Weather Change

I woke up this morning and rolled my butt out of bed.... I so could've slept longer!! I was sleeping so cozy in my bed and the alarm goes off. Yep, I was not ready to hear that alarm at all and all I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. I walked downstairs and took my shower and then went up to get Cameron shortly after that because he was already awake. What? My little man was already awake? Nothing like getting the day started super early!! We came downstairs and I changed his diaper, got him some juice and turned on Blues Clues. I took the trash out and noticed a nip in the air. Uh yeah, I think the temperature dropped about 20 degrees last night and it is suppose to stay this way all weekend. It is "the perfect" fall weather if you ask me. It is the kinda weather where you were the most comfortable jeans ever along with a sweatshirt. Yep, that would be my type of weather. So, to say the least I am getting SO excited about camping this weekend. It should be perfect and I am just hoping that the leaves are beautiful enough for lots of pictures!!

I have everything packed, we have all of the groceries we need and I think we are pretty much ready. We will take out of here tomorrow morning and head towards Pike Lake and I can't wait!! It will be nice to have a little retreat.... even if it is for just a couple days.

Wordless Wednesday

Banana Nut Bread

Well, my banana nut bread is complete and in the process of cooling. I must say that it is pretty tasty!! I tried a little piece with a little bit of butter and it was scrumptious. I guess I will just have to work out extra hard on that treadmill tonight. Here are some pictures as promised. Try not to slobber too much (lol).

Countdown to Camping & Baking

Our camping adventure is getting closer and closer. Shawn's parents left today and we will join them on Friday. I am really looking forward to getting away, but it seems as though it is going to be a bit chilly. I was watching the weather this morning and it looks like it is going to be in the high 50's Brrrrr. You never know what is going to happen here in Ohio when it comes to the weather. Today is suppose to be in the 80's just like yesterday and by Friday it is suppose to be in the high 50's. If I don't get sick from the cold weather then it will because the temperature is always rapidly changing. Gotta love Ohio weather!!

I am going to make some banana nut bread today and take that with us when we go. I am also planning on making my all time favorite cinnamon pumpkin muffins. I am telling you that these muffins are so freaking good that I could eat a whole batch of them. They are also so easy to make. I do however, need to watch what I eat seeing as though we picked the darndest time to diet (lol). Anyway, we need to take some goodies to share so that was my choice.

I am going to try to organize clothes today. I need to get some warm stuff lined up so we don't freeze too terribly bad. I also need to figure out what toys I am going to take so little man has something to play with. I personally don't think he will want to play with anything. I can see him wanting to explore which will be fine with us. I just love walking around taking pictures so we all should be pretty content. Well, it is pretty early and I still have alot to do so I am going to run and start my banana nut bread. If you are lucky.... I might post a yummy picture afterwards!!

I am sure it will make your mouth water. STAY TUNED!!

Not Me! Monday - Part 4

Well, it is time for another week of "NOT ME!" Monday. If you haven't been crazy enough to take part in this fun little game then you should definitely give it a try. Be sure to check out the gal that is behind the fun and excitement at www.mycharmingkids.net

1) I did not go to the grocery store this past week and buy *new* items that I saw on the tv just because I had to try them out for myself. Nope, not me!

2) I did not clean some of my cupboards out this past week and pitch some of the *new* items that I bought because I didn't like them. Nope, not me! That would just be too wasteful.

3) I did not go to a baby shower this past weekend and eat something that gave me food poisoning. Nope, not me!

4) I was not up all Saturday night sicker then a dog from the food poisoning. Nope, not me!

5) I was not in the process of puking Saturday night and got it all over the freaking bathroom and on myself and had to take a shower at 4 am. Nope, not me! That would be way to gross!!

6) I did not even have to clean that bathroom up the next morning after I started feeling better

7) I so did not even want my husband to clean it up because I was still not feeling up to par! Nope, not me!! That would be horrible to make your hubby clean up your mess.

8) I did not even start an exercise plan yesterday. Oh, heck no....that is NOT LISA LIKE at all.

Our Exercise Plan

Do any of you watch Biggest Loser? We watch it every week and don't miss a night of it. We love it and we love how it gets us so motivated!! So, without much further excitement, let me tell you that my husband and I have decided to start our exercise plan. We are going to start eating healthier and exercising every single day whether we like it or not. Our goal is to be healthier for ourselves, each other and most importantly Cameron. Well, tonight was the night when we put on our exercising clothes......ok, ok, they were just plain jane shorts, a t-shirt, socks and our good walking/running shoes that we bought back around tax time. The good news about our shoes is that they barely have any wear to them so, it is like wearing a brand new pair of shoes. Isn't that pathetic? We have these wonderful pair of Brooks shoes that we bought back around tax time and they are practically brand new!! I guess I was just waiting for that perfect moment to get started - huh? Anyway, we started off this evening by taking measurements. Oh boy, that was not pretty at all, but it was something we wanted to do so we could "SEE" our results. We also weighed ourselves and took real pretty before losing the weight pictures. Uh yeah, they were real attractive pictures and perhaps I will share those with everyone after I have lost the weight, but not until then. I don't want to scare anyone away!!

I thought I did pretty good tonight at walking on the treadmill. I started my Casting Crowns music, turned on the fan, dusted off the treadmill and hopped on to this machine that we have had any never used. I started out slowly and then increased my speed. I walked for 20 minutes at 2.5 miles and I was sweating like a COW!! I may have had sweat rolling down my face, down my neck, and my face was guaranteed blood red, but I felt good, real good about what I was doing and right now I just feel like I have so much energy. Energy is a good thing.... I can ALWAYS use more energy, but I am not sure it is a good thing to have this much energy so close to bedtime. So, we will keep an eye on that and see if we need to make any adjustments with when we exercise. My husband started after me and did wonderfully and now we are trying to decide when to take our showers or when to eat our next Twinkie (hahaha, just kidding, just kidding). Seriously, we do not have any twinkies in the house. Well, my hubby is done with his shower and I am going to take my turn now and then sit down to enjoy a nice cold glass of H20.

