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!

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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

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Dear Best Buy,

Consider yourself redeemed. For now.

Wink wink,
Angie

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Dear Turbotax,

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

Delusionally happy tax preparer,
Angie

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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

STOP. Please.

Wake me from another nightmare,
Angie

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Dear Realtor of the house I adore,

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

Crossing my fingers,
Angie

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Dear Mother Nature,

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

Not putting away the winter clothes just yet,
Angie

Trim the Fat Thursday

Here we are for another week of weigh in results!

Here's the screen capture from this morning.

Yep, still fat.

I did manage to reduce my BMI by .07 and I lost .4 lbs, which doesn't seem like a whole lot, unless of course you're been living in my body for the last week. Sometimes, it just really sucks being a woman. Actually it's more like every 28 days...give or take. I've inhaled more chocolate in the last few days than Hershey makes in a week. Anyway, I'm just thrilled for any loss at all, so I'll take it! Let's see how the goals turned out.

1. Get in 4 workouts - FAIL...I only got in 2
2. Lose 1lb - Losing part of lb is still a loss, right?!
3. Get meal plan done for the week - FAIL

I really wish I could figure out what the issue is with getting a meal plan done. Part of it is that I'm in a cooking rut. My kids are such picky eaters and I take it so personally when I cook a nice meal and all I get from them is EWWWWWW. Consequently, I find myself cooking the same 5 meals over and over again, which is tiresome for everyone around here. I really need to focus on trying some new things this week and getting over Picky 1 and Picky 2. So, my new goals for this week are:

1. Get in 4 workouts
2. Get the meal plan done already!
3. Lose 2 lbs

How did you guys do this week?

Violated

I have really been struggling today with a whole host of emotions. Anger. Fear. Hostility.

Last night, scumbags broke into Big A's school and completely trashed 3 classrooms. Big A's room was one of them. These low life creeps destroyed all they could see and stole computer equipment that's used daily in class. All for what?

I didn't used to worry about the security of my child's school, but now I do.

I worry about how she'll interpret this thoughtless act and how it will affect her.

I'm mad that the amazing technology she used in class has been stolen from her and her classmates.

Equipment can be replaced. Bulletin boards can be put back up.

I'm really glad that no one was in the building at the time, because human lives could never be replaced. And eventually our sense of security will return. It just frustrates me that people can have so little regard for others. Especially when those others are children.

My Golden Globes Recap

I'm an awards show junkie. I'm such a fan of television, music & movies and a general pop culture follower that these awards shows are targeted for people like me. Over the years, I've finally determined that as much as I love the Oscars, the Golden Globes is my favorite awards show for several reasons. Frankly, I live for the moment when some drunk A-lister stumbles onstage to embarrass himself. Or herself. (ahem, Mariah Carey...twice)

When I found out that Ricky Gervais was hosting this year, I nearly peed my pants with excitement because he is hands down one of the funniest guys on the planet. And he takes no prisoners. He isn't caught up in all the Hollywood hype and thinks nothing of putting these "too big for their britches" stars in their place. Perfection.

And so, here are some random musings about this year's show.

The Red Carpet - NBC must really be hurting if they couldn't do any better than the enormous interviewer FAILURE trifecta of Billy Bush, Natalie Morales & Vanessa Minillo. I knew I should've watched E's coverage instead.

What was this woman thinking? This looks like a little black dress that met Edward Scissorhands and then ate a dress from the 80's. Horrible.

Cory Monteith, you are adorable. I hope GLEE wins tonight.

And talk about class. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. What a cute couple.

Best Actress in TV Comedy went to Toni Collette for "United States of Tara". I ADORE this show. Hubby & I watch it on Showtime and we're jazzed she won! Totally deserved. And she looked stunning.

John Lithgow won for something, but I was too distracted by William Hurt's ridiculous beard to care.

Ok, so that's not really him, but I'm serious, the beard is dead on.

