Don't be tardy to the party

But if you're a mere 3 and a half months posting pictures of the event, well...yeah.

So, back in October (hangs head in shame), Big A had a big birthday. Number 5! We celebrated like gangbusters and then came 3 major holidays, an anniversary, a big trip and well, here we are. Let's take a step back into yester-year to recap the celebration.

My birthday girl. She loves some polka dots.

For those of you just joining us, hubby gives the birthday girl roses for her birthday. One rose for every year we're celebrating. And he's done this since they were born. Yeah, he's a keeper.

Big A and her birthday roses

For the home celebration, we picked up a few cupcakes and had a mini-party before bedtime on her actual birthday.

And this is the look of getting EXACTLY what you asked for.

A cake fit for a princess

I really have to say that our parties are a lot of fun. We have a lot of GREAT friends who are not afraid to get down and play with all of the kids. It's a blast to watch!

Big A with a new friend from school

Despite Little A's look of horror, the party was a big success and we were so glad to share it with everyone. It's so hard to believe that I've got a 5 year old. They grow up entirely too quickly!

My 2010 "To Do List" Monthly Update

It's hard to believe that January is already finished! Where does the time go? My grandma used to tell me how much faster time moves as you get older. Now I know that she wasn't kidding at all.

To help keep me on track with my goals for the year, I'm committed to reporting my progress here once a month. Let's see how things are going so far!

Family Finances
1. Construct a budget and post it on the computer cabinet monthly - Check!
2. Get debt snowball plan created and posted - Check!
3. Get emergency fund completed - We got the first phase done. Yay!!
4. Get plan together for next year's Christmas - Check! And phew!

Hobbies
1. Finish the Patten Chapel cross stitch - Haven't picked this back up yet.
2. Finish the Bambi cross stitch - Haven't picked this back up yet.
3. Finish the 2008 Disney Album - Planning to complete this month.
4. Keep family album up to date - Hope to work on this month.
5. Try to read a book each month - Check! So far...

Blogging
1. Get my review blog up & running - First post will be up tomorrow!
2. Save up to redo my primary blog - Working on this
3. Post at least 4 times per week - Pretty close
4. Be a better commenter on others blogs - Need to work on this in February

Personal Goals
1. Get in 3 workouts per week - Doing this most weeks
2. Do weekly meal planning - Um, still working on this one
3. Shoot for a size 6 jeans by December 1st - Making progress! Lost 5 lbs so far!
4. Spend more time outdoors with the kids - Making progress

Anything you would like to report on for the year? Progress is progress!

Dear So and So...

I'm participating in Kat's weekly opportunity to address some things that I need to get off my chest. It's a fun way to let some stuff go, so pop over to her place and link up...if you dare!

---------------

Dear Idiot Criminals,

See, I told ya. Taking stolen computers to Best Buy to have them change the log in information for you...not your best move.

Hope you wanted to add an orange jumpsuit to your wardrobe,
Angie

---------------

Dear Best Buy,

Consider yourself redeemed. For now.

Wink wink,
Angie

---------------

Dear Turbotax,

I love you. Thank you for making my third favorite time of the year such fun!

Delusionally happy tax preparer,
Angie

---------------

Dear Mother Nature,

Yes, it's ME again. If you don't deliver some serious snowfall tomorrow, I'm sending the kids to your house for the weekend.

Hope you have plenty of milk, bread & eggs on hand,
Angie

---------------

Dear John Edwards,

Keep it in your pants you $&@*# jerk. It's really not a hard concept. (snicker, snicker)

Not surprised by another politician scandal,
Angie

---------------

Happy Friday y'all!

Trim the Fat Thursday

Happy Thursday!

I must admit that when I got up this morning, I was less than enthusiastic about weighing in. After watching The Biggest Loser this week, my stress level was in the ozone after hearing Jillian talk about how you retain water when you're stressed. I was already stressed and hearing her little tidbit was NOT helpful. But I digress. Let's see how this last week went.

Aw, snap! It's good news!

I reduced my BMI by .4 and lost 2.2 lbs this last week. Yippee!!!

Let's see how the goals went.

