he seems innocent enough...
yummy!
why?
for those concerned for reb. i NEVER have just LET him eat a toy. if i see him, i grab it! the 2nd picture was just for effect. he had ALREADY eaten the head and arm off of "the joker".
Thursday, June 9, 2011
bad bad! NO! REBEL!
rebs has a problem. he eats toys and i can't seem to stop him or curb his appetite. when one has a house with two boys in it, there will be small figurines. he has eaten dinosaurs, ds game cartridges, once he chewed on a battery, i CAN'T believe he is still alive. other than the fact that he still poops and pees in the house, and he eats toys, he has taught MOSS THE DOG how to do the same. moss now has taken on reb's eating habits. there is some colorful poo in our backyard (and in my house) that HAD to hurt coming out. yikes! once i saw a lego face smack dab in the middle of a log. it was just looking at me like, "why?" and i could not even look into his eyes as i scooped.
Monday, June 6, 2011
my "hiatus"
crunch is great BUT if he is not on his medicine, he is not easy. butter is so sweet and constantly practicing soccer in our back yard. i think he will be a really good athlete. peanut just made a traveling soccer team and we are all pumped. dad is working hard as usual and trying to balance being a dad and an estimator. my laundry is taking over the house and i NEED a laundress!
REBEL is still awful!
spa seee ba!
spaseeba means "thank you" in russian! first of all, i want to tell you that pictures are on their way but i do not have any yet. i KNOW! so obnoxious!
i sat on the big plane that was taking us back to the states and LOST IT. i did not want to leave odessa. i did not want my experience on the mission trip to end. why was it so great you ask? my first answer is, "have you ever been on a mission trip??" my other answers i think i am going to put in "list" form because there are too many to put in paragraph form, and you might get bored.
Liz, why did you love your trip to odessa, ukraine?
1. it was the best experience of my life! (next to child birth and getting married!)
2. my husband was there to experience it with me!
3. we met amazing ukrainian people. interpreters, teachers, children, and street kids.
4. bert got to finish out a room in the street kid center. and have the best meal of his life from the street kid "mom" of the center.
5. OUR TEAM was amazing. our chemistry could not have been better.
6. we BONDED with precious children with autism and cerebral palsy.
7. we walked the kids down to the black sea which was a treat for them because it takes a team to get them there, and they had not seen the sea in about a year.
8. we ate at wonderful restaurants where we could decompress and talk all night.
9. we rode on public transportation where we were squished up next to everyone around us. this was not a favorite memory, but a memory none the less.
10. we toured an orphan halfway house for girls that was one of the NICEST places we had ever seen. we toured their strawberry garden, talked with the girls and had the best meal in ukraine. and two of our girls with us tried to "hypnotize" a chicken!!
11. we watched our special ed students work with the kids and were amazed by them. these kids CAN be taught. it just takes more than one teacher per room. ps. most kids were non verbal.
12. we watched more than one of our teammates cry from the emotions that odessa produces.
13. we played basketball and volleyball with some street kids.
14. we were touched by the love and care that the interpreters took to help us with the children in the orphanage.
15. we toured odessa and got to see the port and pier and climb some stairs very reminiscent of the stairs in "rocky"
16. i bought a painting in the little market across the street from our hotel. it was $10.00!!
17. i buddied up with one of the waiters at breakfast every morning and i miss him!
18. we stayed in a rickity old hotel that was so ukranian and PERFECT!
19. we had to brush our teeth with bottled water.
20. i experienced a "NO TOILET PAPER?" moment.
21.we learned that you are not to make eye contact with men or they would think that you were soliciting them. this was told to me AFTER i looked and smiled at TONS of people.
22. we had daily devotionals, and those times each morning were so precious.
23. and for the finale'.....one of out team members accepted Christ the last night of the trip and now comes to our church!
we had the time of our lives. the work was tough but with God all things are possible. we plan on returning next year.
i sat on the big plane that was taking us back to the states and LOST IT. i did not want to leave odessa. i did not want my experience on the mission trip to end. why was it so great you ask? my first answer is, "have you ever been on a mission trip??" my other answers i think i am going to put in "list" form because there are too many to put in paragraph form, and you might get bored.
Liz, why did you love your trip to odessa, ukraine?
1. it was the best experience of my life! (next to child birth and getting married!)
2. my husband was there to experience it with me!
3. we met amazing ukrainian people. interpreters, teachers, children, and street kids.
4. bert got to finish out a room in the street kid center. and have the best meal of his life from the street kid "mom" of the center.
5. OUR TEAM was amazing. our chemistry could not have been better.
6. we BONDED with precious children with autism and cerebral palsy.
