Leslie...1 Bolognia Sandwich...0 Leslie wins!

Okay....so, I made a Momentum drink (strawberry lemonade). It's comparable to a cup of coffee in caffeine count. You add it to a 16 oz bottle of water (similar to Crystal Light packets)! Yummy! And I ate a celery stick before I started fixing the boys their lunch.

It was a battle to the end! That was the softest loaf of white bread (I love sandwiches on soft white bread) and those grapes were yelling my name! Don't even want to talk about the Ruffles and Doritoes....God help me!!!

I did it...didn't even try one grape or one tiny chip of Dorito that had fallen onto the table.
Another small victory in my diet war!! (Had to fight the urge to stick my hand in the Cheerio box this morning)

Boys are watching Power Rangers now. I'm planning to fix my chicken noodle soup around 2. Wasn't crazy about the cappucinno at noon. It smelled great...maybe it will grow on me!!

Feeling good about my lunch victory. Mike called from work and said he did good this morning. He says he knows this is going to work for both of us!! AAhhh....such a wonderful supporter!! He has it really rough in there because some of those guys are great cooks and they love to fix big meals for everyone. They have soup beans/ham and cornbread. Last week they had a Banana Split buffet!! He raves about the spaghetti they make!! I would hope they wouldn't sabotage his effort. That might be why he doesn't want them to know much about it! He is such a ravenous eater (anyone who knows him will attest to this fact)....they are certainly going to notice before his committed 2 weeks is over! Mike's big problem is portion size...actually it might be both of our problems but he really piles it on!

15 minutes until soup. Hope it's good and satisfying! Thanks for letting me share my lunch victory! I sure am looking forward to that "lean & green" meal of fish later!!

Lunch, diet day 2

I just brought my daycare boys in from outside playtime and I will be fixing them sandwiches, grapes and chips today. I am already feeling a little weak and thinking how great a bolognia sandwich, with mustard on soft white bread would be!

I am going to fix myself an energy drink(I feel a little tired) and have some water before fixing the boy's lunch. Hope that will help. Looking forward to the fish for dinner!

Trying to think of something funny to lighten the moment but really....I can't think of anything!

Heading to the kitchen!!! I'll be back...either in shame or in celebration!!!

Diet blog

It's morning, day 2 of our Medifast program. Yesterday was a pretty good day! We did all our required meal replacements and ate 5oz filets, small spinich salad & asparagus for dinner. Had some soy crackers for evening snack and a replacement drink.

This morning I woke up a little anxious. Kept busy with morning chores until 9. I ate oatmeal and will have a cup of cappaccino at 11. Drinking lots of water. Planning soup for lunch and fish for dinner...might just have lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad with it.

Night time is the worst.

I bought several books to read and still have closets and cupboards to clean for projects. Important to stay busy!

I bought a little tablet to write feelings, meal plans, etc. I felt a need to blog it...writing wasn't enough. Mike really wants to keep this whole thing quiet so don't tell him I blogged it!! And NO BEER for him for 2 weeks! He committed to 2 weeks with me!!

Information says first few days are the roughest.

I've been such a FAILURE at diets. And I always swear I will not do them again! A friend of ours, who did not need to lose weight, lost 11 pounds in 2 weeks. I liked the idea of prepared meal replacements and only preparing one meal a day....sounded very do-able. My Health Advisor is a Christian, an RN and so kind and understanding....wonderful support person.

Motivation: I hated my Easter pictures. I left that morning feeling so cute and, even thinner, in my bright orange top and white capri pants! Ack!!! God must have given me one of those "magic mirrors!" The pictures did NOT show the person I saw in the mirror!! I know...I know...I'm beautiful inside..yea, yea!! And I know that I am a child of God and thus perfect in His eyes. But I am going up in my weight AGAIN!!! Food is powerful! I thought my battle with cancer would cure my overeatting and encourage me to exercise...nope...not even cancer was enough to change my bad habits! Wow! I'm ashamed that I have allowed myself to be so controled by food.

