OGHS Varisty Team Dinner!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!  We have been planning for this team dinner for the past several months!  Ladies, you know that we have to set a "deadline" when we start a home construction project, right!? :-)  Months ago we started preparing our backyard for stage 1 of reconstruction... and our "deadline" was to be ready to host about 50 for the Varsity Football Dinner!  35 pounds of homemade chili served in bread bowls, cornbread and homemade butter and honey, chicken caeser salad and the MOST AWESOME DESSERT... apple slices drenched in carmel with whipped cream and crushed walnuts on top!!!  YUM!

Yes, Eric... I noticed that you made it into EVERY PICTURE... :-)

It was a GREAT night and the boys are always wonderful guests!  Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we enjoyed the whole evening!!!  We play Oceanside tonight... GO PATRIOTS!

"This is MY Daddy!"

While we are stuck at home dealing with the Swine Flu... Chris and I have been through it and Anna has it right now... I had some time to create this layout of Anna and Jeff at Disneyland.  I used Tim Holtz Distress PAINT (guess what color... YEP, Vintage Photo PAINT!  LOVE IT!) on the edges of the layout, the flower and the chipboard, then added a bit of sparkle.  (I'm not sure that like the paint on the flower, but I wanted to try it.)  I have also been wanting to try a ribbon border, and I do like the way the border turned out.  Add a punch of color with the teal flowers and, WOOO HOOO!  A simple layout done and in the book! :-)  Make it a GREAT day!!!

This One's For You, Dad!

Alright, Dad!  Since you may not be able to come down for Halloween since we are all sick, I thought I better post updated photos of our construction for you to see! :-)  You will see Jeff (literally) pulling down the arbor... the start of the patio pour... proof that the new drainage works... proof that NOBODY can keep Puppy Abby away from wet concrete...more work by the crew and the final pad.  The concrete is still curing, so there is still some variation in the color.  We also (obviously) have a lot of clean up and planting to do... the storage shed has been put back together, the side fence still needs to come down and be replaced, and the new  12 x 12 raised wooden deck needs to be installed where the palms trees are still standing... but we are getting there!  At least we now have a place to feed the football team, this Thursday!!!  Enjoy the pics!  I love you!  Be sure to share this post with Mom, too!!! :-)

That's My Boy...

Enough said. :-)  OK... just a bit more... he had a fever of around 101 degrees and was dizzy before the game... and played GREAT, including another touchdown!!!  Thanks for the AWESOME picture, Dan!  (Photo by Dan Kirksey, KDKC Productions!)

A Random Thought about my Weight...

... yes, I have random thoughts.. quite often, actually...we have been working on our backyard renovation for the past 2 months or so... and I have been working out and working on my weight since the beginning of the year.  Why, you might ask... did I have a random thought that combined these two things?  For anyone that has been overweight, you know that not only do you feel down on yourself due to your appearance, but you also can't do the things you used to be able to do... I USED to run marathons and play with the kids and Jeff told me (repeatedly) that he had never met a girl that could lift furniture and do heavy yardwork like I could... until I put on all this weight.  I actually started saying that I didn't want to go on a hike or a family bike ride because I knew I couldn't do it... and that is NOT acceptable to me!!!

... which leads me to my thought.  In the past 2 months, I have spent hours digging holes and trenches, helped move trees that weighed several hundreds of pounds and anything else that needed to happen... before January... I wouldn't have been able to do any of this... much less train for and finish my first metric century (65 mile bike ride that I finished in August).  I have been in the backyard using this "digging bar" or as I like to call it "digging torture..." for the past 2 days, helping Jeff dig these trenches before the rebar goes in for our patio in the morning.  As I was out there, DRIPPING sweat and grunting (to the beat of my favorite music... "Look of Love" by ABC, at the moment), my sleeves rolled all the way up (and my arms NOT swinging to the music) I realized that although I have only lost 20 pounds so far, that I have gained SO MUCH MORE in quality of life... I look stronger... I feel stronger... and I am DAMN proud of myself!!!  This digging torture device is 45 pounds ALL BY ITSELF... I would never have been able to lift it, much less drive it into the ground over and over again!!!  Go out and do something that will make you say, "Wooo Hooo, I am PROUD of myself!"  (It feels GREAT!)

"Thriller" at Ontario Expo... backyard construction... Chris' BIG PLAY OGHS vs. Mt. Carmel...

It has been ONE CRAZY WEEK!  First, let's start with the Ontario Scrapbook Expo... my best Pickle buddie, Miss Libby, and I worked the Ontario Expo for Rusty Pickle... Libby worked the booth and I taught 5 classes each day!  After setting up the booth and teaching all day, I still found a little time to do some scrapping!  Here are 2 new layouts... "Carving Pumpkins" with the BRAND NEW "Thriller" line and "Bates Nut Farm 2008" using the "Costume Party" line.  The picture of me and Libby is after sweating and getting dirty and breaking down the booth... and still able to smile for the Pickle!

While I was gone, I missed the OGHS vs. Mt. Carmel game... and a GREAT play by Chris... #88... click here for the link to the play... (click on the word, "video" at the top right of the picture of the play to see the video...WOOO HOOOO!!!)

Finally, we are in the middle of our backyard construction and I came home from Ontario to a backyard of DIRT! (These pics are for you, Dad, because I know you want to see what we are doing!!!)

Another CRAZY week... just breathe... and make everyday a WOO HOO kinda day!!! :-)