The "B" Blog

BALLCAPS
The first time I sported the ballcap/ponytail look was in September 1994 when Philip and I had been moving all day. I distinctly remember being mortified of my appearance as we stopped at Pizza Hut to eat. My husband, the problem solver, said, "Here, just wear this...you look great!" I pulled my hair back, slipped it through the hole, and checked myself out in the truck window. Yeah, not a lot of improvement, but at least my face was shadowed so you couldn't see I had no make-up on. From that point on: Ix-nay the Allcap-Bay! Cut to February 2008. It's time for a walk. It's bright outside. It's windy. My hair is everywhere. There's Philip's cap on the table. I can almost hear him say, "Here, just wear this...you look great!" What the heck... Despite my feelings of "This is SO not ME", I completely enjoyed the functionality and utilitarianism of the capped walk. And though I would have been pleased to keep my newfound wardrobe item a secret, I was forced (by the frightening display of mangled hair beneath the cap) to wear the hat in front of my entire family as I cooked dinner that night. To my surprise, they were enthusiastically in favor of my new look. I assumed the first few comments were made in jest, but they insisted they were sincere. So now, I have fewer and fewer reservations as I wear a ballcap for almost every walk. And I have more and more free time since I don't fuss over my hairstyle every single day.

BLUEBERRIES
Speaking of every single day: have I told you how much I enjoy frozen blueberries? WalMart sells them in a little freezer zipper-lock bag. They are tasty by themselves...messy, but tasty. They are also wonderful tossed in fruit salad or pancake batter. But, if you sprinkle some into a small cup of vanilla yogurt and top with either walnuts or granola.... Wowwie Wow Wow!

BIGGEST LOSERS

Woo-hoo! Philip and I have lost 39.2 pounds together over the last six weeks. We're having a blast. We recovered from our posted gain a couple weeks ago, and took the lead that next week. Last week we slipped back down the weekly rank, but held on to 3rd place overall. The competition ends April 1st, and we look forward to reaching our benchmark goal soon. (There will be two more goals after that for me, but it'll all be good by Christmas :)

Thank You, Lord, for walking with me slow and steady. Thank You for Your blessings. Thank You for your character...Your Holy Righteousness...Your Loving Kindess. I want to be like YOU.

We Love Because We Are Loved

May your day be filled with the warmth of family and friends, and the satisfaction that comes from being truely loved.

(And if someone yanks on your earlobe, or almost knocks you off your rocker, don't panick, just giggle... It's funny!)

Happy Valentine's Day from

Luke, Mari Alice, Landen,

Ardyn & Ashli

Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

Stalling

Just dropping in to say hi. This week has flown by. I am supposed to be cleaning right now, but after internet banking, this just seemed like more fun. We have had a productive week in terms of school. We seem, so far, to have dodged the various diseases running amok in our town, so that's good.

Have I mentioned I'm going through Beth Moore's "Stepping Up"--a study of the Psalms of Ascent? It is wonderful. Perfectly timed for meeting my needs this season. I look forward with great anticipation to see what the Lord has 'next' for me. As the Psalmist puts it, "I love the Lord, for He heard my cries....He turned His ear to me....and I will call on Him as long as I live."

Oh, yeah....huge bummer: I actually gained a pound and a half this week. The grossest part, was that my husband, "mister no-cardio, mixed nuts guy" simultaneously hit his inevitable plateau, and could not cover for me, so we actually had to report a gain. Huge bummer! But only temporarily. The hormonal challenges I was dealing with at precisely the time of the weigh-in will not interfere again for another month. So I'll try to get another running start and make sure Philip is poised to compensate that week. I've almost re-lost the pound and a half, and could lose some more over the weekend...we'll see. I feel great. People say I look great. I think I even smell great (except after my walks....Ardyn said I smelled like a boy).

My oldest younger brother is coming for a visit next week from Washington. I look forward to spending time with multiple brothers. That's always fun.

I seriously need to go clean my house. Come by tomorrow, it'll be spick'n'span & lemony-fresh. By Sunday, you'll be takin' yer chances again....that's just how things go around here!

Enjoy your weekend!
CDJ

Birthday X 2

Ardyn turned 7 yesterday. Her Dad took her to breakfast before we all cheered her on at her basketball game. I took her shopping following the game, and James took her to dinner later that evening. She gobbled up all the quality time. As we were shopping, I offered to buy her a birthday gift. She explained, "You COULD buy me something, but it wouldn't really be a GIFT, it would be sort of a GETTING SOMETHING TOGETHER THING." Okie dokie. She is so funny. I bought her something while Philip and I were out. She loved it.

Philip and I were able to sneak away to the Louisiana Boardwalk for a beautiful afternoon. We did a lot of walking, shopping and dreaming through ChevyLand, SuperTarget, The Children's Place, and Bass Pro Shop. We had fun just being together. It was breezy and sunny....perfect "walking hand-in-hand" weather!

Today was busy at church. I taught in the two-year-old class, then MP3 sang in the 11:00 service. The girls and I cuddled and napped this afternoon then we went up to the church house again for rehearsal. We were back in time for the guys to watch the superbowl. Mari and I strolled a quick mile, then I was in the kitchen for a couple hours making healthful superbowl snacks. (Pizza is so much easier) Philip and the kids LOVED the food I made. We had a veggie tray with homemade low-fat dip, turkey/spinach wrap-ups, and venison queso (made with V-8 shhhh!) After everyone had finished, I cleaned up my huge mess and graded papers during the final two minutes of the game.

Don't forget to rent "Becoming Jane" when it comes out this month.

AND NOW FOR THE EXCITING NEWS:

Josh and Kathy had their handsome baby boy last night. Johnathan Ward. I am so thrilled for them. We get to go down in a couple months and BABY-sit for a week while she finishes up her school year. When the kids heard the news of the birth, they thought we were packing our bags today. Ashlin said, "Let's go watch over him right now!" Congratulations Josh and Kathy! Happy Birthday Johnathan!