Salt Fork State Park

We finally got to use our pop-up camper at Salt Fork State Park this past weekend. This is the only time that we've had the chance to use it this summer and I'm SO glad that we did. School starts tomorrow!

Carly loving on her babies at the dog park at Salt Fork

Wow! Looks like Robert is really enjoying his watermelon...lol!

Hey Mom! I want to be outside too!

Our little hill billy haven! Love it!

I'm back!

Yeah, I know! I'm the worst blogger in the world. I haven't posted anything since last November - EEK! What can I say? Life does get in the way. Things seem to be happening all at one time here lately, but I've made a new commitment to start posting here on a regular basis so YAY!

To recap some things that have happened this year:

I started a new job at a residential treatment facility for troubled youth working as a teacher/counselor.

Then, I had to quit my job to have surgery because I hadn't been there long enough to take FMLA.

I had to have a hysterectomy and posterior repair. I'm only two weeks out from surgery, so I'm still in the healing mode.

Then, the week before last I lost my favorite aunt. Her husband had just passed away in April of this year. She was the one that I would escape to in the summers to get a break from my own crazy house. I love her so much and she was so influential in my life. I'll miss her dearly and I know that everyone else will as well.

Learah got pregnant and had one puppy, whom we named Rocket. Believe me, he is really living up to his name. Now, she is pregnant again and due in about three weeks so we're gearing up for delivery again.

I'm really going to be focusing on my writing in the next few months. I plan to start a new website to offer my ghostwriting services and to have another site to house my plr offerings. I'm also batting around a few fiction ideas to commit to paper.

In a few weeks I will begin working on my history degree through American Public University online. I'm really excited about this! I look forward to using my coursework to help me with the novels that I have planned.

I'm going to be super busy trying to get my writing business off the ground and taking on the new studies, but I'm also very stoked about it. Until next time! No, I won't wait another 10 months before posting again!

Black Friday Drama

Okay, I'm excited to hear about all of the Black Friday drama that everyone had. I guess the only real drama I got to be involved in was when my car lost power on Rt. 2 and I had to coast into JP Henry's parking lot. Bummer! I guess there was trash in the gas line or something. This car (Sonata) did this once before a couple of years ago and all I had to do was put a bottle of the gas line cleaner in it. Unfortunately I had to be at work at 4:30 a.m. to feed all of those Black Friday shoppers. I called bf and he hurried down and carted me to work and then came and got me at 8:30. Have a mentioned how much I love that man??? All in all I think that everyone was fairly courteous today, although there were a few that made me wonder why they had gotten out of bed. On second though, maybe they were the ones that hadn't gone to bed at all the previous night. Yeah, we'll chalk it up to that!

I've bombed...

Ugh! I've bombed miserably trying to do this low carb one day and high carb the next. I'm back to induction on Atkins. Maybe after I get some of this weight off I can try to do the Jay Robb plan. To me the lc one day and hc the next is like offering a shot glass of liquor to an alcoholic. I'm not able to control myself with the carbs. I guess I'm just carb-sensitive, if there is such a thing. I do, however, LOVE the Jay Robb high protein shake mix and I just had one for breakfast mixed with Kroger's lc vanilla yogurt. The shake mix is his dreamsicle. I put about 4 ounces of water and 4 ice cube in it and OMG! it was incredible! He has the best protein powder I've ever tasted. Needless to say I did not make my 10 lb. mini goal by November 7, but I'm not going to get discouraged, I'm still in for the 20 pound goal by December 7. I'll re-evaluate at that time and see how things are going. I seem to be holding fluids in my tissues a lot right now so I'm going to Mother Earth Foods to try and find some dandelion to take. It's supposed to be as good as lasix for getting rid of excess fluid. I'll let you know how that works out. Later!

Gonna Try Jay Robb

I bought Jay Robb's book The Fat Burning Diet - Accessing Unlimited Energy for a Lifetime and I'm going to do his plan. I've read a bunch of lengthy reviews on Amazon and I'm going to go for it. Everything that he says in the book so far makes sense and I'm not even finished with chapter 1. He's a certified nutritionist and he has helped a bunch of people, including bodybuilders. This one guy says in his review that he worked out like a dog trying to see his six pack and it wasn't until he went on Jay Robb's eating plan that the fat finally started melting off and his stomach muscles are well defined now. I'm not saying I'm gonna have a six pack stomach or anything guys, but hopefully I can get rid of some of this gut and these bat wings. The diet basically consists of cycling carbs, eating low carbs on some days and loading carbs on others. I'll come back and let you know how it's going for me after I finish the book and actually get a few weeks into the program. Wish me luck!

