No laptop for me...yet. ;-)
Now that I've explained all of that, let me think about what else has been going on....

We had a wonderful Halloween. This was Mac and Jack's first REAL time to go trick or treating. In Katy, we'd just take them to the few houses on our street and in Borger, most of our neighbors didn't really participate in trick or treating, but in our new neighborhood, they were able to truly experience the fun. Our neighborhood had a block party first, which was fun, then the T & T-ing began. After walking around for about an hour or so, Jack was ready to throw in the towel. We dropped him off at the house so that he could help Scott pass out the candy and then Mac and I finished the neighborhood. I now walk/run regularly but, for some reason, when we got home that night, my feet and legs were so hurting so badly, I could hardly move! We were completely wiped out but it was fun! The best treats of the night? A neighbor gave me some fresh rosemary from his garden and Mackenzie received a can of root beer!

Fun was had by all and, what little candy we had left over, Scott brought to his office. It is now the second week of November and the kids still have candy left. I told them they should save it because there are a few movies we will be seeing this month and I'll sneak their candy in the theater for them!!

Fall Break

It's Fall Break here at the Simpson house! Technically, it is Fall Break everywhere in the Bartlesville, Ok-area but, since this blog is primarily about my family and me, I'm focusing on our break time. I have no idea why the schools here have a Fall Break one month before Thanksgiving but I am not complaining one bit. I love it and I am excited about how we are going to spend our time.

This year we are spending our Fall Break time getting ready for TWO Halloween parties on Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly: TWO parties...at OUR house....on the SAME day. We will be having a "Kids' Party" from 12-2 and then, after we recuperate for a few hours, we will have a "Family Party" with our grown-up friends.

I thought this would be a good way to meet some of Mac and Jack's friends from school and their parents. I've learned that, as the kids get older, it gets harder to meet parents. This, in turn, makes it hard for Scott and me to allow our kids to go to friends' houses. In fact, it doesn't make it "hard", it makes it impossible. We don't just let our kids go to any one's house. We have to know the parents first and know them well. Needless to say, our kids don't get out much.

I am also learning that parents in our neck of the woods do not know the meaning of RSVP. Three families have told me that they will be attending one or both parties. These families are friends of ours that we stay in contact with and, I might mention, they are not from Bville originally. I am not meaning to imply that native "Bartians" (yes, that is what they call themselves) are all devoid of manners. I don't know what the problem is. Maybe we are all too detached these days or maybe people are tired of reaching out and trying to make new friends. Maybe parents don't care where they drop their kids off on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe they don't really understand why responding to an RSVP is so important but, when you are planning a party with adorable Halloween-themed food, it is nice to know just how many "Mummy Pizzas" to make ahead of time. I'm just sayin'.

No matter how many people show up, I am hoping for a fun day. It will be very nice if it doesn't rain also. Everything I have planned needs to take place outside and I really don't want 10 kids running around inside my house. I'll be writing about the parties and posting pics, so be on the look-out for a new post, hopefully, on Sunday.

Onto another topic...my weight loss. This past week was harder than the others have been. I wanted to "cheat" fairly often and I was just hungry a lot. Of course, I am blaming that on my monthly hormones, rather than the fact that I simply like to eat. I weighed in yesterday and I lost a whopping .8 lbs. I am not looking at it as a failure; it is still a loss and not a gain. I have lost a total of 14.6 pounds in 5 weeks and that ain't too shabby, if I do say so myself. Yesterday was also the first day in 5 weeks that I have not eaten JC foods. I decided to take the day off and just eat what I wanted to. It wasn't a huge splurge-day for me. I didn't eat an entire pizza or scarf down a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. I had my favorite pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and half of Jack's chocolate chip frappaccino. I ate creamy chicken and noodles leftovers and there might have been some pumpkin spice pop-tarts thrown in there somewhere... What can I say? I love pumpkin spice-flavored things! ;-)

I wasn't thrilled with myself but I think it was good to have a day like that so I can start fresh the next day and refocus on my goals. This morning, I had my usual Cain's coffee with Creme Brulee' creamer and a JC breakfast. When I am finished typing this, I am going for a walk. After that, it will be time to get this house ready for the parties and, hopefully, have some family time visiting a couple of Bville tourist-y places. Have a great day!

Short stories

These are just some short stories of things that have happened lately that I wanted to blog about but didn't feel like were long enough or whatever for their own post.

1. The Fair!
The kids and I went to the Tulsa State Fair yesterday. I let them play hooky from school so that we could go on a day that wasn't crazy-packed with people. We tried to go last Saturday but it was so packed, we couldn't find a parking spot! Yesterday was much better.
This was Mac and Jack's first time to go to anything like this. They have been to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo but they were so little, we only did the "inside stuff." This time, they were able to ride the rides and play some of the games and they loved every minute of it. Jack didn't understand why I wasn't riding the rides with them. I tried to explain many times that I just don't like to ride those kind of rides anymore (unless we are at Disney World, of course) but that I was having the most fun watching them ride. He said, "But you didn't have fun..you didn't DO anything!" Maybe when he is a parent he will understand. To them, I wasn't DOing anything but, for me, watching them DO stuff was a blast.
And, yes, we ate. I ate fair food! We went to JC before the fair and I told my consultant that I was going to the fair and that I was going to enjoy some fair food. She said to go on and do it, so I did. I wasn't nearly as "bad" as I thought I would be, actually. I ate a flavorless "jumbo" corn dog because it was right next to the pizza place the kids wanted to eat at. I also finished one of Jack's pizza slices and it was so much better than the corn dog. Later, I saw a stand with turkey legs and turkey burgers and I even found a place inside that sold grilled chicken salads but I was already full from corn dog/pizza. I was pretty much full for the rest of the day but I just wanted to eat more. This was, of course, after the kids and I walked around and did the rides for 2 hours or so. I was there, so I wanted to let myself eat whatever I wanted. I couldn't decide between funnel cake or ice cream. It was pretty hot outside, so I decided on ice cream. I searched and searched for a plain, small ice cream cone. Mackenzie was also searching for a Dippin' Dots stand. While we were looking, we settled for a slice of chocolate-dipped cheesecake and chocolate-dipped s'mores. I ate about half of the cheesecake, which really wasn't that good. Mackenzie didn't like her s'mores so she ate some of my cake, then threw it away because she didn't like it either. We finally found what we were both looking for and were very satisfied with the rainbow Dippin' Dots for Mac and a small cup of plain ice cream for me. While the search was on, Jack finished off a huge cinnamon roll. I sampled this also and it was delish! He said, "Y'all should have just gotten one of these!" He was right.
It was such a great day. The only bummer was that Scott wasn't there to share it with us. That, and the major sunburn I now have on the top part of my chest and all around my neck!

