gracie the dog

the cooolest thing that has happened to me in a long time, happened on friday. i was at my friend's house and her lab, Gracie was pregnant. we were pretty sure that her water had broken because, well, there was water....  so we set the dog up in the garage and just waited. we came in to check on her and my friend shouted THERE IS A PUPPY! well, there WAS a puppy halfway out just staying there. so i bent down and pulled lightly on the puppy and DELIVERED HIM and the placenta. no joke. for real. it was SO COOL! about two and a half hours later the second one came and then 6 more! the last one was WHITE! all of them black and then this one little white puppy. i missed all of the other puppies because i had to go. but i will never forget that first little puppy. i felt like billy crystal on city slickers when he delivers the calf!

when i came back the next day, this is what i saw!

so i grabbed my camera...

and she covered her babies!! how sweet!

what is up??

i am pretty sure that crunch is addicted to the DS and the star wars game.

i realized that my bible had remained in the car since church last week. it won't get read that way. so i picked it up and read it. a little psalms to calm the spirit.

and

i discovered two adorable boys sitting quietly in the bath looking scrumptious!

i realize that i need to get the camera out more!

disclaimer: I AM NOT TIPMAMA

ok....I am not "tipmama". SHE is a real person but not ME. OK. ALSO, let me tell you that i am not doing her diet because i can't and don't diet. i have taken ideas from her diet to help me come up with better choices. everything in moderation! right? tipmama is a work out queen also, and she looks the part. i asked her if she would have any tips for my junkies and so that is how tipmama came to be.

is tipmama hungry? PG

this is why i am not trying her super diet!

e-mail from tipmama:

just had a 5 egg white omelet with celery, red pepper, a little cheese and ezekiel toast. i don't really love eggs. blah. last night i dreamt i made love to a frosted mini wheat. he wasn't so mini...

tipmama #3 HELL WEEK

this is for those junkies who are not skeered to try Hell Week~!

got something to get ready for? i do...so this week for 7 days only i am going to do my tried and true method of getting leaner fast. its hard but it is usually something i only do for one or two weeks. want to try it with me? last year i lost 10 pounds of fat (6% of my total body fat) in 2 weeks. i don't plan on it working quite the same since that time i cut almost all carbs out of my diet. very hard and i would dream about big pieces of cereal. so, this time im going to add in my good carbs and leave out the simple ones. Heres what i do:


Total H2O intake is 120 ounces a day

Total caloric intake is 1200 a day split up like this:



Breakfast: 300 calories ie: steel cut oatmeal, almonds, natural peanut butter (no sugar added) on whole wheat toast, egg whites, whole grain cereal, greek yogurt etc...just remember salt is not our friend so limit the sodium. don't freak out about the fat in the nuts...we are concentrating on the calories. We NEED good fat so our bodies will stay full and satisfied.



Snack (around 10am) 200 calories ie: cottage cheese, peanut butter toast, protien bar, protein shake, hummus with vegetables, almonds, turkey, greek yogurt...



lunch 200 cal. you can do any whole grain bread and sandwich meat with veggies etc... or a salad with a low fat/low cal dressing. just make sure you have some protein with it. you really need protein for every little meal.



snack mid afternoon 200 i usually have 1/2 of my protein bar and 1/2 apple so i can have some fruit.



dinner 200 lean meat, veggies and option of complex carb (brown rice, sweet potato, etc...



after dinner snack 100

i just keep a little sheet in my kitchen and write down what i eat. you can find a good calorie counter anywhere on the internet. i copied one from the Atkins diet but i think the ipad even has an app for calories in foods. and no, you cannot eat 1200 calories worth of twinkles and chocolate. clean out the junk and concentrate on lean meats, veggies, and whole grains.



best tip: gum. i know it has artificial sweeteners but i have to stick a piece in my mouth after i eat as my desert. it gets me through. all 19 flavors i go out and buy when i start this. they even have chocolate gum!!!!!
 
from your friendly tipmama!

the worst trick ever played.

this is a story about a "friend of mine" who played a NASTY trick (she admits the sinister nastiness of it) on her husband. she had always asked her hubbie if he wanted to just try a droplet of her breast milk. "UGGGGGHHHHHTTTHHPPP" he would say! well, she did not understand why he would not try it because his own precious baby drank it daily! and even she, herself, had tried the sweet milk. it sort of hurt her feelings. WELL, seven months pass and she was still plugging away but at this stage she was pumping her breast milk into little bags to save for the baby after she returned from work.
one faithful evening, she showed up after a late day at work and her hub was resting comfortably on the couch. as she passed him with the baby on one hip and the breast pump on her shoulder, he said in a sort of baby voice "will you bwing me a bwownie and some milk? pwease?".  "SURE", she said, (i'm not doing anything else?!). then the light bulb went off. bing! she fixed his brownie and poured a glass of milk and then dumped about three oz. of breast milk in it. stirred it up and served it up. she found great joy in watching her husband drink the milk, eat the brownie, lick his fingers and say ahhhhhhh.
the woman, out of fear of the tantrum it might cause, waited four days to tell her husband. he survived.
moral: when your hormonal wife asks you to just try a droplet of breast milk, DO IT! it is better than three oz.!
this "friend of mine" does not suggest this trick. use it with caution!

