Weigh-in #6

My stomach is feeling A LOT better today. I still lack some sleep, because of the blistering area from the Bio-Freeze, but it is healing. Today it has to be "business as usual, because today is weigh-in day. Nephew and I just came back from the doctor's office. He has lost 2 lbs. I am so proud of him. :-)

I was not going to weigh, because I really haven't been able to exercise in about 2 weeks. With all of the things with my back, etc... it just wasn't happening. BUT, I had to set an example.

A couple of weeks ago the nephew didn't want to weigh because he had not been exercising, and had eaten a few things not on our plan. He was afraid he had gained weight, and he did gain 2 oz. I told him then that we can't just weigh when we've been "good." Weighing is not a punishment, it is just a guide to tell us where we need to do better. The number on the scale is not who we are, it is just telling us if we need to work harder.

SO, today I had to eat my words and be a good example. I started off by telling him, I am sure I have gained weight, because I have not been able exercise, so let's just see what the numbers show. I was all prepared to do the whole "I am not upset, because I know I have not been physically able to exercise, blah, blah, blah.... However, I will not let this discourage me."

So, I get on the scale and.......................................................................................................................................................................................................




Are you ready?????????..................................................





I lost 6.2 lbs. :-) That brings my total weight lost to 39.2 lbs., so far. :-) I hope this is the beginning of a really good day.

Love,
Wendy Darling

I have the best brother in the world....

Last night was another night from you know where. Pretty much that describes most of the day. Earlier in the day my brother went to the Health Food store to get some medicine for me, but I STILL could not go to the bathroom, and the gas pains were so bad I could feel them in my chest. My stomach was swollen. I tried lying in every position, again, but NOTHING would help. (I know, this is just a real classy post this time. Sorry)

Around 11:00 I finally woke my brother and asked him to go to Wal Mart to get some Gas X. He went to my sisters room for the keys and check book, at which point she "remembered" that she has "gas relief" medicine in her room. (Praise the Lord, but why didn't she "remember" this sooner?!)

I took the medicine and my brother stayed awake with me to see if it would work. After about an hour I was ready to fall from exhaustion, because I hadn't rested in over a week, but the pain wasn't gone. He wanted to take me to the ER, but I was not going to go to the ER for gas.

SO, he called the "nurse hot line" to find out what we should do. While we waited for the next 1 hr. and 45 minutes for her to call us back, it did subside some. I began to burp (HALLELUJAH), but nothing else.

The nurse finally called back and after talking to her for 30 minutes she said, sit in a hot bath and then use a suppository. If it doesn't help go to the ER. (EXCUSE ME?! I CAN'T GET ANYTHING TO COME OUT, NOT EVEN AIR, AND YOU WANT ME TO PUT SOMETHING IN?!)

It's now between 1:30 am and 2:00 am. Brother heads to Wal Mart for suppositories and I head to the bath tub. Everything gets taken care of and by 3:00 am we are all back in our rooms. I did get some rest, because the gas relief, finally kicked in. I just couldn't do the suppository until this morning. I just didn't have the strength to do it last night. It did work, however, and today has been much better.

After getting up at 6:00 am and going into work dear brother came home at 8:00 am, because he knew I would not feel up to doing laundry, cleaning house and teaching the nephew. (Thankfully, he has an understanding boss.)

I still have an occasional pain in my lower back on the left side, and in the lower abdomen on the left side. I did get gas after lunch today, but I took some gas relief and it is okay.

I was thinking about the irony of it all. Years ago we would order pizza AND have cheese dip in the same meal. And, I am ashamed to say I would eat more than my "fair share". But, I really didn't have stomach problems, other than it "growing." Now, I have been eating healthy, even during all of this the most I "cheated" was cranberry juice, and I am having all of the stomach problems 9 weeks into the plan. :-) Talk about irony.

Love,
Wendy Darling

I hate the bloated feeling....

Monday night was torcher. I hurt so much. No position was comfortable. I finally figured out I had gas pains. I couldn't go to the bathroom even though I KNEW I needed to. I was literally in tears.

I got up at 5:30 am yesterday and made a serving of oatmeal with strawberries in it. I also ate yogurt and a plum. My loving brother ran to the store to get me some prunes. I ate half of the container. It did the trick, and yesterday was a much better day.