Ok, that story was longer than I thought it would be, so I'll just add one more and call it a day.

2. The Talk
Yes, I mean, THE TALK. We finally had "the talk" with the kids a couple of weeks ago but rest assured knowing we managed to continue the tradition of completely freaking out our kids with this new information. As I have discussed with a few of you before, I knew it was getting to be time to have this discussion. Scott and I talked about it a lot, I bought a book, etc but, let me tell you, nothing you do will actually prepare you for the moment you take your children's innocence away. I'm just sayin'.
I knew it was time when Jack told me he knew what sex was. It was the same thing Mackenzie had told us a few months ago: it's when 2 people get naked, lay down, and kiss. We almost had "the talk" when we heard this from Mackenzie but we decided to wait until Jack was ready, too, so that we could have "the" talk with both of them at the same time. Yes, you read that correctly. We had the sex talk with both of our kids at the same time.
Another thing you might want to consider before you tackle this milestone: practice with your spouse beforehand. I don't mean practice "it." I mean practice talking about it. Pretend you are both talking to your child/children and get a game-plan together. Otherwise, you will start having chest pains, as I did, when you hear your spouse say the following words: "Well, when your mommy and I have sex, she lies down and I get on top of her...." Oh, yeah. Ok, I'll wait for you to stop screaming and laughing. I'm twitching from post-traumatic stress disorder just typing these words. Finished? Ok. Yes, those are the actual words that came out of my husband's mouth in front of our children. I almost died! Afterwards, I told him, "I thought you were going to want to give them a demonstration, the way you were talking! Children are supposed to work up to imagining their parents having sex and then simply believe they were hatched instead! But, not OUR kids! They get the visual right away!"
I have to say, the kids took it well. Jack kept asking "How??" to everything and then he covered his ears and exclaimed, "Too much information! Too much information! I'm gonna have nightmares!" Mackenzie didn't say much, she just make a "disgusted" face and wanted to know more of the biology that goes on to make a baby. I told her we'd discuss that later, this information was enough for now. We made a point, though, to stress that sex is not what it appears to be on TV or the movies. It was made by God for a husband and wife to share, to show affection, and to make babies. I hope they focus on that more than anything else. I can honestly say I have no idea what they are thinking right now because not one of them has come to us wanting more information! I do know that I was still more traumatized than they were!

Shocked!

Let me just start by saying this was a hard JC week for me. Not because of the food or the plan or anything like that but, because of me! I was still impatient/bored/whatever...I also still have a hard time letting go of "negative self talk." The other day, the same day I wrote my last post bragging about a few bites of a scone being "enough", I made a fruit pizza for dessert. I thought I could "handle it" but I was wrong. I had a piece right after dinner, which was mistake #1. Usually, I wait 2 or 3 hours before I have my JC dessert. Let me tell you, that was some good fruit pizza! It was so good, that it was NOT "enough." So, I had a second piece. If you are keeping tabs, that would be mistake #2! The second piece was good, too but, it quickly became MORE than enough and I was miserable. Mistake #3, which is the worst of all, happened: I mentally beat myself up for it for the rest of the night.

WHY do we do that to ourselves? So what, if I ate 2 pieces of fruit pizza that night! Seriously! It was fruit pizza not a Krispy Kreme burger! But, even if I had eaten a Krispy Kreme burger, I should be able to accept what I did (and any resulting consequences) and move on. I HAVE to be able to let this negative talk go if I am to truly succeed in losing weight. I, honestly, believe the negative talk is Satan trying to get to me. Words of failure, sadness, giving up, and disgust do NOT come from God, so they must be from Satan. God loves me no matter what and He wants what is best for me always. He also wants me to love myself the way He does, mistakes and all. Praise God!

Needless to say, I was not looking forward to weighing in yesterday. I was going to be happy if there was just a 1 pound loss because I couldn't imagine there being more than that. But, somehow, there was. I lost 3.6 pounds...more than I lost the week before! I was shocked. I literally said to my consultant, "But that can't be right! I ate 2 pieces of fruit pizza this week!" But, even though, I ate more than I should have that night, I still was able to work it into my plan. I didn't have my JC afternoon snack or JC dessert and I went for a 30 minute walk the next morning. Of course, I forgot to mention those things to myself when I was letting Satan get me down. Does that mean I can have 2 pieces of fruit pizza every week and still lose weight? I don't know...maybe...maybe not. Is my world going to fall apart if I don't lose 3 pounds next week? I sure hope not! JC has a saying: "It's not about perfection; it's about progress." I like that. I think that applies to learning lessons, too. So, I guess, I made some major progress this week and I hope, no, I pray, that I continue to progress...not just in weight loss but in everything.

For those of you keeping tabs on my weight loss, I've now lost 11 pounds in 3 weeks! When I lose 1.5 more pounds, I'll have lost 5% of my total weight already! Whoo hoo!!

Impatient!

Happy Fall morning to you! I went for a walk early this morning and it was wonderful! I love walking in cool, breezy weather. This morning, though, my hands were really cold, so I dropped my iPhone into the front part of my sports bra so that I could listen to my music hands-free and also pull my hands up into my sleeves to keep them warm. This worked out really well, except the light from the screen of my phone showed through my red shirt, right between my boobs, making me look like Iron Man!

