I did it.

I've debated writing a post like this (about my weight loss) for about 6 months now. It's a pretty vulnerable thing to do but I've decided to do it now. On the last day of the year when I'm looking back and pretty darn proud of myself for what I've accomplished this year. I was the QUEEN of excuses. If I can do this...anyone can. If you have any questions you can leave a comment and I will reply or email me at lindsayrosewoods@gmail.com. I'm by no means an expert but I know what has worked for me and I'm happy to share.

New Year's resolutions. Last year I did really good with them. I don't remember if I ever blogged what they were and I'm too tired right now to go and look, but I remember what they were. Because I only made 2 and I kept them both. I don't think I've ever done that.

My first resolution for 2014 was to lose weight. And I think my 70 pound weight loss (although I've gained a few over the holidays but that's okay) would say that I did that one pretty well.

How did I lose 70 pounds? Hard work. I got my butt to the gym nearly every single day and I ate less. I kept track of my calories on My Fitness Pal and moved more. Plain and simple but it works.

This is one of the first selfies I took this year. I was leaving for a birthday party for a friend and a few out of town friends asked to see what I was wearing. I was SO SELF-CONSCIOUS. I was not comfortable. I was about 2 or 3 weeks into my journey and down maybe 5 pounds? I can't remember. 

I was also sucking in and doing everything I could to make it look like I was way smaller than I was. 

This was the first comparison picture I did. The left was Emma's first birthday (October 2013) and the right was in April. I was down around 30 pounds and feeling so good.

Same timing as the pictures above but just a face shot. On the right was April also but at my brother's wedding.

I did anything and everything to motivate myself. I often had things on the kitchen chalkboard to keep me on track.

A few months ago I was looking for pictures of John and I and there was a few years where there were very few. This year we have so many and I am cherishing them. I hated HATED to have a picture taken of me.

My first big goal was to lose 50 pounds by my birthday on June 10. I accomplished that!

This is me on my birthday. haha! 

And that evening out celebrating my birthday. I loved (love) this dress. I was so happy to be able to fit into it.

This quote was constantly going through my head. And still does.

Anyone with significant weight to lose knows what a milestone this is...when I finally started to see my collarbones! 

This next picture of me is at my lowest weight this year. I had just lost 70 pounds. I was on top of the world and feeling so good.

That morning at the gym my sister sent me the sweetest video which made me cry. At the gym. 

Emma's 2nd birthday....we both changed a lot in a year.

So many things about this journey have been so exciting. One of them has been leggings and boots.

I got these boots for Christmas last year. They didn't fit over my calves. I was too embarrassed to say that so I said I couldn't wear them because they had a (very slight) wedge which hurt my ankles. I had sprained both of them a couple months before. I was so ashamed.

It's been an amazing journey. But I'm not done. :)

My second resolution was silly but something I wanted to do. I wanted to keep my nails painted every day. I can count on 1 hand how many days I have not had my nails painted this year. It's 4. And 3 of those are from a couple weeks ago. I thought my nails needed some breathing. ha! But I guess this one fell into the category of taking care of myself and making sure I looked nice. Plus it became relaxing to do in the evenings. There were many MANY days during nap time that I would paint my nails just to keep from snacking. Lame but it works.

I'm happy with where I am and who I've become this year. Next year I have the same resolutions plus a couple more.

1. This year I will reach my goal weight. Once I'm there I'm not sure what my next step will be. I have a few ideas but I have no idea what I'll want once I'm there.

2. Keep my nails painted every day. I loved this one. Going to do it again.

3. Read 2 books a month.

4. Run a 5K and 10K. I want to put a half marathon on this list but I'm too scared to. I know that sounds lame but I'm not ready to make that a goal yet. It may happen this year but I'm not sure yet. :)

Here's to 2015. I am so excited for the new year. I have no regrets this year. I'm healthier, smaller, stronger, and happier than I was a year ago. I'm proud of myself.

