CSH: A Turning Point??

Yesterday, we had Christmas with my husband's family. We started the day by going to New Franklin (hometown of Sara Evan's) to my nephew's basketball game. After the game, we went to my in-laws for lunch and to open gifts. Lunch was good. The kids played a game of poker. My FIL is a big poker fan as well as my oldest son-CSH. After playing poker, we exchanged gifts.

First let me give you some details about how my son dresses-jeans -Arizona jeans to be exact, t-shirt -t-shirts that I buy at soccer tournaments, that he receives from Show-Me State Games, that he receives from soccer camps- & sweatshirt hoodie or Adidas jacket-not the jackets with a full zipper in the middle, just a zipper that zips to the middle of the chest. And let me repeat-it's a jacket or a sweatshirt hoodie-this child never wears a coat in the middle of the winter. Oh-and tennis shoes. We do not buy clothes for my son unless he is with us OR something similar to what he already wears. When we were in Omaha for a soccer tournament, SDH and I picked up a royal blue Adidas jacket that was like his black one that he loves-so we knew we were safe with that purchase!

Okay, back to the gift exchange. Gifts were handed out and presents were being opened. All of the grandson's had received a gift that was in the same type of box, and one by one they were opened. Each receiving a Hollister long sleeve polo shirt. ZT and ST (my nephews) loved them! CWH thought his was cool! CSH pulled his out and examined it a little. I chimed in and asked him if he would wear it? Probably not! Grandma says, that brand is the hottest brand! Aunt R says, that's all ZT will wear and that's all the HS kids are talking about!

Rewind back to a conversation that hubby & I had about CSH and the way he dresses. S wishes that he would dress a little more stylish, wear different shoes than tennis shoes-like some boots. (which by the way S received a pair of boots from his Mom-CSH & S wear the same size and he has tried to get him to wear them-he won't!) and wear something besides t-shirts. I had said that right now we are lucky-it doesn't cost of much to dress him, he is the oldest and he is not persuaded by fashion and his friends dress very similar to him-just wait until he gets to HS (he will be a freshman next year) and how he dresses will change! So let's just let him be for now!

Well-CSH tried on his tan Hollister polo, it looked really good on him! He kept it on for a while and told us that he liked his shirt and that he would wear it when he dressed up. Christmas Day, his idea of dressing up for church was his Missouri OPD shirt and a hoodie. I was informed last night that he was wearing his Hollister shirt to church today!

Is this a turning point? Will my son start to have some fashion sense? Let's see if we can get some boots on him today! I doubt it but you never know!

Friday's Feast #2

Appetizer: How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve? We usually spend New Year's Eve with family, either at my parents' home or at our home (when Sean was on call at the hospital). We eat appetizers and play games. Just a very relaxed evening.

Soup: Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006. My husband lost his job of 15 years. He had a new job within 3 days of him losing his job.

Salad: Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006? We didn't go on any vacations this year-we are a traveling competitve soccer & dance/baton family! We travled to Omaha for soccer and baton and to South Bend, Indiana for baton. However, I took my annual trip to Dresden, Ohio with a group of ladies. As a Longaberger consultant, I plan a bus tour to visit the Homestead, the Home Office & to shop in Dresden. That was probably my favorite place this year because my Mom, my sister and my aunt went with me!

Main Course: What resolution is your top priority for 2007? I have 3 resolutions that are top priority for 2007. 1. Pay off bills with tax refund. 2. Lose weight. 3. Unclutter & organize my home (this includes my garage and attic).

Dessert: Using just three words, describe 2006 Fun, Busy and Over!

I'm looking forward to the new year!

Visit Friday's Feast

A Reader's Journal: 2007 Winter Classics Challenge

I happen to come across this challenge and thought that it would be fun! I love to read and I like challenges too!

The challenge can be found at A Reader's Journal's website. The challenge is to read FIVE classics during the month of January and February! What am I going to read? I'm not sure yet! Let's see...I'm thinking about it...I got it!

1. The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (this is one of my 40 Before 40 goals...to read the Chronicles of Narnia with my kids!)