I didn't post anything last week. Not because it was a bad week or an uneventful week. It was just a lazy week. Or maybe it was a busy week, I really can't remember. It was a successful week for my weight loss goal, though. I lost 2.8 pounds! I know that is really good but I, of course, wished the number would've been higher. Still, that is a loss of 7.4 pounds in 2 weeks! This past week has been a bit harder for me because I am getting impatient. I want the weight gone! Now! I don't want to wait 6 more months! I don't want to face the holidays while being on a diet! Now do you see why all of my previous efforts in weight loss have failed?

I know I am doing this the right way, the healthy way. Statistics show that, if you lose weight slowly, you are more likely to keep it off. I know, I know, I know! It still doesn't keep me from being impatient. The honest truth is: I want to be at a point where I have lost enough weight to "deserve" a treat. There, I said it. I am all about treating myself. That is why I am in the shape I am in, duh!. I've never been the kind of girl to "treat" myself once a week or every other week. No. I am so good and wonderful, I deserve a treat every day! Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day! Aren't we all that wonderful? The simple answer is, yes. Yes, we are that wonderful. That is not the issue. The issue with me is HOW I "treat" myself. Treats don't always have to be in the form of something edible. They can be something like a mani/pedi, a new shirt or shoes or makeup. You don't even have to spend money for it to be a treat. Spending time with my family is a treat. Here lately, getting on the computer without having to worry about Bella eating the wood trim on our walls is a treat!

Anyway, especially with the holidays coming up, I sometimes feel like I won't be able to "live" (meaning eat like a "normal" person not on a diet). Again, I never have eaten like a normal person, hence my Jenny Craig membership. I have to remind myself that the holidays are not about the food. We are not celebrating FOOD. We use food to enhance what we are celebrating. Besides, most people stuff themselves beyond misery and gain 5-10 pounds during the holiday season. This is not what I want. I want to be able to nibble, taste, and enjoy a sweet or two so that I don't feel deprived. But, guess what! I CAN do that. In fact, I ate part of a blueberry cream cheese scone AND took a bite from Mackenzie's chocolate chip cookie that were both bought at our local farmers' market on Saturday! I ate it and I enjoyed every single morsel that touched my tastbuds. Here's the great part: I was able to stop. It was enough. And I don't think I ruined my diet. Of course, I'll find out for sure Wednesday morning and then I'll let you know!

I survived!

Well, I made it through my first week on Jenny Craig! It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. With other "diets" I have tried in the past, I quickly become miserable and I imagine I make my loved ones miserable, too. I'm hungry all of the time...I get light-headed and grouchy...and I start telling myself that it is just not worth the trouble. I have even considered the possibility that God wants me to be fat. I know He loves me, no matter what I look like. But, I also know that I have not been taking care of the body He has given me and that needs to change.

Jenny Craig is definitely helping with that change. I think I have eaten more salads and veggies this week than I have my whole life! Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration but not by much! I am also amazed at what a "real" portion size looks like. For years, I've heard and read things like "one portion of meat is the size of your palm" or "a cup of rice is the size of your fist", etc. I must have huge hands because, before JC, my portions were a LOT bigger. Ok, so it wasn't necessarily the size of my hands that caused me to eat larger portions...I just used them to put large amounts of food on my plate but I digress....

Seriously, though, when I opened my first JC meal, I thought I was going to be in trouble. There was no way that small amount of food was going to fill me up and keep me satisfied for 3-4 hours! Guess what. It did. Of course, for it to really work, you have to add a large serving of veggies or a salad but it does work! It really is a balanced food plan and I DO get to eat dessert! Talk about feeling sad when I saw that serving size. Normally, I would have inhaled that sliver of cheesecake in about 2 seconds. But, now, I eat my cheesecake slowly, enjoying the cookies and cream flavor, and I drink it with a cup of milk and it is...enough. It is enough to satisfy my hunger...my sweet-tooth...and it is enough to hold me over until the next day's dessert. After living most of my life wanting more and more, it feels good to be satisfied with "enough".

I am happy to report that I lost 4.6 pounds last week!! I am so happy! I know I won't lose that much every week but it is a great start and I am thrilled. I did have a moment or two of sadness this past week while Mackenzie and I were shopping at Target, though. The Halloween candy is out...enough said. I wondered to myself, "How am I going to NOT sneak some chocolate this year??" Then I saw the sign at Starbucks: "Our Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back!" Those are my favorite! It is a personal tradition that I have at least one pumpkin spice latte to warm myself up with while I go Christmas shopping and I look forward to it every year. I immediately started feeling down and thought I should just do all of my shopping online so that I won't be tempted by the lattes. Then a thought occurred to me: I CAN have one....one of these days, just not today. I am not quite ready to start splurging or substituting "real" food for my JC food but, soon, I will be. I WILL be able to "live" and do it in a healthy way, I promised myself, and I immediately felt better. On a side note, my JC consultant told me there IS a way to fit a Starbucks latte into my diet because she does it every day!

After my weigh-in yesterday, I went to the mall to celebrate. I looked at the windows of all of the stores that I WILL be able to buy clothes from again. Ahhh, to be able to buy Gap jeans....Victoria Secret undies....anything from anywhere that isn't sized with a "W" behind the number..... It will take a while but I WILL get there!

And, don't worry, this blog isn't going to be all about my diet. I just wanted to share my good news! Thanks for reading!

An exciting announcement

Good morning! I'd like to introduce to you the new and improving Jennifer!

As most of you know or can guess, I have struggled with my weight all of my life. I can even remember the day I became aware of my size: it was in the kindergarten girls' bathroom and a classmate told me I looked pregnant. I was devastated.

