What I have been doing!!!

So far i have been addicted to crocheting. I have crocheted for a friend in exchange for a photoshoot. She requested owl hats and other things. She sent me a website and I figured out how the hat was done because there wasnt a written pattern available for this hat that I could find. I also made her some kufi hats with a little turkey The pattern for the hat found on Ravelry and the turkey I had to come up with a pattern because there wasnt one written for it. I also made her pumpkin hats from a pattern found on Ravelry and I made her earwarmers (pattern found on Ravelry) and added some holly berry embellishment to it (found pattern on Crochetpatterncentral.com). Here are some pictures of them...

I have also been doing some crochet for myself and my girls.

This is a work in progress star blanket for Payton.

Paytons owl hat (sams will be purple as per her request)

In addition to this I am actively trying to lose weight. Getting to being sugar free and low carb. I have goals and I AM going to reach them. Well. I guess I will be off to do some more crochet. I will be adding pictures to this blog of what I am making.



RTR (Road to recovery)

I am currently fighting what I think is post partum depression and I have been for since my Pay-Pay was born.  I finally have insurance and is now getting the help I need. I dont have a support system here that I feel I rely on, so I am happy that I have a doctor that I can rely on and the meds to help me build my "internal support system". We are getting my head right then work on the outside (my weight). So On my weight loss blog I will be blogging about my RTR.

Looking for jobs with no experience, brings in ego bashing rejection!! Oh well, Ill keep trucking along.

The girls are MONSTERS LOL. Its natural and I have a way to cope with the stress of raising them. Pay-Pay is learning from the best and she is not holding back when it comes to being bad. LOL

Samanthas bday is this Sunday!!! Cant believe 3 years old!!! :) WOW shes growing up so fast. Were having her party on Sat. Shes excited!!

I have been super busy too. Busy bags for a group of moms in the area and we meet up tomorrow. Im not done with them and thats what Im  going tobe working on into the night. I am also crocheting some pieces for one of the moms in exchange for a photo shoot. Her portraits are great and cant wait for her to capture some beautiful photos of my family. :)

update.

Well my little Payton turned one yesterday. We had her party on Saturday and had fun. Sams birthday is in 3 weeks or so and shell be 3 years old. She is in dance class now and loves it.

These are the pictures that I got of Miss Payton. Such a dollbaby. err Dollgirl LOL. I love you Miss Payton and you have made my life so bright from the day you were born.

She also has her first tooth, too.

Now onto other matters. We are just having it rough now. Money issues are just so burdensome. Trying to remain optimistic and everything, but sometimes I just want to crawl into a hole and stay. I have been trying to get a job, but they all want experience. How can I get experience if I can't get a job?!? Oh well.  All this stress is taking its toll on me. I am also feeling stuck. Lonely and sometimes miserable with the same thing everyday. Lack of a support system and girlfriends to go out and just relax with and talk makes it where I feel alone. This also brings up other issues and decisions I feel like its looming over my head. To do or not to do?! Will I be better off and happier?! Keeps me up most nights. Im agitated and always feel terrible. Oh well, life goes on and I will get over everything and anything~ I have in the past. Ill keep pushing forward and hope for the best, since that is all I can do. :) Hope everyone is staying cool this summer and getting geared up for the school season!! :)

Started couponing and other updates!!!

    I got bit by the couponing bug. I have my binder with coupons and lists. I have my Walgreen's and Family dollar list ready for Saturday. I am hoping to get us as a family of 4 living off of $50 a week or less. I usually shop at Walmart so that's were a lot of my shopping will be. I am also doing Target and Dollar General and the local grocery store Harps. A couple of friends do this too. It was an inspiration seeing their hauls. Makes me anxious to shop and see what i can get free. This past weekend I was able to save $12.50. Once I get the hang of this I am hoping to be able to take the savings and put them into a savings account for family vacations.
    Payton is now in a toddler bed because she LOVES to climb and we were worried she would climb to the top of the rails and fall out. She fell out twice the 1st night but hasn't since. I think she is quite proud to be a big girl. Her bday is in less than a month. I have everything but the food for her party. I am super excited!!!
    Sam's bday is in less than 2 months and I also have everything needed for her bday except the pinata I plan on making using this blog  Via this link below:
 http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/2010/04/minnie-party-how-tos-part-1.html.
   I have also started a kindergarten prep home learning with Sam. This week we are learning about the weather. Today was the first day and it was a discussion on all the different types of weather. I started a blog about it, you can follow the blog here: http://theadventureinlearning.blogspot.com/.
  Updates on myself: I have finished my last class of my degree. I am hopeful for Cum Laude in my Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a focus in Health Care Management. I am also on my way to be a skinnier me. I have lost a total of 23 lbs since I had my daughter Payton in August 2010. I have about 70 more lbs or so to go. I have also found out I cannot tolerate anything with wheat in it. This is bad but it helps me to stay on the Atkins diet for the most part. Still having issues with potatoes and corn. But I got this. I have been regular sugary drinks free for 2 weeks!! Awesome!! I have a blog for my weight loss and one for the LCSF lifestyle that I am working towards. You can find them here: http://weightlossinamommysworld.blogspot.com/ and http://lcsfliving.blogspot.com/. Well, got to go for now!!