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald

4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

5. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

I'm hoping that some of these titles are in the book"1001 Books to Read Before I Die," I have a goal (from 40 before 40) to read one book a month from this book! I'll update after I get this book to compare!

UPDATE: I just ordered the books that I didn't have (I only had "The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe-which I will read first!) from Amazon. Ordering tip...I purchased all used books from Amazon, paid $37.00 for 5 books this included shipping. After I read the books, I will relist them on Amazon. I figure that I would pay this in late fees to the library...I'm not good at returning books!

Thirteen Thursdays #2 (Parenting & Discipline)

Thirteen Things Books on Parenting & Discipline that I Have Read

Last week, after the first day that the kids were home for Christmas vacation, I was a little frustrated with them...not picking up, fighting with each other etc. etc. The normal things that kids do! I went to bed wishing that I had children that always listens to me, picks up after themselves, etc, etc.! But reality sat in and I got to thinking about all of the parenting advice and techniques that I have tried over the past 14 years. Before I became a stay-at-home mom, I was a Parent Educator for Parents as Teachers. I sat in on many conferences about parenting & discipline techniques. Read everything that I could about parenting and discipline from every topic possible. Here is that list!

1. Parenting with Love and Logic (Fay & Cline)

2. There's Gotta Be a Better Way (Becky Bailey)

3. 1-2-3 Magic Effective Discipline for Children 2-12

4. Hw to Talk So Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk

5. Louise Bates Ames Series...Your One Year Old: The Fun Loving, Fussy Twelve to Twenty-Four Month Old, etc

Of course, I also read books by famous Doctors...

6. Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development by T. Berry Brazelton

7. Your Baby & Child by Penelope Leach

8. The Baby Book by Dr William Sears

9. Dr. Spock's Books.

10. Boundaries with Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

11. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

12. The Strong Willed Child by James Dobson

13. Playful Parenting by Denise Champman-Weston

There are more books that I picked up along the way but these are the most memorable! The best advice that I can give parents is that not all children are alike, what worked for one child is not going to work for another child. Everyday is a new day & to enjoy the ride! And Pray that what you teach them in their childhood will stay with them when they need it the most!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. my 2 cents
2. Sue
3. Amy
4. Norma
5. alyndabear
6. Amy Ruttan
7. Kim Priestap
8. Practical Chick
9. jenny ryan
10. tiggerprr
11. milan-zzz
12. ladybug crossing
13. Cheryl
14. Sparky Duck
15. queenbusick


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

"Grandma, can we open ONE present?"

My kids were so excited to get to Grandmas to open presents. They talked about opening ONE present when we got to Grandma and Poppy's in the car to Sedalia. The moment we walked into their house they asked Grandma if they could open one present. We put them off until we got back home from the Candle Light Cermemony at Church. My mom knew they would ask (like they do every year!) and she sat aside a gift for them to open. They all sat on the sofa waiting for their present. I said that their gift is the new tradition that we are starting. My husband says, it's ornaments. I had already given them their ornaments so they knew that they were NOT ornaments.

They opened their presents to find new pj's! Connor liked them, Collin thought they were okay, the girls were hoping for something to play with! But they immediately changed into their pjs to enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas to You & Your Family!

Recipe Swap #1 (Artichoke Dip)

I thought it might be fun to post some of our favorite recipes and leave a link in the comments if you have a favorite posted on your blog. During the holiday season, we get together with our family and I always bring a dish that has become a favorite....Artichoke Dip. I discovered this recipe about four years ago and it is yummy..hope you enjoy it. This recipe comes from Longaberger's Fresh From the Pantry Recipes for Every Day Book.

Artichoke Dip

Serves 6 to 8

8 ounces cream cheese, softened, cut into cubes

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 teaspoon dill

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Process for 1-2 minutes or until blended. Spoon into a oiled baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. For best results, use regular, not reduced-fat, mayo or sour cream. Serve with pita chips or bagel chips.

Christmas with the Bounds Family

We started our busy Christmas weekend with my husband's side of the family. We stayed with his Mom and Step-Dad Friday evening, while we were eating dinner, my husband was telling his Mom about my blog. We checked it out after dinner. She really liked it and thought it was a wonderful way to keep in touch with family.