7. we walked the kids down to the black sea which was a treat for them because it takes a team to get them there, and they had not seen the sea in about a year.
8. we ate at wonderful restaurants where we could decompress and talk all night.
9. we rode on public transportation where we were squished up next to everyone around us. this was not a favorite memory, but a memory none the less.
10. we toured an orphan halfway house for girls that was one of the NICEST places we had ever seen. we toured their strawberry garden, talked with the girls and had the best meal in ukraine. and two of our girls with us tried to "hypnotize" a chicken!!
11. we watched our special ed students work with the kids and were amazed by them. these kids CAN be taught. it just takes more than one teacher per room. ps. most kids were non verbal.
12. we watched more than one of our teammates cry from the emotions that odessa produces.
13. we played basketball and volleyball with some street kids.
14. we were touched by the love and care that the interpreters took to help us with the children in the orphanage.
15. we toured odessa and got to see the port and pier and climb some stairs very reminiscent of the stairs in "rocky"
16. i bought a painting in the little market across the street from our hotel. it was $10.00!!
17. i buddied up with one of the waiters at breakfast every morning and i miss him!
18. we stayed in a rickity old hotel that was so ukranian and PERFECT!
19. we had to brush our teeth with bottled water.
20. i experienced a "NO TOILET PAPER?" moment.
21.we learned that you are not to make eye contact with men or they would think that you were soliciting them. this was told to me AFTER i looked and smiled at TONS of people.
22. we had daily devotionals, and those times each morning were so precious.
23. and for the finale'.....one of out team members accepted Christ the last night of the trip and now comes to our church!
we had the time of our lives. the work was tough but with God all things are possible. we plan on returning next year.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
we are going on a trip
to UKRAINE! so exciting. but my entire existence for a month has been raising funds to get there. we have to raise 5,400 for the both of us to go. plane tix were purchased today. and we have about 2,000. with one month to spare. i sent out letters so every day i run to the mailbox to see if we have gotten any money. then i come back from the mailbox all discouraged. definitely not believing that He will provide the money. i want to believe it so bad but it just seems impossible. i know that all things are possible with Him who gives me strength. i have to keep reminding myself.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
my fridge
Monday, March 21, 2011
spring break in MENTONE, AL!
we had so much fun staying in a cabin in mentone, al (on lookout mt.) we took a day trip on the last day to ROCK CITY and RUBY FALLS in Chattanooga. SO FUN. and you need to know that rock city is called ROCK CITY not SEE rock city. well powder me up and slap my behind i always thought it was SEE ROCK CITY!! we also enjoyed about every waterfall in the area. we went hiking and horseback riding. i could write an entire story on the horseback experience. let's just say that our horse trainer leader dude was missing a tooth and smoked the entire ride with butter right behind him just suckin in the fumes. crunch had to ride bareback behind bert on his horse. it was crazy. we saw the falls where the legend of nocollula played out. she was an young indian girl that was betrothed to a young brave BUT she was in love with another. she lept (so the legend says) from a rock into the falls and died on her wedding day. there is now a wedding chapel and a state park campground next to the falls. it is so ROMANTIC. you can stay in your camper, get married and sight see at this romantically beautiful location! here are some pictures to commemorate our fun trip!
precious cabin in the mountains!
butter helping crunch down the stairs to desoto falls
bert and the gang
the falls
first sunset from the cabin
hot tub! no mt. cabin is complete without it
the little river canyon falls
hiking up from our picnic at the falls
little river canyon scenic drive
time for horseback riding!
the horse named "foxy"
pretty peanut!
crunch riding on the back of "gunsmoke"
i rode "sandy"
a church built on a rock!
inside the church. the rock comes in!
RUBY FALLS!
1 hour spent underground in the caves
lots of cave formations
and then let the drum roll begin.....
TA DAAAAAA!
and now, off to see ROCK CITY... SEE?
falls at rock city
SEE how much fun we're having??
you just have to SEE this place. it really was amazing!
my favorite little cabin that we saw!
last stop, noccalula falls!
beautiful
ok, cool pic. you can see noccalula's statue, the falls where she was jumping into, and the chapel across the falls.
worn out?
Monday, March 14, 2011
soccer tournament!
peanut got to do something special. she substituted on a soccer team one grade level higher. she got to play in a tournament this weekend with girls better than her, bigger than her, and probably more confident than her. it was a GREAT experience for her. she loved it. she did well. GO PEANUT!
crunch enjoyed the day too
butter found his friend, brian
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!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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...
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...
Monday, March 7, 2011
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!
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!
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!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, March 4, 2011
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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!
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