On the home front.

Well with the fourth of July celebrations, we found out that Sam really doesn't like loud things. We also found out that Payton loves them. I have been slowly going totally low carb and sugar free. The weight is slowly coming off. I found my old high-school pictures and Man I was SKINNY. Total motivation lifter there. I am having a tough time with Sam's terrible twos. By the end of the day I am totally wiped out. Payton has been super whiny, I am thinking it is teething because she isn't normally this fussy. Oh and she LOVES watermelon. LOL She would scream at me to give her some when I wasn't fast enough to stuff it into her mouth. Cute now, but not so cute later. I guess time to start the manners lesson. My little boog is growing up so fast. Only 1 month until her huge B-day bash!! I broke down and did her party in the Disney Princesses. LOL And her bedroom will be transformed into that as well for her "big" girl room (toddler).
   I got a bunch of new yarn from Walmart for a dollar. Going to make something with it to sell. I am finished with a shawl I made. I am also so close to being down with a blanket that goes with it. I started a new blanket for Sam. It will have her name and Minnie Mouse on it since she LOVES her. I got so many projects started that I ran out of yarn for.

In the works this Summer.

Samantha is turning 3 at the end of August!! She wants a Minnie Mouse party. So I decided make her a tutu, shirt, and pinata for her party. Not sure if there are going to be anybody there but us. I will be doing her cake which will be a daisy frosted pink n purple with the sugar sprinkles. I am going to do some cookie bouquets (flowers and butterflies). I have purchased most everything for the party and made the tutu and shirt. SUPER CUTE I might add. She is excited.

Payton will be 1 at the beginning of August and I opted for the Disney Princesses over the traditional First birthday themed. She reminds me of Belle and I made her a shirt with her on the front. I am doing the same cake for Payton but different color and the cookies too. not sure if I will do a pinata for her since she is only 1. I have her tutu and shirt finished too.
I will be getting their bday pictures done too. Im excited about that.

On another note, i finished one of my projects. Turned out B-E-A-utiful!!! I hope she loves it. Soft and snuggly. Perfect for Fall weather. Now I am trying to finish up the blanket. Its turning out lovely and also snuggly. Excited to see her face when she gets them.

I have other projects in the works too. I also have found some filet patterns that I am interested in doing. Awesomeness. I feel pretty good right now. I think my mind is finally getting some down time right now. The girls are sleeping and there is a great song playing that is just lulling my soul. Couldn't tell you what it was LOL. Such a smooth melody and the voice was soothing. Oh I found it!! "Come on and get higher" by Matthew Nathanson. *swoons*.

My WIPs and Finished Pieces

Well, I have taken up crocheting and I am enjoying it for the most part. There are a few things I am working on.  I have finished a handbag that I designed myself. It took about 15 hours to do. I am working on a couple things as a gift. I have a couple of gifts finsihed for friends that are expecting babys this summer. I am currrently also working on a dance bag for my daughter as well as crocheting the alphabet for her. I have crocheted some fruit/veggies for a friend. I have finished a piece for another friend (a grocery bag holder). I have a project in progress which is a daisy kitchen set (placemats, coasters, napkin rings, seat cushions, tote bag, apron, and other things) that I will be giving as a present.

These are just a few of the things that I have finished. Its a get reliever of stress. :)

Been A Super Long Time...