Today, I got up and tried to have "business as usual." Didn't work. I have the pains, again, and not even the prunes have kicked in yet. GAS PAINS HURT!! My back hurts, and I am so uncomfortable!! My side and back are broken out from the Bio Freeze, still. Seriously, I think there may be scarring. It hurts. :-( I am just having a bad day and needed to vent. :-(

I will, hopefully, write a much happier post later. Please, be patient with me.

Love,
Wendy Darling

Solidarity Post....
This one is for the Princess.... :-)


WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE.WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE.WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE.WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE WINGS N MORE.





(If you don't understand this post, it's probably better that way. If you do understand this post, might I suggest you make a similar post on your blog? Feel free to copy and paste mine if you want to...)

Love,
Wendy Darling

If only it were true.....

Well, my lower back/hips feel a lot better. Unfortunately the pain on my side/abdomen got worse. So, I went to the ER last night. Turns out I have a bladder infection. They gave me Vicadin (LOVE the Vicadin) and Cipro for an antibiotic. It has helped, and makes me sleepy. I still feel pain around my kidneys, but they have assured me I do not have a kidney stone.

NOW, when they do the initial consultation they weigh you. When they weighed me their scale showed that I have lost 17 lbs. since Wednesday. IF ONLY THAT WERE TRUE! Is that even possible? I don't know. Would be nice. :-)

Did you know that eating too much spinach or strawberries can cause a kidney stone? I didn't either, until I looked up "causes of kidney stones". (Isn't googling wonderful?) I eat at least 2 cups of sliced strawberries a day. They are fairly inexpensive, in season, and high in fiber. Also, they are my favorite fruit. SO, now I am cutting back on the strawberries. :-(

I'll write more when I feel a little better, so please be patient. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Chiropractors, school and housework....

I finally "bit the bullet" and called a chiropractor today. I didn't sleep much last night, and my back was KILLING me this morning. I called a chiropractor, who also happens to be our mayor, and he worked me in, and worked me over. He was really good, and even though it HURT when he stretched me I do feel better. He also gave me a different "rub" for my muscles, because the Bio Freeze irritated me. I am hoping I will be MUCH better before bed tonight. Turns out I have been doing the proper things (stretching, ice/heat, Aleve, etc...) BUT, because of whatever I did, my muscles felt the need to "band together", literally, to keep my back muscles from moving. Hence the huge knotted mass I have in my lower back, which is why I hurt. It's a vicious cycle, really.

I have SERIOUSLY considered the tequila, and may succumb to that if necessary, and if I have the money to go get it in the form of a frozen margarita. OH, and a ride home. (Always drink responsibly, even if it is for medicinal purposes.) :-)

Because of the back the house work has gotten behind, and not up to my standards. The nephew did do his own laundry, and has helped some, but again not up to standards. Not just mine, but any standards. ( I keep trying to remember what FlyLady says. "Housework done incorrectly still blesses my home.")

He did do his schoolwork, but we didn't finish. Not his fault, but mine due to the chiropractor. I hope to feel 100% better before Monday and be back in full swing. Thank you all for your suggestions and prayers. ;-)

Love,

Wendy Darling

Weigh - in #5....



OK, it is a couple of days late, but I did weigh-in this morning. :-) Since I last weighed I have lost 8.2 lbs. That brings my total loss so far to 33 lbs. :-) I would be doing the happy dance, except my back hurts WAY TOO MUCH.



I really didn't think I had lost that much, because I didn't exercise at all last week. My sister was in the hospital for 4 days, and unfortunately I didn't make time for exercise with all of the other stuff I needed to do. It sure made me appreciate my Mom a lot more. She and I share the housework, cooking, etc. and I do all of the teaching. SO, I made some bad choices in trying to balance my time. I did stick to the food plan though, so that helped. :-) Before the diet it would have been SO MUCH EASIER to just order a pizza or something. :-)



I think I did too much on Monday morning trying to make up for the week of no exercise. So far I have tried Tylenol and Aleve. The Aleve worked better. I also tried DOANZ. That didn't really work. I bought some"white willow bark", and I know that works. It just hasn't "kicked in" yet. I also bought some Bio Freeze this morning. Hopefully the combination of the two will help. :-) Anyone have any other ideas I can try? I'll try almost anything if it helps my back stop hurting so I can SLEEP.



