Thursday, December 17, 2009

I'm Back?

Well, its been far too long since my last post. So many things have happened....mostly good stuff.

We sold a house and moved into a new one. Fantastic blessing! It is actually the house my father grew up in. I have such wonderful memories of family gatherings in it, and now we can add more and more memories and stories. Its a great house to entertain, and we have already put it to use a few times.

My holiday shopping is almost complete. Just a few odds and ends left. I've almost completed my Christmas Cards and geared up for some a baking extraveganza Friday evening. I wasn't going to share my Christmas photo until after my cards are sent, but not many people read this blog anyway and its just such a cute pick...I'll go ahead and share!



So, hopefully come the New Year, I'll start blogging more. Life just needs to slow down a bit!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Always keep searching...

Today I was on a mission for a few times at our local Wal-mart. I really, really don't enjoy going there, but it was a necessity. One item in particular, I new could possibly be difficult to find.

Mason Jars.


I only needed a couple but figured the Mob...I mean Wal-mart would make me buy a pack of 12.

I searched through the container isle. Nope.

I walked down the dishes isle. Huh-uh.

I almost gave up before going down the pots-and-pans isle, but figured what do I have to lose.

Just in case you are ever looking for Mason Jars at our local Ponca City, America Wal-mart, look between the Crock-Pots and Curling Irons.


Seriously.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Encouragement

Today, a customer/friend stopped by my office and handed me a bookmark that she had made for me. No long conversation. All she said was, "I made this for you." Its a simple bookmark with a prayer printed on it that has been laminated. I taped it to my monitor at work as a constant reminder as to what my focus should be.....

Help Us, Lord Jesus
(Author Unknown but it may have been my customer/friend who wrote it...)

Help us to make you known in our lives, Lord Jesus. When people see us and know us let them see You in us.

Help us to understand who You are. Help us to know You personally and intimately in our individual lives.

Help us to walk daily with You. Help us to repent when we fall. Help us to give abundant thanks when you forgive and pick us up, again and again.

In the name of our Lord and Savior, You, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen and Amen.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Life Change Chronicles Continue...

Well, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot update the Chronicles daily....I have a life people. I know my faithful readers (all 2 of them) (who NEVER comment on the awesomesness...sadness and tears) have been dying for more....so here is an update.

I'm down 13 lbs. Woo hoo! This past weekend was rough - I ate a whole lotta yumminess that was full of badness, but still lost weight. It will probably catch up to me later in the week.

Hubby and I have decided to give each other an insentive to lose weight...so once a week, we weigh in and get paid. Cash. Moola. Green Stuff (not to be confused with "Green" Stuff). We get paid $1/pound, but also have to give back $1/pound for any weight gain. Since Hubby has lost over 30 pounds, I agreed to retroactive the payday. I'm such a reasonable gal!

So our dinners for the week are consisting of fish or chicken, veggies, and brown rice. Last night I cooked up some tilapia fillets in our Turbo Cooker (yes, the as seen on TV cooker). The only thing I've cooked in it so far is fish. We also own the Onion Chopper and think it is one of the best inventions ever.

We are both trying to work out twice a day, totaling 1 hour. I'm feeling the workout today especially in my ab area. Doing pretend hula hoops for 10 minutes really works over the abs!

I need to blog a little more about other family happenings - like the kiddos birthdays, family reunion, my amazing new hair do, and the spring "blizzard" for 2009.

So, until next time...peace out.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Life Change Chronicles - Back on Track

Day 4ish....not including the weekend of indulgence.

So, I didn't gain the 5 lbs I predicted...only gained 2 lbs. I'm sick of cake and am totally craving a big salad with grilled chicken. I think that is a good thing, right?

So, same ol' same ol' this morning....

Worked out on the Wii Fit for 3o minutes. Hopefully, I can work out an additional 30 minutes tonight after dinner...or possibly while dinner is cooking. That would be extra awesome if I could do that. Talk about some major multi-tasking!

Breakfast consisted of the ever popular "Green" Stuff. It was actually almost a shade of green this time. I don't know what I did differently though.

Lunch will be a Lean Cuisine meal and probably some apple sauce.

Snack - Luna bar. They are pretty yummy.

Dinner will be baked chicken, brown rice, and veggies.

I just gotta get more water in my system. That's a big weakness of mine...well...that and my love for all things sweet.

