Reverse "Eatology"

We all know that reverse PSYCHOLOGY is wanting the opposite of what you say.

Reverse EATOLOGY is getting the opposite result of overeating.

It's a problem I have.

If I try to eat less, because let's face it - I can eat!, then I gain weight.

9 pounds since I left FL.

That is roughly 2lbs a week!

YIKES!!!!!

So, I employed reverse eatology, as I said.

It is where I eat as much as I want when I want.

It's been since Monday, today is Thursday.

5 pounds are gone!

Now, mind you, I have a diet. I don't eat a lot of the yummies ya'll  might think of.

I can't have yeast, dairy, and several other things

BUT I get to eat about 9 times a day...add to that my midnight snack (Homemade salsa!)

At this rate, we'll be broke in two months but I'll be skinny!

Lol!

Ok, so we won't be broke, but I will be thinner and I just FEEL better when my weight is in control.

So here's the deal, eat at least 7 servings of veggies every day and you can be just like me!

Doesn't everyone want to be just like me?

Jus kiddin!

Knee surgery coming up soon, by the way.

Possibly the 16th of March.

I'll keep ya'll posted!

Where to start

We have had more fun and done more family things lately than we have since we got married. I am enjoying being a mom MORE than I ever enjoyed anything else. It is the bittersweet things that make it worth it. By the way, I could go for some dark chocolate - except that I need to trim off the 7 pounds I gained. =/ Back to the blog!

All that to say, when Stephen came back from his last trip, we had to make it a family weekend. We spent 2 days exploring Natchez Trace. The kids had an absolute blast! We picnicked (sp?), we hiked, we ran poor Kaden's legs off with all the rounds of fetch that we played, and we simply enjoyed having the time and freedom to be together. I'll put some pictures up for you on facebook. I'll add a few here too.

Right now I'm too frustrated to go through and wait for each picture to load. It's been one of those days (*wink wink* - not a good one) and all I want to do is watch TV. HOWEVER, the weather is making that impossible. I love our TV service...it will get better once we get with a new provider!

Any-hoot, I'm loving having Kyle & Abby & Stephen all the time! Here are a few pictures from our adventures!

Steve is showing Kyle how some old time machinery works.

We went by Grand Gulf on one of our trips and found this machine there.

It looked kind of like an old fashioned combine.

Doodles and I! She's showing you how tough she is!

Doodles literally just ate dirt, brushed herself off, and kept going!

Me & my studly man!

It took him a few times to get a smile he liked.

SUCH A HAM!

Videos will appear soon!

Kyle LITERALLY  just thanked me for getting Doodles to leave him alone.

You'd never know that such an angelic face could antagonize that poor boy to death!

This dog, my Kaden, cannot handle having his girl out of the house without him!

Seriously, the worst part of his day is when I drop her off at school and he has to watch her walk away.

Don't get me wrong, Kaden loves Kyle too...but they also frustrate each other. ;)

Doodles, Stephen, & Bubba showing the wild onions they found!

How could you not love an innocent face like his? =)

I'm going to give ya'll a few prayer requests if you don't mind.

1 - Stephen's work. He's doing great, but we all know an extra dose of prayer doesn't hurt!

2 - My babies are hurting right now. Life is throwing them tough lessons. Pray they feel God's love at ALL times!

3 - I've got some health issues. Nothing life threatening, just a bumm knee and an oversized kidney.

NO the doctor doesn't think it's a big deal (the kidney) it's just annoying to me. =)

PRAISES!!!!!!

1 - The powers that be for Stephen have acknowledged how hard he is working and noted how much he has done since arriving here! YAY!!!!

2 - Kyle's basketball team is in the playoffs!!!!!

3 - Abby is making friends and doing much better!

4 - Kaden is getting over the emotional turmoil of not going to work with Stephen every day. LOL

5 - We all have plans for spring break!

6 - My momma seems to be doing better! (she got sick for a bit.)

7 - God is always with us, through thick and through thin!

8 - God's lessons are finally getting through my thick head!

Love yas!

Small town USA

First:

I love it here.

Second:

I am discovering how much of a "city girl" I am.

Third:

I have to run soon, so this will be quick.

...I hope!

Life is slower - less complicated, and that is much appreciated!

We have had more fun here exploring than I believe we had in FL.

No, dear FL family, that is not a slam on you.