Halloween Haunt at Kings Island

I'm finally getting around to posting a few pictures from our little excursion last weekend to Kings Island for Halloween Haunt. Although it rained most of the day Saturday and we really didn't get to participate in many of the Halloween displays, we still had a blast. It was unbelievably crowded. No wonder their site says to plan on coming Friday night if you don't want to fight the crowd. It was an incredible crowd for the weather we had. The only Halloween display that we went into was Massacre Manor and it was CRAZY! We stood in line about 45 minutes and when we got inside Carly was in front of me with my arm pinned under her arm pit. I couldn't hardly catch my breath for laughing at her. Several times she almost pulled me down to my knees! I was saying her name as we were going through and the characters was repeating after me and it truly creeped her out! We left a little after 11 even though they stayed open until 1 a.m. We rode the Diamondback and Invertigo and some other contraption that takes you up in the air and lets you free fall. I wish that we could have ridden more and I think we will definitely plan a weekday trip for next year so that it won't be so crowded. I detest standing in line for so long. It takes up too much of the day (I think).

We didn't get to see the half pint brawlers. It doesn't really turn me on to see midgets brutalizing each other.




These pics were outside the gates. They had a lot of characters standing around to pose with.




Unknown family bottom right...LOL.

Gimme bread!

We're trying to do low carb at our house and it has turned into such a fiasco! Funny, though, really. I'm trying to use a low carb baking mix recipe that I found on the net. I found it at Hold the Toast. It wasn't too difficult to whip up at all. I tried to do the mock Red Lobster garlic biscuits with it. What I didn't realize is that the whey protein powder needs to be plain instead of vanilla when you're not using it for baked sweets. So, we ended up with vanilla-tasting, garlic biscuits. They really weren't half bad though. The fam put sugar-free strawberry preserves on them and gobbled them down. I'm going to have to break down and order some of the lc baking mix called CarbQuik. It is supposed to be the bomb so I'll have to check it out and come back and do a review.

Not much else going on this weekend. I helped do some insulation work yesterday so that we can be all toasty warm this winter. I'm at Mom's house right now visiting with her and will be heading back to P-burg tomorrow after I stop at the clinic and pick up my thyroid meds.

I feel pretty positive about doing low carb this time because I think I have more tools at my disposal than I did in the past. I'm also determined to start exercising. I think that will be a big plus for me. I saw on the low carb friends forum where people are doing the Couch to 5k program so I'm going to check it out. I kind of wish that I had a tread mill so that I don't have to run out in public in front of people. But, oh well...if they don't want to look, they can just turn their heads...LOL! I have set a goal for myself, too. I want to weigh 165 by my birthday, which is March 7, so I've got to get kicking! That's only a few days shy of being five months away. Think positive Lisa! Think positive!

It's a sleepover!

Tonight was Carly's first sleepover party in Middle School. I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. I called and talked to the other girls mom and checked things out. I am a little ticked at CJ though for not answering my text back after school. Hey! I'm a mom...just wanted to make sure everything was okay...lol.

I still can't believe that my bestie is gone. It seems like every day something happens that reminds me of her or something will happen and I will catch myself making a mental note to talk to her about it. Then I remember that she is gone. I lit a candle last night that I bought yesterday from Bath and Body Works and it made me cry. I know that she would have loved that scent. It was Kitchen Spice. I know that she is dancing with Jesus right now, but I still miss her so!

Halloween City here we come!

I can't put it off any longer. I've been promising Carly that I would take her to Halloween City so today is the day. I told her that I would pick her up from school and take her over there. We are probably going to shop for her a new winter coat and shoes too. The high is supposed to be 93 in Parkersburg today, so it definitely doesn't seem right to be shopping for a winter coat. She wants to go to Burlington Coat Factory, but I'm not sure if they have one around here. Okay, gotta run. I can squeeze in about three hours of writing before time to leave to pick her up.

Can't take my eyes off you...

I love this song...wish I could find a real vid instead of a still picture for it...they sound so awesome singing this! :)

Is there such a thing as surfer's anonymous?

I don't know what is wrong with me, but I love to read random blogs and find out about the lives of others. I'm sitting here right now with five articles to write and boo-coo homework to do, yet I'm bouncing around looking at people's blogs. Well, in my defense I did have to update my blog since I haven't done so in something like two months.