I'm not giving up in my quest to be America's Next Top Model!!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Life Change Chronicles - Day 3

I didn't work out this morning. Instead I cooked some yummy, fat filled crescent roll thingies for work. We are celebrating one of my co-workers birthday's today.

I did weigh though - and I'm down 0.7 lbs. WOO HOO!

Height - same as far as I know...man that would stink if you woke up one morning and was considerably shorter than the previous day.

Food - this weekend is going to be rough. We are celebrating Shelby's birthday tonight (she turns 14 today! Happy Birthday Shelby Girl!), celebrating Michael's mom's birthday tomorrow (unless the Blizzard that is heading our way cancels the party) and celebrating Austin and Shelby's birthday with my family on Sunday....that's a lot of cake....

And as for my eats of the day....
Breakfast - snacked on a bit of everything at work...no "Green" stuff today. I will regret this fact.
Lunch - may skip it since I snacked throughout the morning (aka ate a lot this morning).

Snack - probably won't be one.

Dinner - Pizza (this isn't going to be an easy day!)

Snack - Bday cake

Prediction - gaining 5 lbs over the course of the weekend....

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Life Change Chronicles - Day 2

I'm tired and a smidgen cranky and my hubby will read this and say, "I told ya so..."

Weight - no change (yeah!)
Height - 5"4' (or is it 5'4"....I always get those confused but the second one is looking right...oh well)
Workout - 30 minutes of Wii Fit in the AM consisting of jogging, hula hooping, and stepping.

(actually it was 32 minutes but I didn't want to sound like I was bragging or something)

Breakfast - "Green" Stuff (again, still not actually green)

Lunch - Lean Cuisine Pita Sandwich w/ a few chips and unsweetened apple sause...Plus a glass of water....I even drank the whole thing. Yeah me.

Snack - Granola Bar

Dinner - Fahitas that my awesome hubby prepared. Oh so good!!

Dessert - Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich and some chocolate stuff (shouldn't have had it all)

Clothes - Lavender (AKA Signature color) bank shirt that is fitting a little looser these days and black pants that feel comfy too.

Good times, people. Good times...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A New Idea - The Life Change Chronicles

Well, I haven't been blogging much, and honestly, I think it is all due to my month of blogging in November. I totally got burned out. I've been trying to think of ways to stay motivated in keeping up with a journal about our family's life in Ponca City America, but its difficult sometimes.

Currently, hubster and I have gotten into a small health kick - well - my kick is a bit smaller than his. I am so proud of that man. He is a working out machine!!! Last night I came up with the idea that I should blog about our adventure of weight loss...talk about some accountability!!! Anyway, so today starts my first day of chronicling my life change adventure.....

(I know you are probably having heart palpitations from the excitement of it all)

So, lets start at the beginning of the day....that's always a good way to start.

6:15 AM (OUCH) - dreaded alarm goes off

6:45 AM - after two snooze hits, I finally drag out of bed

7:00 AM - weigh on the Wii Fit...lost approx 2 lbs...sweetness!!! (now remember, you don't know that I had gained 1.5 lbs the day before...we are just happy about the loss)

7:05 AM - workout on the Wii Fit (I know I know - doesn't sound all that like exercise when you are playing a video game, but don't knock it til you try it!!)

7:40ish AM - get ready to face the world with a bright smile and warm heart. (ya, I just threw up a little from that statement too)

Breakfast - "Green" stuff - basically it is a fruit smoothie with some extra healthy stuff

Lunch - "The" Salad from Daily Grind...probably not the best thing to eat since it has melted cheese, but it also has a TON of veggies so I think they even each other out.

Snack - Big Pink Cookie from Daily Grind that I SOOOOOOO shouldn't have eaten...but at least I'm keeping it real with my journal.

Dinner - White Chili with lots of veggies and ground turkey. Very yummy and good for me too!

Snack - No idea yet, but I'm sure I'll want some sort of snack after church tonight.

Now if I could just drink more water....

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A Case of Randomness

I received this "survey" on my facebook page, but figured I could post it here too!!

Basically - just list 25 random facts about yourself. So, here it goes...

1. This is my 3rd time at typing this out. My first two attempts were eaten by the Internet monsters. I’m still a little peeved about it too.