So, does anyone want to join our "BIGGEST LOSER CLUB"?

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in Ohio. It was in the 80's and we thought it would be a great day to take Cameron to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch that we have taken him to the past couple years is actually owned by a woman and her husband. They live there on the land which is not only a pumpkin patch, but is also a great place for corn during the right season. Anyway, we pulled up and Cameron just stood there at first. Once he got warmed up to the area, he took off and was exploring every single pumpkin there was to be found. He LOVED the BIG pumpkins, but they were $45.00 and we weren't about ready to pay for that so, he picked out 2 little pumpkins and of course a large pumpkin for Mommy and Daddy to carve at a later date. We then took him to the pumpkin patch and he had a ball. He ran out into the patch and said "Mommy, Punkins" it was pretty dang cute how he said it. Anyway, I attached a few pictures of our day at the "Punkin Patch" and I hope you enjoy them!!

The Gianna Jensen Story

Have you heard the story about Gianna Jensen? Well, let me tell you a little bit about her and her struggle for life.

Gianna's biological mother was 17 when she had a saline abortion in her third trimester. After being burned alive for approximately 18 hours in the womb from the saline solution, Gianna was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic. The procedure left her with cerebral palsy, which led doctors to assert that she would never be able to hold up her head, sit up, crawl or walk. However, Gianna began to walk by the age of three years old with the help of leg braces and a walker. Now, she runs marathons across the world. On April 30, 2005 Gianna completed her first 26.2 mile marathon after running just over 7 hours. On April 23, 2006 she completed the London Marathon.

Pretty amazing huh? A friend of mine passed along this information to me in an e-mail and it really struck a chord within me. I know that there are so many couples out there that want children and can't have them and to hear a story like this.....well, it literally gave me chills. I know that for awhile my husband and I were talking about adoption when we were having a hard time conceiving. To think that there are women out there that are aborting children just because they might be afraid, can't afford the child or for some other reason. They don't stop and think about the wonderful life the child could have if they were to allow a woman, a man or a couple that can't have a child, to adopt. I am not sure that they consider or even give it any thought that they could actually give this innocent child a chance.

Anyway, I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion when it comes to abortion and I guess that since this is "MY BLOG" then I am able to voice my opinion. That is my view on this topic and if you are wanting to read up on it a little bit more then you can check out the following websites.....

http://www.bornalivetruth.org
http://www.giannajessen.com

Definitely makes you think!!

My friend Kelly and her IVF Miracle "Jimmy"

Some of you might be familiar with my good friend Kelly and her struggle with infertility, but if you are not you can always go back in my older posts and read about her own journey. I know it was always helpful to me when I can read different stories. Anyway, here is a very recent picture of Kelly and her adorable little boy "Jimmy". As you can see Kelly is as happy as can be and it looks like they are best of buddies. Isn't he just too cute? Well, enjoy the picture and remember that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!

Countdown to Camping

I am not sure about you, but I can enjoy camping at times. I can enjoy it if the weather is perfect. Well, this year we bought ourselves a tent and decided to go camping with Shawn's parents. They have a camper, but unfortunately DH and I are going to rough it. Hmmm, I am not sure if that sounds like fun or not, but it should definitely be an experience. The one good thing about camping with his parents is that they definitely know how to cook while camping!! I love food so I should be pretty happy when it comes to that. Cameron is looking forward to going because he LOVES to be outside. He will also stay nice and warm in their camper. Anyway, the temperature is suppose to be in the high 60's during the day and in the high 40's at night so, we will definitely have to cuddle up to one another to stay warm. I don't think that will be too difficult : ) and it might actually be fun (hehehe). We made our grocery list last night and we are slowly, but surely getting prepared for a weekend of camping. My biggest issue is that there is no running water so, unfortunately I won't be able to shower. Many of you ladies out there probably experience this from time to time if you have short hair, but my hair tends to stick up all over the place when I wake up and there is really no way of getting that under control unless you wash it. Doesn't sound like that is going to be an option for me so I can guarantee you that I will be looking so fabulous while camping (lol). I guess I will just have to take all of the pictures that I want on the day that we arrive and that way I won't look too terribly bad.

It is funny to watch the expressions of some people when I camp. Alot of people in my DH's family as well as friends never really thought that I could or would want to camp, but I have proved them wrong. I guess that they thought I was too "prissy" to spend the night in a tent let alone step foot in the woods, but I actually enjoy it. I just always think that having a shower is a treat so not having a shower for the weekend will definitely be rough on me. I will probably be quite anxious to return home just for a nice hot shower. Next Friday is when we leave to go camping and it should definitely be alot of fun. I love FALL and I enjoy seeing the leaves turn colors so it will be great getting out and taking some nice pictures.

I attached a picture of our tent. As you can see it is rather large and will give us plenty of room. Shawn's Mom told me last night I should get a 5 gallon bucket and I said "what for" and she told me that I might want to use that as my potty during the night. I thought to myself "Oh great that should be quite interesting." I can see myself hovering over the bucket, peeing down my leg and my urine freezing in mid-stream. I am sure it will definitely be a moment to share with all of you. So from now until next Friday, I will enjoy the wonderful things like my shower, my toilet, my furnace and all the other things that we might sometimes take for granted.