2 years old and 10 months old

On March 10, 2012 I found out that my 9 month old baby was going to be a big brother. It was a crazy mix of emotions that went through my head in those moments of seeing 2 pink lines. 

After some quick math in my head I realized they would be less than 18 months apart. I had no idea what to expect having 2 babies WAY under 2.

But God has a way of surprising us. It hasn't always been easy. But I've always been blessed by these two. And so thankful for each of them. 

Now that Emma is very mobile and almost 1, I love the age difference. It's 16 months to be exact. Hudson and Emma are quickly becoming best friends and I love watching them play together every day.

These 2 bring so much joy to my days. I cannot imagine my life without either one of them. While one is napping, you can often find the other at their door waiting on them to wake up. Their excitement when they see each other is like no other.

One of their favorite things to do is play in Emma's crib together. Not Hudson's. Neither of them enjoy playing in there. But Emma's crib is the perfect place for these two. I put lots of toys in there and they play, wrestle, and laugh. It melts my heart.

Life is busy. It's hard. But it's full of so much love, joy, laughter, and slobbery kisses and I wouldn't change a thing.

all caught up

I did it.

Since May I have been WAY behind on blogging. We announced that we were moving to Birmingham, put our house on the market, and got busy with a big move with an almost 2 year old and 6 month old. Life was busy and blogging wasn't a priority for me.

I missed it though. I love looking back at what we've done and what life was like at certain times so I knew that I would come back to it. The thought of having 3-4 months missing made me sad. So I did a lot of catching up posts. I went through my iPhoto and flagged all of the pictures I wanted to share. It was a lot. Like hundreds. Slowly that number got smaller and smaller. And I am so glad that I did a few weeks of marathon blogging.

So now the task of blogging isn't daunting anymore. I'm excited to get back to regular blogging and sharing and remembering the day to day events in our lives. It's not an exciting life, but it is our life and I love it.

I feel like I haven't really shared about life in Birmingham yet. We love it here. It is definitely an adjustment. Learning a new area always has its challenges. Meeting new friends isn't easy. But all of that comes with time. Our family is happy here and the kids are thriving.

I'm glad to be back. I'm glad life is returning to normal.

40 days

I've never been super consistent with giving things up for Lent. I am also not Catholic so that plays a large part of the why but I do like the idea of Lent.

This year I have decided to give up two things that I spend a lot of time doing during the day. I am giving up Twitter and Facebook. Facebook is an easy one for me. I usually only post pictures of the kids for friends and family to see. I rarely spend much time on there.

Twitter. That's a WHOLE other story. I spend way too much time on Twitter. I want to refocus my time. I don't want to be staring at my phone while I'm also trying to play with my kids. I want to use that time to focus on them and be more present.

I am also going to use this time to be more disciplined in my time with the Lord during the day. Every morning when Emma naps, Hudson plays in his room by himself. Usually I use this time to do things around the house or to get ready for the day (if I have somewhere to be). Let's be honest, I do not "get ready" every day. Especially if we aren't going anywhere. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

So instead of doing things around the house, my plan is to spend that time with the Lord. I want it to be more intentional and not a last minute thought. It's so easy to do that when your day is consumed with diapers, sippy cups, puzzles, nursing a baby, and playing in the dirt.

I will still be blogging. I use my blog more as a scrapbook for myself and my family than anything else. I will also still be posting pictures on Instagram.

My hope and prayer is that after 40 days this will be a new habit for me and I will continue it. That is my goal out of this.

2013 goals and resolutions

I'm looking forward to 2013. I've told my husband that I want this year to be a year with no change. I want a simple year with no big life changes. I want to enjoy our family and keep life simple. I don't want to get pregnant in 2013. 

Since October 2010 I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding. My body hasn't been mine in over 2 years. As much as I LOVE my babies and LOVE nursing them, I want a break after I finish nursing Emma. Here's to not getting pregnant in 2013!