Being away  from you has forced us to get out and explore, and I love to explore.

We miss you, please understand. If we could have you here right now, we would!

We explored part of the Natchez Trace and a beautifully historical place called Grand Gulf.

More on that later.

As I said, this will be short.

On to #2, I'm a "city girl."

When we make appointments, we have to take in to account it will probably take 3x longer than it should.

Why?

Because people in every walk of life are more about the relationship than the time it takes.

So my doctor appointment that in Indianapolis would have taken 30-45 minutes, took 2 hours.

I love my doctor and wouldn't trade for the world!

But it put a crink in my plans.

I want the city at times like that.

No, this doctor isn't the only one like this.

EVERY place you go, it is like this.

As previously  stated, life is slower here.

We have had adventures!

We have exciting times to tell about!

You get the story and SOME pictures.

Facebook just gets pictures.

Stay tuned dear friends!

Here is one gem that was shared with me.

"God has a plan. If what you are wanting to happen is not happening, God has a reason for that."

Obvious.

Simple.

I missed that gem until my mother told it to me. =)

Thanks Momma =)

In my world, things run differently.

I should have employment by now.

17 job applications.

NOT one that will work within my schedule has called.

My schedule?

I want to be home with my babies.

There is no child care and I flat out REFUSE to leave them with a babysitter found online.

I am headstrong.

I'll own up to that.

I am a shaker and baker.

I'll own up to that.

...maybe I should bake a cake. That sounds yummy!

I want things done now and done my way.

Thank you.

Wow, do I ever sound demanding!

God's love is so amazing and is transforming me.

I am working on letting Him take the reins and keep them.

My husband must really  love me....to put up with a headstrong person like me, he is pretty amazing.

Bless his heart, pray for him for the rest of his life!

Hopefully God won't give up on me.

I'm struggling with being demanding, can you tell?

Pictures and stories of our adventures to come!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

...and if that is true I have several THOUSAND words for you! How do you figure? Well, because I can't post all of the pictures. There are more than 3 pictures I am leaving out. If I left out only 3, that means three thousand words I get to type to you! Yay! Haha! No, not really. But let me tell you, this past weekend has been good...just all around good! Tough, tearful, joyous, romantic, hilarious, frustrating, pure bliss! Yes, it is completely possible for all of those words to describe two and a half days. Don't worry about the how, I'll worry about that. You just worry about if you can keep up!

After sweeping the floors every day for 3 weeks, I had enough! It took Steve about 1 day to be over it, he humors me a lot!

The poor  puppy had no clue of what the evil doctor was up to! He emerged 10 pounds lighter and with shorter hair. My thoughts on the whole deal? He is still shedding. The hair is simply shorter. In this case, it's the thought that counts!

Wednesday was Stephen's birthday! Happy birthday Baby!!!!!

 

Friday...I think it was Friday, I went to the urologist. No worries! It's simply a minor PB&J blockage! Ok, so no, it's not called that. But in my dream Friday night that is what I was telling people! I woke up trying to remember the right name. =) Yes, I'm that amazing. Any-hoot, it's a UPJ obstruction. No biggie! Whilst I was patiently awaiting the sonogram tech, Stephen called to let me know that the kids would be visiting family 2 nights instead of 1. So, despite the change of plans, we made the most of it. He took me to a romantic dinner. It was wonderful! We went to King's Tavern. Now, some of you might be saying, "Really? He took you to a tavern and you're happy?" Oh yes! I am happy! It was good food, great service, and the oldest building in Natchez, MS! I love history!

We are excited! It's been over a month since we've had an extended amount of time to enjoy each other.

The restuarant at one point was a hotel. We're told this is an original setting for the room!

I LOVE old things!

Steve had to check out the super old pistols on the mantel.

They were sooooo neat!

Those of you familiar with the military life understand that life doesn't always allow you to celebrate the holidays on time. Thankfully, Stephen and I have NO problem celebrating whenever, whereever, however we can. Saturday morning Kyle played his basketball game. Let me tell you folks, he started off quite rough. The poor kid has NEVER played a legit game of basketball. AR Momma has played PIG and HORSE, but that is it.Saturday? Oh, he dove on the floor for the ball, fought for rebounds, took shots, defended his man MUCH better than ever, and even stole the ball from the opposing team! We are soooo incredibly proud of him!! After his basketball game, Steve and I realized we had the day to ourselves. We received a picnic basket as a wedding gift. Can you guess what we did? Oh yes! We went for a picnic at the local state park. It was a beautiful, clear, windy, 38 degree, perfect for picnicking (sp?) kind of day!