    Well its been a super long time since I have been on here. Just been lost in most of every day things. Stressed out and just being plain tired. The terrible twos are taking their toll on me most days to the point of wanting to lock myself in the bathroom. I have come up with a solution of using my Mp3 player to tune out Sam's screaming at nap time. Most days I dont put her down for a nap, but some days she is just a touch on the side of being a crazy person. I can't wait to get my little sweetheart back from the clutches of this monster known as the terrible twos. SMH.
   On another note, Sam is getting to be the little girl though. She is talking better and is starting to pretend. She seen the dance group at the mall practicing and ever since then she dances around the living room and doing the jumps and spins and throws in a somersault for good measure. Hopefully I can get her into the dance class in the fall. Maybe with the extracurricular activity, her rambuctousness will be tamed if only for a minute. I want to start a curriculum for getting her ready for Kindergarten, but I have the faintest of ideas where to begin. Hmm... I guess I shall start researching the internet for some ways to begin.
   On to the Littliest Princess, Payton. She is so crazy. Love her bunches. She is walking and she can say dada, mama, dog, sisser, and baba. She can wave when you tell her hi or bye. So sweet. No teeth yet but I have a feeling they are going to be making their debut soon. She is sleeping through the night most nights because I increased her bottles from 3 (8oz) to 4. She is on table food and wont eat the baby food. Having no teeth doesnt stop her from chowing down on the grub. LOL.
    I started babysitting my neice, Alice on Mondays and Tuesdays. She is a handful. Shes almost 2 and is bigger than my almost 3 year old. She tends to be more baby than I remember Sam being at that age, so I get frustrated at the simple things that I know a child of her age should be able to do. So by the time Wednesday comes I am exhausted as well as my girls being exhausted. It usually takes a full 24 hours post Alice to get back to regular. I am at a lost for words when it comes to the way my girls act after being around her. What am I to do with this situation? Probably nothing. Hmm..
    Im a little ashamed of myself for how I am handling stuff around the house. Being tired ALL the time is really a bummer when there is stuff to clean and take care off. Maybe an iron supplement or something will help. Insomnia doesnt help either. I have come to the conclusion that I cannot tolerate any bread or pasta. It makes my tummy hurt. Now since that is a problem that Atkins can take care of, I just need the willpower to overcome my sugar addiction.
  Ok, now onto the positive stuff in MY world. I have 4 weeks left of my bachelor degree!! I will be done with school. So excited. What have I learned from these past 2 years? HAHA the answer is simple, nothing that I didnt already know. Sad? Yes. Most of the assignments were not even something I needed to know for the career that my degree is suppose to get me. Paid a load of money for a piece of paper saying I have some common sense. Great, right? Oh well, most places train you the first couple days anyways, Ill just get more money in pay for the piece of paper. Maybe well be able to buy a house and save for the girls' college fund. Oh and grocery shop too!! Since that is my favorite way to shop. Actually that is becoming a chore too.
Here are a few pictures of the girls:

Its been a while

I havent been sticking to the menu planning thing I was doing. I just pick the recipes out and winged from there. I also havent been sticking to my diet or exercising. I feel super bad about it but I just dont have any motivation whats so ever to do anything about it. I just feel defeated and I am tired of not feeling appreciated for the stuff I do. The updates on the girls are about the same as the last time I updated. Until then...

Days 21-30 of Picture Challenge

Day 21: a picture of smothing you wish you could forget

The death of my dad. I want to forget it, but not forget my dad.

Day 22: a picture of something you wish you were better at



Exercising and staying on track with my diet.

Day 23: a picture of your favorite book



Day 24: a picture of something you wish you can change

I wish I can change my body faster than what I am.

Day 25: a picture of your day



Day 26: a picture of something that means a lot to you

Love is very important to me.

Day 27:  a picture of yourself and a family member

Me and my beautiful daughter, Payton



Day 28: a picture of something you're afraid of

 

Childhood Cancer, scares me to death!

Day 29: a picture that can always make you smile

Some of her facial expression are just great! (Sam's first Chirstmas).

Day 30: a picture of someone you miss

This is a picture of me as a baby, my dad, Grannie, and my mom

I miss my dad (RIP 2/16/54-8/20/90) and the way my mom was prior to her stroke in `98.

Day 20 of Picture Challenge

Day 20: a picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Greece!

Day 19 of Picture Challenge

Day 19: a picture of you when you were little.

LOL I was about 2 I think. :)

Days 16,17, & 18 of Picture Challenge

Day 16: a picture of someone who inspires you

Jillian Michaels!! She is AWESOME. She may seem like the meanest trainer in the US, but she gets you results!!!