Since 2009 we have had at least 1 major life change (read: the list of stressors that you see in a counselor's office...we've had at least 1 of them every year for 4 years...all at the top of that list!) each year. 

In 2009 John graduated with 2 master's degrees (Music and Theology), we moved to a new city, John started a new job, and I started a new job.

In 2010 we bought a house, I started another new job, we renovated our house, and I got pregnant.

In 2011 we continued to renovate the house, I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom, and we had our first baby.

In 2012 I got pregnant again and we had our second baby.

Lots of big stuff. Lots of WONDERFUL stuff but still big. 

Simple. Quality time with family. I'm looking forward to 2013 and and all that it has for our family.

Happy New Year!

Random Thoughts

1.  I really miss the days when I could put Hudson in one spot and he would stay there. He is crawling SO fast now! And he now knows when I'm after him...he speeds up!

2.  Now that we've landscaped our front yard I can't wait to plant flowers this spring! It was so ugly last year that we just didn't bother. I am trying to decide what flowers and colors I want to do! Any suggestions are welcomed. :)

3.  I have taken a nap every day this week. When Hudson goes down for his morning nap, I do too.

4.  Is anyone else watching Smash? I LOVE this show!! I've only watched American Idol 1 season and it was Katharine McPhee's season. I love her and the show has a really great cast.

5.  I am reading The Hunger Games and cannot put it down. It's so so good. I've had all 3 books since Thanksgiving when my brother in law let me borrow them. I hate that I'm just now reading them. So good!

6.  Hudson woke up at 12:45 last night just as I was falling asleep. I went in and nursed him and put him back in bed. I couldn't fall asleep until closer to 2.

7.  This week has been pretty low key. It's Spring Break here but that really doesn't mean anything for a SAHM with a 9 month old. John still has to work too.

8. My mom came in town last weekend and we had a wonderful time with her. Once again, I forgot to take pictures. She got here Friday night and we had grilled pork chops with mango salsa, sautéed brussel sprouts and salad. So good. Saturday we went to lunch, and while Hudson took his nap we went to Target, Sephora and Bed Bath and Beyond. We joke that shopping in Victoria is much different than when we go shopping in Dallas when I visit her.

9. Saturday night John and I got to go on a little date. We had planned for it to be dinner and a movie but we ended up just going to dinner and we were back home before 8:00. We were both tired and knew a time change was coming.

Happy Thursday!

miscellany monday

*This weekend was pretty low key. The number 1 project was to work in Hudson's room. I wanted to get everything that is his that we have so far and organize it in his room and have only his stuff in his room. Because his room was our catch all room since we bought the house (in May) there were still a few items in the closet that needed to be moved out. I also moved the crib and dresser and I think I like it better in this spot. It's hard because where the only full wall is where the crib is. The other 2 walls have windows and then the 4th wall is the door coming in and his closet. Thoughts? (there is a window to the left of the dresser, oh and ignore the blinds...those are going to be replaced!)



*I was loving that last night it was still light outside around 7:15. Oliver (the dog) loves it because he can play outside longer.

*If Hudson were to come today (I'm only 26 1/2 weeks so hopefully not!) he would have a place to sleep but nothing to wear or any diapers. That stresses me out a little.

*Ever since I got pregnant my breakfast has been pretty much the same thing. 3 egg whites (cooked like a fried egg though, not scrambled), a whole wheat english muffin with light cream cheese and orange juice. The only time I don't have this is when I need to go grocery shopping.

*We only have 6 free weekends between now and when Hudson gets here. That is CRAZY to me!

Thursday's Thoughts

1. My parents are coming today! I cannot wait to celebrate Christmas with them. Unfortunately, this year we were not able to get up to Dallas to celebrate with my whole family. I don't have any vacation time yet with my new job and since Christmas fell on a Saturday it would have been hard to make a drive up there after the Christmas Eve service (which John had to be at) and get back for church Sunday. It's about a 7 hour drive and with Baby Woods we have to make quite a few stops.