I love this man so much! I am so blessed to be a part of his life! I never dreamed in a million years I would find such a wonderful God fearing man! Add in my two babies and it is heaven! Anyways, back to what we did. We ate lunch and had this spectacular view! One quirk I would say we have is, we love to be in the same location but not necessarily doing the same thing. For example, he brought his fishing tackle (don't kill me for mis-spelling if I did...) and I brought my dog. Yes, despite what you have heard, Kaden is Momma's puppy dog. We hit the trails!

The picture of Kaden on the far right is him staring and begging to jump into the water on the bottom middle. He is a true Lab and LIVES for the water! He was a good boy and didn't jump in. Because of bringing the fishing gear ;) he was riding in the back seat instead of the truck bed. No way was I letting a stinky wet dog in the backseat of MY truck.

That's right Stephen, it's in writing. It's MY truck! haha!

Ok, so Saturday evening...we're almost done folks!

I was pretty exhausted so I broke out the comfy pants and jacket! So romantic for our Valentine's Dinner/Birthday meal...he still loves me. Follow the pictures counter-clockwise. Yes, that is purposeful. A certain man says I am incapable of disorder. Well, "order" would be clockwise, so this is me being disorderly and putting the pictures counter-clockwise. He started off being sweet and helping me fix his homemade Lo Mein. He gave me some beautiful flowers and then we sat down to eat. It was soooo yummy! We gave each other our gifts. I found 2 cards I couldn't do without. One was the perfect card that said EXACTLY how I feel about him. I can use words like no one's business until it's time to convey feelings and emotions...that is when I get tongue tied. So, the black and red told how I feel. The white one? Oh! He is not a visual man, so that helped him visualize us! No joke! It was a picture book Valentine's day card I found at Wal-mart! He laughed so hard I thought he might cry! PERFECT!

 

Me?

He spoils me.

He gave me a card that made me cry.

Steve also struggles to use words to describe feelings and emotions.

He gave me the best gifts!

2 DARK chocolate bars of Godiva chocolate.

1 had expresso =)

1 had sea salted almonds =)

AND

We all know I love cartoons....

EMPORER'S NEW GROOVE!!!!!

I love that movie.

Are some of you women rolling your eyes and telling me I should be asking for the romantic jewelry and such? I love those gifts. Don't get me wrong. BUT Steve and I have very rarely done the "normal" couple things.

We pick on each other. Why? Cause it's fun.

We give the gift that will make the other one laugh.

Maybe not the romantic...why?

Because I want, almost more than anything else, someone I can laugh with.

I want to grow old with this man.

He makes me laugh.

He keeps me focused on Christ.

He loves me despite all of my quirks (that's for you Dad) and all my faults.

Love to you all! =)

Growing Faith

There is a sign, somewhere, I've yet to find it. But I promise you it exists. It's on the way in Vidalia and Natchez.

ATTENTION!

If you move here,

God will grow your faith

by any means possible.

Yep, that is exactly what it says. The sign doesn't lie. Let's recap today:
I woke up today at the beautiful hour of 5:15am. Tripped over the lovely puppy who decided to lay directly in my path, mind you the bedroom lights are off so Stephen can sleep another 20-30 minutes. Made it to the kitchen where I let Kaden go outside for his business. Started making coffee, checked the kids lunches - oops! no juice! Grab the juice, put the lunch boxes on the counter. Wake Doodles first, she's faster in the bathroom. It took 7 minutes to get her going. It's 6am. We leave at 6:35am. Rush to Kyle's room...oh my...10 minutes later he is up and moving. Back to the kitchen, get Kyle's breakfast, make Stephen's coffee, doctor my coffee (coconut milk and a dash of hazelnut), check on Abby. She is standing there not wanting to wear her uniform to school. MY reaction? "Are you seriously whining and crying to get me to let you wear your nice jeans and cute top when school's rule is a uniform?! I can't change that baby girl, you have to wear your uniform." ...Here comes the tears. I guide her to the bathroom, fix her hair, grab her breakfast, throw the dog, children, and purse into the truck as Stephen & I climb in. Drop him off at work. (Oh, the Honda broke down.) Abby starts scratching her bug bites. Kyle realizes he forgot his lunch at the house. Swing by the house, pick up lunch, drop off kids.