Who makes the decision that inviting Mike Tyson to this event is a winning idea?

Kate Hudson's dress is ugly. And incredibly unflattering.

Could Harrison Ford sound more bored while presenting "Up in the Air"?

Best Actress in Movie Comedy goes to Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia. I have GOT to see this movie! I just love Meryl. She is the embodiment of class.

Drew Barrymore won for Grey Gardens. Wasn't feeling the dress.

Laughing hysterically that Ricky just introduced presenters Jennifer Aniston & Gerard Butler as "Rachel from FRIENDS and that bloke from 300"! Laughing even more at how annoyed Jennifer looks about that.

Jane Lynch was ROBBED by Chloe Sevigny. I'm a fan of both Glee & Big Love, but I think Jane plays the Sue Sylvester character amazingly. Bummer.

And Chloe, that dress is just wrong.

I'm so tired of hearing about Avatar. Blah blah blah. However, James Cameron announcing that "he has to pee something fierce" in his acceptance speech for Best Director redeems him ever so slightly in my eyes.

YAY GLEE WINS BEST COMEDY TV SERIES!! They got this one right!

Get out of town. The Hangover wins for Best Comedy Film. I love it! And I cannot say it enough...Bradley Cooper is freaking hot.

Sandra Bullock wins for The Blind Side. Another great flick. Robert Downey Jr wins for Sherlock Holmes. Another hottie. Great speech. I need to see that movie.

Avatar wins best movie drama. Really?! Did I mention just how tired I am of hearing about this movie?

Well, that's it. My overall impressions are that it was pretty boring this year. Ricky Gervais didn't have nearly as much airtime as he should have. Oh well. Maybe the Oscars will be a bit more lively in March. Here's hoping!

Dear So and So...Weight Loss Woes and more

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!

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Dear Tummy,

After 34 years, NOW you decide that you don't like ice cream? I smell a conspiracy between you & the Wii.

Looking for the aerosol,
Angie

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Dear Ice Cream Manufacturers,

Any chance you could whip up some broccoli ice cream that tastes like Chocolate? With sprinkles?

Wishing Upon a Star,
Angie

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Dear Dental Hygienist,

I think you are a lovely individual and I enjoy chatting with you. However, please stop initiating conversations requiring my response while you have sharp metal objects in my mouth.

Gargling with salt water,
Angie

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Dear Wednesday,

You're my new favorite day of the week. Keep up the good work!

xoxo,
Angie

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Dear A's,

Have I mentioned lately what incredibly cool kids you are? You drive me batty on occasion, but you make life so interesting. If you wouldn't mind cutting out the "fill-in-the-name Stinky-pants" naming game at dinner, I would really appreciate it.

Love,
Mommy Stinky Pants

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Dear Winter Induced Dry Chapped Hands,

I'm O-V-E-R it. Spring please.

Brrrrrrrr,
Angie

Trim the Fat Thursday

Welcome back to Trim the Fat Thursday! It's been quite an interesting week for me. I had several realizations, so let's recap. Here's my Wii snapshot for this morning. Please ignore the "previous numbers" listed because I mistakenly weighed in yesterday, which threw things off.

This Week's BMI is 38.2, which is down .43 from last week. Yay, progress!

This week's weight is 215.6, which is down 2.4 from last week. Woo hoo!!

My goals from last week were:
1. Get in 3 workouts - CHECK!
2. Do a meal plan for the next week - FAIL
3. Lose 2 lbs - CHECK!

I cut out most of the sodas that I had been drinking which helped with the 2 lb loss. I also started using Sparkpeople (proud of me Michelle?) again to track my food intake. It never ceases to amaze me just how far off my estimation ability is when it comes to portion sizes. I also started weighing all my food again so that I can accurately record what I'm eating. It makes a HUGE difference!