2. You may have already noticed (or not) but have combined my food blog with this blog. I've been thinking about it for a while. I love sharing new recipes I have found and love as well as the old tried and true family recipes. However, it's been since September since I posted anything there. 2011 is going to be about streamlining and making things more simple for me.

3. I am so excited about the new year. Hello...it's the year of BABY WOODS! And in a little over a month we will find out if we are having a sweet girl or a wild boy!

4. On Christmas day we watched Marley and Me. John and I saw it with my family when it first came out in theaters and we all cried but John. He did not grow up with a dog and didn't get it. Since we've had Oliver I have wanted him to see it again. Let's just say he was on the verge of tears at the end. So sweet. And, it really made us appreciate Oliver more...it could be so much worse!

5. We are loving Oliver so much. He is so fun to have around and we are both smitten with him. He is spoiled and I can only imagine what it will be like when we actually have a baby!

6. I have yet to take a single bump picture. BP (before preggers) I always thought I would do weekly pics and be so great about it. Well, it's hard to remember and tomorrow I will be 16 weeks. Oh well. I am keeping my own little pregnancy journal with weekly things that are going on. Maybe a bump picture will come soon. I can't promise.

7. I'm working on my resolution list for 2011. I want it to be simple and realistic. After all, I will be in the 2nd and 3rd trimester and then with a baby. Obviously simplifying things will be my biggest resolution.

8. Beginning in January (so next week I guess) my first and biggest project will be to start cleaning out the baby's room and closet. Currently it is the junk/catch all room. The closet is my overflow closet and soon it will be full of all baby stuff.

9. If you are in google reader...click over to see my new design thanks to a giveaway I won from The Design Girl. It goes along with my simple theme for 2011. I love it!

Thursday's Thoughts (and my 400th post!)

...400 posts! Crazy! Who would of thought I would have stuck with something this long. I kid. Sort of.

...I'm off work today for Veteran's Day. We have some fun things planned today including my dad coming this evening with our new couch!

...Even though we bought a house almost 6 months ago, I still watch the real estate channel. You know, to see if we missed a better one. So far I'm very happy with our house.

...We got a cleaning lady! I am so very excited about this. Because we both work full time it is so not fun to spend our free time cleaning. Plus, we would rather spend our free time doing house projects so it will be a huge blessing. She comes tomorrow for the first time.

...Tuesday night I heard what sounded like a gunshot. It started off very slow so that's why I thought it was a gun. Then it quickly got faster and was clearly fireworks. Yes, fireworks, in November. I went outside (once I was for sure it was fireworks) and sure enough, it looked like the 4th of July. Turns out it was a church. Not sure what they had going on that night. And yes, I did get in my car to drive around until I found where they were coming from. And yes, I was home alone...John was out of town. What else was I going to do?!?!

...One thing that I have missed so much about Waco is Cafe Cappuccino. It was this awesome little restaurant that had the best breakfast. My favorites are the banana pecan pancakes, apple wheat pancakes and their omelets are out of this world. I heard about a place here that is supposed to have great breakfast...and we are going on Saturday. Can't wait!

...I think that's enough. My "thoughts" turned into 2 mini stories. Happy Thursday!

Neglected

Same song...different verse.

This poor blog has been completely neglected lately. Life and work are crazy and in the evenings (when we are home) all I want to do is relax with my hubby.

I think it is safe to say that NaBloPoMo probably won't happen this year. I know, the shame.

But we have been busy. Here is what has been going on. I'll do full recaps with pictures also, but this is what you're gonna get now.

Last weekend we went to Waco for Baylor Homecoming. It was so wonderful being back and seeing old friends. We got to go back to Hamilton for the first time since we left last August 2009 and it was so good to see everyone again. Sunday I helped host a baby shower for Courtney and Baby Ethan. So fun.

A couple of weekends ago we met up with Patrick and Courtney in Sugar Land to celebrate Patrick's birthday. We ate at P.F. Changs and as always, we talked nonstop and enjoyed our time with our friends.