The next morning, we were talking and I created a blog for their cattle company, with hopes of them not having to keep up with a business website. My father-in-law really liked the blog and the slide show of the cattle that they will be selling at their next roundup.

Well, I also started The Bounds Family blog as well. Right now it's just a skeleton template with no post, pictures etc. Just the name-I think the idea of this blog is for our family members to post whenever they have news to share, family get-togethers, post pictures, etc! Should be fun!

Besides talking about blogging, we have a delicious prime rib dinner with great salad, veggies, potatoes, rolls....it was very yummy! Lots of desserts! We visited with family, did our white elephant Christmas exchange and ate some more. I always bring my Artichoke Dip which we heated up before the exchange, I went upstairs to get some and it was gone!!! I made a mental note to myself to make a double batch...it has become a very popular munchy at family get togethers!


Hope everyone is having a wonderful time with their family and friends this Christmas! Tomorrow we are off to visit my family!

McBCattle

Bounds_Family

A Quote to Ponder...

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say ‘I used everything you gave me.’ ~Erma Bombeck

It really got me thinking about my talents and what I am good at? I'm not really sure that I am truly aware of what my God given talents are and if I'm using those talents to fullest. I'm adding to my list of "40 before 40" to discover my God given talents!

My Daughter SJH....

Well, my daughter, SJH, was very upset that I didn't let her post on my blog.

SJH-I have favorites, too!

MAH-What are your favorites!

SJH-I like giraffes and elephants!

MAH-Why do you like giraffes and elephants?

SJH-Because an elephant can **action here-lifting her arm like the elephants nose**and says "na sound."

MAH-Why do you like giraffes?

SJH-Because the got long necks! (And she stands on her tipping toes making her neck really long!)

We looked on the internet this evening and found some of her favorite baby giraffes and elephant pictures. We created a slide show for you to enjoy...

Friday's Feast #1

Here is my first "Friday Feast..."


Appetizer: What is one of your Christmas traditions? Every Christmas Eve we attend the candle light ceremony with my parents. We then go back to my Mom & Dad's (they live an hour from us & we spend Christmas Eve and Morning at my Mom & Dad's) eat and play games until bedtime. We get up in the morning read from the Bible, open our gifts and have Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast!

Soup:Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for? The easiest person on my list to buy for this year has been my Dad. He loves to BBQ and I found some Budwieser BBQ sauce at Sam's a month ago. I picked it up for him and added the wide spatula from Pampered Chef and a steak brander to his gift! He will love it!

Salad: What is your favorite Christmas scent? I don't really have a favorite Christmas scent. However, Partylite candles had a candle scent that was only available during their holiday selling period (which they didn't bring back this year) that I loved! Since it was only available during the holidays, I guess you call it my favorite Christmas scent...it's Orange Cranberry.

Main Course :If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them? I just started blogging and really only know a couple of bloggers (my friends). I would give Tina some scrapbooking supplies-not that she doesn't have any but because I know how much she loves to scrapbook and you can never have enough supplies! I would give Mindi a month of freezer food made by me!

Dessert: What's something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)? I asked for some stylish jackets from Coldwater Creek to throw on as I head out the door each day to pick up my kids from school, to the dance studio or to bible study. After my 4th child was born, I became a stay-at-home mom & stopped buying stylish clothes to wear. I wear mostly jeans, sweatshirts, and Nike/Adidas sweat suits. I'm tired of looking like a SAHM and need to get some style back!

Sgtrane mnids raed aklie....

Cna yuo raed tihs? olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!



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I saw this on another blog...amazing!. So… can you read it?

13 Thursday-GLH's version

My daughter has been bugging me all day today to create her own blog...mostly because she wanted to post pictures of monkeys. She LOVES monkeys (or baby chimps really!). I don't think she is old enough to have her own blog so I agreed to let her post 13 pictures of her favorite chimps. Enjoy the show....

