Works for me Wednesday-Keeping kids occupied at the doctors office!

Well, we all probably know from experience that waiting in the itty bitty room at the doctors office is no fun- especially when you are waiting with kids. My kids are a little older now so usually we just all take books and read while we wait but here are a few things I used to do to entertain them and help keep the nerves at bay while they waited:





Play I Spy- There are usually posters or pictures on the wall and all that equipment in the room! Lots of things to choose from. Ok, so Johnny Depp really doesn't have anything to do with this post but I just love him as Jack Sparrow!

Play Brain Quest- these are great to use not only in the doctors office but on trips too. You can get them in many grade levels and in all sorts of subjects! Shoot we even had one doctor that would come in and play along with us!

Color or draw- I used to always take a small box of crayons when we went to the doctor. The kids LOVED coloring on the white paper that covered the table! We'd have drawing contests, play tic-tac-toe and lots of other stuff.










Not a ton of ideas but maybe a few that will make your next visit a little less stressful!





Check out lots of other Works for me Wednesday ideas here!

Menu 11/16

Well, it's time to post my menu again. Maybe this time I'll actually follow it all week. I don't think I've done that yet. But at least I have a guide to go by- plus I find tons of great ideas and recipes when I go through all the other menus posted on Laura's site!

Monday- homemade broccoli and cheese soup, cornbread

Tuesday-pork chop casserole, peas, fried apples

Wednesday- Swiss chicken bake, salad, green beans

Thursday-baked ziti, salad, steamed veggies

Friday- baseball cookout- hot dogs and ribs and other goodies!

If you want to find lots of great ideas for meals- head on over to Laura's site!!

Neglected and Abused

Have you ever felt neglected and abused? The definitions I found online for neglected and abused are

Neglected:
1.To pay little or no attention to; fail to heed; disregard: neglected their warnings.
2. To fail to care for or attend to properly: neglects her appearance.
3. To fail to do or carry out, as through carelessness or oversight

Abused:
1. To use wrongly or improperly; misuse: abuse alcohol; abuse a privilege.
2. To hurt or injure by maltreatment; ill-use

I've been feeling neglected and abused lately. Ok, that's not really true. I haven't been neglected or abused but I've been doing the neglecting and abusing.


I've been neglecting Jesus- I haven't been having my quiet time and haven't been praying and putting my trust in the Heavenly Father like I should. And because of that I feel like I've been abusing His love.


I've been making other things more important that God. I've put those other things first in my life and man, that just doesn't make for a very productive or positive life! I just haven't felt right lately and there is no question about the reason for feeling that way.


I don't know what it is. I start out doing my quiet time and praying really well. But then I slowly find that I'm getting up in the morning and finding other things to do to occupy my time instead of going to Him first. Why is it so easy to get distracted like that? Soemtimes I wonder, "why can't it be easier to read my Bible and pray and put Christ first?" But then I stop and think- why SHOULD it be easy? When God gave up his Son so that He would die for MY sins I know it wasn't easy.


I know I've said this to myself a hundred times and I've even posted about it on this blog- but I am making a promise to God, to myself and to anyone that is reading my blog- I will make sure to have a quiet time and specific time of prayer everyday. Not just those prayers that are sent up haphazzardly during the day when I "need" something from God. But a true solid prayer time.



One thing that really bothers me is that DH and I are always talking to the boys about how important it is to put God first in our lives and I'm not even doing it. What kind of example am I setting? Not a very good one.



So, I'm gonna ask a favor of those of you that read my blog. Please pray for me that I will follow through on my committment to do this!!

Need some help- again!

My goodness- where has the time gone!? I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything. Boy am I glad I wasn't doing the "post everyday in November" thingy or I would have failed miserably!!

Here's a little of what has been going on. We had Thanksgiving here at our house this year. First Thanksgiving in the new house! It was great here. We had all of my family plus DH's Mom. The rest of his family lives in other states (you know Laura you guys could move closer!!). My brother brought his Wii and we had a great time playing it. My arms are killing me this morning from boxing. My Daddy told me that if he ever was in a bar fight (now mind you my Daddy has probably never even stepped foot in a bar) that he'd want me on his side!