I have always been tall and proud and I used to "carry" my weight pretty well....until I had two kids in two years....and until I turned 35.... I have tried Weight Watchers 3 times and I have started/stopped "diets" more times than I can count. Even still, I don't consider myself a "yo-yo" dieter because the most I have ever lost was 23 pounds and that was just last year! I am a terrible "dieter" because, frankly, eating is fun to me. I like to have fun and I like to eat! Being from Louisiana, I grew up thinking that celebrating and eating go hand-in-hand or, in my case, hand-in-mouth, and it is very hard for me to break that thinking pattern.

So...this past Tuesday night I decided to do something about it; to stop all of the complaining and self-loathing and to simply "pull up my big-girl panties" and do it. I am now the new spokesperson for Jenny Craig! Okay, I'm not really the new spokesperson but I am a client. Some of you may know that my degree is in Food and Nutrition. So, I should know what to do to lose weight and get healthy...but that obviously doesn't mean I do it. I, like many others, simply want to be told what to eat and Jenny Craig does that for me. I just look at my menu for the week, grab my food, and eat it!

Yesterday was my first day on my road to success. I woke up ready to get started and didn't have the usual "ugh, I'm on a diet today...misery, here I come" feeling. And guess what! I didn't have those misery feelings all day! Usually, when I start a diet, I'm ready to quiet by lunchtime. This time, though, it was no big deal. I ate what I was supposed to eat...when I started to feel hungry (which, surprisingly, was about 3 hours later, not 3 minutes later), I ate again, and so on and so on. I felt great all day...I had energy, I didn't need to take a nap, and I was in a good mood! Very impressive for a first day of "dieting." I realize I need to stop using that word because it implies that this is a temporary thing and, Lord, please don't let it be a temporary thing! I truly want this to work. I want this to be a life-style change. I know it won't always be this easy. I will have to face eating out, eating with friends, parties, HOLIDAYS, etc. But I am hoping and seriously praying that I can do this and succeed.

This blog will help me stay accountable, for sure. I thought about keeping my JC client status a secret and then surprising everyone with my new svelte figure later on but, then I realized, that I need your help and support to keep me focused and encouraged. And, if I can help any of you by writing about this, that is awesome, too. In fact, I have 2 coupons for 50% off a JC membership for a family member or friend that expire sometime in October...if you want one, let me know and it is yours!

My goal is to lose 62 pounds but if I get anywhere close to that I will be ecstatic. I realized last night that my 36th birthday is 6 months away. What a great birthday present to myself: to be healthy and happy with myself. I can't wait to see how close to my goal I am in 6 months!

Day #2 is beginning and I need some breakfast! Have a great day, Everyone!

Rain and Dogs!

I love the rain. Living in Borger for 3 years made me forget what it is like to have rain on a regular basis. It rained during our first week here in Bville and I remember thinking, "Oh, I can't go to Hobby Lobby, it's raining!" Then, of course, I had to laugh at myself and remember all those times I had to trek all over the campus of McNeese in the rain (because if it is going to rain at all in Lake Charles, LA, it WILL rain at MSU) and I did it without melting!

One of the reasons I love the rain is because it makes me want to be lazy. And I am VERY good at being lazy. I love to curl up on the couch and read or watch a movie when it rains, doesn't everyone? I have to admit, though, right now, the main reason I love the rain is because I don't have to water the lawn or flowers! I am terrible with plants. I wish I wasn't but I am, so there. Because of my brown-thumb trait, I have never had pretty flowers in a garden or flowerbed. But now that I live in a "grown-up house" (that's what Scott and I call our new house), I have to take care of flowers because that's what the previous owners did! In fact, the landscaping is one of the things that first attracted me to this house and now I have to take care of it! I was getting out in the mornings and setting up a sprinkler-thing that rolls along the waterhose but, most of the time, I'd set it up incorrectly and I'd just get frustrated and put the whole thing up. Our yard does not have a sprinkler system and I have not received a call back from the "sprinkler system guy" that everyone in my neighborhood recommends, even though I called about 3 weeks ago. So, I am very thankful for the rain that we have been receiving and so are my plants!

One downside to frequent rain: having to take 2 dogs out through out the day to do their "business." They come back wet and even "stinkier" than usual!

Speaking of dogs, mine are getting on my last nerve! Yesterday, right before church, of course, we discovered where Bella had just finished chewing on some of our wood trim on an archway that separates our kitchen from our living room. Seriously, there was so much slobber on the floor, I thought Harley had hiked his leg there and peed! But, no, it was definitely Bella who had been munching on the wood. Scott had to sand the wood down and re-stain it to make it look almost normal again. The problem was that we didn't catch Bella actually doing it, so we couldn't really punish her for it....until this morning.... I was sitting on the couch and I HEARD her naw on the exact same spot for just a second. I jumped up and she was standing right by the same piece of wood, so I immediately fussed at her, popped her on the butt (like she felt it! HA!), and put her in her kennel. She didn't do much damage but it was still very frustrating. So, now, I have to really keep an eye on her until she earns my trust again. Also, today, Harley (our 12 year old Golden Retriever, who is new to staying inside but loves it very much) was licking one of the pool table legs! I'm telling you, these dogs are driving me crazy! Now, I want to start working just so I don't have to take care of them during the day! How sad is that?!

But, then I look at that precious, smushed-up face with the fangs sticking out, and I melt all over again...

A Day We Will Never Forget

What were you doing on this morning 9 years ago? I bet you all can remember like it was yesterday. I know I can.

Mackenzie was 8 months old and I was 3 or 4 months pregnant with Jack. It was a regular morning: Scott was already at work and Mac and I had finished breakfast and were settling in for a quiet morning with the Wiggles. My mother-in-law called to tell me that there had been some kind of explosion at the World Trade Center...she was in a doctor's waiting room and saw the news on the television. I told her that I would put the news on and see what was going on.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't "get it." I remembered that someone had set off a bomb of some sort in one of the buildings a couple years before that and I just assumed this new explosion was more of the same. I didn't understand the seriousness of the situation and I certainly did not expect what was still to come.