Thirteen Thursdays #1 (About Me)

Thirteen Things about MISTI This should be fun! I found Thursday Thirteen on another bloggers blog. The idea is to post 13 things about yourself on Thursday's as a way for other bloggers (readers) to get to know you. My first "Thirteen Thursday" will be getting to know me... 1. My name is Misti. 2. I've been married to my HS Sweetheart for 15 1/2 years! (Married in July 1991) 3. I have four children-2 boys and 2 girls-Connor (14 in Jan), Collin (10), Gracie (7) and Sydney (5) 4. I am a stay-at-home Mom...who.... 5. Runs a competitive soccer league...CMSL 6. Who is a Longaberger Consultant... 7. I'm a Kelly's Kids Consultant.... 8. Works a couple nights a week at my daughter's dance studio (the front desk) 9. Loves Diet Dr Pepper...I drink one first thing in the morning! 10. Watches (DVRs) Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Mission: Organization and Get Color everyday... 11. Van is usually messy... 12. Doesn't make bed every morning....I'm adding this to my New's Year's Resolution for 2007 13. Most important ... I am a Christian! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! chickadee mikala AmyRuttan caylynn Cindy Lindsey allie busy91 CandyMinx Christine Jessie Crunchy carpets Firefly queenbusick you are next! Leave me a comment and I will add you.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Works For Me Wednesday #1 (Report Cards)

I have four children and have boxes, files and stacks of all of their school papers, report cards, awards, etc that they bring home from school each week. What's a mom to do with all of these papers? We don't want to throw them away!

Each of my children are color coded....it's their signature color! CSH is green, CWH is blue, GLH is pink and SJH is purple. I had an this idea to put each of their important school papers like testing scores, report cards, etc into a binder with tabs for the school years. I was at Wal-mart and found binders in each of their colors! Yeah!

So a couple of Saturday's ago when I was organizing I hole punched all of their papers and put them in the binders. I'm missing a couple of years here and there, they were put in a different box-I will find them when I continue on my mission of organizing!

My kids and hubby really were impressed and enjoyed looking through the binders. Now, when a special paper comes across my desk, I hole punch it and place it immediately in the binder. If they need to see how they did in school, they know where to look. This works for me to help keep the school paper clutter under control! Hope it might work for you!

Leave me a comment and your link...if you have some other great organizing tips!

Wordless Wednesday

Tackle It Tuesday Challenge

Oh...I'm so excited about this challenge. My first thing on my list of 40 before 40 is to clean and organize my garage. Before I even start working on my garage (and attic-#2 on my list), I want to get my home in complete order-I don't even feel like I can start a project that big until I take care of where we eat, sleep and live. I started working on this challenge a couple of weeks ago by first cleaning out SJH's room (see to the right), closet, room, drawers, etc, she had clothes in her closet from when we first moved into our house 4 years ago! I gave my sister 6 boxes and bags of clothes, shoes and toys for the women's shelter she works for. She has room in her closet for her clothes & in her dresser drawers. Second, I cleaned out my boys closet and getting it in complete order. They have 2 closets in their room & we condensed everything down to one closet so we can put a bathroom in the other closet. (I gave my sister another van load of clothes, shoes, toys, socks, pjs, etc after this cleaning process!) Here is the completed closet project...

To the left is the games, this closet originally was nothing but games & books, it's now the boys clothes and games/storage. It's so much easier to put the boys clothes away after they are washed each day. They love it! It's simple! I love it!

The next spot that I tackled was the laundry room cabinets and shelves. They have been moved and simplified into a scrapbooking closet, a gift closet, the closet houses my workout equipment (small weight set, a yoga mat, & other small workout equipment), scrapbook paper, stamps and stamp pads, gifts for unexpected birthday parties. The cabinets in the laundry room isn't scary any more. I can open the doors and nothing falls out at me. My favorite new contraption is my P-touch machine. Everything is labeled and has a home!

I was inspired after reading a book by Quin Sherrer called "The Warm and Welcome Home." Here are some of the notes that I took:

"Build houses & settle down: plant gardens & eat what they produce. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it; because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29: 5, 7

"God is a God of order, not confusion & everything should be kept in its proper place. Look at how beautifully and orderly he made the universe. He wants my home to reflect the same order He puts in nature-He wants me to be organized and attractive."

"Go through each room and ask...Is Jesus pleased with this room?"

"A time to keep and a time to throw away." Eccles 3:6 (This has been my motto as I clean each area of my home!)

