Saturday, August 29, 2009

mini - vacation


Sorry it has been so hit and miss with the blogging, and now we are taking off on a mini-vacation. Husband has to work on Labor Day, so we are celebrating a week early. Don't tell the kids though, they might not notice that it's early since they have already been back to school for two weeks now : )
We are headed back up to Defeated Creek, my new local favorite spot. It's north of Nashville, up by the Kentucky boarder. Once we get back, end of next week, only about a month until we leave for South Carolina - and a new coffee cup! Woo-Hoo!!!
So, the handicapped animals (there's alot of them) and the world's oldest living Guinea Pig are already at the kennel. The kids cleaned the RV. The fauxtato salad is made. Why do I feel like I am forgetting something . . .
Keep us in your prayers, and see you next week - end.
Blessings, Beth Ann

Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday


Well . . . here we go. It's another week, another Monday. Had a pretty quiet week-end. Husband was sick, and I had to go solo with the kids to church. There was some awesome news at church yesterday though, one of the ladies who has been waiting over four years to bring home a child she adopted in Haiti, got the go ahead. Baring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be in church this coming Sunday! You can read her story on the link at the right, on her blog - This,that, and life's joys.
Well we are heading out to camp this coming week-end. I am finely taking the family to Defeated Creek. Husband had a few extra vacation days to use. We will be leaving in about six weeks for our Annual South Carolina trip, he will use the rest then : ) We will be camping this week-end with some friends from church as well, and another home school family. That is one of the perks, vacations on my schedule, not the public school systems schedule! LOL Thankfully it is still warm enough down here to swim and sit out at night with out freezing your tukus off.
As far as Mondays go, this one today was pretty mild. I have had a scratch soar throat, but I made a huge crock pot of home made cream of mushroom soup. I didn't realize that dh didn't like canned mushroom soup until he asked about dinner. He said he hated canned, but mine made with fresh 'shrooms was amazing. It was a lo=carb recipe I found and it even looked elegant. Oldest son made some rolls to go with dinner, and I swear that is all I could smell or concentrate on! Is there no hope for me? Husband was much more noble. I might be more noble when PMS is over!
Blessings, Beth Ann

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

zip

OK, I've got noth'in. Nope, nada. Zip, zipola.

Isn't that the saddest thing you have ever heard? I guess I should be happy that we seem to be settled down right now, I'm sure it won't last, not with the holidays right around the corner. Mostly dh goes to work and the kids and I do school work. The twins just finished up a unit in the seven days of creation and the older two are currently working on an ancient America timeline. For current events middle dd has picked hurricane Bill and has been giving us twice daily updates on it's status, that might be construed as excitement around here : )

Well week one of the lo-carb/sugar-free thing is over and both dh and I are down 8lbs. Not to shabby, just hope it's not a fluke and we can loss some more. The major difference I have noticed for myself is that I no longer seem to be craving my coffee. I know! What's with that? I drink about half a cup in the morning and only allow myself 1 teaspoon of creamer, well I guess that equals 1/2 a tsp. : )

Only other big news is that I am only ten swagbucks away from a $5 Amazon gift card. Guess I will get that sound track from Hoot after all, or maybe that steel drum Christmas c.d. I have been wanting.

Blessings, Beth Ann

Friday, August 14, 2009

Let's talk tomato


We have just picked about 18 -24 lbs. of tomatoes from our garden. Well, not really our garden . . . we ran out of room and planted them in our front yard by the porch : ) So today I made 6 lbs. of salsa. Tomorrow I will make about 12 lbs. of pasta sauce and the rest will go into home made tomato soup and home made vegetable juice. That is on top of the 6 lbs. of salsa I made a couple weeks ago and all the 'mato's I have gifted people with : ) Middle dd was heard saying today, "maybe next year we should only plant two tomato plants". LOL This is sooo funny since dh does not like to eat tomatoes. When questioned he did admit that he gets a kick out of growing them though!
Not much else new and exciting here. I know I haven't mentioned the weight watcher thing in a while. Well I lost 15 lbs. and that was it. It was to expensive to keep messing with it. About two weeks dh asked me about lo-carb eating. He had tried it a while ago and had good success with it, then the twins came and all our eating habits went out the window. Well I am always saying I need more protein and I don't count chicken our pork, just my thing - no white meat. Anyway, I agreed to try it for two weeks as soon as I got back from camping. Today is day five of the two week induction and both dh and I are down 6 lbs. Not to bad. I kept feeling tired though and I remembered reading that if you are on blood pressure medicine you might need to either stop it or change it because your blood sugar level will lower so much that your blood pressure will too. So I monitored my BP for two days and yes it was running low. So yesterday and today I only took half a pill and my BP is back to normal and I am day two without a nap : ) We are limiting ourselves to 20 grams of carbs a day during our two weeks and I am amazed at how easy that is and how not hungry I feel. I will wait to the end of the two weeks to make my final decision. I still add other food items in for the kids, like they got fries today with their turkey dogs, so everyone is happy.
This was the first week of school for the twins and they L-O-V-E-D it! Next Monday I start with the older two, hope they at least show up - LOL
Blessings, Beth Ann

Monday, August 10, 2009

Back


Well I am back. I'm tired, sunburned and retaining water from all the junk food I ate! LOL Sounds great doesn't it? Wish I could tell you more, but we had to take a pledge - what happens in Defeated Creek, stays in Defeated Creek. There were other rules as well, such as - there are NO calories in Defeated Creek - LOL What I can tell you is that it is the best campground I have ever stayed at! It has the best swimming hole of all times! My heart will always be at Edisto, S.C., but that is at the ocean and a whole different category all together. If you are ever in middle Tennessee to camp, you need to check out Defeated Creek. We have decided to make this an annual Women of Faith event. I want to get back there A.S.A.P. and take the family before summer and swimming is over for the year. Thinking around Labor day or so. Hope to see you there!
Blessings, Beth Ann

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Happy Feet


See this flip flop? It's a happy flip flop! Guess where it's going . . . (Jeopardy music playing . . . ) one hint, these are camping flip flops . . . That's right! Those flop flops are going camping tomorrow! (so is the foot in it - well, the rest of me too) I know, I feel silly too. I spent the day buying the food, loading the food and all my luggage and accouterments of home. Tomorrow we're off! The church ladies (about half of our group) and myself are heading north to Defeated Creek and the weather is rumored to be in the 90's with only a 10% chance of rain. So, food, wine, fine weather, good friends, a lake and no men or children; what else could one ask for?
Blessings, Beth Ann
P.S. Please pray we all come back still friends : )

Saturday, August 01, 2009

hot

I just spent the past hour scalding, peeling, coring, and chopping six pounds of fresh tomatoes from my garden to make salsa. I had never done that before. It was very tedious. Yummy, but tedious. Now I need six more pounds to put pasta sauce up.

Blessings, Beth Ann

P.S. My home made dill pickles turned out wicked, and were far less tedious : ) B.A.D.