Hussle and Bussle of the Holidays!!

This is not Bootsie's favorite time of year...don't get me wrong I love Christmas, it's the cold winter weather that I don't like!!  And of course, the busy season can be a little stressful, between parties, gift buying, baking, decorating etc...the list goes on and on!!

However, things have gotten easier over the years.  Now that the kids are grown and appreciate all the work that goes into the holiday I can relax and enjoy the holidays more!!  A couple of years ago we decided to draw names, so that's made it a lot easier, not only stress wise but also financially!  It was so hard not to buy a gift for all my kids...so I improvised and fill up their stockings!!  So I still get to buy for each kid and its all fun stuff...you'd be surprised what you can get into a stocking!!

I love all the parties and I do have a few, Bonco Bitches, Keno Ladies, friend's Christmas parties etc...they're all good parties and do my best to make them all!!  Yes, I do love a good party and any excuse to drink wine and eat good food...hmmmm, what could be better?

Looking forward to Christmas Eve at my brother's house, we're doing Mexican food!!  Yummmm!!!

Cat named Dog goes to heaven

Very sad day for Daughter #1, her 21 year old cat she named Dog, went to heaven last night.

Daughter #1 got a kitten when she was 14 years old, she named her Dog.  She was a little thing, a mixed bread of calico and who knows what else.  Cute little thing and lo and behold a couple years later Dog had kittens on the 4th of July.  Of course, Daughter #1 decided her daddy and two younger sisters needed a new kitten so she called us and describes all the kittens to us, we chose one sight unseen!!  We named her Savannah, she was white with black feet, ears and tail and the most beautiful blue eyes you ever saw!!  Somewhere in the mix there was a Siamese in the blood line, because Savannah was Siamese. 

Little did we know at the time these cats would have such long live spans.  Savannah lived for 18 years, she went to kitty heaven in 2010 just before Thanksgiving.  Now her mama, Dog has gone to heaven she was 21 years old.

Both went to heaven by way of the vet's hand.  Our vet told us the only way a cat can live that long is with lots of love and good care.  We were all gathered around Savannah when she passed, it was peaceful and I truly think she was ready, she was tired. :-(

DIY Project - Island table

This is how it started...plain unfinished cabinet!!

Stained cabinet...a working progress!!

The finished project...beautiful!!

It all started when Daughter #3 moved out and we gave her the table and chairs in our breakfast area.  Mr. Husband and I decided instead of buying another table and set of chairs we'd build one.  I wanted more storage and he liked the island/table idea, we had seen one at a friend's house...the seed was planted and it grew from there!! 

After three trips to three different home improvement stores a cabinet was finally chosen!!  The process went something like this:

Monday night:  bought and stained the cabinet
Tuesday and Tuesday night: table top was built and tile bought and place on table top
Wednesday night: grout was done
Thursday night: grout drying
Friday: sealer was applied and there you have it a finished island tile top table.

Mr. Husband and I really had fun doing this DIY project together...he did most of the work (he-he)!  That's what happens when his work is slow and he has time on his hands!!  Now he's decided the kitchen counters and back splash would look good tiled...you go big boy!!  I'm all about it!!  Could be a very productive winter if work continues to be slow!!  :o)

Bootsie is a very happy girl...now we have the task of finding the perfect bar stools to go with our beautiful new table!!  Have been to five different places and haven't found the perfect stools yet!!  UGH!!

Girl's Night Out - YES!!!

GNO – Yes!!

Had a great and well deserved Girl’s Night Out last night with a couple of co-workers. It’s really nice to be able to get away from the office with a couple of people you trust and talk/bitch/gripe about anything, everything or anyone!! LOL!! And KNOW what “happens at the table, stays at the table!!”

It wasn’t all bitching, griping and complaining we did have positive things to say too!! And we did manage a laugh or two!! Ha-ha!!

Laugher is good for the soul!!

Blueberry Smoothie!!

Breakfast…
Good morning to everyone and it is a good morning!! Started out a little rough, had a flat tire, then left my badge to get into the office in the truck with the flat, but it’s all going to be okay. Know why? Well, I’ll tell you why; Blueberry Smoothie, it’s what’s for breakfast!!

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
½ cup fat free vanilla yogurt
¾ cup 1% milk
2 packages of splenda (or any low cal sweetener)

Blend in a blender

Very filling and very yummy!! You simply must try it…of course, you can use a fruit of your choice!!!
If you like smoothies, you can Google it and there are tons of recipes for all kinds of smoothies…even some with cayenne pepper, think I might have to try that one…just for !!!

