Just Me!!

It probably doesn't take much to see what's wrong with most of my pics. Nom Nom is even glaring at my Mac and Cheese side dish! Cut me some slack, I went to five markets, took Valerie to the dentist, picked up my prescriptions, made 6 recipes from my new Nom Nom Paleo book, and had all the kids to bed on time (everyone was in bed by 8p) with some extra energy left for Mark. Success. Valerie and I weighed in together and wrote our starting weight out so that she can see her progress. Tomorrow I will have to ask her what her first small goal is, hoping that will give her something to aim towards. The fridge is clean and the shelves are fresh minus a few non Paleo finds for the kids! All my recipes have been excellent so far. Made: Magic Mushroom Powder (spices) Walnuts Tuna recipe Green Chicken Kombucha Eggs----turned out yummy inside but difficult to peel! Leaving the eggs up to Mark;)

Valerie is artistically talented. I didn't give her that gene, her dad did. I get to sit back, relax, and be amazed at all her drawings. I love what she can do. Her interest over the years has dictated her drawings. They've ranged from dinosaurs, to dragons, to anime characters, to mythical creatures to her latest craze, Marvel's The Avengers. She made an incredible drawing last night of all the Avengers characters. Wish I had at least a quarter of her talent.

I need to reinvent myself! Life can change in a small amount of time. People can change! Life can catch you by surprise at any minute. I hope it does me! I was excited to finally meet Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo tonight. I've been a reader of her blog since earlier on, and we shared nearly the same schedule (opposite jobs/hospitals) when I worked night shift. I love her enthusiasm, her cute pictures of her animated self, her relaxed attitude with cooking, and all the yummy pictures Henry, her hubby, takes. With my blog I've always loved comments, readers, and followers especially when I lived in Arkansas. I can share myself here. It is safe for me. I can JUST be ME (all my spelling flaws, run on sentences, and odd descriptions). Her blog reminds me of the same. Reinvention takes work. I am afraid to fail, afraid that I don't have the strength, and afraid of succeeding and then digressing. I am grateful to have Michelle's book, and her story, to inspire me! So common A...

We are still in December. I hope to leave December soon but I wanted to remember some important performances. Ethan's first concert with Mrs Sutter went really well. He was up front and sang strongly. I love that Ethan chose to forgo his other electives for choir. Now that Mrs Sutter is back from maternity leave, I'm sure she'll enjoy his sweet presence in her classroom. Valerie is hoping to get into the elite choir next year and is always praised, by a girl in the elite choir, saying that she sings with passion and grace. Her choir had a concert we all found it very enjoyable. They even sang, "Baby it's Cold Outside." Love that song!!! Got me right into the holiday spirit! For fun I included a video of when Valerie was 7! Charlie performed Mr. Grinch during December at the Victorian Country Christmas. She was adorable in her tights, outfit, and bun!

I don't think I have to say much because the pictures clearly say what we did the rest of the time. We loved the Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls. It was a nice retreat. We didn't get to do everything we wanted to do but our days were pretty full of lots of relaxing. We spent time swimming, geocaching, attending planned events on the ranch (birds of pray show, painting, and beading) and taking lots of pictures. Because the Ranch is owned by Holiday Inn it was kids eat free with an adult meal. Great food too!