Love,

Wendy Darling

"We Will Stand"

I recently "rediscovered" this song by Russ Taff. I used to LOVE this song, and why I "forgot about it" I'll never know. I stumbled across it a few weeks ago, and it immediately went on my MP3 player. I have played it so many times since then it is unreal. When looking for it on YouTube I found several videos for it, but I like this one a lot. I hope you do too. He is joined in this video by Avalon. :-)







Love,
Wendy Darling

Look who went shopping!!!!! :-)

My youngest sister went to Catherine's yesterday. She came back with THIS for me. :-)

Don't you just love the color?! It is lavender with black polk-a-dots. And the bottom is a black "skirt". :-)

Today we went back to Catherine's, and my sister was very kind to buy me THIS:

The picture doesn't really do the color justice. It is a beautiful shade of teal, ya'll. To see it up close, it is just amazing.

She also bought me THIS:

It is also lavender, with pretty flowers on them. ;-) Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why is she wasting a post showing us 'lame' clothes?" BECAUSE...... They are 2 sizes smaller than what I wore about 8 weeks ago!! :-) That's right ya'll. 2 SIZES SMALLER. ;-) WOO HOO!! :-)

We also took the nephew shopping yesterday, and he is ALMOST 3 sizes smaller than what he was in. ;-)

Love,

Wendy Darling

I got an award!! :-)

My friend, Kwizgiver, gave me the "Nice Matters Award". Thank you, Kwizgiver. I am not sure if I really deserve this, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't THRILLED. :-)

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

SO, I need to give this to 7 people. :-) There are a few blogs that I read everyday, and even though I don't know any of these people personally, I think they are really nice, and all of them have inspired me in one way or another, and taught me how to be a better blogger. :-) SO, without further ado, here they are:

fiddledeedee, BooMama, Big Mama, Beth, Heather, Melody, and Amanda

Love,

Wendy Darling

I got to eat chips and salsa! :-)

I figured out a way to eat chips and salsa ya'll. :-) It was totally by "accident", literally, but it works for me. :-)

The nephew and I went to the grocery store the other night, and I intended to pick up a package of MISSION Whole Wheat Tortillas. Well, I grabbed multi-grain instead. I didn't realize it until I got home. We tried them anyway. I liked the taste, but the texture was too dry, it tore apart in my hands.

The next day I thought, "What if I bake them in the oven and get them hard? Maybe I could make tortilla chips." So, I laid one on a cookie sheet, cut it into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter and baked it for 10 minutes on 375.

I added NOTHING to them before I baked them, so the nutrition value was the same.

They tasted great!! :-) I had them with a little salsa, and a little tomatillo sauce. AND, because I only ate the 8 pieces that was 1 tortilla, so it counted as one piece of bread. :-) Pretty cool!! :-)

If you try them let me know what you think. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

An interview with Eric Dodge....

Hello, everyone!!

Well, I copied from Boo Mama and I conducted my own interview. :-) (It's not Mandissa, but in my opinion he ranks right up there with the likes of Mandissa and George Strait.) And you lucky people get to read all about it. :-) As I may have mentioned one or two times Eric Dodge is an up and coming STAR!! He has released two albums, and his latest is currently #29 on the Amazon top 100 for Country albums. For an "Independent" label I think that is pretty darn fantastic!! :-) My prayer is that after you finish reading this interview you will like Eric just as much as we do, and you will hop on over to http://www.amazon.com/Why-Not-Today-Eric-Dodge/dp/B000S6BMXU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6095785-8622065?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1186983104&sr=1-1and purchase his CD. You can also visit his web site, http://www.ericdodge.com/ or his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/ericdodge to hear samples from his new CD. ENJOY!! :-)


1. Tell us a little about yourself. Well, there is a lot to say here. I am an outdoorsman, a camper, fisherman. I love to be in the mountains hiking. My family is awesome and my friends are great.

2. When did you begin singing? I always wanted to try and learn how to sing but never could get past my fears. It wasn't until Sep 11th 2001 on a cruise ship in Mexico that i finally decided it was time to try Karaoke. The rest is history.

3. Have you always wanted to have a singing career? When did you realize that this was your dream? No I never thought it was possible. I was a science nerd and a police officer want to be. This was never in the picture until a few years ago.

4. Who have been your biggest musical influences? Chris Ledoux, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, etc...

5. What do you like to do most when you are not singing? What is your "hobby"? Camping and being in the mountains

6. If you could meet just ONE professional singer (living or dead), and spend an entire day with them; who would it be, and what would you talk about? Probably Chris Ledoux, and I would talk to him about his show. How he learned so many cool tricks on stage. I would just get to know him better.