2. It took two failed attempts at this task to make me realize that I should type it in Word first.

3. I was really funny in my first two attempts.

4. Hopefully, I will be funny in this try as well.

5. I have a lot of nicknames. Michael calls me Julz or Julinator, Vic calls me JuJu, Mom calls me The Jewel, Suzy, or Suzy Q (I don’t know why), my dad called me Tootette, and my loving brother calls me by the ever affectionate term of Butthead.

6. I have played a few different instruments in my life including the recorder (haha), piano, cello, flute, and piccolo.

7. I’ve held 3 different job positions during my 7 ½ years at the bank.

8. I love my kids. Even though they may not be my blood, they are still 100% my children, and I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

9. I can pretty much always see the “other side” to an argument. I may not agree with the other side, but I normally see it and will explain why that person may be feeling a certain way.

10. I also question things a lot. I want the facts so I can form my own opinion. I think this comes from having a history of attorneys in the family.

11. By getting married, I have learned that not everyone wants to hear the “other side” and sometimes just want to be heard. This is difficult for me. I want to fix the situation.

12. My favorite color is red but I look best in lavender. I call it my signature color since I always get compliments when I wear it. A lavender day is always a good day!

13. If I can’t sleep, I count. I don’t count sheep because I start visualize them jumping over a fence and that gets me dizzy…so I just count. I know this sounds weird/funny, but it works!

14. In high school, I traveled a lot…it just wasn’t ever with my family. Between band, chorale, and other touring groups, I was able to visit most of the South Eastern states, along with Texas, Illinois, England, and Wales.

15. I’m the loud one.

16. I love card making and hope to one day be a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator…anyone want to have a party??

17. I wish everyone could just get along. Why is there always backstabbing, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings? I always want to fix these situations.

18. My spiritual gift is exhortation. Definition: Language intended to incite and encourage; advice; counsel; admonition. An earnest attempt at persuasion.

19. I can find enjoyment out of almost every type of music.

20. I once won a lip contest in the mall. You had to “kiss” a post-it note and people voted on the best pucker. I won some Origins bath salt scrub.

21. We have two dogs – Maddie and Panda. Panda tends to have accidents in the back area of the living room. We have gated that area off so they can’t get back there. For some reason, she hasn’t taken up peeing elsewhere yet. Dogs are strange.

22. One of my all-time favorite Bible verses is Phil 4:6-7. It gives me such peace.
(6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.)

23. In high school, my BFF Jenny and I started our own business called Memory Mats. Basically, we took picture mats and decorated them to show different high school events. We even made up our own logo for the business. Her father was our investor and our only clients were our mom’s. Even so, they were still really cute!

24. Michael and I planned our wedding around football season. Oct 15 was the perfect date – no home game for OU or OSU (which was also a plus for many of the guests). We contemplated showing the OU game during the reception, but it wasn’t starting until later in the evening (plus might have been a smidgen tacky….nah…my family would have loved it!)

25. I haven't had a haircut in over a year. I need one but can't decide on a style plus I feel like its almost a waist of money since it will just keep growing. (and Yes, I know this is dumb to think this way)

Friday, February 13, 2009

0.46

$0.46. That's the amount that was owed on my credit card. A credit card that I don't use.

(Dave Ramsey anyone?).

My McAfee antivirus is scheduled for automatic renewal, and I plum forgot that it was attached to this unused card. So, after a $15 late fee and a letter stating that they couldn't get in touch with me, I realized that maybe I should take a look at the account. I shell out the $50 balance and make a mental note to check on any finance charges that may appear after the payment (they always do!).

So today, I log into the account and my balance shows a whopping $0.46. I go to make an online payment and the stupid system won't let it go through for less than $1.00. Hmm...why would I pay more than I owe?? I'm not planning on using this card as a savings account, so I call the company....

After canceling my attempt at phone payment (that included a fee of $15!! -crazy person say what??), I quickly pressed '0' to speak with a live person. While twiddling my thumbs, I listened to some groovy elevator music for a good 5-10 minutes. All this time, I'm preparing my case, going back and forth on what route to go.....do I stay pleasant and ask nicely? Do I sound professional and commanding? Do I cry and tell them what an injustice this fee is?

After the eternity of hold time, I finally get a gal on the phone. We will call her Gladys. Ms. Gladys was very pleasant. YEAH! I got a nice one. So, I simply say, "Gladys, I think it is silly to mail you guys a $0.46 check. Can you help a girl out??" My BFF then quickly giggled and said, "No problem, we will credit your account." She even mentioned the fact that it would be silly to waist a perfectly good check on $0.46.