1. Get in 4 workouts - Sadly, I really fell off the workout train this week. I only got in 1 workout, but I know this week is going to be better. I've been fighting some abdominal pain for the last week that I hope has finally passed now.

2. Lose 2lbs - I nailed this one! Thanks to drinking water almost exclusively this week, that monthly water weight disappeared. Yay!

3. Get the meal plan done - GAH!!! The desire is there. The cookbooks are there. Now if I could just find the motivation. Good news is that my couponing hobby is going much better and I'm trying to get used to cooking from the grocery sale ads each week. THIS is the week that a meal plan will be accomplished!

So, my goals for this week are:
1. Get in 3 workouts
2. Lose 1 lb
3. Get a meal plan done
4. Substitute fruit for a dessert once this week

And I want to thank you guys for the pep talk last week. You are absolutely right that FAIL isn't a word that needs to be in my vocabulary. Thanks for the support!

So, how did you guys do this week?

My New Toys

It's no secret that I, along with many others in this small world of ours, was swept up in the whole Twilight phenomenon that began a couple of years ago. While I'm pleased to admit that I'm not one of those people who have gone off the deep end in related merchandise purchases, there have been a couple of items that have made their way into my home. (hello 2 Edward Bookmarks! ahem.)

Anyway, I was at my friend Lisa's house last week for a kiddo playdate. I was telling her about my not so great Christmas holiday, when she excused herself to the other room. (Lisa, Shannon & I went to see the midnight showing of New Moon last November, so she shares in the Twilight mania with me) Lisa handed me a box and I immediately went nuts! It's a set of hardcover journals that are inspired around the 4 books in the series. The blank pages are decorated with quotes from the books, which I adore. And I love journals! I love writing and I seriously cannot wait to start using these to record my thoughts and dreams. And thank you so much Lisa for an awesome gift!

If you love journals and are little Twilight headed, check this set out! I promise I won't judge...or call you Twilight obsessed. However, if you have the Twilight band-aids, then all bets are off.

Angie's Book Review Corner

The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein

One of my goals this year is to try and read a book a month. Since there is an abundance of material on my nightstand, meeting this goal shouldn't be a problem! First up this year is a book that falls into a genre I refer to as "Canine Lit". Canine Lit are books that center around a dog as the main character.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" is a novel written from the perspective of Enzo, a labrador mix who has the soul of a human. Enzo takes us through the highs and lows of relationships, nature, and life, all the while relating the human/dog experience with many metaphors of car racing.

I had a hard time getting into this book, despite the fact that our main characters hit the ground running very early on. I was expecting to learn background about our characters and explore the reasons for them coming together, rather than just jump in to a marriage and all the drama that surrounds an event like that. However, once I was about a third of the way through the book, I was hooked on seeing where this story was going and what kind of resolution would occur.

For dog lovers out there, Enzo is an easy character to connect with. I've always felt that dogs have a deep soul and are capable of understanding complex emotions more than they could ever express to us. Enzo easily navigates us through a relatable story for this day & age and proves that the family dog is more than just an pet.

My overall grade is 3 out of 5 paws. And it's a relatively quick read at just over 300 pages!

Dear So and So...

I'm participating in Kat's weekly opportunity to address some things that I need to get off my chest. It's a fun way to let some stuff go, so pop over to her place and link up...if you dare!

---------------

Dear Low Life School Vandals,

You reap what you sow, jackass. Bad karma ALWAYS catches up.

Best of luck...you're gonna need it,
Angie

---------------

Dear Stormy Weather,

Why can't you ever arrive on a day when the kids are at school and I have nothing to do?

Yawn,
Angie

---------------

Dear A's,

Is it really too much to ask that I get 1 trip to the bathroom a day all by myself? Pretty please?

Looking for a new door lock,
Mommy

---------------

Dear Person in charge of Marketing for the new movie Legion,

STOP. Please.

Wake me from another nightmare,
Angie

---------------

Dear Realtor of the house I adore,

Any chance you could knock another $300k off that asking price? Just askin'.

Crossing my fingers,
Angie

---------------

Dear Mother Nature,

Two thumbs up on the temps in the 60's this week!

Not putting away the winter clothes just yet,
Angie