What a week!

I can't even start to go over all the events from this past week. Oh my goodness what a week! Bill and Chrys came in for the long week-end because our children were all out of school. I like to say they just really came in to help me bring in the big 34....but you know I know they really just came to visit us all for the long weekend. It just happened to fall on my birthday. We had a fun filled week-end-non stop fun and temptation of food. It was great having all this temptation for food in front of us to see how bad we would fall. We did fall a little but we still managed to do better than we normally would.

Chrys has every detail of the week-end posted on her blog so just click on over and read up on all the fun. http://solomonsurprises.blogspot.com/.

Heather got me this cool smoothie, drink blender for my birthday. It is so cool. One cup just change out the blender lid to a drink lid. Mix and Go...just my style. Does she know me or what?

thanks Heather. I love it.

Mckenzie surprised me with an arbonne drink mix and some other arbonne goodies that I have been wanting to try. This went perfect for my new shake maker. I am loving it. Thanks Mckenzie

That Lucy and Rachel never cease to amaze me. They came all the way over to my house and decorated my van and studio window. Honk I am 34...Let's just say I got lots of honks all the way to church on Sunday. Crazy girls. I loved loved it. Thanks for thinking of me and being great neices. I just wish you had came in to hang out with me! That would have made it even better.

I love you!

My Wacky Tacky Girl!

Leah Beth's our wackiest girl this week with wacky tacky day at school. Caroline would not change her hair style. See why we think Caroline is like Nana (she doesn't want anyone to notice her in a crowd, on purpose, at least!) Leah Beth is loving every minute of the weeks events. She has been so excited so I wanted to share.

Biggest Loser couples Competition

The game is on. I called Mckenzie today she didn't answer...bet she was on the treadmill or working out some where! I am hoping her competition mind keeps me motivated.

Here's how it goes:

• Each couple puts in $10 a week.
• All couples weigh in every Monday night.
• The couple that looses the most percentage each week together wins the pot for that week.
• The couple that looses the least amount percentage has to pay $20 for that week.
• At the end of 12 weeks each couple pays $100 toward the main prize.
• The couple that looses the most percentage of weight wins the main prize at the end of the 12 weeks!
• No dropping out. If you drop you still have to pay!

We talked about doing a group challenge each week and one couple being in charge of that but since every one is so busy we are going to work out together every Monday after weigh ins and challenge once a month!

The couple that wins the challenge will win a service from each of the loosing couples....babysitting, a prepared meal etc.

We are also talking about having another weigh in every 8 weeks after the competition is over to make sure we are staying on target.

We ended up with only 5 couples but that is still enough to make it fun.

I can't believe how excited I am about this. I had just decided to be happy with my fat self and get on with it. Mckenzie is such a motivator. I am so glad she called. So our couples are

Mckenzie and Zach

Luke and Cara

Bruce and Brandi

John and Laura

Gretchen and Steve

It will be fun to see what happens next week. I'll keep you posted!

Did you know

that serious hard core house cleaning burns more calories than aerobic class? This means-mopping, scrubbing and really deep cleaning with your whole body! Maybe I should just really focus on a cleaner house and then I'd be skinny and happy!

MY BLURB IS BACK!

Front

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Back
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It's finally here. Now I wish I had taken the time to go back from the beginning of the year and add pictures and entries but I feared I would never accomplish if I back track. But I am so happy that I just have the last quarter of the year. I think this will make me more excited about blogging everything!


I tired to just show a couple of pages so you can see the different page templetes, but there are so many different templetes to choose from this really doesn't tell enough. At least you can get an idea!

Breaking up is hard to do!

Today I am saying good-bye to some good friends of mine!

Good-bye I've known for awhile that I've needed to move on.

No Bake cookies.....I love you! NO picture..but these are my fav. cookies.

Fried pototoes....It's been real

Hot chocolate when I'm not even cold....Thanks for being there for me.

Chocolate kisses...Your the best

BLT....I love you enough to let you go.

Goodbye Fat Gretchen....Hello a new lifestyle of fun and exciting adventures!

Tonight is the night. We weigh in at the wrestling building with now 7 almost 8 couples! I think the weekly rewards are going to really help. Today I feel ready but I have drank 3 cups of hot cocoa so no wonder I feel ready. Here goes nothing!

The biggest Loser couples!