Our couch should be here any day now. Well let's hope. When we ordered it they said 8-12 weeks. We are almost at the 8 week mark so hopefully we will hear something soon.

This weekend we are going to finish the baseboards! We only have 1/2 of one room left to install them in. We also need to finish putting putty on the nail holes. Close!

This weekend I'm going to take pictures of our house to post on the blog! Wow I know.

Victoria is getting a frozen yogurt shop and I could not be more excited. When we were in Waco last weekend we had Orange Cup on Saturday and Sunday.

My evenings are about to free up a little more. I am almost finished coaching cheerleading. Our last game is next weekend. I'm also in a bible study another night that is almost finished.

Monday's Thoughts

I so had a post ready to publish (a before and after too) but the stupid Internet in my hotel sucks. So it's my trusty iPhone to the rescue.

I'm in Houston all week for work. John is jealous because I'm getting to eat at all these fabulous places.

Tonight I ate the best thing I've ever had in my life. I can say that confidently.

My hotel only has wifi in the lobby (I have to plug in my computer in the room) and it barely works then. Plus, the breakfast buffet is $13! Not cool.

Anyway, my super amazing husband surprised me with an iPhone 4 when he came home on Saturday! He had been in Waco at the David Crowder Fantastical Church Music Conference. He too got a new iPhone 4 and get this... an iPad!

To say we are Apple junkies would be an understatement.

I was so excited about being able to face time with John while I was gone this week but again, only wifi in the lobby and it still stinks there. Plus it's sort of weird to do that with lots of people around.

So there you have it. Another excuse why my blogging will be few and far between for a while. I'll do my best to try and post those before and afters tomorrow.

thursday's thoughts

• i have been labeling all of my posts. i actually started working on it months ago but it takes so stinking long to go back over almost 500 posts and label them. i'm getting close though. sort of.
• john has had music camp this week. he has over 110 kids signed up and this is the first year for our church. this is one of his favorite things out of the whole year. i can't wait for the performance tomorrow night.
• this weekend we are "shaving" the bearded tree. while other landscaping projects will have to wait until the fall, this needs to be done STAT. i'm really hoping that the tree bark is not damaged.

• we have been watching mad men on netflix. we have really enjoyed this show, not because of the amazing story lines or crazy excitement (like lost) but because of how the show takes place in the 1950s and how the lifestyle was then and how they treated women. it's so interesting.
• i'm thinking that i need to start a cleaning schedule. working full time and then trying to get it all done on the weekends just isn't cutting it anymore. i hate spending a whole day on sunday trying to clean and not even getting it done. i'm thinking a little bit each night.
• last night i was doing a little yard work in the backyard. nothing major but i was out there for about an hour. i put on bug spray like normal. we have monster-sized mosquitos down here. the normal bug spray wasn't working so i had to cover myself in our africa bugspray...100% deet. i felt like i was poisoning myself but it worked.

do any of you have a cleaning schedule that you like? what works best for you?

Thursday's Thoughts

*Last week was a HUGE event for me at work. It's over and it was a success. Yay!

*This week is VBS and it is during the evening so I am able to be a part. Love it! We are having a blast. I'm in the entering kindergarten class and oh my word! We have 35 kids and they are SO PRECIOUS and so CRAZY!!!

*I've been singing VBS songs all week.

*One week ago today I turned 27. It was the last day of our huge conference at work and I was completely zonked when I got home. John was SO sweet and gave me flowers, a gift certificate for an 80 minute massage and a necklace I've been loving.

*So I think I mentioned this a few posts ago, but we had a plumbing issue about 4 days after we bought the house. Sunday night our oven stopped working. Well, it took 2 hours to reach 200 degrees. They say things come in 3's so I'm sort of dreading what may be coming next. PTL for our warranty though!

*I want the new iPhone 4. I said I didn't but I just saw a video and I want it. Really bad. And I want everyone in my family to have one so we can face to face.