7. On your website we can hear samples of you singing both Country and Broadway. What is your favorite genre of music to sing? What genres do you listen to "just for fun?" What's on your iPod right now? (guess that's 3 questions, huh?) :-) OK so I took the broadway down for the time being. I want to record those songs again. I prefer both styles. Just last week I had to sing for a music camp of aspiring broadway artists. My Ipod has a little bit of everything on it. You will hear mostly country though. That is what i most listen to.

8. Coke or Pepsi? Coke

9. Have you ever thought of trying out for American Idol, or Nashville Star? Yes, I didn't want to to Idol because of all the contracts and stuff but Nashville Star is still a possibility.

10. What was your favorite subject in school? Science

11. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why? Small country Town Utah, (Pangitch, Beaver, Parowan etc) They are close to all of my favorite places. I did consider moving to Alaska at one time though.


12. Who was your biggest "life influence" growing up? What is one thing they taught you, or advice they gave you that you remember, and still put into practice, today? Probably my Parents and Grandparents. I learned stuff that is important from each and every one of them.

13. Where can we buy your CDs? Right now on Amazon.com through my web-site or CDbaby.com

14. How did you get the titles for your CDs, "Since I Let You Go" and "Why Not Today"? Where did the ideas for these songs come from? Since I Let you go was from a break up that was all my fault. I had let the girl of my dreams slip through the cracks. Much of my music is influenced by my past relationships. Why Not Today is about me facing my fears. Start living the life of your dreams, Today..

15. Most of the people who know about you already know that you have been involved with FlyLady for the last year. Can you tell us more about that? She is so awesome. She has helped me get to the next level in my music career. She is so close she is family. As well as so many of her employees. I am so lucky to have them all.

16 Out of all of the people you have opened for, so far, who has been your favorite? Collin Raye, he was so nice to us. I really liked him as a person.

17. What musical instruments do you play? A little bit of Trumpet, very little guitar (That's Andy's job) and a tiny bit of piano. Maybe I can play the Cowbell.

18. What is your favorite home cooked meal? I love all food. This would be hard to pick.

19. Since I'm from the South we are ALWAYS sharing recipes. Do you have a favorite you would like to share? :-) Here is my favorite salsa recipe

Eric's Fresh Pico/Salsa

I use a blender or Vegetable chopper for this.
1 quart of fresh tomatoes
1 Large green Bell pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 onion ( can be left out if you don't like onions)
1 tbs of salt
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp of minced garlic
For Salsa with a kick,
add 3 to 5 jalapenos to the mix
for even more
add 1 Serrano pepper to the mix
Add more or less salt and vinegar to taste.
This Salsa is fresh and requires no cooking.

20. Tell us about your "day job". I work with my brother Andy and my dad. I am a salesman for Electrical products, like wire, switches, plugs, and light fixtures. My dad has managed the store for 35 years



21. When you receive your first CMA award who will you thank in your acceptance speech? Lol, ok when this happens it will be all of you. You friends and family members who have made this possible.

Again, hop on over to Eric's website and myspace pages to learn more, and hear samples of his music!! :-) This man is going to go far people, let's help him get there!! :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Do it for the KIDS!!!!

Ok, I am doing this as a special request from Princess Ladybug. The fair princess works for MDA. They are hosting an online auction to raise money for MDA in the Houston area. The auction begins August 22nd. They have some REALLY great stuff, like autographed books, guitars, etc... for a larger list please visit Princess here, or the MDA website http://www.mdahouston.cmarket.com/.

MDA is asking that anyone who can, please put a post on your blog advertising for this wonderful organization. They help so many people each year, and this is one way we can help them. :-) Also, please help by asking others to post on their blog. If you're able to, visit the site on August 22nd and place a bid. :-) Every little bit helps. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Another one.... :-)

This one is from Eric's performance on "Good Things Utah" last week. This song is on his NEW CD. The one I am waiting for, patiently. :-) Eric wrote it in memory of his grandfather.

Patiently waiting for my CD...

Ok, I have been patiently waiting for my Eric Dodge CD to come in the mail. I thought I would share this video of Eric with you. This was his FIRST performance on "Good Things Utah", a local show in; well, Utah. :-) ENJOY.