I 'heart' her.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

What's In a Name?

I think the name "Julie" sounds weird. I can say that because its mine. When I call someone named Julie, it sounds normal, but when talking about myself, it just sounds weird. If I had made it out of my mom's tummy a boy, I would have been named "Jay." I think Julie is so much more fitting (even if it sounds weird).



According to Think Baby Names, my name has a French origin and means "youthful." Oh so fitting, don't ya think? When I searched for the origin of "Jay," I found that it has a Latin origin meaning "jaybird" or "song bird." It could also come from another Latin word that means "happy." So either way, very fitting I would say. I'm totally going to start telling people they are happy as a jaybird now too.

Funny thing is my parents picked out the names only because they start with a "J." (In my opinion, the name Jay was a total cop-out). I doubt word origins were at the top of their priorities at the time. We are a family of "J" names. Actually, we are a family of "J.E" names. We have John Edward (aka Dad, Father, Daddy, Daddio), Jen Ellen (aka mom, momma, mother, mama mia), Jeff Edward (aka the brother, Beavis), and Julie Elizabeth (aka ME - totally rad chickadee).

Another fun tidbit for all you trivia fans is the fact that all of our initials spell my mom's first name (well, mom's doesn't anymore). Even when I got married, my initials didn't change - oh so fun and probably the #1 reason I knew Michael was the one for me.

(ok, I'm kidding on the last part....kinda...)

Names become so important. They become a part of who you are. People identify the name with your personality, with your character. How often do you hear someone say, "Oh, I can't name my child "Jillian" because I grew up with a girl named that?" (or some other reason) The name becomes the person.

So, hi, my name is Julie....I guess that makes me youthful at heart with a little bit a weird mixed in for good measure.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Bankers can party?

Saturday night, Michael and I attended my work Winter Party. We aren't trying to be politically correct (we used to have a Christmas Party). Last year, the date was moved to January, and since it seems extremely silly to call it a Christmas Party in January, it is now deemed a Winter Party.

The past two years I've been on the planning committee. Basically, my main job duty is getting the table decorations in order. I get a little particular on the details, but my fellow committee members are wonderful about not getting their feelings hurt when I tell them that you can't have bright red streamers at an "elegant" styled event. It just won't fly.

The evening begins with a short social time for people to chit-chat with co-workers and spouses and locate a table to sit at for the evening. We then enjoy a buffet dinner with some sort of yummy dessert to follow. After dinner, the bank executives have a short program which includes announcing the Employee of Year. (no, I didn't win....so sad). Once the program is wrapped up, everyone grabs their free steaks (I think we get 8 of them) and gets ready for the DJ and Cash give-away time. Normally, this is the one time each year when you will see me out dancing away with no fear of judgment for looking stupid. (I often dance silly and totally own that fact - I can do a mean Q-tip dance).

I even won some cash too!! Sweet! Too bad its already spent, but hopefully our Wi-Fi connection will be a bit better on our desktop now. (I totally feel a little ADD with this post...oh look a kitty...)



The evening was a great success. Michael even seemed to enjoy it - I think he just enjoys watching bankers try to dance.

Monday, January 5, 2009

PJ's, Ice Cream, and Lights

So, I know I've become a slacker, but I was on vacation and took it to heart by doing a whole lot of nuttin' (including updating my blog). Now that our house is back to normal, I guess I should get back in the grind of blogging.

Christmas was great this year. Among the Nephew's celebratory events included our 2nd Annual Light Watching Extravaganza. On the Saturday before Christmas (that would make it the 20th), the 4 of us dressed down in our PJ's (or pre-j's for some), stopped by Sonic for an ice cream involved beverage, and traveled around Ponca City America to look at lights.

We stopped by my mom's house so she could document the occasion for us. How awesome is her fireplace??? They just finished remodeling the house and it turned out beautiful.


So anyway, after looking at all the pretty lights, we drove back home. Michael and I decided to surprise the kids by seeing if they wanted to open their presents early. The kiddos quickly squealed with delight and said yes. We figured that since the kids were going to their mom's house on Christmas evening, they wouldn't have much time to enjoy their gifts...so why not just open them early!?! It seemed to go over well too and definitely made the week more relaxing.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas Season! Merry Christmas!! (a little late)