I changed the channel to our local news station right before the second tower was hit...then the first tower fell....then the second tower fell... I was in shock, as was everyone else who was watching. I still didn't understand what was happening; I'm not sure anyone did at that moment. I changed the channel for a few minutes and when I changed it back, the Pentagon was hit. By this time, I believe, the news was reporting about the planes that were hitting these American landmarks, saying that the planes had been taken over by terrorists and that the planes were full of innocent passengers who also died.

By this time, I had hit full panic mode. I had spoken with my mom on the phone about it and we wondered if we needed to empty our bank accounts and meet somewhere out in the country to be safe. At this time, we were living in Houston, where most of the major oil companies have their headquarters. Realizing this made me panic even more. I called Scott and he was in a meeting, so I had to leave a message. It went something like this: "I don't know if you know what has been going on this morning but terrorists are taking over planes flying out of the east coast and they are targeting major American places like the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I think they are moving across the country and will hit every major city or landmark that they can and that means they could be headed for Houston! Are they (meaning ConocoPhillips) going to close the offices and evacuate??" A few minutes later he called back was calm, as always. He was aware of what was going on but the offices were going to stay open.

News quickly spread about the plane that, because of some very brave passengers, had crashed, not at the White House like it was speculated to be headed for, but in an empty field in Pennsylvania. After seeing this, I just sat on the couch and waited to hear about the next plane and the next but that news never came. It appeared that the attack was over and now it was time to focus on what had just happened to our powerful and safe country that didn't feel so powerful or safe anymore.

Everyone was glued to the TV for days after that. You couldn't help but watch the repeat showings of the towers falling, the dust and debris falling from the New York sky, people running around, crying and screaming, and the worst part for me: seeing people jump from the windows of the WTC because they didn't know what else to do. Our police officers and firemen, who worked tirelessly to save those who could be saved...when almost every fireman from one particular firehouse was killed after a part of a building collapsed on top of them. The empty field with pieces of the plane thrown all around....the Pentagon that was opened up and torn apart to where you could see the the hallways and offices that were inside from the TV cameras flying overhead. These are just some of the images that will stay in our minds and in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

So, today, please remember all of those that died in the airplanes and in the collapsed buildings. Remember their loved ones, their spouses and their children. Remember all of the rescue workers who worked day and night for weeks to help those in need: police officers, firemen/women, our military, doctors and nurses and all of those who volunteered. Our country was brutally attacked September 11, 2001 but we are still a strong, God-fearing country. Land of the free. Home of the brave. Land that I love.

I'm baack!

Oh, my goodness, I can't believe it has been a month and a half since my last blog! That is unacceptable and I apologize for my forgetfullness, laziness, and all of the other excuses I can come up with! I don't know if it makes you feel any better or not but, know that I think about my blog and what to blog about all of the time...I just haven't written anything. I keep waiting for THE story or topic to write about and it just never comes...or, if it does, it doesn't seem good enough or long enough or funny enough...you get the picture. So I will now take the advice I read yesterday from the brilliant Pioneer Woman and "just do it." Just write!

I've been away from my blog for so long, I guess I need to catch you up on all that has been going on at the Simpson House. Let's see....um......hmmm......no, really, something has happended, I'm sure of it.....it'll come to me in a sec.... Maybe I should make a list.

1) We have had quite a few visitors in the past month or so...in fact, I think we had more visitors in the 2 months we have been in Bartlesville, than we had the entire 3 years we were in Borger! It was great, though, seeing family (The Dugas Girls and my mom) and friends (DJ and her girls, JLew and Ava, and the "Joshua House in OK" reunion). God has truly blessed us by putting these amazing people in our lives.

2) We did NOT get to see Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers in Tulsa. We found out the DAY of the concert that it had been cancelled....3 days after I bought the tickets! Still a teensy bit bitter about that!

3) School started! The kids LOVE their new school and their new teachers and they are both doing very well in their studies. They have been in school less than a month and Mackenzie has already finished reading the first two Harry Potter books and she started the 3rd last night. She is sooo proud of herself and I am proud, also. In her words, she is "totally geeking out on Harry Potter!" This really isn't a surprise....she started watching the HP movies when she was 2 or 3 years old and, when she was 3, she declared that Harry was her boyfriend. She would even say his name in a British accent because that is how they say it in the movies! In her 3 year-old preschool class, she befriended a boy named Thomas. Her teachers would always tell me how cute Mackenzie and Thomas were together. When I met Thomas for the first time, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Thomas had black hair, green eyes, and wore glasses....just like Harry Potter! It was too cute! More about HP later...
Jack has been reading up a storm, too. Thank you, Teachers, for making your students read for 25 minutes every night for homework! Most nights, after the timer goes off, my kids want to keep reading and I love it! Our house has never been so quiet! Jack started off reading Bakugan books but is now reading The Hardy Boys and Goosebumps. In fact, he read 12 chapters just last night! I know it's not War and Peace but it is a start!
The kids have also started taking karate lessons. Tonight will be their second class. They love it. What's not to love? Their sensei is an extremely talented and qualified teacher who, in order to teach them how to block a hit above their heads, chased them around the room, hitting them on the head with a soft, mallet-looking, thing used for sparring. I've never heard so many giggles in a karate class before!

4) I am still not working....I don't think I'm being a complete bum, though. I am not sitting on the couch eating bon-bons all day, I can tell you that! Bella, our precious bulldog, would not allow it, I'm fairly sure, unless I shared with her. I spend my days on the computer...cleaning....taking the dogs out.....bringing them back in (this happens a lot throughout the day).....shopping (groceries)....eating lunch with Scott (but not every day)....cooking....waiting an hour in the school parking lot to pick up the kids..... You can see that my days are very full indeed. I am loving it but I feel it is time to do more. I still need to take a test to be certified in OK but, before I can do that, I have to find out what test it is, where to take the test, and what to study for the test...all very hard and time-consuming things, I assure you! I also need to start subbing but I am dragging my feet. I'm not sure why...oh, yeah, I LIKE being a lazy bum, that's why! My desire to travel (and being able to afford to travel) is winning out, so I must start making some extra dough. Also, Scott wants to buy a boat in the spring and he says I have to pay for it! As if!