*I am SO ready to host something in our new house. Like dying. But it still looks like poop. I mean the walls are super pretty now that we've repainted them, but there isn't anything hanging, our floors are about to be ripped up and we are getting new furniture in the next month or so. So what's the point right? But I'm ready to host my little heart out as soon as it's all done!

*That's all I've got now. Happy almost Friday!

New House Resolutions

Because we are less than a week from CLOSING ON OUR HOUSE I thought I would share with you my New House Resolutions. These are goals that I have for us as homeowners. I have already shared them with John and he didn't disagree with me...too much.

1. Always make the bed. Everyday. Not even coming close to doing this now and I hate it. I figure if I am a homeowner I can at least make my bed.

2. Keep the weekly menu on the chalkboard. The chalkboard that I do not currently own but have always wanted in the breakfast nook. Any tips on where to find one/make one would be greatly appreciated.

3. Always have fresh flowers in the house. My goal is to have at least a bud vase with a fresh flower. I can at least do that when we are trying to watch the budget.

4. Eat outside in the backyard at least 3 times a month. I would like to say 4 (going for once a week) but figure saying 3 times a month is more manageable.

5. Only eat dinner in the family room 1 time a week. We are HORRIBLE about always eating our meals on the couch in front of the tv. I would love to change this in our new home. Plus we will have the breakfast nook and won't feel weird about eating in the dining room (the way it has been in the apartment and duplex.)

6. Complete at least 1 house project a week. We have SO MANY things we want to do to the house. We have created a spreadsheet on Google docs that we share and can add things to it. We have it broken down to priority, cost, where to buy, etc. There is a large range of things to do and I would like to do at least 1 thing a week. I might be too ambitious on this one.

7. Have a plan for the landscape project complete by the end of the summer...August 31 and have it completed by October 31.

8. Host at least 4 backyard bashes this summer.

9. Have dinner guests once a month. If we have out of town guests that month, it counts as our dinner guests.

Let's just stick with 9. 10 is too cliche mkay?

thursday's thoughts

1. We are going to look at our house again today! Our realtor set up a time for us to go by again without the sellers being there so we can take lots of pictures, measurements, and dream. Keep your fingers crossed that there are beautiful perfect hardwood floors under the carpet!

2. My mom is coming in 2 weeks to help me pack. I can't believe I have to start packing again. And so soon. But I am beyond excited!

3. The weekend my mom is coming just happens to be mother's day. Do you think she will mind if my gift to her is the privilege to help me pack? I kid. :)

4. My mother-in-law is coming in town this weekend. Although she won't be able to see the inside of the house, we can't wait to drive by to show it to her.

5. We are still trying to teach our soccer team that they are in fact a team. And not to steal the ball from each other. During games. They are precious little kindergarteners and just get so excited.

6. We close on our house in less than a month and move 1 MONTH FROM TODAY!

7. 1 year ago yesterday John met the pastor of our church for the first time. Crazy that our journey to Victoria started a year ago!

8. I'm dreaming all things house all the time. Paint colors, furniture, bedding (I want new bedding for the master and we also have another guest room to create), flooring, landscaping, DOGS! I CANNOT wait to get a dog! I have waited for SO LONG and John always said that when we have a house and a backyard we can get a dog.

9. When is it acceptable to stop cleaning until we move? 1 week, 2, 5 weeks? ;)

10. Question time: Where are good places to find, door knobs, cabinet hardware and outdoor furniture without breaking the bank?

thursday's thoughts

*first of all, tomorrow is FRIDAY! Can I get an AMEN?

*second of all, Happy Tax Day!

*I'm planning on going by Starbucks with my travel mug to get a free cup of joe and our local Chick-fil-A is giving out free chicken sandwiches if you got their text. Free lunch Thursday!

*We have our inspection this afternoon! And we close on our house a week from Saturday!