Beth Moore is a very wise woman!

A very dear friend, "S", gave me the book "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. Ya'll this book totally rocks. :-) I have been getting up early each morning to read it, as part of my daily Bible study.

The book talks about how we, even Christians, can become "captive" of certain things that keep us from having a relationship with God, and keep us from receiving blessings. There are 5 obstacles that can keep us in "captivity". These are: unbelief (including fear), pride, idolatry, prayerlessness and legalism.

Yesterday it was revealed to me that I am PRIDEFUL. And you will never guess where this was revealed to me. AT THE CITY POOL! Yep, that's right. The pool.

Today is the last day that the city pool will be open. Last night we had our last class for water aerobics at said pool. So, I told the nephew that if he finished his school work and chores without complaining, etc. we would go to the pool early so we can just swim before class. He was very excited, and did everything he was asked to do. So, we went to the pool 2 hours before class started just to have fun.

NOW, I have not been in "public", in shorts, in a long time. If you will recall it took a lot for me to do it for water aerobics. Well, I had to go prepared for class. I was scared ya'll. I could just picture everyone looking at me, and saying mean things. (Can we say emotional scarring from childhood?) Anyway, I thought "I'm not getting in the pool." Then, it hit me. "You idiot, you're going to sit OUTSIDE in the HOT SUN because you are afraid people will see you in shorts. If you get IN the pool half your body is IN the water." OK, this made sense. SO, I got in. And..... are you ready for this? I HAD FUN!! No one even looked at me, to my knowledge. The nephew had fun, and I was able to get him to float on his back, go underwater, and he even climbed to the top of the slide twice. He was too afraid to slide down into the pool, but he almost did it. I think if we had about another hour he would have done it.

He let me show him how to float on his stomach, while I held his arms and "walked him" through the "deep end". (5ft is deep to him, even though he is 5'2).

Anyway, about an hour or so later I was talking to some of the other people in the pool, David had made some friends and was playing ball, and we were just having a good time. I thought to myself, "Why haven't we done this sooner?" The answer hit me immediately and like a ton of bricks. "Because you were prideful, and fearful. You robbed yourself of this blessing all along. If you had only humbled yourself you could have been out here having fun, and EXERCISING, but you had too much pride to be seen in shorts in public."

WOW!! I wasted an entire summer when I could have been exercising, not to mention the nephew, and I am KICKING myself. It did allow me to try one more time to get the nephew down the slide. I now had an "object lesson" if you will. I told him that his fear of going down the slide was robbing him of fun, just like my fear and pride robbed US of a summer of fun. It almost worked. He did think about it. Seriously.

SO, I am considering giving him the afternoon off so we can enjoy the last day at the pool. I don't know yet. We'll have to see how the day goes. I think the little girl we babysit would enjoy it too. We'll have to see what the morning brings. BUT, I do know that next summer we will be out there at least 2-3 times a week. Oh yes ma'am, we will. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

Weigh-in #4....

We just came back from weighing-in. The nephew gained 2 oz. He is disappointed, but has vowed to do better about exercising.

I lost 4 lbs., so I guess my concern last night was for nothing. :-) That brings my total loss so far to 24.8 lbs. That is 1/2 a lb. away from my 13 week goal, and today is only day 40. :-) Hopefully, next week I will surpass my first goal, and have to set a new one. :-)

Tonight is supposed to be the last night for water aerobics, unless the instructor can find another pool to accomodate us. I pray she can. ;-) I may take the nephew up early, so we can just swim before aerobics. We'll see. He doesn't swim, but he does go under the water, which is progress. :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

The Boy Never Ceases to amaze me.... :-)

Ok, so yesterday morning we are eating breakfast. The nephew "faux fried" himself some eggs. (faux fried: No grease involved) He put a little grated cheese on it, and chowed down. I happened to glance over at him in time to see him "pick up his "rolled egg" and begin to bite. He looks at me and, referring to the egg, says "egg roll." Then proceeds to eat. He did this with a straight face ya'll. I was rolling!! :-)

It reminded of the time when he was about 4 or 5 and he laid on the blanket we had spread on the living room floor. He grabbed one end of the blanket in his hand and began rolling himself into it. He then announced, "look everyone one, I'm a pig in a blanket." Again, we were on the floor laughing. :-)

He has really been showing a new "side" of himself with his sense of humor lately. He is truly his "Uncle's nephew". Also, just with his attitude. He is 11 going on 50. One minute you want to pinch his head off because he is being so obnoxious, and then the next he does something so sweet you just want to hug him and never let him go.