I am smart! I KNOW what I need to do! I KNOW what I have done wrong in the past! I know our portions are way too much! I KNOW I am an emotional eater! I KNOW I have to eat less calories than I burn! I know! I know!

So....please follow me. Please pray for me. Please encourage me.

I LOVE food....do I love it more than I love myself, my family, my friends, my life? No. I really want to overcome it this time.

Granddogs......Ripley & Libby

Our newest granddog....Ripley. She is a Frenchton (French bulldog & Boston Terrier). She lives in Cary, NC with our son, Chad. We can't wait to meet her. She is almost 5 months old. (I think)

Libby is one year old. She is a chocolate lab who lives in Coshocton with Matt, Val, Andrew, Madison & Grace!

Elite Dance Team...Time to Brag!

Team picture! We had both granddaughters on the team this year!

Fan section at the Elite Spectacular...a local performance for family & friends to see the competition dances. Back...Gpa Mike, me, Brother Andrew, Proud Dad Matt, Gpa Tom, Gma Sally. Front..Gma Yvonne, Cousin Tayler, Aunt Ida, Gma Mona, Aunt Debbie

The girls were SO EXCITED to have Tayler at the Spectacular!


The girls brought home many first place awards this year! Gpa Mike really liked this trophy!

Madison in her prisoner costume from their production dance JAILBREAK!

Grace is one of the prison guards in JAILBREAK!

This dance...5 6 7 8....placed high in every competition! Sooooo Cute!

Grace had a fantastic first year on the Elite Dance Team!

Madison's costume in "LET'S PARTY!"

One of my favorites...a great line tap routine called "BIG TIME."

Big finish of JAILBREAK...

A highlight in the 5-6-7-8 dance that always got the crowd cheering!!! This is the cutest song...I'd never heard it before!

Kickline in BIG TIME!


Madison and Grace just completed their Elite Dance Team competition season and it was a fantastic year for them!! All their dances either won or scored high in every competition! I made it to all competitions except for the last one in Akron!

The girls will be performing a few more times including at Coshocton's FIRST FRIDAY downtown Coshocton this Friday, May 1st! Dance recitals on June 6th and 7th at Coshocton HS.

We highly recommend Miss Jennifer's Dance Studio located at Kid's America in Coshocton! She is an awesome teacher!

Christmas 2008

View of our family room from my rocking chair! That tree is the one the children decorated! It was beautiful!

My parents preparing to light the advent candles on Christmas Eve. They were wonderful and we were all very proud!

Cookie kitty hanging out in the big tree! Chloe didn't even try to climb this year! She is too big to get herself up!

Chad was home for a few days before Christmas....just in time to ice the sugar cookies! Oh my...some of those cookies were VERY INTERESTING!!!

It was really COLD this night...maybe 3 degrees above zero. Their hair turned to ice! They had on Christmas lights and Christmas music was playing on the outside speakers! It was very festive!

Heading to their Christmas Eve Service at Roscoe United Methodist Church
It's been a LONG time since I blogged! I've been sharing pictures on Kodak Gallery and started a homepage on facebook but they really aren't the same as blogging!

Christmas was wonderful! Chad made it home a few days before Christmas then headed back to North Carolina. He enjoyed some time in the holiday hottub with Christmas lights and holiday music! My parents did the Advent reading at the candlelight service. Mike and I were home Christmas morning then headed to Coshocton as soon as presents were opened and we got the "Merry Christmas" phone call from the grandchildren! It was a fun and blessed day!!

During the holiday, I was sitting in the rocker with the camera on the table beside me. I picked it up and took a few pictures from my seat....the family room through the old french doors and the staircase. They turned out so pretty! I included the one of the family room. The house is so old with wallpaper that needs replaced and woodwork that need stripped and refinished but at Christmas it comes to life!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.....