Yummy!

I took advice from you all!

Michael and I have been missing our pizza, so this week we decided to make English muffin pizzas.  I must say, they were delicious!  Not only that, but they were also very low in points, which makes us quite happy.  I made one for myself for lunch today.  I thought I'd share the recipe I used, so here you go!

English Muffin Pizza

-- 1 English muffin

-- 1/4 cup pizza sauce

-- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

-- 16 pieces of turkey pepperoni*

-- Split muffin in half.  Spread half of pizza sauce onto each muffin half.  Place eight pieces of pepperoni on each half and top with half of the cheese.

-- Bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes.

Serving size 2 pizzas.

6 points per serving.

*Turkey pepperoni has so many pieces in each serving, which makes for a meaty pizza!

What is This?

What the heck is this?  I was outside spraying the jungle of weeds in our yard when I saw this strange little plant.  The little pod was about an inch and a half across.  It's obviously not grass, so I gave it a good spray of Roundup.  I'm just curious if anyone can identify it.

You Like Me, You Really Like Me!

Wonderful title, right?

hahaha!

Anyway, I've been given an award!  Go, me!  Erin.Patrice over at Wedding Planning Memoir (who I am assuming is a lurker -- come out and post more often, missy!) has sent me the Kreativ Blogger Award.

As always, here are the rules:

1.  Thank the person who nominated you

Thank you, Erin!  Congratulations on getting your wedding invitations out.  I refused to put mine in the mailbox, so I ended up waiting in line for 20 minutes behind all of the people trying to mail out their taxes on time.

2.  Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

Check.

3.  Link the person who nominated you for the blog.

Check.  See above the logo.

4.  Tell seven random things about yourself.

-- My favorite season is fall.  It makes me SO happy to have my pumpkin spice candles out.  I wore a sweatshirt yesterday and was so happy.

-- I car dance.  Anytime the hubs and I go somewhere, we start car dancing.  Yesterday, N'Sync came on the radio and I car danced to it.  I'm an adult.  I am so cool.

-- Wizard of Oz is one of my all-time favorite movies.  It was re-released on DVD today.  Guess where I'm going in a while?

-- Tonight for dinner, I am making english muffin pizzas.  Six points, people!

-- I was a member of the I-70 All Conference Choir for four years running in high school. 

--  I have been driving the same car since August 2002 (I was sixteen at the time).  It's not my first car, though.  My first car was a 1991 Ford Escort Station Wagon.  Oh, yeah.  I was cool.  My current car is the Mercury Mistake Mystique.  My husband is trying to talk me into driving our Malibu.  It has a hookup for my iPod.  I'm considering it.

-- I print out photos and put them into albums and label who is in them.  Of course, I haven't updated them in a while.  The last photos in my album are from my bachelorette party... sixteen months ago.

5. Nominate 7 bloggers:

-- Amanda @ Bachelor Pad Lady

-- Sarah @ Classy and Fabulous

-- Sarah @ Just a Bit of Silliness, Really

-- Li'l Woman @ Little Woman, Little Home

-- Melissa @ Simple. Positive. Happy.

-- Laura @ The Horton Family

-- Tristan @ Tristan*Time

Tuesday To-Do

I forgot to blog yesterday -- shame on me!  I've been doing so well this month, blogging at least once a day.  It's a nice change from the lack of posts this summer, right?  I know you miss me when I'm gone.

This week is my first week working part-time.  Since my class next week is in the morning, I am off all day each day this week.  It's actually quite convenient, as I have tons of little projects I want to get done this week.  I really want to make progress both on the kitchen and on my sewing projects.  Here's a breakdown of what I want to do:

In the kitchen...

- Finish stripping the window frames

- Spackle nail holes on the walls

- Paint walls

- Replace outlets/light switches

- Prime and paint cabinets

Sewing projects...

- Finish the top of the Purple Project

- Make small bag to hold the junk in the bottom of my purse

I'm going to be a little busy, aren't I?  I'll check back in and let you know if I've accomplished anything or passed out from exhaustion.

Only a Miracle...

could take me from this...

...to this on a rainy Saturday morning!

I'm still in disbelief that I woke up early enough to fix both my hair and makeup before work.  I must dress like a total slob the majority of the time, because so many people had something to say about my hair.