Day 17: a picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently



Finding out what was keeping me from losing weight. The low carb sugar free diet. I may not be doing it completely right, but I got a good idea of why I was getting fat and why I was staying fat, :)!

Day 18:  a picture of your biggest insecurity



Yes, thats right, looking stupid is my biggest insecurity.

Day 15 of Picture Challenge

Day 15: a picture of something you would like to do before you die

I would love to go to Sydney Australia!

Day 14 of Picture Challenge

Day 14: a picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

My beautiful girls!!!

Menu Review and posting of this weeks recipes

   So far this week, we have had the creole fish for dinner. I couldn't find the recipe so I improvised my own. I breaded the fish using a flour, milk and egg mixture as a wet batter. I seasoned it with lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, chili powder, paprika (I think that was all). I also replaced the rice with homemade fries and I also made hushpuppies, but the recipe was not that good. Spencer found another recipe to try so I will try them soon. If they are any good, I will post the link. :) I had the Mediterranean Blend frozen veggies as well.
    Had the Grilled Paprika Chicken packets, but in the oven at 400* for 40 minutes. I didnt have any carrots so I just added extra green beans.

The recipe is found here: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/grilled-paprika-chicken-dinner-packs/d416be18-eef3-40e0-9eaf-286df9494e59/.

Had the slow cooker cubed steaks and that recipe was not GOOD at all. I will go back to the one I like better. Will post if I ever make it. LOL
The easy chicken and potato recipe, will be made sometime next week, the italian chicken strips will also be made too. The kung pao chicken maybe made if I have enough chicken left over.

Day 13 of Picture Challenge

Day 13: a picture of your favorite band or artist

Lady A, Yall!!

&

The Band Perry for their song "If I die young"  Love, love it!!

Day 12 of Picture Challenge

Day 12: a picture of something you love!

Its a toss up between this

Tiramisu!

& this

 

New York Style Cheesecake!!!

Holy moly, I love those!!!

Day 11 of Picture Challenge

Day 11: a picture of something you hate.
 they should all rot in hell!!!!!

Menu Planning Day!

So last week I picked dinner from a basket. It made grocery shopping streamlined as well as I knew what I was going to make. So I will continue to do it. Now I just need to get some strength to avoid the high carbs in the meals LOL.

This is what I picked for next week:
Creole Fish w/ rice and veggie (I will resist the rice and have a side salad)
Grilled Paprika Chicken Dinner Packs
Slow Cooker Cube Steak w/ mashed taters & salad (wont have the taters, just increase the serving of salad)
Easy Baked Chicken & Potato Dinner w/ salad (wont have the potatoes)
Italian Chicken Fingers w/ marianara, pasta, and veggies (Ill have a salad)
Beef Roast in the Rotisseri w/ a veggie medley and salad  (I didn't pick this out of the basket, I just have a nice roast in the freezer that needs to be cooked)
Kung Pao Chicken Kabobs w/ grilled veggies and a salad (recipe created by me)

Once I have started the week, I will post an update to this post with the recipes I enjoyed with the link or recipe written out of the meal.
Happy eating! :)

Family Friday Updates

Samantha:  Went to the drs on Monday afternoon about her cough she has had for a while now and her previous pedi just said to wait it out. I finally was able to transfer her to Paytons pedi and he said her cough should have been treated if the antibiotics that the hospital didnt make it go away. He said it could have gotten much worse if I didnt bring her in like I did. We she was put on an inhaler for 5 days and in case she has a coughing fit, a steroid to help with any inflammation in her airways, and different antibiotic than she had the first time. She doesnt cough any more!!! So happy. Well, the steriods turned her into a speed racer. Hopefully after tomorrow, she will go back to her normal speed.

Payton: Well she had her 6 month drs appt on Monday. The dr said she is acting like a 9 month old baby because of crawling and self feeding. And she is petite in her weight, but average in her height. Shes just growing up so fast :'(. Yesterday, I took her to get her ears pierced. She cried for a little bit but was fine once I snuggled with her for a minute. I couldnt get her birthstone earrings, so I got her pink flowers. I will just get her some for her birthday. Oh and she sat up by herself too!! :)

Spencer: he got a raise at work!! He was so happy.

Me: Set a goal of August 24th to be a my goal weight of 130lbs.

Hope everyone has had a great week.