We have a "leak" in the pipes under our new driveway extension. The people that added the extension busted a pipe the day they did it. Then they "fixed" the leak. Then had to come back and cut out part of the driveway and fix it again- then poured now concrete. And it started leaking again about 2 weeks ago but suddenly the dam broke on Wednesday. It was horrible. Here are a couple of pictures. We went out and looked at our water meter- it was literally spinning so fast you couldn't see it. I am terrified to see the water bill. So now I'm waiting here at home for the contractor to show up to start digging out the driveway so the plumber can come and repair the pipes. We've had to turn the water off so you can imagine the fun of having to run in and out to turn it on when it's necessary.

DH has take both boys and gone to his Mom's for the weekend to help her with some things at her house. So guess what- I have the house to myself until Sunday afternoon- it's now only Friday afternoon! What to do? What to do?? I'm sure I'll find something to occupy my time.

So, what's up with my title??? I need some help deciding what to wear to DH's work Christmas party. It's not formal but not casual either. Most of the ladies do wear pants so that's my plan but I'm not sure about the top. So I'm gonna let you guys help me decide!

Here are the two options! Let me know which you like best!!!

outfit 1

outfit 2

Thanks folks!!!

Tackle it Tuesday

Over the past week I've been painting the boys bedrooms. I don't have any picture this time but I'm painting them the same color that I painted this bathroom. We're Tarheel fans so it's Tarheel blue. Gotta get everything vacuumed today and more all of the furniture back. It will be nice to get it all put back together.

My next painting tackle in the master bedroom. Here's a question. How do you paint a tray ceiling? The rest of the ceiling will be painted white. Can't decide if I should paint the underneath part white but the sides the same color as the walls. Does that make any sense??

Anyway, that's what's keeping me busy. If you want to see what others are tackling check out more Tackle it Tuesday posts!

Menu 11/12

Time to get the menu for the week together again! Oh but first, last week I made the Baked Teriyaki Chicken. It was awesome! Oldest DS had 4 helpings! Our little neighbor girl ate with us and she said that if I cooked like that every night she was gonna start eating with us all the time! LOL! Of course the boys piped right in and said no way did I cook like that all the time! Oh well! I'm just glad they liked it!!

So here's this weeks menu:

Monday- Meatloafball muffins, real mashed potatoes, peas

Tuesday- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice, cornbread

Wednesday- Diet Dr. Pepper chicken, pasta and green beans

Thursday- left overs

Friday- burgers on the grill

Now, go and see what others are cooking this week over at Laura's site!!

The Skirt Man- Book Review

Alright- I have to be totally honest and admit that the only reason I picked this book up with because I was intrigued by the title. Come on- The Skirt Man- what in the world could this book possibly be about? Then I read the synopsis on the back of the book and thought it would be interesting. I was correct.

"Every small town has an eccentric or two, and Killdeer, New York, is no exception. Morgan Mason attracts more than a few stares when he drives through town on his ramshackle tractor wearing a skirt. His sister is mortified, his neighbor resents the Skirt Man's interference, and a local preservationist is horrified by Morgan's huge satellite dish."

This is the first book that I have read by Shelly Rueben but evidently The Skirt Man is a sequel. Reuben has written other books about some of the main characters: Annie Bly, the narrator of the book- the local reporter, her husband Sebastian Bly- a Criminal Investigator, and her brother Bill Nightingale, a fire marshall.

Rueben creates an intriguing story as she weaves the mystery of Mason's death. Many clues are given throughout the book, but they make little sense until all placed together. The revealing of the truth behind Mason's death is a surprise that will leave the reader with a more in depth look into Mason's life and the life of others in Killdeer, NY.

Rueben is a private investigator and fire inspector and she uses her knowledge to fan the flames of mystery and death in this enjoyable novel.

Read other book reviews at Callapidder Days: Fall into Reading book review page!

Book Review- Forty to Life

Forty to Life is the first book I have read by author Dave Jackson. Jackson is the husband of Neta Jackson, author of The Yada Yada Prayer Group Series.