Oh, notice the mess of curls in the top photo?  Did you know that I have curly hair?  I have my dad to thank for those locks.  It's not exactly curly.  It sort of has a mind of its own.  It's kind of curly, kind of wavy, and kind of straight.  I have combination hair.

See the cute shirt in the second photo?  I picked that up at Kohl's yesterday.  Sale!  I love a good bargain.  I love seeing my receipt and noticing that I saved twice as much money as I spent.  It makes me feel good about shopping -- like I needed any help with that!

My weight today was down to 201.6, which means I've lost a total of 8 pounds since we started this diet. I also checked my BMI and am happy to report that I am no longer obese, just overweight! Hooray! My husband has me beat, though, having lost 25 lbs so far!!!

Think About It

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

--Regina Brett

Wordless Wednesday

Let There Be Light!

Last week, I mentioned my phenomenal bargain shopping luck.  Today, I thought I should explain it in a little more detail.

When we moved into our house, we looked past the outdated furnishings to what we knew the house could be.  I have hated the light fixture in the dining room since we first saw the house.  It was this gaudy, gold and plastic chandelier.

I've been watching for a good deal at work since we moved in.  There are frequently light fixtures on clearance, it's just a matter of waiting for a nice light at a good price.

Well, last week I found one!

It was marked down from $44.84 to $11.90.  For $12, I was planning on purchasing it regardless, but the original price caught my eye.  There was something not quite right.  That was obviously a previous clearance price.  I hit a few keys on the computer and found the original price.  What I found was shocking.

The original price was....

Are you ready for this?

Brace yourself...

$119.

Yep, my light fixture was 90% off.  Go, me!  That bargain definitely deserved a pat on the back.  Oh, and with my employee discount, the light was $10.71.

All right, I won't bore you with tons of text any longer.  I know that you want to see the photos!

Here's a before-before photo.  I took this photo on May 10th, two days after we closed on the house.  The tools in the bottom right corner are my hammer and pry bar.  This was the day I started the floor project (hence the hideous carpet).

Here's a close-up of the monstrosity.  It's gold, plastic, and gaudy as can be.  I cannot believe that someone paid for this.

The new fixture is a million times better than the old one.

Here's a view of the new light over our table.  Let's focus on the table itself.  It seriously needs replaced.  It's structurally unstable, not to mention we only have three chairs!  The white chair is actually my current sewing chair.  I actually found the chair on the side of the road.  I know, it sounds awful, but it's in good shape, so who cares?

And here's a close-up of the fixture.  Not bad for a clearance light, right?  The hubby didn't do a bad job installing it, either.

Grocery Woes

My husband and I are on Weight Watchers, this is no secret.

We've been doing all right finding new things to eat.  Honestly, though, we eat a lot of Subway and grilled chicken.  In fact, we had grilled chicken and pasta alfredo tonight for dinner.  Tomorrow night, we are having chicken burritos.

Chicken, chicken, chicken!

Don't get me wrong, we like chicken.  It's just that, if we eat chicken too much, we'll get sick of it, and then what will we eat?

**On a side note, when we first moved in together, the most common meal that I prepared for us was grilled chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes.  Ask my husband!**

Of course, there are foods that we have omitted from our diets since we started this weight-loss journey.  I haven't made a box of macaroni and cheese (yes, I love the box stuff) since we started.  I know that if I do, I will eat the entire thing.

How do I know this?  I bought those individual servings of Easy Mac last week and had the serious urge to eat them all.

Anyway, there's one food that we really love and aren't eating.

Pizza.

We used to bake pizza once a week.  This is probably one of the reasons we're overweight.  That, and a whole list of other things.

So my goal is to find a recipe for a pizza that is Weight Watcher-friendly.  Anyone have any advice?  Turkey bacon?  Chicken?  There's a recipe for pizza margherita in our Momentum cookbook.  Anyone ever try it?

A Letter

Dear Mother Nature,

Please explain something to me.  Every single month, without fail, I have a month where I feel like all I do is feed my face.  No matter what I eat, I'm still kind of hungry.  I realize that you are about to bring me a "gift" or sorts, but does that mean I need to feel down about myself and have the urge to eat Ben & Jerry's 24/7?

Eve was the woman who talked Adam into eating that apple in Eden, not me.  Why, then, must I be punished?  It doesn't make sense.