Steve and I are joining a biggest looser group with a group of friends. The only thing I know that motivates me is MONEY. Mckenzie came up with a great idea so here we go! I said I wasn't going to diet this year but I think I am up for some fun challenges. And to get to be with good friends while hunger sounds like fun to me. Details to come on Tuesday. We weigh in Monday night. HERE WE GO! The competition is on BABY.

Caroline says the cutest things!

Yesterday Caroline was getting into the car after school and she says, "Oh no, please don't tell me your listening to that Damn Ramsey again!" At first I thought she was swearing then I realized that is what she thinks his name is! http://daveramsey.com/. Cutest girl.....says the darnest things.

HORMONES

What the heck is going on in my house? This week this house is the hormone house. I think some people don't think of boys being as hormonal as girls but let me tell you....hormones are raging! And with Leah Beth's thyroid thing she is ahead on her hormone level which puts her about the same as Andrew so with the three of them and me this house has been upside down! Let me explain....it began Sunday night with LB-can't sleep. Monday morning I felt like I had a newborn being woke oh about 20 times with this terrible cry "I CAN'T SLEEP" I'm thinking neither can the rest of us now! Lisa came Monday to work and we began training for her new job responsibilities and the weekend shoots. My head was so blurry and hopefully I was nice. I can't really remember.

2nd Monday after school Blake looses his wrestle off. (If you not in the wrestling world...I'll try and explain. The wrestling team has a wrestle off before the upcoming meet. The player wrestles all the people on his team in the same weight class. The wrestler that wins then gets to wrestle varsity and represent his team in that weight class at the upcoming meet. All the other wrestlers will wrestle JV) So Blake has won every wrestle off the whole middle school season and he loose the very last one. WHAT!!! All that practice and practice and practice. OH Well! A very frustrating week for Blake because he now has to leave the varsity spot that he has had all season and not wrestle for the championship. He will however get to wrestle JV-(but my saying that didn't seem to help).
I know this blog is getting LONG...I will try and hurry!
3rd Andrew and his girl decided to break up. (For those of you that have opinions on crushes and don't allow your middle school to have crushes...I don't really want any opinions on the subject this week. We feel like it is a normal and natural part of life-heck we already have C's husband picked out!) Any ways although he says he doesn't care....and they both wanted "to like other people"...there has been a strange quietness with my most talkative boy.

4th Steve has worked 6AM until 10 PM all week and is limiting his diet...He's tired, frustrated, and enough said! He managed to still get me a laptop this week though!!! (Thank you honey for working so hard!) So any extra help he is with running children has fallen on me. Thank goodness my work load is much lighter than the fall. It's funny how the Lord always seems to bless us in that way. When my work load is heavy his always seems much lighter and when mine is lighter his seems heavy.

5th We found out LB has strep. This explains the mental break downs every single day all week long. Thank goodness we know she just isn't loosing it. I even yelled at her this week. I never ever yell at my kids....this parenting with love didn't work too well this week! I needed instant gratification..(it didn't work)

6th I think I might just have a pity party for myself today. My hormones seem a little out of place too. I just want to eat chocolate and cry. I miss my kids. I hate the first week back of school when they and daddy have been home. I get spoiled to having everyone around me. After we went to see Zach (our nephew) off for his mission farewell. Blake did the math and let me know it's only 70 months until he leaves on his mission. UGH...why does he like math so much. That seems a lot different than 6 years (or does it) OH well at least it's not 6 months. But I am glad he is thinking about it!

OH Happy Day!

My new lover!!!
Just kidding. Steve brought me the best gift home today. A new laptop computer. Magical Memories will work so much better now! Thanks honey for being so good to me! Wow! I was going to blog about all the crazy things that are going on in my house this week but this is much much better.

Studio Makeover!

Slowly I am trying to redo my little studio room. Since we moved here I have been planning to do this but I just couldn't find the time or energy. Finally here come the pink and brown. I would love it if I could get it to look like my little studio boutique, but a little at a time will have to work.

Chair covers

Diaper changing table
file cabinet
new uppercase living
door chimes so I can hear people come in! Now I just have to paint the walls and finish the curtains....will it happen????

Any more ideas shoot them over my way!

Fluidity Bar

Promised post to Katie-Better late than never-My new Fluidity bar! I love it. My husband wasn't suppose to get it for me until my birthday. I will be turning 34, ugh, this month. But he got it for Christmas instead. What a great surprise. My friend Meghan told me all about it. But more than told me she looks great. She has been an inspiration. She is even on the infomercial. WOW. Any way the idea is to strengthen then stretch your muscles. It also come with videos to do along with your bar! I am pretty out of shape and I can feel it when I do it. Still no results yet but maybe if I would stop eating cookies I could see faster results. How long Meghan till I can look like you!! Thanks Steve for the early surprise.