It also amazes me about the things he "loves to eat" now. BTD (before the diet) he wouldn't touch anything "whole wheat". Now, he LOVES whole wheat bread and whole wheat tortillas. Tonight, I really wanted Mexican Food. So, I went to the store and bought EXTRA LEAN stew meat, a package of fajita seasoning, some low fat cheese, and a variety of bell peppers. I came home and asked him to help prepare dinner. I should have known the first question from him would be "what's for dinner?" He didn't disappoint. I then declared "We are having fajitas." His question, "On whole wheat tortillas?" And upon hearing the "yes" he screams "YAY, I love those." Amazing. I looked at him and thought, "Who are you and what have you done with my nephew?" He still wouldn't have anything to do with the peppers, but he did think they looked pretty in the pan. That's progress I guess.

He also will now eat gingersnaps. I guess when you are desperate for something sweet to eat you will try anything. So, I am now forced to share my gingersnaps. :-) But, it's okay. I don't mind. :-)

Also, he is actually doing his school work, on his own, with no supervision. I am still in shock. Yesterday he actually read the assignment, and did the work. He came to me and said, "I made an 80, please rework it for me". (The rule here is if you make less than an 88 you have to do it over. Thankfully we us Switched on Schoolhouse, and all I have to do is hit a few keys to rework the ones he missed.) Used to, he would take all day to sit staring at the monitor, then he would try to answer the questions WITHOUT reading the material, and make like a 30. Then he would want me to rework it. Maybe he is growing up?! :-) Let's hope so. :-)

On another note, tonight my brother "saved" our vacation by announcing that we can go to Houston for 2 nights in October. The nephew wants to go to Johnson Space Center, again. So we have that scheduled. We have the whole thing planned. One day at San Jacinto Monument/Battleship Texas and then "sightseeing". The next day at JSCH, and then the last day we will go to the Houston Zoo before heading home. It is a FULL schedule, but we are excited. :-) It's not the cabin in Wimberly we originally wanted, but I am just happy to get away for a few days. :-)

Tomorrow we have our 4th weigh in. :-) I am not sure how it is going to come out. I haven't cheated, and I have been exercising, but I feel "bloated". Is that normal? I don't think I've gained weight, but I don't know what the scales will show. My clothes are still fitting a little more lose.... well, we'll see. I'll update you tomorrow.

I hadn't planned on buying the nephew any clothes this time around, but on Sunday he let us know in no uncertain terms that his jeans are too big. We went to the fall back answer of put on a belt. Not only was he already wearing his belt, but he already had it on the last hole. He then felt the need to emphasise his point by pulling his belt as tight as it would go. SO, needless to say we will be taking advantage of "tax free weekend". :-)

OH, and totally unrelated to anything above, but I tried something new yesterday. I sliced a tomato, layed it on a glass dish and seasoned it with pepper and Italian seasoning. Then I put it in the oven on broil for about 10 minutes. I pulled it out and put a little grated cheese on it, and then put it back in the oven. It was SO GOOD. It reminded of me of pizza, but without... you know... the crust, sauce, pepperoni, veggies, extra cheese.... ok, so maybe it isn't like pizza, but it was still GOOD. And it looked healthy... :-)

Love,
Wendy Darling

High School MeMe....

Ok, I have seen this meme several times and I have been intending to do it, so tonight is the night. (Aren't you very lucky?) I went to high school in a small, hick town in Central Texas. So, this may be pretty boring. :-)

1. Who was your best friend? Rita Johnson was my best friend. We lived several miles outside of town, and the only thing to do in that small town was either (a) drink and make the "drag", or (b) make the "drag" and dodge those who drank. I chose to do neither, so I didn't get out much. But, Rita didn't mind coming out to get me, so I hung out with her a lot, mostly our Senior year.

2. Did you play any sports? No. As a matter of fact, after Sophomore year I didn't even take P.E. anymore. Which may be one reason why I am now doing the "Fat Smash Diet."

3. What kind of car did you drive? I had a long, yellow "limo" with a driver by the name of "Bubba". OK, so it was the school bus, so sue me. BUT, the driver's name WAS Bubba. (Told you it was a small, hick town.)