Thanks to feeding as though I am preparing for hibernation, my diet didn't go so well this week.  My weight this weigh-in was 204.1 lbs, up .5 lbs from last week.  It's only a tiny half pound, I know, but gaining is gaining!

Next month, could I please crave fruit and salad?

See you soon,

Irritable in Illinois

Random Rambles

1.  I hate soggy bread.  At Christmas one year, Michael's grandmother made Italian beef sandwiches.  She insisted on showing me how to "properly" prepare my sandwich -- a demonstration which involved her pouring sauce all over my sandwich.  I didn't say anything.  My darling husband that it was hilarious.  I couldn't eat it.

2.  I cannot decide what shade of green to paint my kitchen.  I purchased two samples on Thursday and they were much too dark.  I'll get a couple more to try tomorrow.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a great color!

3.  I can't remember my phone number.  Okay, this is not entirely true.  However, if you ask for my phone number, there's a pretty good chance I will rattle off someone else's phone number first by mistake.  When I was in high school, my mom and I had very similar phone numbers.  I was filling out a job application and noticed I had written hers on there by mistake!

4.  I had a crush on my husband when I was in the 7th grade.  Of course, so did my best friend, so I decided that I shouldn't like him anymore.  See what happens when you're patient?  Lots of flirting throughout high school (while we were both dating other people.. whoops) until we finally started dating when I was a senior.  It only took five years!

5.  I love to read, but my collection of books isn't very large.  I will read the same great books over and over again.  Take right now, for instance.  The book I started this morning is one I have read at least five times.

6.  When I was younger, I hated waiting for Christmas and would often snoop around for my gifts.  In the sixth grade, my "big gift" was a keyboard.  A couple of weeks before Christmas, I found it in the attic.  Sorry mom and dad!  I hope I at least made you think I was surprised on Christmas morning!

7.  My favorite drink is water.  I'd rather drink it than anything else.  My favorite food is macaroni and cheese.  I can't eat it while on Weight Watchers because I'll want to eat more than I should.

8.  I have two mother-in-laws.  Thankfully, they are both lovely ladies.  If they were those evil mother-in-laws that you hear about, I do not know what I would do.

9.  I give my pets silly names.  I have had cats named Eugene, Edgar, and Miss Piggy (who was a boy).  My current canines are named Re-Pete, Penelope, and Wally.  Why should I give them boring names?  They deserve better than that!

10.  This is my last week working full-time for a while!  I am really looking forward to my CNA class!

I Can't Breathe

I've been under the weather since Tuesday of this week.  It's only a cold, but it's pretty irritating.  I haven't been sleeping well all week because of it.

It's the end of the week and I'm all drugged-up on Sudafed, so I'm off to bed.  Hopefully I'll post something a little more interesting tomorrow morning.

Good-night!

Kitchen Accessories

How cute would this rug look in my kitchen?  Would you call this shabby chic?  I will have to make it, of course, but that's not really a problem.  I'll just add it to my growing list of sewing projects.

Phase I

Phase I of the kitchen remodel has officially started!

I was going to start on the cabinets today, but the primer I want from Lowe's was out of stock yesterday.  Instead, I turned my attention to the window frames.  One of the previous owners painted the window sill a hideous shade of blue.  It's obvious that there are several layers of paint on the window frames. 

So I decided to strip the paint off of them.

I have found no fewer than six colors of paint.  There are two shades of blue, sage green yellow, peach, and white.  It's hideous.  It's also quite time-consuming trying to scrape the paint off.  It will be worth it, though.

Of course, I'm planning on painting the trim white again once I'm finished, so this sounds like a waste of time, right?  Wrong.  There's so much paint caked on these things that it looks awful.  I'm going to make these frames beautiful!

Here's the paint stripper hard at work on the window sill!

Upcoming Blog Topics

My goal is to blog every single day in September.  I'm doing well so far!  Unfortunately, I've run out of time for a proper blog today, so I thought I would share a few of the things I'm planning on posting about in the near future!

• Vacation Photos!
• Bargain shopping!
• Kitchen project Phase I
• Craft projects, including aprons and the Purple Project
  

I can't remember the rest.  But they'll be here!  Stay tuned!

Answers!

Thanks for all of your great questions!  Here are my answers:

From Lil' Woman:

What made you start blogging?  I began blogging in November 2007 in order to share my wedding planning journey with friends and family.  I didn't have very many readers, and it often felt like I was blogging to no one, but I kept going.