Jackson writes a Christian Novel that looks at the live of Ray, a young gang member who makes a bad choice and ends up in prison with a sentence of Forty to Life.

The book leads the reader into a life that most have never entered. We see life through Ray Slewinski's eyes as a teen living both in the "hood" and in the Correctional System in Chicago. Ray grows up (physically, emotionally and spiritually)throughout the book.

Jackson shows the readers the difficult life that many teens, and adults as well, face when dealing with gangs and violence. It was truly and eye opener. While it may not be on the same level as some "scared straight" books, Forty to Life definitely makes you stop and think about the choices that you make and how they may effect not only your life but the lives of many others.

My favorite line in the book is one that Ray hears- first with his ears only and then with his heart: "HE came to pay a debt HE didn't owe because I owed a debt I couldn't pay"

It did take me longer than usual to get through this book but I am glad that I continued reading it in it's entirety.

Check out other book reviews at Calladipper Days: Fall Into Reading Book Review Page

Over the river and through the woods!

Dh and I are heading out Friday afternoon for a nice weekend away in the mountains! We've been taking trips like this for a while now. One year he completely surprised me by having my parents come and take care of the kiddos and we just went out to dinne, to a movie and then to a local hotel. Then the next year he surprised me and we had a weekend at a bed and breakfast. After that he said I had to plan the get-a-ways!

Then for our 15th anniversary he really surprised me and planned a trip to Vegas!! I had no clue!! I mean seriously no clue. Well, I did find out two days before leaving that we were going on a trip and that we were flying and he told me what the weather would be like and that I'd need some dressy clothes and some casual clothes! I didn't know where we were going until we changed planes in Houston!

Mostly though we just rent a cabin in the mountains- one with a hot tub and a view! It's just really nice to spend the time alone and reconnect!!

So, I'll check in on Monday after a wonderful weekend here:

Catch ya on the flip side!!

Tales from the Scales Week 7

Gosh, has it been 7 weeks already- yikes-that's not good for me! The scale is slow to move, moves in the wrong direction or doesn't move at all. This week-it didn't move at all.

I guess that's better than moving up!

I've added some kick butt workouts (Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser) and I'm telling you I can feel a difference in my legs and abs- they are getting more toned!! Love it!!

This weekend DH and I are heading to the mountains for a little get away and I know eating won't be real good- but the positive thing is he's trying to lose weight too so we'll be watching what we eat/drink together! That sure makes it easier!!

Check out Tales from the Scales to see how others are doing!!

yadsendeW em rof skroW

Can you guess what today is??? Yep, it's Works for me Wednesday- backward edition. Today posters get to ask a question instead of giving advice. So here's my question.

I am desperately trying to find something to do to work from home- or perhaps a few hours outside of a day. I'd much rather work from home (who wouldn't).

So all of you savvy readers-PLEASE give me some good advice. DH wants me to become a day trader but man, that just makes me so nervous!!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my purse! hee hee

Menu 11/5

Gosh, I haven't posted a menu in quite a few weeks! Not real sure why! But it's time to get back in gear! Here's my menu for this week!

Monday- Baked Teriyaki Chicken, rice, green beans

Tuesday- Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast

Wednesday- Tacos

Thursday- breakfast for dinner

Friday, Saturday and Sunday- the kiddos and their grandmother are on their own- DH and I are heading to the mountains for a get-a-way!!!

Check out more menus at Laura's site!

Chick Magnet Winner!

Congratulations!!

The winner of the 4 Chick Magnets is

Alyson at Allyson, Brett and Girls!!

Thank you to all that left comments! Please come back adn visit often!!

Tales from the Scales Week 6

It's week 6 and I've been battling with the same few pounds the whole time. This week I'm down the 1.3 pounds that I gained the week before. At least the scale did move in the right direction this week.

I actually did really well last night (Halloween) and only had a few small pieces of candy. One was a Tootsie Pop so it took me a long time to eat it so that kept me from eating more.

Here's a little trick I do with Tootsie Rolls. I put the in the refrigerator- they are really hard that way and it takes much longer to eat them.

Well I'm off to finish my workout with Jillian from The Biggest Loser. If you're looking for a kick butt workout- her workouts will do it!!!