"God sees in our closets." Thought you could hide it, huh?

Well, this was notes just from first 2 chapters...there is so much truth to this and I really feel good when I purge and get rid of clutter and things that I'm not using, broken, etc! So......

What I am tackling this Tuesday??? GLH's room! It's been neglected! Here is what is looked like on Sunday.



As you can see it's quite a mess. We haven't really got it cleaned back up after the 2 snow days that we had a couple of weeks ago when they had a friend over. I'm also partly to blame. I didn't make them clean it up and I contributed to the mess. See the leopard suitcase? I pulled that out of the closet & didn't put it back. See the pile of clothes? I haven't put them in the dresser. There hasn't been a reason for her to go into her room because she has been busy with dance after school AND she hasn't been sleeping in her room. GLH and SJH think that is fun to sleep on a pallet on the floor in the living room. I hope to change that by the end of the day to make room for gifts that she will get for Christmas. I won't get to the closet-I need more than one day. Those projects usually take me two to three days. Since I'm in the mood to purge and get rid of clutter and things that we don't use....I have made a list of some things that I still need to get accomplished in Gs room:

1. See the stickers on the furniture.....made note to get something to remove those stickers!

2. Purge some of the Barbie dolls.

3. Re-organize the closet and install some shelves to the right side.

What did I accomplish today in here room??? Here is the finished product ....I feel good!

Here is my next project....to clean out her closet.....

I got on a roll & worked on my bedroom...cleaned out the night table beside my bed. After I reorganize Gs closet....ours will be next!

Misti and Michelle

My nickname is Misti....growing up I would get called by my name on my birth certificate and ask teachers to call me "Misti...M-I-S-T-I not a Y"...I wonder how many other Misti's with an I are there?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 7,499 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

How many Michelle's?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 778,419 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Ashes for Beauty

Discussion:Where is Christ leading you? Have you traded your ashes in for beauty? Have you replaced your mourning with JOY? Do you wear forgiveness like a crown? He wants you to lay every burden down- He died so that you would have a place to lay it- at the foot of the cross…..

MAH: Wow! I have not traded my ashes in for beauty. I seem to be a very bitter person at times and have a really hard time letting go of things in the past. I expect forgiveness but I don't easily forgive. I hold grudges. Boy, am I glad God doesn't hold grudges! Do I wear forgiveness like a crown? Have a replaced my mourning with JOY? No, I haven't. As a child of God, we are to trade our ashes in for beauty and lay every burden at his feet. I just listened to a song called "Ashes for Beauty", it really touched a nerve. Before I can completely heal myself from my sins, I need to forgive those who have hurt me so I can wear my forgiveness that God has given my like a crown. My crown tells a story, one that I'm not very proud of but it defines who I am and God gave me that pain, he doesn't give me anything that he doesn't think I can handle. He gives me scars so I can remember that pain. So I'm going to forgive those who have hurt me in the past and replace my mourning with JOY and wear my crown proudly. I am forgiven. I am a child of God's. My scars are reminders! I am joyful! I have traded in my ashes for true beauty! Thank you Lord!

"If we will allow God to place on us a load of JOY and praise, we will begin to sing again; and others, who are also carrying burdens, will listen to our song!" (Quote is from "Devotions for Women")

Listen to Tammy Trents "At the Foot of the Cross": (you will need to stop the Grey's Anatomy Video by pausing it below)

Things I Am Thankful For...

I was cleaning out my bag and found this folded up and in the bottom of my bag. I don't know if it was placed there by chance or by accident. It's very touching and thought I would share my find.

Things I am Thankful for...
1. Four beautiful, intelligent, talented children.
2. One beautiful, intelligent, talented wife.
3. A loving home with two parents dedicated to making their offspring happy, considerate, thoughtful young children.
4. The ability to work with my children's athletic abilites and desires. I am thankful for the opportunity to coach my kids.
5. I am thanful for the time I spend with my family.
6. I am thankful for my health.
7. I am thankful for my family and my wife's family.