Is there anything about blogging that you would change?  My background!  haha... I really do need to find something that is very me, but I'm going to have to sit down and make my own.  Maybe on my day off this week... along with my thousands of other tasks... Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yes.  I also wish that more people would comment!  I've started replying to each comment -- Lil' Woman can vouch for this -- so you no longer have to feel like I'm not reading them.  I am!  I have notices e-mailed to me and I hit 'reply' and send back a nice little note.

If you and the hubs could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?  Ooh... good question!  We'd go to Europe, especially Greece and Italy, which are full of history (that, and I studied Greek and Roman history in college for two years...).  My husband works for a company that has locations all over the world.  I don't know that I could say no to relocating to Europe.


Classy Fab Sarah wants to know:


What are your favorite beauty products?  I love my Bare Minerals makeup!  A friend convinced me to purchase a foundation kit back in June and I am in love.  It covers well and lasts through the day.  I also have lip gloss, eye liner, and mascara that I love from the same brand.  I just bought eyeshadow -- finally -- the other day, but have yet to try it out.


Melanie asks:


Do you drink soda?  Yes and no.  I stopped in 2005 and didn't have any for nearly a year.  I just didn't want any.  Then I had a root beer.  I love root beer.  It's so yummy.  I used to just take a sip or two from Michael's sodas.  Now I get the occasional Diet Coke.  I don't drink it nearly as often as I used to.  We never buy soda at the grocery store and don't keep it in the house.


Laura is curious about:


Have you thought about finding another job other than Lowe's? Like an inside job, maybe?  I do work inside!  Have I not mentioned this yet?  I have not worked out in the garden center since the beginning of August.  I now work in the Seasonal department inside.  You know what this means?  CHRISTMAS!!!  I've actually been setting up Christmas stuff.  I get the worst looks from people, as if I'm slaughtering puppies and running down school children.


I'm actually going to stop working full-time at Lowe's in a couple of weeks.  I'm taking a CNA class, so I have to cut back on my hours.  I will hopefully have a job working as a CNA by the end of the year!


When do you and the hubs plan to do some more renovating to your new home?  Goodness, we are being slackers, aren't we?  Actually, I bought a new light fixture (which I will post about later) for our dining room today at work.  I'd love to work on the kitchen this week, but we'll see what happens.


Tristan's questions:


BABIES?  Of course you would ask that, mommy-to-be!  I don't really have a good answer, either.  Some days I think that I want one yesterday, while other days the thought scares me.  SO... I guess the answer is, they will show up when the good Lord decides that bless us with one.  Oh, and no, I do not hate having people ask.  Everyone asks.

Amanda, whom I have known forever, wants to know:


What was your college major?  When I started college, I sort of declared chemistry as a major.  What a joke!  I quickly changed to psychology.  I spent two years seeing the adviser for the classics department.  Right before I left, I had gone back to psychology.  Now I'm trying to get into nursing school.  Confused yet?


What's the scariest thing you've ever done?  I lived alone in my first apartment.  I didn't have a lot of friends yet, so it could be pretty lonely.


Are you coming to my wedding?  I'm invited?  Nice!  I was pretty sure I would be, but I wasn't positive.  When is it again?  You need to send out save-the-dates.  I'd love to come, by the way.  I really hope we can make it.  I've never been far west of Kansas City, so it'd be an adventure for us.  Road trip!


==================================================


All right, there you have it!  Those are the questions I received throughout the day.  I'm so glad to have comments from all of you, especially those of you who typically lurk.  I hope to hear from you more often.  I really enjoyed all of your questions, I may have to make this a monthly thing!

Question Request!

All right, readers, here's the deal.  I'd love to know what ya'll want to know about me.  So ask me any question you want (nothing distasteful, please), and I'll do my best to answer it.  I get off of work at 10PM tonight and will post a response at that time.

You have 11 hours and counting... Go!

Weight Watchers

A few people have asked about the Weight Watchers program that Michael and I are doing, so I thought I would talk about it a little.

We purchased the Weight Watchers At-Home Momentum kit.  It came with everything we need -- books explaining how the program works, a food guide with points listed, a dining our companion (which is amazing), a cookbook, and calculators.  It came with the regular slide calculator as well as an awesome digital one, which I take to the grocery store with me.