tipmama's tip #2

Good SAturday morning to you!  my tip for a yummy alternative to IHOP?    Krusteaz Multi Grain pancake mix (Costco has it).  it is made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats, flax seeds, barley etc...and it does have some sugar but on the whole it is a great alternative to frozen or white grain pancake.  it is really good too.  (and very easy, just add water and an egg).  instead of using syrup (yuck) put honey or agave on the table.  i swear the kids just want the sweetness so they might not even notice. 

tipmama's tip #1

tip of the day:




remember to drink one gallon (128 oz) of water each day. get a big water bottle to keep by you during the day. yes, you will have to tee tee a million times but its flushing all of the fat out of your body. the first few days it will seem like a lot but by the third day you will be wanting the water every few minutes. the body really acclimates to it quite fast. and no, to answer the question that might be coming: you cant substitute! the artificial sweeteners in those diet drinks like crystal light and sodas can actually cause you to GAIN weight! more on "safe" sweeteners later.....ooohhhh exciting!

tipmama

ok, my friend is going to be known as "tipmama". she is miss healthnut and great with different foods and health tips for me. i figured, every good blog has recipes and tips. i am using tipmama to do that. oh, and she is GORGEOUS, a wife and a mom of three, and has the whitest, healthiest skin i have ever seen. she is my crazy friend that i can tell ANYTHING to and she never gets grossed out or mad at me. she is a dear friend and i will love her forever! so, watch out for some tips coming up!

an unfortunate event

yesterday, while the girls were practicing for their thriller dance, i thought i had a pretty good tip. "girls," i said, "when you JUMP on this part you have to JUMP high and make it look scary!" so i showed them like three or four times. with bess quietly protesting, "mom, stop, that looks weird. really, stop." then i looked over at her and she mouthed the words to me, "you can see your bald spot."  i was SO EMBARRASSED and i realized that i had embarrassed HER. my little girl, while trying to protect me, was also embarrassed of me. it was a heartbreaking moment and i just wanted to disappear.
i felt so sad about what happened yesterday this morning and the fact that my hair does not seem to be re-growing. so i just protested to God "why Lord, do i have this problem?" then i said the dumbest thing "i promise i will be good and spend more time with you if you do this for me." i knew when i said it, how dumb it was to say. God does not work that way and i know it. i was reminded by bert later on the phone that i have to praise the Lord even in times like these. HE KNOWS ME. HE LOVES ME. HE IS IN CONTROL. "the lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being." prov. 20:27
i know that the Lord cares about my pain and feels it with me. there will be glory for Him in this. i will glorify the Lord EVEN if i do not like what is happening.
"but I call to God, and the Lord saves me. evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice." psalm 55:16-17
PRAISE BE TO GOD!

mustache

i saw a love bug today while on my walk. it reminded me of the time that i drove to the beach during love bug mating season. they were EVERYWHERE. they were so bad that i had to use my windshield wipers. when we got to the beach the front bumper of my car looked like a mustache. and i don't like mustaches.

family of four kids and two dogs

this was a fun painting!

so NOT funny

i NEEEEEDED to exercise the other day but did not have time before the kids got home to go on a walk. what can i do here???? hmmmm. yoga? na. dancing around the house? not in the mood. WHAT ABOUT THE TRAMPOLINE?!!!!!! so, i start jumping realizing that all the school children are on the playground behind my house, i did not worry....THEY don't care if i look ridiculous. so, i kept jumping. oh and i was jumping hard and sweating in the february sun. when suddenly a VERY LOUD coach from the school yells "GO MRS. LIZ!!!!!" across all the kids. some of them turned and laughed at me. you've got one coming to you coach d. ohhhh, sleep with one eye open!

thriller

peanut is in a little dance group for this year's elementary school talent show. i was in charge of the costumes and hair. they had their audition on thursday. here is what they looked like. PS i do not like zombies! but, for the sake of the arts, dance, and the "king of pop" i am letting it slide!

she didn't say hey!