5) We still have not found THE church for us. We visited one last week and it was nice, but I don't think it is the one. There are a lot of churches around here for us to try and I know we will find the right one. I pray that God puts us in the church He wants us to be in and I hope we find it soon. I miss my church family in Borger and I miss my church family in Katy, too. We were fortunate enough to be able to go back to our church in Katy for a memorial service a couple of weeks ago. The service was for Emma Claire Key, the 8 year-old daughter of our friends, Steven and Sherry Key. It was wonderful and terrible all at the same time. It was wonderful seeing how God worked through a young girl like Emma. It was wonderful seeing all of the love and support being poured out on the Key family. It was wonderful being at Kingsland Baptist Church again and seeing our Joshua House family. It was wonderful wearing our red shirts again. (Our Joshua House shirts.) It was terrible seeing our friends grieving. It was wonderful being able to hug my children after the service. It was terrible knowing that Steve and Sherry can't hug Emma right now. It is wonderful knowing that one day soon, they will be able to hug her in Heaven.

6)Back to Harry Potter...When we moved into this house, I told Mackenzie that we would completely redecorate her room when she was old enough to decide on something that she would be happy with for many years. She seems to think that time is now and she wants a Harry Potter room. I am ok with this but I am making her wait until she turns 10, which is only 4 (gasp!) months away. I want to see if she still wants a HP room in 4 months before I change anything. Plus, that will give me time to get all of the "stuff" that will be needed for the room. So, if you have any creative ideas, please send them my way. I've seen some great pictures of HP rooms online but I don't think I am that creative. If any of you can paint, come on over, and I will put you to work! I'm sure I'll be blogging about this process for a while and I need to figure out how to add pictures to my blog, so I can post before and after pics.

Ok, I think I've brought you all up to date. I promise to write more often even if it is pure rubbish!
Love you all!

The Tooth Fairy

Do any of you mamas out there keep your children's teeth after they've come out?? My mom kept mine when I was a little girl. I remember finding a couple of prescription pill bottles in her dresser drawer that had my teeth in them. I was probably in the 1st or 2nd grade and, naturally, it made me very suspicious of the Tooth Fairy. The next time I lost a tooth, I placed the tooth on a note that I had written the fairy-in-question. It said, "Dear Tooth Fairy, Are you real? If you are, please leave a picture of yourself and sign your real name." I still have this letter in my baby book. I am assuming it was shortly after that that I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy but I never thought it was weird that my mom had kept my teeth.
Yesterday, I was going through one of my own drawers and found many snack-sized ziploc bags...each with a tiny tooth in it. They were also labled with a name and date because, being a mother of 2, I had to know which tooth belonged to which child. There is even one labled "Jack's tooth, lost at Novrosky's in Sulphur" because that was the tooth that came out of his mouth while he was eating his hamburger. That is a very funny memory but did I HAVE to label and keep the tooth?? I knew the teeth were in there but I'd never really thought about them that much. I have to admit, I was a bit disturbed by it. It reminded me a lot of Jeff Goldblum's remake of the movie "The Fly", when he starts molting, losing his teeth and fingernails, and then keeps them in tiny jars in his bathroom medicine cabinet. Seriously, WHY did I still have them? Am I planning on giving them back to the kids when they leave for college...or get married...or have kids of their own?? "Oh, Mackenzie, that is so great that little Suzy lost her tooth...want one of yours back now?"
At the same time, I can't stand the idea of throwing something of theirs away. For further proof, you should see the collection of expanding file-folders I have for each child that hold almost every piece of paper they have brought home since preschool. After unpacking all of them these past 2 1/2 weeks, I am seriously thinking about chucking them. Not looking through them first, just throwing them out and not looking back. I try to think of it in this way: now that I am 30-something years old, would I want to still have all of my school work? Would I really take an entire day and look through all of my crafts, essays, and tests? The answer is pretty much "no way." Also, when is the appropriate grade to stop collecting these papers? When the kids stop bringing home crafty-things or when they simply stop showing me their work because they are too "old" for that or they've made a grade they don't want me to see?
I think that if I keep pictures and mementos from them that are really, super special it would make it ok to throw out their school work. Plus, I could really use the space in my "sentimental" closet. Yes, I now have a hall closet that is filled to the gills with all kinds of crap, I mean, special mementos from my past and from my children's past that I simply cannot be parted with. I'm a pack rat but I do have my limits and, as long as it fits in the closet, I'm golden.
So, in closing, the school papers are out....but I'm still not sure about the teeth. Maybe I'll ask what the kids think about it. OH! I can't do that! They still believe in the Tooth Fairy, I think! Ok, so I'll wait another year or so and re-evaluate then. Hey, don't judge me! It was only a short time ago that I threw away both of my home pregnancy tests!

Okay, okay, Terri!

