Let me just say.....

Let me just say what I am thankful for today!

1- A loving Heavenly Father!!!

2- A wonderful, caring family!!!

3- The Best Friends anyone could ask for!!!

And some surprises are so worth it...............

swimming 101

So I'm taking a new class.

Swimming 101.

I've been doing this activity for several months now. But all of a sudden it came with a coach, one I don't have to pay to teach me anything.
Oh, not that I don't pay.....I pay every time I swim, or workout. But paybacks of exercising are also awesome!
So this coach...same tall guy who was giving my dear friend Amy "private" swim lessons. Notice after "Tall", I didn't say something like hot, handsome, or something similar. I don't roll that way. Ok, well maybe, but not when it comes to the HUSBAND(S) of my best friend(s). HA HA. No doubt I can appreciate the fine qualities of those around me, but there is a time and a place. But unlike Amy, I cannot let these fine qualities get in the way, and distract me from the task at hand... (sorry Amy, I can only assume that you must have been distracted during your lessons the way you carried on about this guy!) ;)

Back to the task at hand!

LEarning the Front Crawl.

I know I know.

Amost 42 and can't do the Front Crawl you say? yep, that's me.

I can do the side stroke, breast stroke, back crawl, or stroke or whatever that is called. I have never been comfortable doing the front crawl. So here I am learning from this coach. He is very patient, helpful, and calm! I need that kind of coaching because I get panicky trying the breathing with this stroke, and that makes me want to stop.

Today I practiced more under supervision...and did the crawl from one end of the pool all the way to the other. Wow, that was good for ME. My coach said it's ok to just take it slow, and practice technique, don't worry about speed. AFter all, it's not like I am going to join some old ladies swim team! hahaha, wouldn't that be funny....?
Thanks so much Amy for sharing your swim coach with me.

Napping is for the Dogs!!!

Napping is for the dogs!




Spoiled rotten mutts......Back in the day when we supposedly had too much to do.

now..........

Some of us take NAPS back!!!!

With a vengeance!

We don't ever give up, no we never give up......our naps.

Some of us anyway.

The lucky few.....

Building Blocks

Building Blocks!

Building towers!

Building shapes!

Building Snowmen!

Building Friendships!

And more friendships!

Building Skyscrapers!

Building Memories...

Warm, Sunny memories!

And more memories...

These are the Building Blocks of life, my life.

Having fun, spending time with family,

playing, going on vacation, playing some more,

interacting with others, reaching for your dreams.

These things give me strength.

These things make me who I am.

These things make me want to be more.

Wow, January 18th already. Where does the time go? we ask ourselves this every month don't we? It's been over a week, probably closer to two since I said I would think about posting my goals. I got sick , and life quickly took over.
Note to SELF--
First goal: Don't let life take over!
Second Goal: Work on at least ONE meaningful project each day.
Third Goal: Work out, and I mean WORK OUT! Build up a sweat, get sore!!
Fourth Goal: Eat healthy, no cheating!
Fifth Goal: Lose 70 lbs, 10 lbs at a time.
Sixth Goal: Get BMI below 30 so I can get a Breast REduction!!!! Longtime dream of mine.
Seventh Goal: Keep going even after that.
Eighth Goal: Read a good book every month.
Ninth Goal: Be more loving and appreciative at home.
Tenth Goal: Grow my Testimony!!

I thought this past month would be long...a good long visit with my baby girl, home from college for the holidays.

I was wrong. This past month has sped by, right in front of me as if I was not looking. Was I looking? And if I was, what was I looking for? My long gone baby?...she is there in those eyes, that smile, the giggles. But in all other aspects my girl has grown. She is no longer a baby, or a toddler, or even a pre-teen.

It was a short visit, yet almost 4 weeks long. When your sleeping habits don't mesh with your grown kids sleep habits anymore, it makes visits more difficult. You, ok...I am up early, busy from the get go, ready to do things, hang out, go places. She is busy sleeping late. None-the-less we had a good visit, saw a few movies, ate more than our fair share of popcorn. Now we count down the semester and anxiously await summer vacation!!

Ok, So I haven't written in a while...My hubby was out of town, then I came down with some cold/flu bug and was feeling like, well....like I had the crud!
But before all that my two guys had a wonderful evening together tying flies.

A VERY serious undertaking!






Requiring much concentration.....



And the right supplies....