*Tuesday John and I drove by on our lunch break and saw the SOLD sign had been put up. So amazing!



*I made the most incredible salad on Monday night. I'm still thinking about it.

*We have been doing so much "research" on paint colors, furniture, decorating, etc. I say research lightly because it is actually a lot of fun. I think we have decided on a paint color for the "great room" which includes the kitchen, family room, dining room and formal living room. Not 100% sure.

*I am really looking forward to this weekend. Friday night we are going to a gala for an incredible organization here, Saturday we have our second soccer game and a baby dedication and then the plan is to head to Home Depot to look at paint, light fixtures, shutters, flooring, etc., do a little furniture shopping. Can't wait!

list

-John and I are coaching a kindergarden soccer team. We've had 3 practices and our first game is Saturday. It is so much fun and I think we are actually doing a pretty good job! Our team name is the Fighting Irish!

-Last night I made 3 desserts. Mississippi Mud Cake, Pecan Praline Bundt Cake and Lemon Bars. No, I'm not pregnant. I will, however post the recipes soon.

-Dreyer's Coconut Bars are my current favorite sweet treat. Amazing and only 2 points!

-I clearly wasn't using my brain when I made out our weekly menu this week and went grocery shopping on Saturday. We have had something literally every night this week which means no cooking. But that just means I won't have to shop too much for next week!

-I feel like our lives are not slowing down at all. I thought they were but they are actually speeding up. And I have a feeling the next several weeks are going to be insane.

I'm Baaaack!

It's been a good little break from blogging. I've missed it but it's been good.

The past couple of weeks have been crazy! I didn't really have a time in mind on when I would make my "big comeback!" ha! Just when it felt right.

Like I said, the past couple of weeks have been CRAZY!

Brief (and I mean brief) recap of what has been going on...

*we hosted a group of 11th and 12th grade boys at our house for RAD Weekend (our church's D-Now)

*our house was toilet papered for the first time (see above) :)

*John and I are smack dab in the middle of HOUSE HUNTING! Let's just say this is a stressful, exciting emotional roller coaster and those of you who have been there know EXACTLY what I am talking about.

*I went to Houston for a baby shower and got to see some sweet friends and my momma! (more on that to come)

*John and I are currently house sitting out in the country. It's sort of like a vacation but we still have to work and I am still going home for lunch each day and doing laundry at home. It's a good change of scenery and we get to play with a super adorable pup in the process.

*Falling in love with a new (to me) iPhone app. And no, I'm not talking about Words with Friends.

I'll do more posts on the above activities later this week but it feels good to be back!

brief hiatus

i'm having blogger block.

every night i sit down to post and they come out pretty dull and boring. not that i am usually the most exciting blogger, but i try.

so i'm going to take the pressure off of myself and say that i'll be back later.

there is so much going on with life right now that when i get home in the evenings i just want to relax and not do anything.

except spend time with my hubby and play words with friends.

so i'll be back. in the meantime, you can play with me. my words with friends name is LindsayWoods.

ps: yes, if you read lindsay's kitchen you will see a similar post there.

pss: no, i am not pregnant. that's not the exciting thing going on in my life right now and that's not why i have no energy when i get home at night. just clearing the air and avoiding any rumors. :)

hello spring!

"Finally some warm weather" were my exact words (I think...maybe not exact) to my husband this morning while we were watching the local weather.

When we moved to South Texas 7 months ago I was really thinking we would be enjoying a relatively warm winter.

At first the thought of not having a winter was sort of sad. But then I realized that it would be nice to not have to deal with the bitter cold. And by bitter cold I mean bitter cold for Texas.

But hello, we've had a cold winter! A "normal" winter in my opinion. We've even had snow.

Not what I was expecting for my first South Texas winter.

This week our highs are in the upper 60s. Even low 70s one day.

I am so excited.

Makes me want to go get a mani/pedi with a pretty pink color and break out my sandals.

I have more really fun things to share with you but I'll wait until a little later.