living in the south. oh, it is a dream. everyone is nice and speaks to one another, waves at their neighbors and gets married promptly after college. we also ALWAYS look nice, don't act ugly to one another, and never leave home without our lipstick on. we consider the lady that helped our mamas raise us "a part of the family" (it is true). we are all republicans but certainly do not like "career politicians". we still adhere to all the fashion "rules" like no white after labor day. one is considered a "good mama" if they can juggle the junior league and four children. oh, and four is the new three. we DO wear hairspray and have eyeliner tattooed on. we go for walks in our pearls and would rather die than to not be wearing a sports bra. we preface all gossip "y'all bless her heart but.........and.........bless her, i would say this EVEN if she were sittin right here". we sometimes (god forbid) use prayer requests at bible study AS GOSSIP! we become highly offended when others do not notice and dote over our new baby. we cry during "my home's in alabama" and Dixieland". while on a power walk, if we see another person walking, we will shout right over our i-pods "hey" and become highly offended if they do not say "hey" back. while shopping, we MUST be spoken to by the salesperson. we then learn their name and consider them our personal best friend. ooh, we become best friends with at least one gay person and it usually is our hair dresser. oh, and the hairdresser and the salesperson talk about us when we leave. we can talk about God wherever we are and it is ok. for example: the lady at the checkout at the grocery store...me-"my what a great day we are having, how are you today? check out lady- oh, i'm blessed and you? me- "so blessed, God is so good isn't He?" check out lady- "mmmm mmm m yes he is ooh! that will be eighty-five dollars honey"... i just love the south. good and bad. we ARE the sweetest people in the country.

valentines day

bert is an excellent cook and made rosemary chicken for the family last night for valentines day. it was delicious and the kids loved it.  some might say that v-day is WAY over-rated. for those that might not have a "valentine", it disappoints. and for those that HAVE one, it sometimes can also disappoint. example: while i am thinking that a piece of jewelry might me nice, bert is thinking that he is going to come home to pamela anderson in her sunday best. neither of which happen and...voila!...disappointment. valentines for me NOW is all about getting those boxes of spiderman cards ready for a class party and making sure that the kids have a little goody waiting for them when they wake up.
for the first two years of brett's and my relationship, he, without realizing it, took me to BURGER KING for valentines day. disappointment. but, one valentines day bert gave me his fraternity "drop". sigma nu letters and a ruby on the top (my birthstone). so sweet! this was like an engagement to be engaged. a really good valentines day. no disappointment there. once or twice i had flowers sent to bert at his office. terrible idea. he was embarrassed! disappointment again. i guess what i am saying is let us not wait for valentines day to enjoy each other. like bert says, "valentines day is a hallmark holiday". for those without a valentine, your day will come to donate to the hallmark corporation, become disappointed in the day itself, and then write your own blog entry.
as far as this year's valentines day goes, my husband was sweet like he always is, got me a precious card (see photo), and told me that he loves how we work as a team together. music to my ears. romantic? maybe...sweet? of course! but was the day THAT different than normal? no. and that is good and simply not disappointing.

bert has taken peanut out on dates for several valentines days

my card from bert. i was impressed with his artsiness!

new (to me) coffee table

i found a coffee table at Goodwill and i am super pumped. after sanding and painting it i will love it even more. any suggestions on color? i am thinking so dark brown it's almost black. i also got these ottoman/stools at southeastern salvage. they were not UBER cheap but not expensive either. it is SO HARD for me to buy full price but i did it. i switched my rooms. these two chairs were in the tv room but were so monstrous it was overwhelming. remember that i scored these at the salv arm for $80 each. booya!

owl for a baby boy's room

an unfortunate bird

there are holes in this wood that i used for this particular owl. but just look at her face.....did you look? she is HORRIFIED at where one of the holes hit. poor girl. a wardrobe malfunction. she should have thought about going out of the nest without her skivvies!
ps. this was unintentional on my part!

what in the sam hill have i been doing?

watching butter play basketball.
drying his tears when he lost.
kids started back to school.
painted NOTHING. (in january)
enjoyed the "no painting" break.
went on a couple of dates with my husband.
felt like i was going crazy in the cold
we had ice and snow.
learned that i like "dry riesling"
grew my hair out.
cut my hair off.
went to bible study.
went to counseling.
found three pairs of "paige" jeans at the thrift store that fit me!
prayed for two friends who's babies were sick.
praised God when they came home from the hospital.
learned that i have a GREAT husband. even more so than usual.
cleaned out my studio.
finished 46 small paintings.
sent art to a show in carolina.
painting to catch up.
had writer's block for my blog.
found a thrift store coffee table.
raided southeastern salvage.
planted NO flowers.
found mcCarty pottery at the thrift store! three pieces!
haven't called people back.
had a cavity filled.
pulled a little girl's tooth out at church.
got a new pair of glasses! totally artsy.
lost it with my kids.
asked forgiveness from my kids.
fretted over my weight gain.
taken NO pictures for fun.
plan on taking some soon.
got a blackberry
went to tim and kim hudson's honky tonk weekend in atlanta and had a blast!
cried with friends
laughed with friends
cleaned up rebel the dog's pee and poop.
rejoiced at the end of JANUARY. my least favorite month.
welcome FEBRUARY!!! you are spelled so weird but you are MUCH better than the dark days of january!

as clean as my studio can get.

worked on finishing a painting (in february)

watched butter playing basketball