I started online school to earn my teaching certification on August 1st, so that is keeping me pretty busy. I also started a new job on August 3, but I'm going back into the classroom to sub as soon as school starts next week. Oh, yeah...I moved in with my best friend the first of July, too, so that's been a big change for me after living with my mother for the last 11 months. My boy started college at WVU this past week. I was pretty messed up the day before and the day of, but I'm handling it better now. I know I have to cut the apron strings sometime anyway. He is at WVU and seems to think that he is going to like it, although I tell him it is a little too early to be saying that! I'll miss him...that's for sure.

Okay, enough of my rambling...gotta get my nose to the grindstone.

Trust in the Lord...

Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)

⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

My high honors boy...

Dylan is graduating from Riverside tomorrow night with high honors. Everyone is welcome to attend at the Charleston Civic Center at 7:30. We are having him a graduation reception after church Sunday night at Carbondale Baptist Church for those of you who are able to attend. I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and support, especially this past year. It has been rough, but God has seen us through. Dylan will be attending WVU at Morgantown in the fall, so please continue to lift him in prayer.

Pretty unbelievable, I know!

Dylan and his girlfriend, Lauren.

Yesterday I was holding you in the crook of my arm and now you're doing Senior Prom and Graduation... :(

No worries man...

I don't have to worry about what the future holds because my God is so big he has all of the details taken care of, even the ones I don't know about yet. How awesome is that??? Thank you Jesus!

Need a party dress...

Today was definitely a fun day. I took Carly to the circus in Charleston and then we shopped for a party dress, which we didn't find. She has to have one for the finale at her dance recital on May 15. I guess we'll have to go back one evening this week or next weekend. Everything is so picked over from Easter. We didn't try Elder-Beermans, so will probably go there next. The circus was fun. It was her first time ever to go, so it was a lot for her to take in.

Next weekend is Dylan's prom. I'm so excited to see him in his tux and his girlfriend in her formal dress. She is wearing a black and turquoise dress with silver beads and he is wearing a black tux and vest with a turquoise tie. It is going to look so sharp. I can't wait! I also can't believe that my baby boy is going to senior prom and this time next year will be finishing his first year of college. Unbelievable!

Another diaper rash success story...

Another diaper rash sufferer has been rescued! Several years ago I placed an article on
Associated Content about how to heal baby's diaper rash with scorched flour. I got a comment on that article today from a satisfied reader. You can check out the article and comment by clicking on the link in the imbed below.

Strange Home Remedies: Heal that Baby's Diaper Rash!
When I was distraught over my daughter's diaper rash I was very surprised and pleased to discover a simple and inexpensive home remedy.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/228666/strange_home_remedies_heal_that_babys.html

Wear your jeans Wednesday!

Please show your support to victims of sexual violence by wearing denim on Wednesday, April 22. This day has been set aside to promote awareness and prevention of sexual violence. On Denim Day, wear your jeans as a visible sign of protest against the myths that still surround sexual assault! Visit Demin Day USA for more information!

Hats off to the Montgomery police...

My early morning call-in due to the flu cost me a passenger's side window. I was up chilling with a fever most of the night Wednesday night. I stayed in bed as long as I could stand it yesterday morning and finally got up around 11 a.m. Shortly after I got out of bed the doorbell rang. I answered the door and there was a city cop standing there asking "did you know that your window is busted out of your car?" I said, "Oh, no" and of course I immediately thought that someone had busted it out on purpose to steal something. Then the cop tells me that the city workers were weed eating on the railroad tracks and just happened to notice that the window was shattered so they stopped him. He decided to open the car door and look for a rock and that was why my car alarm was going off. He called for back up and the police chief came, who made the administrative decision that it was in fact the city's fault and he would call for a repairman to come and replace the window. Wow! Don't I just feel so important to have the big cheese swinging by to take charge of things. All joking aside, the policemen were very nice in the way they took care of the situation. The city workers could have shut their mouths about what had happened and moved on down the street. I wouldn't have been any the wiser and probably would have thought that some of the local thugs had done it and I would have had to pay for the cost out of my pocket or paid my deductible, which is pretty high. The glass guy couldn't get the window in until today so I had to drive my brother's car to work, which was okay too. So, thank God for honest city workers and cops who care enough to do what they can to right the mistakes that are made.

Happy Resurrection Day!