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? Well, let's see. Sophomore year I was probably at home. My siblings and I would play cards, monopoly or something. OR we rented a VCR and watched movies. Junior year I was probably working at the local Dairy Queen. Senior year, I was either working at the Dairy Queen, at Rita's house (or making the drag looking for HER boyfriend, or at home.) (I know, I'm pathetic)

5. Were you a party animal? Have you been reading so far?! I WAS BORING!!!

6. Were you considered a flirt? I don't think so. Although, I did have several crushes throughout those years, and did make a "fool" of myself more than once. But, I have no emotional scarring from that. Really. (yeah....)

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Not in high school.

8. Were you a nerd? I don't think so.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? I didn't get suspended. I was threatened with it my Freshman year. This was in a different school, and at that school the "9th grade" was still in the "Middle School". I participated in a "walk out" to get prayer back in school. We were threatened with suspension, but I didn't get suspended.

10. Can you sing the fight song? yes

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Mrs. Golden, my homemaking teacher. She helped me win a homemaking scholarship, so that I could attend college. I was the ONLY one in the state of Texas to win it. :-)

12. What was your school mascot? A Bison (we were the Buffalo Bisons, because....you know...the Buffalo Buffaloes would have just sounded stupid.)

13. Did you go to the Prom? No, I chose to work, so that the girls who actually cared about prom could go.

14. If you could go back, would you? Nope

15. What do you remember most about graduation? I remember drinking champagne at the "family party", and not liking it. I also remember just being glad it was all over. That was a week from you know where. I had Mono, and I had to come in each day long enough to take the tests I had that particular day and leaving.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? At home with Mono.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? yes. At the aforementioned Dairy Queen.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? We stayed at school. I was either in the library, or under the tree between the two buildings.

19. Have you gained weight since then? Uh.... YEAH!

20. What did you do after graduation? Attended a Private Jr. College on a choir scholarship, received my Assoc. of Science. Worked different jobs, and now I homeschool and blog for you lovely people. :-)

21. What year did you graduate? 1987

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? I didn't attend

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? I did not attend my 10 year reunion, and I don't plan to attend the 20 year either. They may have already had it for all I know.

Feel free to do this one. If you do, please send me the link so I can read yours. :-)

Totally hooked part 2.....

I just finished watching the final episode of season 1, and all I can say is OMG!!! I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEW SEASON!!!!!! I cried so much, my heart is still beating a mile a minute!! I, of course, will still be watching Friday evenings, and I already have the DVR set to record. Now I actually have to go and TRY TO SLEEP! Oh my word, what a great show.

And if I didn't say it enough already, THANK YOU to anyone who had anything to do with keeping this show on the air.

Love,
Wendy Darling

A Must Read!

Dee Dee over at "It Could Have Been Worse" has an awesome post today ya'll. It really spoke to me so much! I am still wiping the tears away. Go check it out.

Love,
Wendy Darling

I'm totally hooked.....

I have to admit it; I didn't watch "Jericho" last season. To be honest, I didn't watch a whole lot of TV last season. Pretty much if it didn't involve dancing celebrities, a blonde woman seeing dead people, or have Gary Sinise, I didn't put it on my "must see" list. But, after hearing all of stories surrounding it I decided to give it a shot.

I read about it from DeeDee at "It Could Have Been Worse" . It sounded interesting, and she said you could watch the past episodes ONLINE. Well, I needed to put that on my to do list. About 3 weeks ago I was home on a Friday night. I happened to catch a re-run. I was HOOKED. I spent the next two Fridays WAITING for it to come on, and then I had a free weekend, and I remembered about the "watching online thing". So, what does one do when they have a free weekend? They spend it watching 18 episodes of "Jericho", that's what they do. ;-)

I have about 5 episodes left to watch, and then I will be ready for the new season to start.

SO, tonight I sit down in front of my computer, ready to watch just ONE episode before going to bed. But, of course we all know I will watch more than one. :-) BUT, the site is not working. I CANNOT for the life of me get the episodes to play. :-( I AM HAVING "JERICHO" WITHDRAWALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am serious ya'll. I have a problem. I LOVE this show. And, let me just say that if ANY of you reading this post had ANYTHING to do with CBS NOT cancelling "Jericho" "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK for whatever you did." I will be recording next season, and watching EVERY episode.

SO, in short, "this show ROCKS!!!!!"

Love,
Wendy Darling