I got the Biggest Loser for Wii game last week (thanks Dad!) and I can say that I am a HUGE fan of this program. It's got some things that are going to take some getting used to, but I like that I was able to choose a 12 week program that gives me tailored exercise programs, as well as tells me what my calorie intake should be. And yes, Jillian will even yell at you if you choose her as your trainer. Oh joy. In addition to some other activities and Wii Fit games, I have a feeling that this is really going to be successful this time!

While I wasn't able to get my meal planning accomplished, I did manage to clean out my entire pantry and both freezers, which is HUGE. Now that I have a clear picture of just what I have on hand, meal planning will be so much easier.

My goals for this next week are:
1. Get in 4 workouts
2. Lose 1 lb
3. Get a meal plan done for the week

Now, for anyone who wants to join in this week with your accomplishments/concerns, here's where you can link up your blog post. Let's support each other on this journey! Good luck to everyone this week!

My, how he's grown

Remember WAY back in August when I told you about the newest member of our family?

Here's a reminder, just in case (since I've kind of forgotten to give him any additional blog time ever since).

His name is Roman and he was a precious 13 week old German Shepherd puppy in these pics.

He & Little A are big buddies. Aren't they cute? And little?

What a difference 5 months makes.

We've made all kinds of progress with him. He's learning some useful commands and making all sorts of friends at the dog park. And he doesn't mind the girls hanging all over him.

And he & Little A are still best buddies. Even though he now outweighs her by at least 40 pounds.

We are so glad the hubby spotted him on Craigslist last Fall and even happier that all the stars aligned and brought him to his forever home.

And I'll try not to wait another 5 months before I post about him again.

It was a warmer time

It's a balmy 19 degrees outside today and while I'm much more a fan of Winter than Summer, my favorite season is Fall, by far. Since I took a hiatus from blogging during this past Fall, I'm here to recap a little side trip that the family & I took this past October.

As the girls are getting bigger, it amuses me what things they choose to focus their excitement on. Little A decided that her 1 goal in life to accomplish was picking an apple from an apple tree. And since I'm all about helping my kids meet their goals, it was now my mission to find an apple orchard within reasonable distance of my house. Little did I know that the real challenge was going to be finding an orchard that 1) let's you go out and pick from the trees & 2) actually had apples left on trees to pick. After many internet searches and even more phone calls, I found a winner about 40 minutes away!

One breezy October afternoon, we hopped in the car and headed up to our orchard choice in Dunlap, TN. After many "are we there yet" comments, we finally arrived and waited even more. This is a small family orchard and since we were coming at the tail end of the season, the hours were pretty lax.

The girls weren't thrilled about having to wait, but they wasted no time picking apples off the ground around the bare trees that we could see.

The views on the property were gorgeous. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Finally, one of the sons arrived with his granddaughter and welcomed us. We explained our mission and he was sympathetic. He told us that most of his trees had either already been picked or recent storms had knocked the fruit from the branches. He only had 1 part of the grove that still had fruit, but the apples were very tough.

The girls couldn't care less.

Little A was thrilled as she finally picked an apple from the tree

Big A was equally excited

I think this variety of apple is called an Arkansas Black.

The skin is very dark, as you can see, and extremely tough. I think these are supposed to be good for baking.

After the excitement of picking apples from the trees, we went up to the onsite store and saw the apples for sale. We all picked some of our favorites, as well as some other goodies and then made our way back home.

We had a nice time, but this year, we'll definitely be getting to the orchard in September rather than waiting for late October.

Dear So and So...The mish mash

This week 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 School Officials,

Thank you so much for deciding at 5pm yesterday, to call off school for today. My sleep-deprived brain is much appreciative.

Yawning,
Angie

__________________

Dear Mother Nature,

Really? An 1/8" of snow was the best you could do for my backyard? I'm directing the kids to complain to YOU for the next 10 hours about this.

Searching for ear plugs,
Angie

__________________

Dear Hubby's Employer,

I get the whole tough economic times issue, but deciding not to give Christmas bonuses without warning your employees is NOT COOL. Especially when they count on them as part of their salary.