We do not going to meetings.  We are both on the program and are our own support system.  We have a couple of other friends who are also on it, so that helps, too.  We've been doing really well.  It's so easy to follow.  If anyone is looking to use a few pounds, I would definitely recommend this program.  You can eat normal food, it just teaches you portion control and how to make better, more filling food choices.

In other weight news, I had my weigh-in on Friday.  I'm down another pound!  I wasn't sure how this week was going to go.  I didn't eat the best last weekend in Branson, but hiking around Silver Dollar City was quite the workout.

Here are my updated stats (which I also post on the right side of the page):

Starting weight: 209.6 lbs

Starting BMI: 30.9

Current weight: 203.6 lbs

Current BMI: 30.1

That's six pounds in just under a month!  My first weigh-in was August 16th and my most current weigh-in was on the 11th of September.  I know that my results won't always be this good, but it's definitely a good feeling knowing I've followed it this long and done this well!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I love you!

A Letter

Dear Wal-Mart,

I propose that you create a registry of hair products where customers can sign up and tell you what products they cannot live without.  This way, when you're going to stop carrying them, you can send out an e-mail alerting them to the change.  I know that I would really benefit from using this type of service.  Because let me tell you, when I walk into your store looking for my favorite hairspray and it can no longer be found anywhere on the shelf, I get a little upset.  It was the perfect hairspray.  And now you don't carry it.  I'm not happy.

I have also been unable to find Shout Wipes.  Tide2Go pens do not work (in my experience).  I saw Shout Wipes at a Wal-Mart in Branson, but foolishly assumed my store would have them. Noooooo.... so I am still without Shout Wipes.  The quest continues.  By the way, I've been searching for six months.

Enough of the frustration.  Bring back these products!

Sincerely,

Irritated in Illinois

Test Results

Remember this post from last month? I wasn't anticipating hearing anything until the 15th of this month via mail. Instead, I was surprised this morning with a voicemail on my phone from the education center where I did my testing.

And.....

I passed!!!

HOORAY!!!

I did well enough on the test that I have been accepted into the CNA class!

HOORAY!!!

I start October 5th and the class will last for two months, at the end of which I will be able to get a job working as a certified nurse's assistant until I get into nursing school.

What a nice surprise to get on my last day of vacation. It makes going back to work tomorrow just a little easier (because, really, who wants vacations to end?).

Silver Dollar City!

For Labor Day weekend, the hubs and I met our friends, Ty and Jami, in Branson, Missouri for a weekend of fun. On Sunday, we woke up early, had a delicious breakfast at IHOP (did you know they have a section of healthier choices on their menu? Yay!), and headed out to Silver Dollar City.

Now, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting Branson, I seriously urge you to do so. There is something there for everyone -- shopping, yummy restaurants, great shows, and beautiful scenery.

Oh, the scenery. The Ozarks are breathtaking. On the drive from Springfield to Branson, all you see are trees and the sloping hills of the Ozark Mountains. Central Illinois looks nothing like that and it's so refreshing to see.

Anyway, back to Silver Dollar City. It's a family-fun amusement park near Branson. It's a 19th century mining town near Marvel Cave, which is under the park. It's such a fun place to go.

We rode so many rides while we were there! Let me just start by saying that I love amusement park rides. I'll ride almost anything. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll ride them all twice.

One of the first rides we got on was the Giant Swing. I had no problem jumping in line for it. It was until it was almost our turn to get on that I felt my anxiety level start to go up. Up close, it didn't look as fun as it had from a distance. I didn't say anything to anyone, but I had some serious second-thoughts about riding it.

I should have followed my gut instinct.

This ride scared the bejesus out of me. It was absolutely horrible. It went more than 70 feet in the air and you felt like you were going to fall out and plummet to your death. No, thank you. Not again.

Here's what the ride looks like when operating. Doesn't it look horrifying?

We also rode Wildfire, the only upside-down roller coaster in the park, Fire-In-the-Hole, an indoor coaster, Powder Keg, another I'm-gonna-die ride, and Thunderation, the best little coaster ever.

We spent the entire day at the park. We also toured Marvel Cave. It's huge and has a beautiful waterfall inside. At the deepest part, we were over 500 feet below the surface. (At one point, we got out our phones and acted surprised that we had no signal.) The cave is home to bats. Yes, bats. They were sleeping, though, so they were just kind of cute.

