As Of Today

I am officially 26 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I actually had lost 28 pounds and reached a goal that I had set for myself, but I gained back a couple pounds over Christmas. So many people have asked me “What are you doing?” that I thought I would go ahead and blog about it.

Basically, I am just eating whole foods most of the time, keeping my less healthy indulgences in moderation, and exercising consistently. I have not done anything extreme. I have not put a whole lot of time into exercise--usually 15-30 minutes a day, with 1-2 rest days a week (when Greg is home, I sometimes do more). I have not spent a lot of money on fancy diet plans, memberships, or equipment (I use a $20 dumbbell set from Wal-Mart). And I have not taken any supplements. A little discipline, a lot of consistency, and a lot of patience is my “magic pill.”
(Well, and weight training. I think the thing that has brought the most noticeable results for me has been lifting weights!)

Anniversary date night 2009 and 2011… 

Spring 2009, fall 2010, and December 2011…

Christmas 2011

Poor Gigi had a nasty cold on her first Christmas. But she was as smiley as ever!   
After our delicious dinner, I got to relax with my feet up while my sweet hubby took care of the dishes. And then we played on our new Wii the rest of the night. :-)

Date Night 2011

This year, we shared a quiet, uninterrupted dinner, went to the symphony, and ended up at Starbucks. Happy 12 years to us, and many more!

Gigi Meets One of St. Nicholas’s Helpers

My Planned Parenthood Poster Contest Entry

Back in 2003, Planned Parenthood hosted a poster contest to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The theme of this contest was “Behind Every Choice Is A Story.”

I couldn’t help it; I had to submit an entry. I found it recently while going through some old folders, and I thought it was worth sharing again. It got me a few hate emails from the PP folks at the time. ;-)

(Click to see full size) 
Speaking of Roe v. Wade…did you know that Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) is pro-life now? I heard her speak a couple months ago. Here is her book “Won By Love”.

Our Little Gem is Five

One of these days, I’m going to learn how to use a real camera. Until that day comes, here are the pics I snapped with my iPhone.

 
Mama put together a rainbow fruit tray and made rainbow cupcakes topped with marshmallow cream and the My Little Pony characters. We even had rainbow drinks! I made colored ice cubes with food coloring, and we poured Sprite over them.
(Want to hear something funny? Back when I was pregnant with Gem, I asked Mojo, who was five at the time, what we should name her sister. She insisted that her name was Rainbow Fruit. As I was putting together the fruit tray, I chuckled at the memory.)
 
Here’s my precious birthday girl! In addition to rainbow cupcakes and fruit, we also had Gem’s meal of choice—barbecue meatballs. And carrots and dip, pickles, and blue chips with salsa.

 
Some of Gem’s favorite friends came to celebrate with us.

  
Big sister, Sunshine, once again donated her artistic talents to help us Pin the Tail on the Pony. We also made paper princess crowns (there are some nice templates here, and the boys even enjoyed making king crowns). The guests also guessed how many pony treats were in the jar. 

Here are Gem’s favorites this year…
Color: pink
Toy: Ponies
TV Show: My Little Pony (big sister pulls them up on Youtube for her to watch)
Movie:  Cars2
Song: “that pony song!”
Food: grapes
Dessert: M&M McFlurries

Happy happy birthday, Princess Gem! You are truly a bright, sparkling part of our lives!
 

All Saints’ Day 2011

St. Nicholas, St. Maria Goretti (she also carried lilies), Blessed Mother Teresa, and one of St. Francis’ little friends. ;-)
Our church had a party on November 1st to celebrate, with games, a wiener roast, and “trunk or treat”.  The kids had a blast.

A Simple All Hallow’s Craft

We usually carve our pumpkins with a Christian theme for All Hallow’s Eve, but this year, I'm debating whether to even get pumpkins. I feel a bit “stretched” lately, Greg will be working on All Hallow’s Eve and Day, and I’m not keen on dealing with the mess. (I could change my mind later. You never know.)
But the thought of ditching the pumpkins came to me as I was sifting through our craft drawers looking for inspiration for All Hallow’s crafts, and inspiration came. Luminaries.

White paper bags, scissors, markers, and flameless candles. I may make some more with symbols of saints (maybe a crown symbolizing martyrdom?) and line the front porch steps with them.

Love

Juju’s First Story Hour

All of my children have attended story hour at our small library from the time they were wee tots. In fact, my brother, cousin, and I attended the same story hour as wee tots. (Ms. Pam was there even way back then, too. I swear, she never seems to age!)
Today was Juju’s turn to be an “official” participant, along with big sister.