Indignant,
Angie

__________________

Dear Roman (our German Shepherd),

Thank you for being a cooperative photography subject last night. It was delightful watching you play in the "snow" in the backyard. However, if you continue to eat as much food as you have been, you'll need to go out and get a job.

Woof,
Angie

Trim the Fat Thursday

It's B-AAAACK! A new year...a new weight loss endeavor.

My parents gave us a cool Christmas gift, which came in the form of a Wii and Wii Fit Plus! I've coveted one of these systems for a long time, especially after hearing about some great results that people have had with this program. It's time to put it to the test.

I've been working with the system since Christmas Day in a fun manner and getting accustomed to what offerings are available. Hubby has been instrumental in motivating my competitive spirit in trying to beat some of the high scores that I've set. Smart ass.

There are definitely things that I like and dislike about the program. But, before we get to that, let's see what my starting point is, shall we?

Dislike 1 - How they took my cute Mii character and made her fat. Gee, thanks for restating the obvious, Wii.

Dislike 2 - The sound that you have been spared when they announce to me that I'm OBESE. No, REALLY?!

Ok, now on to the positives.

I like how it keeps track of my weight AND BMI fluctuations. And there's graphs and all that stuff that a nerd like me really gets into. There's a LOT of variety available in the modules including yoga, strength training, and aerobics, as well as, games to improve my balance and coordination. My 1 concern was whether or not it would provide enough of a workout to really be worth it. I got my answer this morning when I worked up quite a sweat and heart rate after only 30 minutes of activities. Yay me!

So, each week I'll have a picture of my results according to Wii and post about my goals/results.

Starting Weight is 218 (yikes! shudder)
Starting BMI is 38.63

Goals for the week:
1. Get in 3 workouts
2. Do a meal plan for the next week
3. Lose 2 lbs

Anyone else want to participate with me? If you're interested, I can turn this into a linky love entry like I did last year. Let's motivate each other!

I've got Kleenex

I love movies. I can watch my favorites over and over again and not tire of them AT ALL. It drives hubby more than a little crazy.

This past weekend, I had the good fortune of catching one of my long time favorites on TV not once but twice! I believe hubby's response when he caught me watching it yesterday was "Oh, you're watching this AGAIN?" Are you really surprised dear?

This movie has got some GREAT lines. The writing is witty and dry and smart and I'll stop here before I completely lose you.

However, this scene is what makes this movie for me. And despite the fact that I've seen it 42 a few times, I still cry EVERY SINGLE TIME I see this scene. Perfection.

Do you have a movie that provides a really emotional response for you?
Do you watch the same films over and over?

My 2010 To Do List

As I've said here before, I despise the word "resolutions". There's just something about that word that I think inherently sets people up for ultimate failure. At least that's been my experience. That's why I create a "to do" list for myself at the beginning of every year. I'm a list maker. Obsessive list maker. However, if I don't mark everything off the list, I don't feel a huge wave of disappointment. I just add leftovers to the next list and start again. So, we've already seen the results of last year's list. Let's see what's on tap for this year!

Family Finances
1. Construct a budget and post it on the computer cabinet monthly
2. Get debt snowball plan created and posted
3. Get emergency fund completed
4. Get plan together for next year's Christmas

Hobbies
1. Finish the Patten Chapel cross stitch
2. Finish the Bambi cross stitch
3. Finish the 2008 Disney Album
4. Keep family album up to date
5. Try to read a book each month

Blogging
1. Get my review blog up & running
2. Save up to redo my primary blog
3. Post at least 4 times per week
4. Be a better commenter on others blogs

Personal Goals
1. Get in 3 workouts per week
2. Do weekly meal planning
3. Shoot for a size 6 jeans by December 1st
4. Spend more time outdoors with the kids

Happy 2010 Everyone!

What's something you're hoping to accomplish this year?