Which results in these beauties...

It was a productive, imaginative, and bonding experience for my guys. Not to mention it gave me a wee bit of down time to read. It is not often that our Littleman sits still that long, not only will his body rarely do it, but his mind won't let him. He is continuously coming up with new ideas, thoughts, and creative ways of doing things, hence the blistex as glue. When his thoughts flow so do his words and he never stops talking. I thought my daughter talked a lot! And I didn't realize boys liked to talk SO much. Hmmm? Well, I can't complain, at least he can share his thoughts with me, or his feelings no matter how disgruntled they may be at times. Ok, back to that night. The most impressive part (besides getting to see my two guys engaged in one activity together) was the clean-up that happened when they were finished. Not one stray feather, thread, or hook did I find that night or the next morning. wooo hoooo! They can do this any night as far as I'm concerned.

Against my better Judgement, but For my own Good!

I went swimming this morning.

Practicing laps for the "triathlon" I am going to

participate in, in April. My new saying...."Against my better

judgement, but for my own good!" My good friend Amy was

there with me. She is a good swimmer and gives me motivation.

I need motivation.

Even though I have wonderful, worthy

goals...I find I still need that extra motivation that having a

great workout buddy gives me.

Maybe...? if I put my goals on here it will be added incentive

for me because they would be out in the open!

Grrrrrr. that's SCARY !!!

Let me think about it and maybe I will list them later today.

The Path I choose from this day forward.....

Will have a tremendous impact on this littleman of mine!!!

And I want to choose a worthy path...that he might have a

desire to follow that path as well.

A path to a healthy life!

This is what parents, mothers, should give their children. An example worth following. A healthy lifestyle to live up to.

A path worthy of travel.

So now that it's the 4th day of the new year, it's about time to post a few things I am grateful for from 2009.
In no particular order:
Uno~My Heavenly Father (ok, that really is #1).

Dos~My healthy, wonderful forever family.

Tres~My loving, affectionate husband.

Quatro~A safe, warm home to live in.

Cinco~My Testimony of Jesus Christ as my savior.

Seis~My own health!
Siete~Two beautiful, intelligent children.

Ocho~To live in America



Nueve~My education

Dias~To be ME!

Didn't swim this morning. My faithful workout companion was under the weather. I didn't totally slack though.

I went for a walk.

A brisk one, with the puppy.

We both needed it. For exercise. She needed the practice learning to walk politely on a leash. She did pretty good 1 on 1. We did three laps around our neighborhood. Which ads to about 40 minutes of brisk walking. It wasn't exactly raining out, but misting and windy. Not too bad. I was just grateful it wasn't icy. Though it was dark. Nice and peaceful in the early morning! No slacking anymore in the exercise department or the eating bad one, cuz I am signing up for a "Kodiak Biggest Loser" contest. Cash prizes of substantial amounts and a new body to look forward to. I say it all the time. now It's time to DO IT!!!!!

I know this entry isn't about motherhood at all is it? Well, my health does effect my parenting. The more energy I have the more patience I have.

The better I feel, the better I want to be.

Mmmmmm Saturday..............

Saturday mornings. Need I say more? Well maybe in my case. I don't sleep in. I don't watch cartoons. I rarely get out of bed to sit down again. So, this Saturday morning wasn't too out of the ordinary. I got up early to pick my husband up at the airport. Upon our return, Damon woke up and demanded to be taken downstairs at once. See, there you have it, I do not get to sit back down. Precious as he is:

He won't change his mind once it's made up. Awwwwh. The joys of having boys. So rather than attempt to relax, I made muffins. Not just bran muffins. Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins with scrumptious crumble topping. Let me show and tell.

First I mix all the ingredients with the help of my Littleman assistant: put it in the muffin tin:

Then we top it with the crumble topping, same as I use for my Apple Crisp.

Bake @ 350 until they are done. mmmm by now the house is filled with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Remove from oven, cool, and show them off before cutting into them.

Open with a knife and apply butter (if you like). These taste equally good w/out the blueberries, but it is fun to add them once in awhile.

What could be better on a chilly Saturday morning? Ok, well Granny's waffles, but these will do for this saturday. Next Saturday I will attempt to duplicate a waffle breakfast "Granny" style in honor of my Granny.
Enjoy the week, count your blessings, and enjoy the good things.

Happy New Year!!!!