I have to admit I am a little surprised that more of you did not jump at the opportunity to ask me a question or request a re-telling of a favorite story. Have no fear, though! It is an open invitation, so respond any time you think of something!
First, to answer Sarah's question about whether or not I named Bella after the Twilight character: The answer is "yes" and "no." When I was a little girl, I watched Looney Tunes cartoons all of the time and there was one, in particular, that featured the dog from the Foghorn Leghorn episodes..at least, I think it is the same dog. Anyway, this dog happens upon a Southern Colonel's plantation and wants to adopted as the colonel's pet. The problem is that the colonel already has a pet and it is a bulldog by the name of Belvedere. Every time the colonel wants to get rid of the stray dog, he calls out, "Oh, Bell-va-deere! Come here, Boy!" And Belvedere would instantly show up and pulvarize the other dog.
As a kid, that cracked me up and I would always say to my friends "Oh, Bell-va-deere!!" to be funny...well, it seemed funny at the time... Anyway, that started my desire to have a bulldog as a pet. It seemed only natural that I should pay homage to that cartoon in some way!
Now, factor in my obsession with the Twilight Saga and it all makes sense, right? I really wanted an old-fashioned name for my bulldog, particularly a very feminine name...because bulldogs, even the females, are not known for being "dainty" and "girlie." And I just love a good oxymoron! No, I'm not talking about my husband! (Love you, Honey!) I should have named her "Alice" because I like that character in Twilight more than "Bella" but I couldn't resist having a "Bella Bulldog." To seal the deal, Scott suggested that we call her "Bella-Dear" because it was very similar to "Belve-dere!" How perfect is that? Don't you just love it?! Unfortunately, now that Bella has spent the last 2 months with my parents, my dad has tried to change her name from Bella Dear to Bella Roux. I actually like it but it is bad enough that he gave the major "runs" by feeding her "Pupperoni" sticks...now he is trying to change her name! Oh well, we'll see if she answers to her "real" name when we see her this weekend.
Oh! Scott also says that "Bella" is the perfect name for our dog because she (the dog) whines just like the character "Bella" does in the Twilight books. HA! HA!
Alright, now for the story that Terri wants me to tell. I don't know why she likes this one so much but she has been waiting so patiently for it, I'll go ahead and tell it.
Without giving away too many details, due to Louisiana confidentiality laws....my mother once knew a lady that would wake up every morning and bake biscuits. Every morning. That doesn't sound strange or slightly humerous, does it? Well, the funny part is that this woman was a, shall we say, plus-sized woman...very plus-sized. Again, not so funny. Believe me, being a plus-sized woman myself, I fail to see the humor in that every day but I digress.... The funny part of the story is that this woman bakes these biscuits every day so that she can put them under her boobs (sorry, but "breasts" just doesn't fit this story) to sop up her sweat!! Can you believe that?!
When I started teaching Kindergarten at PBECC, I told this story. I have no idea why I did it but I did and my co-workers have never let me live it down. To add to it, I also admitted that, if I'm doing housework without a bra on and I start sweating, I shove my tshirt under my boobs to soak up the sweat! I don't know WHY I feel the need to share these things...I said in my last post that I have no shame! Plus, I love to laugh and if I have to do it at my own expense, I will throw myself under the bus every time!
Needless to say, my "friends" at PBECC would often ask me if I had my biscuits on me throughout the school day. I even had one friend (Darla Keller) give me a can of "GRAND!" biscuits as a going-away gift!! Well, I'm not about to turn down free food, so the next morning I put them in the oven, forgot about them, and made "GRAND!" hockey pucks! Oh, well, it is still funny!

Writer's Block Already?

Sorry, it has been almost a week since my last post. I think I was waiting for the "perfect" thing to write about but, although I've had many ideas, I've come to realize it just isn't going to be that easy. So, today I'll just write about what's going on in the Simpson's world and see where it takes me.
We have been in our house just over 2 weeks, now, and we are finally getting settled in. We have two rooms that aren't complete yet but, hopefully, they will be next week. This weekend we will be traveling to Louisiana to pick up a few things: some office furniture, bookcases, Bella - our bulldog, and my mom. I am very excited about this for many reasons (and these are in no particular order, Mom). First, as soon as we can get this new-to-us furniture to our house, the sooner (Boomer Sooner??) our house will be "finished." Second, I am always excited for my mom to come and visit! I can't wait to show her our new house and town and to go exploring Tulsa with her. Lastly, my Bella. What can I say? I've wanted an English bulldog for most of my life and I finally got her for my birthday, this past March. After a few weeks of "buyer's remorse", Bella began to settle into our family quite well. And then we had to move...so, Bella has been at my parents' house for almost 2 months. When she comes back to our new house, there will be all sorts of new rules for her to learn and I will have to get back into the groove of taking care of an "inside" dog. I am excited to have her back but a bit anxious about the rules and the groove-part. I'm sure I will have lots of ideas for posts then!
I guess I am struggling with what to write about because I don't know what YOU want to read about. I mean, I think my life and what I have to say about it, is simply FASCINATING (hahahaha) but you may not. Sooo, while I decide on my next topic, if there is something you want to know about me, take this opportunity to ask me. If there is a particular story you'd like for me to share, tell me and I'll share it. I am an open book and I, pretty much, have no shame. Can't wait to hear from you!

Why is it so hard?