"Lord, You and I need some alone time. Want to join me for a walk on the river front?"

So He does. And it's wonderful. Peaceful. Beautiful sky. Beautiful water....where are my keys?!?!?!

Noooooo! Locked them in the truck. AND Stephen's keys are in there too! For some who-knows-why reason, we took both sets of keys. ='( I walk the 2.7 miles home, called USAA, and they sent someone out. It's 8:20am. I have to be back at the truck by 8:40am. YIKES!

We made it. The super nice person had the truck ready and waiting for me. Kaden and I are done walking for today. Haha! Let me show you some things we've done lately!

Basketball game - 15-11 Kyle won! He's improved a lot since the beginning!

Abby showing off her new bag. She loooooves it!

One of my trusty sidekicks (the other one stands on two legs and he is MUCH better looking *wink wink*)

Our project!

Nope, not a craft. Merely putting the pieces of our desk together. It was COMPLETELY disassembled and Stephen helped me get it started. We ran out of time and so I got to finish it! I love it when you can look back at what you have accomplished.

I've decided I need to be here more to tell you the gems of our life. Yes, there are gems in this small town. I want to tell you those so that you know how much we truly do enjoy it out here. It's just...there are so many things happening at once that we sometimes get distracted by those little things. Right now I am logging off so that I can get cleaned up from my 6+ mile walk, turn in paperwork for a job, get the oil changed on the truck, pick up the part for the Honda, shop for some khakis for Abby, and hopefully get Stephen something for his birthday...which by the way is tomorrow. Love yas!

Whilst I was without internet...

...I wrote to you a couple of times. I thought you might enjoy reading what all you missed out on. There have been many adventures since these, but here are two to start you with. Enjoy!

January 20, 2012

I’m standing here trying to decide what to do next. Clean more? Unpack more? Take Kaden for a walk (he’s only had ONE in the week or so we’ve been here.) Instead, I decided to stop and send you a note. We’ve been unpacking for 6 days and cleaning for 9. This house is absolutely adorable and I can’t wait to show you pictures!!!!! The poor woman who lived here before had two children of her own, I think, and babysat about 8. You can imagine how well it went keeping house with that many youngsters underfoot all day long! It’s sanity (and a less clean house) or absolute scatter brained-ness (and a more clean house. Yes that is a word…mostly because I say so.) She chose what I would have, sanity

I miss my babies! I want to go visit Abby at lunch and get a monkey hug! I want to see Kyle and get my hug while teasing him about the many women who hang around him. Let’s face it folks. He’s a good lookin boy and the ladies love him!

Well, I just tried my new sewing machine for the first time. It went BLAH on the first, but the second went MUCH better. What am I talking about? Well, my son seems to be built like my husband. He has these short legs and a stocky build. We tried buying 10 husky pants. Those weren’t a good fit. We tried regular 10s. He couldn’t bend over. Eventually the size 12 regulars came home. However, due to the short legs Kyle has, the length was ridiculous. Last night Stephen hemmed one pair of pants. (Yes, ladies, he is THAT amazing!) Today I hemmed another pair. Like I said, the 2^nd leg looks MUCH better than the first! Now I just need to get my seams a little straighter! J

We’ve had this sewing machine since mid-December, but I haven’t had a chance to use it. Stephen went to town (figuratively) sewing on his new patches and what-not the night I brought it home. It was the last week of school and I could barely keep my eyes open at 7pm. Therefore, he did the sewing because he was he wanted it done. Personally I think it is because he is a hands on fix it kind of guy. If there is a gadget in the house that will somehow enhance what we have (sewing machine, coffee maker, power drill, gas grill, ice maker on the machine, air conditioner…you get the picture) he has to get to it and tinker with it until he knows how to work it forwards and backwards. Here is my disclaimer for him. Stephen is NOT picking up sewing as a past time. He simply wants to make sure he knows how to help hem up pants (uniforms and whatnot), sew on patches, and whatever else BASIC needs might come in handy with this machine. Me? I’m excited!!!! After trying to hem these pants, my thought is, just make Kyle’s khakis! Will it happen? We will see. However, it makes sense. They would be made to fit his body instead of hemming up pants that aren’t worth 17.99 a pair. Bonus? Oh, they wouldn’t have to be those horrid tapered leg pants! I can’t stand those. They make you look fat. If he is already husky, why make him look round? Why not just buy a pattern, make him some pants that are “fashionably” cut (boot cut instead of tapered) and make life a little bit better? All while brushing up on my fairly non-existent domestic skills?

