Living for the weekend!

Ready for a GREAT weekend, YOU?

Why do many people claim to

"live for the weekend"?

Guess because they are unfulfilled by their 9-5 jobs? No, that's not the case here, I really enjoy my job - every day is a new experience at high school, ya know!

But I do love the weekends

- free from work pressure/word load - but it's catch-up on housework at the house... hmmmm So! the workload is there - just different! Laundry, menu making, grocery buying, cleaning - but I do like the weekend! Think it's just a saying that we all use... makes the weekends special! So, here's wishing you a great weekend and a great week and a great life - LOL! Staying positive!

Yesterday, my oldest son turned 23! ARGH! Wasn't it just yesterday that I was changing diapers on this kid??

Andy Hayes

is a sweet young man -

that needs a sweet, young Christian girl

(that lives in Texas...)

did I just type that last part... hahahaha!

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Also this week, my sweet niece turned 15...

Laurin Elizabeth - Happy Birthday!

It's an awesome thing to be able to teach your "kinfolk" in class!

She's truly a sweetheart!

We are aiming for our goal of hitting a total of 300 geocaches this weekend! We have 291 now and would like to find "at least" 9 more to hit 300 before Spring Break!

Wish us luck as we adventure out and snag some up in Shamrock, Texas and where ever it may lead us!

Good luck to our CHS Bobcat Basketball team - they are on their way to compete in the AREA championship against the Stanton Buffalos tonight. Alex is the manager of the team - he's the one on the bench keeping stats on the ipad... technology! Go Bobcats!

This has been a VERY busy week! Wishing you and your family a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by - next on the agenda is card swap pics, "hopefully" our 300 geocache benchmark picture and some recipe swaps! Remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...

"Fat Tuesday"

Wishing you a very happy

"Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday"

We had fun in Art Class celebrating this day - with tying knots of purple, green and yellow yarn - along with learning about this celebration.

On the eating HEALTHY menu this week is a couple of new links to blogs with great ideas and dishes to fix to a healthier lifestyle -

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Dirty Brown Rice & Shrimp

Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

This will make week #5 of our "new lifestyle"!

After visiting with my chiropractor - who I adore. He gave me the advice of getting some inserts for my tennis shoes when working out (running, walking - exercising!). I grabbed some over the weekend, and trying them out now. Have you ever wore any inserts in your shoes? They feel odd - but I'm getting used to them... any advice? I always love advice from my "blog family" - very useful and supportive, you are!

Wishing you a very happy and healthy week! We are ending our 4th 6 wks at school this Friday - already? Time is flying, huh! Thanks for stopping by - remember to hug the ones that you love the most, until next time...

Geocaching in Lubbock

Our "Mystery Trip" choice was...

"Trip B" - Lubbock, TX!

(A. Amarillo, Texas and C. Carlsbad Cavern )

The weather was cloudy and chilly - ruling out trip C - so we traveled to Lubbock and geocached for 2 days!

Stayed the night at the Quality Inn (34th / Loop 287) - we highly recommend this motel - they gave us a great price for a 2 bed suite; hot breakfast, heated pool, fitness room, wireless internet and it was located in a nice location of Lubbock.

Gotta tell you about a special geocache that we found... it took some thinking of how to get the cache out!

On the geocache site, they allow "hints" and other geocachers left "how to's" to achieve the goal. It took two visits - and some supplies; plus extra hands - but we did it!

The geocache was titled "H2O Straight Up" - the geocache is in the pvc pipe that is bolted to the fence behind some trees.

How would you get it out?

The hint was to bring a GALLON of water - so we did, BUT there were also "holes" for the water to drain out of the pvc pipe - SO! you have to plug up the holes as you pour in the water... others used tape - I used my sons! They each had a hole to cover and we poured the water in the tube to float up the cache that was attached to a bobber... SO COOL!

We love, love, LOVE geocaching - grabbed 20 caches on this trip... want to hit a total of 300 by Spring Break - leaving us only 18 days to complete this "benchmark" that we've set up! Go, go - GO!

Andy Hayes - deflated our ego; he and his buddies grabbed 29 over the weekend as they traveled over to Mississippi - Boo! But our total is still the best! LOL! Love that kid - we just have a healthy "competition" going on!

Hope you had an AWESOME weekend - thanks for stopping by! Remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...

Hello, 3 Day Weekend!

We have a "Mystery Trip" planned for this 3-day weekend - the boys will pick from Trip A, B or C - Saturday morning. With our bags packed - we will head out to ??? More details later!

Wishing you a VERY happy and relaxing weekend! Enjoy!

Remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...

Weekly Menu Plan

Good day to you!

This is our 4th week into eating

and living healthier -

KV and I are determined in making some better choices in our eating habits and getting into shape with the hopes of shedding some weight as we progress!

Here's the line-up for the week's healthier menu:

Monday: Ham, Quinoa Patties, Green Beans

Tuesday: WW Taco Soup; salsa and baked tortilla chips

Wednesday: Corn Chowder; Mini Muffin Corn Dogs

Thursday: Pizza Steak Sandwiches (crock pot); Pasta Salad

Friday: Spaghetti Squash Gratin (Meatless Dish of the Week)

Saturday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup; Dill-Onion-Pepper Bread

Sunday: Low-fat Chicken Spaghetti; salad

Let me know if you need help with the links provided for the indicated recipes... Sometimes there are glitches to fix!