Dental Hygiene...

...Or, why one should never wait six years between dental appointments.

I finally caved and went to the dentist today for a routine cleaning and check-up. I haven't been since... oh... I'm going to guess 2003. I remember the last time I went complaining that my gums ached where my wisdom teeth were supposed to be. I assumed they were about to break through, but my dentist assured me that they were months from coming in.

Uh-huh, yeah, okay.

The first one broke the skin the following week.

Anyway, I never really liked my dentist growing up. I remember a friend went to him for orthodontia and said his stomach always growled. He looked like Willy Wonka (the original) meets Lyle Lovett. He always made me feel like he didn't have time to listen to what I had to say or what concerns I had.

Plus, going to the dentist is expensive and we didn't have dental insurance.

SO... I didn't go for a while.

Well a while turned into six years. Yikes! Lately, I've been thinking about the fact that I could really use a check-up and would love to have my teeth cleaned. I finally gave in and made my appointment for this morning.

Going to the dentist in a new state in 2009 is no different than going to my old dentist in 2003. The dentist was running behind. Of course. I arrived 15 minutes early so I could fill out my new patient paperwork and didn't end up sitting in the chair until 15 minutes after my appointment should have started. It was quite a boring hour.

Teresa, my dental hygienist, was really nice. She took at least a dozen x-rays. At my old dentist, they only took three. I craned my neck to look at them with her and saw a dreaded cavity in one of my wisdom teeth. Lovely. Since I hadn't been to the dentist in quite some time, scraping the tartar off of my teeth took a while. I cannot stand the scraping sound on my teeth, so she ended up using this fancy took that vibrates, shoots water, and gets the tartar out 10X faster. (I'm sorry, but why don't they just use this in the first place?)

While polishing and flossing my teeth (which I hate having other people do), she told me about the need for better flossing habits. My gums are still sore from the thorough job she did on them today. They are sparkling, shining white, though, so it was worth it.

Then the dentist came in...

My new dentist, Dr. C., is young and pretty. She was also really nice. I asked about Invisalign and she answered all of my questions. (I really want to do Invisalign to get rid of the gap in my front teeth and the slight overlap of other teeth)

After she left, Teresa was going over the recommended procedures, saying I had some cavities. I asked how many 'some' cavities was and she said thirteen.

THIRTEEN?

I almost fell out of the chair when she said this.

Apparently, though, only the one is serious and the others are just a bit of decay on the surface of my teeth. It's still a bit overwhelming. I'm the one in my family with good teeth. I have a total of three fillings from the first 18 years of my life. Now, at the age of 23, Dr. C. is suggesting upping that number to a whopping sixteen. Yikes!

I'll definitely be getting this work done soon and scheduling my next cleaning for March. There's no way I'm going to let this happen again!

In conclusion... GO TO THE DENTIST!!!!!

My Sister's Keeper

I just read the book.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

I have not seen the movie, so I was definitely not expecting the ending. I did not cry, though. I did treat my husband to a random, out-loud shout of "Are you kidding me?" when I realized what was happening.

I really liked the book, though. I discovered Jodi Picoult a few months ago during a random trip to Walden Books (also known as Borders). The first novel of hers that I read was Plain Truth, which is about a scandal in an Amish community. Since I liked it to much, I picked up Change of Heart, which I didn't like as much.

But back My Sister's Keeper.

I really wanted to see the movie when it hit theaters, but there never seemed to be time. I actually like that I read the book first. I love the details that you get in books that are lost in film. Of course, this means that I probably won't love the movie when I finally see it, especially since I know how it ends.

Jodi Picoult almost joined my banned author list, where she would join Nicholas Sparks. Of course, I broke my Sparks ban last week and read through The Notebook. I'm glad I did, because I was reminded that Noah and Allie do not actually die at the end like the movie leads you to believe.

Anyway... I have a stack of books sitting on the table next to me, which I am eager to start on. In fact, I think I need to dive into one right now.

We're still in MO, but will be back in IL tomorrow, which means a return to normal blogging, complete with vacation stories!

Weight Watchers Weekly Weigh-In

Good morning, blog readers!