Speaking of domestic skills, did I mention the cook at Stephen’s new base was a head chef in New York and Los Angeles? I was hoping for some dumpy no good cook. Now, if I ever ruin anything, I will cringe and know that Stephen is wishing the cook from work was here. Oh, and the man is SO good that he plans his menu 90 days out…no repeat meals anywhere in that 90 days. WHAT THE BEANS?!?!?!! Doesn’t he know there are WIVES out here who can’t compete with that??? Ugh! More unpacking and cleaning…nothing helps frustration better than cleaning!...well, maybe coffee. ;)

Jan.30,2012

Many things have happened since I last wrote. I’ve decided I don’t like packers. They break stuff and ruin stuff (some of them) simply because they do not actually own the stuff. Yes, items with great value for memories sake got ruined. That helped me get through 25 boxes. 25 boxes, unpacked, settled, and broke down for the trash.

I’m currently on the job hunt. We shall see what God’s plan is. I’m applying for substitute teaching, teacher’s aid, bank teller, the list goes on. Whatever is part time, lets me be home with my kids, and still have time to get everything done.

Oh! I made dinner tonight! …ok so I’ve BEEN making dinner. The difference being tonight it was a new recipe. I made Sweet & Sour Chicken. Nervously I watched Stephen put the first bite into his mouith. Nothing…not a twitch, a smile…nothing. He ate several more bites and then, without looking up, “It’s good.” Now, if we were to translate that into “Elizabeth” that would come out something like, “Wow! This is really good! We should definitely do that again!” Now in his defense, he did eventually say that it was a repeat kind of meal. Yippee!!!!

Tomorrow I am trying another new dish. We’ll see how that one goes too. We’re trying to branch our from our 5 staple meals. Yes, we basically had the same 5 meals each week all fall semester long. In our defense, he worked full time, I taught full time – we had zero time to branch out. Now, before my computer dies, I will bid you adieu for the night. God is pouring out His blessings and I can’t WAIT to tell you all about them!

The last Friday...

It's my last Friday.

Hard to believe, isn't it?

My last Friday in Florida.

I will miss the sunshine and the people.

Am I excited about our new home?

DEFINITELY!

But, if I did not stop by to say goodbye, is that ok?

I don't like goodbyes.

Crying isn't my favorite and I most certainly would cry.

So, my dear friends, if I had the chance to say goodbye and did not, please know I will miss you dearly.

Because I feel the emotions running, let's move to something more fun!

What, you may ask, are we doing on our last Friday?

Going to Orlando of course!

Yep! Aunt Esther lives down there. She got a new apartment and is going to school down in Orlando. We are going to go visit her, putt putt (Stephen's favorite *wink wink*), eat, and hang out.

Does it get any better?

Oh, by the way, it's not a good idea for dogs to have huge bones covered in cartilage and marrow. We bought Kaden a big ole cow's knuckle so he wouldn't chew on everything outside. It was demolished in 4 days flat!

However, that leads to constipation....bad constipation.

We called the vet.

"Put some corn oil on his food. He has to pass the bone."

Poor little Kaden!

He feels better now though! After Kaden ate his food, I gave him about 30 minutes before I went and played fetch with him. Kaden absolutely LIVES for tennis balls, baseballs, footballs, anything he can chase, pounce, and is round he goes for. It's hilarious how he will pass up a treat (milkbones, bacon bits -the kennel tried that one, not me!-, and regular chewing bones) for a ball!

It's been a pretty busy week! Stephen got pinned as Chief! (Pictures to follow) He also got to go fishing twice. Kyle had his last dentist appointment for this year, hopefully. Abby had her last week of kindergarten in FL. I ran errands, met with the Godparents, went with Stephen to get the kids SS cards, returned Christmas gifts, bought my last Christmas gift (thanks Mom and DAd!), rode horses with a good friend. It was AWESOME! Thanks Candie!!!! =) We visited and played with our little niece & nephew. They have got to be two of the CUTEST kids ever!!!!!! I'll get some pictures  of them up as well.

Well, folks, time to run! Enjoy  the sunshine!