Date Night with our Teenager!

Steve and I took Blake on a date night last night. We had a great time. We ate at one of those places where they cook in front of you. He's only been there once-so it was a treat for him.
Thanks Blake for a great date!

As for me I am still unpacking. I think it is taking me as long to unpack and catch up with the laundry than we actually stayed. It seems that I keep getting side track or have to run an errand, but I did get my door fixed in the van so now we can open both doors again! And some how Andrew managed to talk steve and I into getting text messaging!

Hopefully my pictures will follow. My Mac crashed again yesterday. I have a new laptop coming for work but for now I am sweating it. Ugh....

Oh and Cynthia found a way to make the header on some paint software. I used photoshop deluxe. I am not sure what software she has to paint but I don't have it. She says it is really easy-details under her blog!

Printing the Blog

Just wanted to let you know in case you didn't-I found a great website that publishes your blogs. It actually uploads your blog right to their website. You can go in and add stuff or take away as well as pictures. I had one printed last night for 2007. I only had Oct.-Dec. of 2007 but I wanted to go ahead and print it for our journal of 2007...seems like if I try to back track I don't do well. So for a hard bound copy I paid $40.00. I am not sure of the quality but I will know next week.
http://www.blurb.com

We're Home!

Caroline got almost everything for Christmas EXCEPT she said she forgot to ask Santa for her two front teeth!


We just got home from a fun filled week of adventure. We started the week with a trip to the cabins with my family. My folks arrange and do all the work for a weekend trip around the holidays every year for our family. Even though it is just my brother and I...it is so hard to get together. I guess maybe because we have 10 kids between us!



We got in on Friday. The Hale's were coming from the beach and we were planning to leave the cabin and head straight to GA so we all had completely full vehicles. The kids didn't want to wait so we opened gifts after dinner.
Sat. we had a family game of basketball and some other game I can't remember. Next lunch and hang out time. All the kids were linking together their hand held game things! They thought it was so cool! I actually thought it was neat too! Then we did some family pictures without the parents. So Nana and Papa with the 10 kids.


We had a great time visiting with our family. The kids loved it. I think Papa felt ok. I am sure we totally exhaust him but he always keeps really good fun spirits.

Thanks Nana and Papa for a fun week-end



Lucy trying to show her sweet face!


We left the cabins on Sunday and drove down to Atlanta for Zach's mission farewell and to bring in the New Year with the Solomon's
Sunday night was the mission farewell. Cheryl and Donnie opened their home to friends and family to say good bye to zach who will be leaving next week for Africa.
Aunt Chrys decorated the table and food. She has an amazing knack to put things together.










We have a family tradition to bring the New Years in with the Solomon's. I can't remeber how many years it has been...but a lot! The guys always go out and grab lots of fireworks. We bundle up and bring in the new Year with a bang. Each year it seems that something goes wrong. I'll try to reflect and share this.
1. Fireworks came out the wrong end. This sent all the women and children running, hiding, screaming.

2. Fireworks hit the neighbors home...window, car, hmmmm
3. Fireworks burn one of the dads

I am so sure there is more but I just can't remember. You would think that we would stop the fireworks but we all love it. The kids love it more than the adults.

This year we were a little sad nothing happened. Chrys bought us matching glow in the dark sweat shirts. We were so cute.

We finished out fireworks-Cheryl, Chrys and I cleaned up the trash. Simple right? We just picked it up and put it in a trash bag. The guys carried the trash bag down around 20 minutes later. We went indoors and just sat around for awhile. Ryan (a nephew) had to go out to his vehicle and yelled FIRE! I guess the trash caught on fire. We had a full trash fire.....major fire. Seconds away from catching the cars, house, oh my gosh it could've been so bad.
We watered it out and steve got a battle scar on his thumb. I am so glad Ryan went out when he did.
Still no talk of cancelling fire works!





We ended the night with hours of Karoke. Cheryl, Chrys and I sang until oh 4 AM. My voice is still hurting.

New Years Day we said goodbye especially to Zach. He is such a good boy. I know 2 years is a long time for a 19 year old. I know it will go fast and he will make a huge difference in the lives of so many. We are very proud of him.