Remember that Tuesday is February 14 - Valentine's Day!

Don't you dare forget your "sweetheart"!

Remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...

Snowy Sunday in February!

Hello Winter,

where have you been??

It's a snowy Sunday this

12th of February

- and it's beautiful.

Forget how everything in snow looks so pretty - until you have to get in it, huh!

We are staying put at home tonight - bought groceries yesterday, finish all the errands right after church today - so we are bundled up for the night... and the BEST NEWS - late start tomorrow at school! "Happy Dance"

Also wishing my niece, AMBER, a very happy 18th birthday today - her wish was for it to snow today - and she got her wish!

So, it's the coldest day in February - so far - and I'm out trying to throw together some Valentine treats and cards out in my studio. I've depleted my Valentine stash day to "nada"; but I won, a couple of months ago, some stamps that are perfect for Valentine's - I just got to get out there and craft! Normal temp in "my studio" (aka the garage) is 46 - Brrrrrr! I do have a heater, but my nose gets the coldest - hee hee!

Andy Hayes - these snow pictures are for YOU! Just talked with him Friday night and was telling him that I thought that winter had forgotten us this year! In Alabama, they are receiving lots of rain - something else that we don't see much of here in Texas! We love and miss you, AH!

Here are some Card Swaps that I've been working on... this card style have made a progression through lots of "trial and error"! I've tweeked and then tweeked again and then again tweeked - adding something new each time. The theme is FLOWERS for this next swap that I'm sending to Wisconsin -

The last two cards, I created a called "woodgrain" technique; there's a video at the StampTV that demonstrates this technique well - think it really added to the birdhouse here in the card swap. Changed up the stamped image on the last to meet the requirements of the latest swap. GinaKDesign stamps were used for that card.

The tool that I'm "in love with" and have really put to good use in this project is this "QuickStik" - it has a green rubbery end that is so handy - it's called the "quicker-poker-picker-upper. For those little pieces that are hard to pick up - I use this tool. Here's more info on this tool, QuicKutz QuickStik, if interested!

Also had the honor and pleasure of attending a Card Party at one of my favorite people this last week! Learned a brand new technique that I can't wait to try out on my own! It's a "resist inking" that you use on a folder when embossing! Also, we made a valentine card using cut-outs, clear acetate, and ribbon... cute, cute, cute - Just being in the company of these talented and witty ladies - makes my day! Always we have fun and learn something new!

Hope this post catches you snuggled up warm somewhere and you are enjoying this hit from winter this week! Next on the agenda for future posts is our healthier menu for the week with links to new recipes and Week #7 on our 52 Small Changes!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great week! Remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...

Busy week - starting on Plan B...

Hello, my friend!

Hope you are having a GREAT DAY!

Keeping up the positive spirit!

This week has been a very busy one - a week where we are "racing against time" to get everything done! Whew!

It's only Week #3 and my exercising has been limited - my old body is not adjusting to the high-impact of running - BOO!

My knees are swollen and sore to walk - so we've laid off of the running this week. KV is a strong runner, so he will continue!

Our high school coaches are giving me the advice that with "bursitis" - that low-impact exercising is the way to go! WALKING is the best.

A friend, of one of my son's, overheard me talking about bursitius and he asked Aric what it was - Aric's reply was "some old person's thing with their legs" - argh! Crazy kid!

Treating it with doses of aleve and no running - wishful thinking that this soreness will disappear quickly - having a funny walk at a high school is NOT a good thing! LOL! Our track coach is amazing - with a wealth of knowledge... he is are very informative and cheaper than a doctor!

So! Guilt and shame were momentarily there in my space but PLAN B is working out AWESOME! Remember that I had bought the

"Your Shape" software to run on my son's xBox/kinect... used it only briefly until this week - but OMG! - it's super... had a blast and sweated like a pig! It's not working, if you are not sweating in exercise - right?

Worked out for 47 minutes my first time - I even did YOGA for 20 minutes! It puts your image next to the "rather skinny" instructor - and monitors your shape and tells you how to improve with your body's alinement and position! I was impressed!

Also, this week, joined a group on the SISTERHOOD ning of the "52 Small Changes" by Brett Blumenthal - they read a chapter a week together from this book! AWESOME book - it's a lifestyle of getting to be a happier, healthier person within a year. With making only one small change a week - it makes it easier to change and adapt to better and healthier things in life - inside and out! It's easy things for changing - so far it's been good things like drinking lots of water, getting enough sleep, keeping a food journal (and may I recommend My Fitness Pal!), thinking positive, staying off the couch and this week (#6) taking a multivitamin. VERY do-able things to make priority in life!

Ready for a GREAT weekend - even with a forecast of rain and low temps! Snuggling weather - in front of the fireplace - love it! I've got card swaps coming up next! Come back soon - remember to hug the ones you love the most, until next time...