I love my wife because-
1. She is driven-she has a passion to do things when she puts her mind to it-it usually gets done.
2. She loves me. She is thoughtful of my wants, needs, desire, and fears.
3. She respects me and wants what I want to do (most of the time).
4. She is still beautiful and works to remain that way.
5. She is considerate, thoughtful, loving to others (there is an exception here that I'm not posting! Just in case!)
6. She has good intentions and works hard to improve herself and those around her.

This was written by my husband, Sean, around Thanksgiving.

Isn't it touching? I am a very lucky lady to have such a wonderful and loving husband! I thank God everyday for him! I love you Sean-

I've Been Tagged!

I've was tagged by queenbusick (Tina's Snippets)...well I am to write about "what is my most recent indulgence?"

Have your ever looked up the meaning of indulgence? I looked it up on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence) basically an indulgence is "In Latin Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission granted by the Church of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven by God." Also..Indulgences may only be granted by the Church after the individual earning the indulgence receives the sacrament of Penance or experiences perfect contrition -- he essentially must be in the state of grace. The whole section on this website it really interesting to read! Talk about feeling guilty about having an indulgence!

The dictionary gives this definition of indulgence:

in·dul·gence n.
The act or an instance of indulging; gratification: indulgence of every whim.
The state of being indulgent.
The act of indulging in something: indulgence in irresponsible behavior.
Something indulged in: Sports cars are an expensive indulgence.
Liberal or lenient treatment; tolerance: treated their grandchildren with fond indulgence.
Self-indulgence: a life of wealth and indulgence.
Something granted as a favor or privilege.
Permission to extend the time of payment or performance.
Patient attention: I beg your indulgence for just a few minutes.
Roman Catholic Church. The remission of temporal punishment still due for a sin that has been sacramentally absolved.tr.v. Roman Catholic Church., -genced, -genc·ing, -genc·es.
To attach an indulgence to.

Okay...what is my most recent indulgence? What part of the definition is my indulgence related too? Am in a state of Grace to indulge? Am I indulging on a whim? Am I privileged? Or am I just indulging? Well, I collect signs. Wooden signs with catchy little sayings or verses. My first sign was one that my Aunt Phyllis bought me last year on our trip to Ohio, it simply says...Simplify...this has been my motto for the year of 2006. Have I accomplished this simple reminder? Yes and no!

My mom added to the collection with this sign - Grand Central Station. This sign hangs above my door to the garage! With four busy children, this holds true.

While on a trip to Branson, my Mom bought me my next sign- Laundry Drop Your Pants Here...this hangs above my laundry room door. My CSH and CWH's bedroom is downstairs and they literally "drop their pants" at the door way of the laundry room!

My next beloved sign says...Giggle! I love this sign-my Mom gave it to me for my birthday. I have it hanging above 4 pictures...all of my children that was taken when they were 1 month old. I get a gentle reminder each day to take time to giggle, to laugh and enjoy the life that God has given me.

Okay, here are my most recent indulgences...I was looking through The Country House catalog, which by the way has lots of neat signs with great sayings! And I bought these three signs:

You are My Sunshine....I sang this to my babies when they were very little while I nursed them. So it makes me remember when they were very little. It has special meaning to me.

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for...enough said about this sign. No matter how bad things may seem, I should always remember that there is something to be thankful for and I will say out loud at least three things that I am thankful for when I'm feeling down.

And my last sign...Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give your hope and a future."

I have many more signs that I want...and when I want to indulge again, I may get them! Here are some of the other sayings that I would like to have (hint for any gifts anyone would like to get me :-) they are all from The Country House catalog!)...Who are all these kids and why are they calling me Mom...When you Stumble make it part of the dance...May blessing from above fall upon this home...

What part of the definition is mine? You tell me!

So...now who do I tag? I will tag The Household Executive. (I think she was already tagged by queenbusick...but I haven't seen her post!)

Points! Points!

I joined Weight Watchers the day before Thanksgiving...yeah, what was I thinking?!

For those of you who don't know what WW is all about, let me tell you. You choose the Core or the Flex Program. I am doing the Flex, which requires you to track points each day. Sounds fun! Some days I do real well at tracking my points and some days I do really bad, no happy medium for me! I can eat 26 points a day and I'm allowed 35 points extra for the week that can be used anytime I wish to use them. Let me give you an idea, Dt Dr Pepper has 0 points! A Sweet Onion Teriyaki Subway Sandwich has 7 points! A salad can have up to 6 points (with the salad dressing) and so on!