I've changed things up a little bit. My weigh-in day is on Sunday and I've generally been posting about it on Monday. I've decided to start posting it on Sundays now after I check my weight. Of course, this week has been different all together because I weighed in on Friday before we left for vacation. I kind of liked weighing in on Friday, though, so I may consider moving my weigh-in to the end of the week instead of the weekend. My theory is, if I'm going to use flex points, it's going to be on Friday or Saturday, so checking my weight Friday morning is probably for the best.

Anyway, onto the good stuff. This week has been a little better. I did better at counting my points and eating healthier foods. I'm still trying to find really filling foods that don't have tons of points. I think I'm going to have to carefully read through the cookbook we got and see what kinds of choices it has for me.

We've been eating at Subway lately. I find that I'm filled up by a six-inch turkey sandwich, baked chips, and a diet coke. Yes, I've made the change to diet coke. I shouldn't drink soda at all and gave it up for quite some time during college, but it's back. I may switch back to water. I get the $5 combo and it comes with a drink and it's just so easy to get soda.

Anyway... I got off track there for a moment.

I guess you're wondering how I did the last week, aren't you? Well here are the results!

Starting weight: 209.6 lbs
Starting BMI: 30.9

Current weight: 204.6 lbs
Current BMI: 30.2

Total weight loss: 5 lbs

Here's a graphic to show my BMI.

Other than struggling to find filling foods (as well as a better variety of food), Weight Watchers is really easy to follow. Stay in your points, exercise, and you're good to go!

Greetings from southern Missouri! We're having a great time. We needed to get away, even if only for a few days.

I'm officially on vacation! Heading to Branson for the weekend. I'll come home with a twang. Love it! Happy Labor Day weekend!

Thoughtless Thursday

Gosh, am I exhausted!

This week, I am the only person working in my department at work. My department manager is on vacation and the other guy who worked with us quit in order to return to the railroad. We have also received an obscene amount of Christmas product in this week. It's a lot of work.

Fortunately, I am not entirely alone. The person they are moving to my department has been helping me all week. If I didn't have help, I would be passed out on one of the few benches we have left at the store.

So, in lieu of a normal post, I thought I would whine about how hard I've had to work and post a cute photo of the hubs and I last weekend while my parents were here.

The World According to the Beatles

Someone tagged me in a note on Facebook today that I thought looked interesting enough to put over here on my blog. Plus, I've been blogging about rather boring stuff, so I thought I'd switch things up a bit.

The rules: Using song titles from only one artist, answer the following questions. It's tricky!

Pick your Artist:
The Beatles

Are you a male or female:
Girl

Describe yourself:
To Know Her is to Love Her

How do you feel:
I Feel Fine

Describe where you currently live:
Across the Universe

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Memphis, Tennessee

Your favorite form of transportation:
Riding on a Bus

Your best friend is:
With a Little Help From My Friends

You and your best friends are:
Three Cool Cats

What's the weather like:
Here Comes the Sun

Favorite time of day:
Red Sails in the Sunset

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You

What is life to you:
Two of Us

Your last relationship:
The Honeymoon Song

Your fear?
Lonesome Tears in my Eyes

What is the best advice you have to give:
Tomorrow Never Knows

Thought for the Day?
Think for Yourself

How you would like to die:
When the Saints Go Marching In

Your soul's present condition:
It's For You

Your motto:
Let it Be

Family Visit!

Over the weekend, my parents came up for a visit. I was so happy to see them! This is the first time my mom has come out to Illinois since we moved here 15 months ago. Dad has seen our house (he helped us move in), but this is the first time he's seen it without mountains of boxes.

They got here Friday afternoon. Michael and I grilled up burgers and we sat down to a delicious dinner. We also took them for a drive around town, including a trip over the Stinky Bridge. With the windows down. Going 35MPH. It's gross. For someone who doesn't live here, the smell is quite overwhelming.

On Saturday, we drove to Springfield to do the tourist thing. Abraham Lincoln was from Illinois (not originally, but whatever), so the people here are obsessed with him. My mom wanted to visit the Lincoln Museum. On our way there, we passed by Lincoln's Home, so we decided to go there instead. Walking into the houses on that street was like walking into the past.

The area around it is technically a national park, so there were park rangers all around, giving tours of the Lincoln house. I think our tour guide told us at least 87 times that it was the only house that he ever actually owned and that he lived there for 17 years.

Other than all of that, we just had a great visit with my family. We did a little bit of shopping and just enjoyed each other's company. I love having guests stay at our new house, so if you want to come for a visit, let me know!