Let me start by saying that I feel bad about having my third blog post be a "gripe" post but it is what it is...I'm just sayin!
Why is it so hard for furniture to be delivered safely, peacefully, and on time? Is it really too much to ask? Well, it must be for my family because, last night, we added yet another "furniture delivery" story to our book! Before I tell last night's story, I'll catch everyone up on the previous stories...don't worry, I gripe quickly because I like to get it over with.
A few years ago, before we moved to Borger, I found THE dinning room table. It was from one of those overpriced but "hip" furniture catalogs that you get in the mail and I wanted it...BAD! So, I coveted and I coveted until finally, after moving to Borger and having some relocation money left over, my hubby said I could order it! You can imagine my excitement as delivery day arrived: years of wanting and waiting for this table had finally paid off! Once it was delivered, our new home would be complete, right? Wrong! So wrong!
My table arrived looking like it had been transported in the back of BillBobJimJoe's pickup truck! This was not a "fancy-schmancy" dining room table; it was supposed to look "unique" and "rustic" but this thing had so many dings, dents, and scratches, it was beyond "rustic." Naturally, I declined this item and was assured they would send a replacement as soon as possible. So, instead of a dining room set to "finish" my home, I was left with 6 chairs and a mirror so huge and heavy I was afraid to dust it let alone hang it.
Weeks...seriously, weeks later...table #2 was delivered and promptly sent back for the same reasons. By the time table #3 arrived, I was done with being nice and patient and I was not settling for anything less than perfection. So, when it arrived, my eyes barely glanced over the few nicks and that one smooth dent that gave the table "character".....I told the delivery guys, "Yep, it looks great, thanks!" I just wanted my darn table! And, now that I have it, I love it, which is good for me because Scott says I can't ever buy another one!
Since I told that story so quickly..HA!..I'll really tell the second one fast, promise!
At the same time I was going through my dining room table drama, I also had to buy a couch for our basement AKA "The Cave". I went to the store, found the sectional I wanted, fell for the sales pitch and lifetime guarantee cleaning program hook, line, and sinker, and set up the delivery date. Remember, I said this was for the basement...as in "you have to carry a sectional couch down STAIRS" to get it to the basement. So, of course, when it was delivered, a couple of pieces made it down safely but a couple did not. In fact, you can go into this house right now and see the brown marks on the basement doorframe from the brown leather rubbing against it. On a side note, when you go to this house and look for the marks, why don't you just go ahead and buy the whole house?? That would be really awesome! Thanks!
So, to finish story #2, the damaged pieces were replaced and delivered by men who knew to take the basement door off the hinges and to also take down the stair rail before bringing the pieces down. Again, it is a great couch and I still have 3 big buckets of cleaning products for it but I just don't understand why it has to be such a hassle!
Fast forward 3 years. We are in Bartlesville and in need of an entertainment center. Not just any ol' center but, what "they" call a WALL UNIT...meaning, it takes up the whole wall! We searched and searched and finally found one in Tulsa last weekend. We actually got it for a really good deal because we chose to take the one from the showroom floor "as is." "As is", in this case, was actually very good. There were only a couple of little scratches that the sales guy promised to have taken care of before it was delivered. Don't even get me started on that guy...
The center was originally scheduled to be delivered between 2:30-4:30 yesterday. Then it moved to 4:30-6:30; then 7:30. They finally showed up close to 8 PM and they still had 3 more deliveries to make! These guys showed up ready to unload this massive piece of furniture and hit the road but first, they had to put the pieces together...with tools that they didn't have....and they needed a flashlight.... Thankfully, my hubby is pretty handy and had a flathead screwdriver and flashlight within reach! The guys spent most of their time trying to get the center piece and right side piece to match up so that they could screw the pieces together. They claimed it was difficult because we have tile floors that are not perfectly smooth. Anyway, by the time they left at 8:30, we had our center put together but it still had a couple of scratches, some missing screws, and the delivery guys broke a lightbulb in the center that sent pieces of glass all over our new rug. Worst of all is that I also had a very unhappy husband who has vowed to never buy from this company again. But, once again, it is a beautiful piece of furniture that I am sure we will love once we get it set up completely. Oh, and just to add salt to the wound, our stereo receiver and speaker do not fit in our new wall unit, so we now get to purchase a new home stereo system! Thankfully, we can drive it home ourselves!
Sorry, this was so long. I know I promised it would be quick but those of you who know me, know that the only "quick" thing about me is my wit...not my storytelling.

Southern Lady

I love being from the south. I didn't always feel that way, though. I can remember telling my mom that when I grew up, I was going to move away, change my name, and lie about where I was from because I hated the horrible stereotypes that were associated with Louisiana and the south. I was around 9 or 10 years old.
I didn't start truly appreciating Louisiana and all things southern until I moved to Houston 11 years ago. I realized that Louisiana is very special and there is no place on earth like it. Now that I have lived in the Texas panhandle for 3 years and moved to NE Oklahoma just over a week ago, I miss La. even more. Don't misunderstand. Texas and Oklahoma ARE southern states (Tx more than Ok for sure...I'm just sayin') but they just aren't quite southern enough. I am beginning to realize just how much I am going to stick out when I finally start socializing in my new town just by the things I say. Up here in my part of Ok, locals don't say "y'all" and they call carbonated beverages, Heaven help me, "Pop!" Any true southerner knows that all carbonated beverages are called "Coke" whether you want a Coke, Dr. Pepper, or Sprite. Pepsi is never an option because it isn't southern... Tonight at dinner, another southern/Louisianian saying popped out of my mouth...one that I have never thought about before until my dear, sweet husband, Scott, brought it to my attention.
I was telling him that we need to get one of those clear, ugly, mat-things that go in front of the desk in our office so that our chairs will roll properly. I then said, "I almost tumped out of my chair the other day trying to get it to move." He said, "Tumped??" I immediately knew I had said something wrong and, for the first time, I realized that "tumped" is not a word...not even close! I kept saying it out loud, trying to make sense of it. Scott then said, "You know you can't say things like that here in Oklahoma. They won't know what you are talking about!" I replied, "I guess it is like the word "fixin', huh? It makes no sense when you think about it but we grew up talking like that!"
Don't worry, though, I am not planning on changing the way I speak any time soon. I may have to tone it down a bit depending on the social situation I am in but I must remain true to my southern roots even if I sound like a dumb hick!
That little discussion at tonight's dinner made me feel extra southern, so I baked a butter pecan cake, made some coffee at 8:00 PM (because my grandparents drank coffee at night, too), and read the latest issue of Southern Living. Now, it is time for bed because tomorrow, my friends, is another day! Night, Y'all!

My first blog!

Wow! Here it is: my very own blog! You would think, as much as I love technology and all of the wonderful gadgets it has brought to my life, I would have started a blog years ago! But, here I am, finally sitting down to type some of the many thoughts that float around my head and to share some of the crazy-funny things that happen in my life.
About the title of my blog: I was trying to think of a cute and clever title and asking my husband, Scott, for help. I was going to use "It's All Good" because that is, what I like to call, the Simpson Family Motto but I just wasn't sure. So, I said to Scott, "I'm thinking of naming my blog It's All Good..because, y'know, we say that all of the time...I'm just sayin.." And then it dawned on me: I say "I'm just sayin" all of the time, too! And because a blog seems is for people to type what they say or what they want to say, it seemed like the perfect fit! Although, maybe I should've named it "I'm just typin'"
Anyway, what I am trying to say is, this is me and my blog. I hope you read it, like it, and have a little giggle at my expense. I hope I don't offend anyone but I make no promises. Sometimes I speak (type) before I think. But, always remember: I'm not sayin' anything; I'm just sayin!