Today, CWH and I were driving home from the Elks Free Throw Shoot-Out to meet my Mom and my sister at my house and as we were driving by Sonic, he asked if we could stop so he could get a M&M Sonic Blast. Sure. We stopped. We were going to go eat with my Mom and sister and I thought about getting a little snack and an ice cream cone sounded really yummy at that time. I had already eaten 6 points that morning for breakfast and didn't want to ruin my day! I got out my Dining Out Companion Guide from WW and looked up Sonic. A soft serve cone is 6 points. Did I want to use 6 points? I decided not to. However, CWH asked me lots of questions about what I was doing:

How many points each day can I have?
How do I know how many points a food item is?
How many points a day could he have? (told him that he didn't need to be on a diet and to enjoy his Sonic Blast!)
How many points had he eaten today so far?

Well, he had 2 Breakfast Burritos for breakfast, a chocolate milk and a hashbrown...17 points not counting the chocolate milk! And....

a Sonic M&M Blast is 20 points!!!

Yikes! I also discovered that a Large Cherry Limeade is 7 points a Starbucks Grande Nonfat Carmel Macchiato is 5 points.

What am I eating each day to stay within my points and lose some weight? Well, I eat 2 eggs and a piece of toast in the morning...5 points, a salad for lunch with dressing....6 points and a healthy dinner. I am working out at the ARC at least every other day on the treadmill and lifting weights which allows me 6 more points a day.

Is is working? Well, my first week, I had lost 3 pounds, even with Thanksgiving that week. I lost 1.8 pounds the second week and .2 pounds last week. So far this week I have lost 3 pounds...hopefully I can keep up and lose another 2 pounds before I weigh in on Wednesday!

What Should I Read Next

Have you ever read a book and thought, wow, that was a great book, I wonder if there are any other books by other authors that have the same intrigue that the book you just finished had? Well, look no more...there is a website...www.whatshouldireadnext.com. You enter a title of the book you like and it will analyse their database and make a suggestion for you. Cool idea!

Another idea, and one that I'm adding to my list of 40 things to do before I turn 40 is to purchase the book titled - "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" and my goal is to look over the book and check off the books that I have read and read a book a month towards the 1001 books to read before I die.

I plan to purchase this book after Christmas with the Christmas money that my Grandma gives me and I will post what books I have read! I'm sure that there is at least one book that I have read!

A bit of Housekeeping...

Wow, I am really going to do this...start a blog! Let me introduce myself,my name is Misti and I'm 37 years old. I have been married to my high-school sweetheart, Sean, we just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this past summer. We have four children, Connor who will be 14 in January, Collin is 10, Gracie is 7 and Sydney is 5. Why am I starting this blog thing? First, I was inspired by my friends who are keeping a blog and I was inspired this week to think about what I would like to accomplish in my life before I turn 40 years old. So I started my list and I needed an outlet to write about getting to that goal so this is the beginning of my blog! I'm still working on my list and will update it as I add to it. But for now here are the 40 things that I want to do BEFORE I turn forty on July 8th, 2009 (not in any particular order!)....

1. Clean/Organize Garage
2. Clean/Organize Attic
3. Lose 50 pounds---75 would be better but 50 would be great! (I have lost 8 pounds so far!)
4. Read the Chronicles of Narnia with my kids.
5. Bake through Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.
6. Knit a blanket for each of my kids.
7. Renew my wedding vows.
8. Read the Bible completely.
9. Purchase "1001 Books to Read Before I Die" and read one book a month.
10. Catch up on my scrapbooks.
11. Give up Diet Dr Pepper (this will be a really hard one, I have been drinking Dr Pepper since I can remember!Maybe just for a day...like the day I turn 40!)
12. Make a quilt.

As you can see I have a lot more things to think about and a good list to get started on. Wish me luck. Encourage me along the way. The next 2 1/2 years will be a journey and I invite you along as I share my accomplishments in the 40 Things that I want to do before I turn 40!!