Have a great day Living Lighter!!

Eater's Remorse

Eater’s Remorse – ever had it or even know what it is?

Definition of “eater’s remorse” – when you consume food you didn’t want, or the consumption of junk food with no nutritional value, or eat when not hungry then feel remorseful afterwards. (Can you relate?)

Bootsie is sure there are many other definitions that would fall into the “eater’s remorse” category, but you get the idea!! I absolutely hate it when I fall into this trap, because it normally means I’m either bored or frustrated!! And I don’t like being either one!! I try to surround myself with healthy foods, so when I do find myself bored or frustrated there are healthy choices. However, no matter how hard you try sometimes it just doesn’t work and you eat more than you should, even too much healthy food can cause a gain on weigh day. UGH!!!

One of the best ways to help keep the “eater’s remorse” from causing a gain at the scale is, of course not doing it in the first place is the best solution!! However, none of us are perfect and we’re going to goof up sometimes. But, the good news is; exercise can and will help. I know that can be a dirty word!! Maybe you prefer to call it “movement”, just get moving any movement is better than none!! It doesn’t have to be “traditional” exercise, like walking, running, swimming, biking, weight lifting etc…be creative, sweeping, mopping, raking leaves, and even cleaning out a closet can burn calorie or at least get your mind off eating, so that also saves calories!!

So let’s get out there and move and then move some more!!!

Life is good!!

Dental Hygiene School - Daughter #2

Dental Hygiene Tools

So very proud of Daughter #2 and her quest to become a dental hygienist!!  Today is her first official day of school, she has spent the last two years taking prerequisite classes in order to apply for dental hygiene school!!  All her hard work as paid off, she was accepted to the Houston Community College Dental Hygiene program.  She has worked in the orthodontic field for several years and enjoys working with the kids, but once a dental hygienist she has more control over where she works, her hours and of course, the money is good!!

It's a two year program, so the next two years will be extremely hard!!  But, she and her husband are willing to make the sacrifices to make a better life for themselves and for their future children!!

Once again Bootsie and Mr. Husband aka "the parents" are very proud!!

Lean Cuisine for lunch...not a fan!!

Bootsie had a rough start to the morning, first alarm didn't go off...got up with the second alarm!!  Which meant I was up 30 minutes later than normal.  UGH!! So needless so say, didn't have time to fix a proper lunch!  Made a hasty decision and grabbed this Lean Cuisine out of the freezer thinking it would be okay for lunch!!  Wasted 9 PlusPoints on this YUCKY frozen wanta be food!!

Never been a fan of frozen foods and don't buy many, confirmed again today why I don't buy them!!  The bright side is, Good Bootsie overruled Bad Bootsie and won, damn it!!  It went something like this:

Good Bootsie:  EW, this is awful.

Bad Bootsie:  Cool, an excuse to go out and splurge!!

Good Bootsie:  No, way Jose...

Bad Bootsie: Aw, come on...you deserve it!!

Good Bootsie:  Again, NO, WAY JOSE!!! (screaming at myself at this point)

Good Bootsie won and ate the crappy frozen dinner and is looking forward to a nice healthy home made dinner tonight!!

Live is good!!

Weight Day down 1.4 pounds

Bootsie has been struggling since returning from our July vacation.  Got off track during vacation and tried and tried to plan, shop and cook better to get back on track!!  Well, finally it's paid off, the weight gained on vacation is finally gone...so now to keep the momentum going!!

Have discovered several yummy WW recipes and have tried them all!!  I'm being ambushed by "portion control" the recipes are so good I want to eat more than I should!!   However, with that said I now make sure there are plenty of veggies or salad to go along with the yummy recipes so I can fill up on them and savor the yummy part and still feel full and satisfied!!

Also, moving more!!  Walking and climbing the stairs in between floors in the office building!!  Every little bit helps, right???  I sure hope so!!

Highland Village Balloon Fest 2011

WOW!!  Beautiful!!  Huge!! 

Bootsie and Mr. Husband met Daughter #3 at the Highland Village Balloon Fest Saturday night.  Since she works for Highland Village, we thought we'd go show our support and check out the town.  The town has more than I expected, it has everything!!  Very nice place.  Would like to go back one day when I could check out the shopping, eateries etc...but, what I saw was really nice.  When I go back maybe I'll have my own personal tour guide, hint, hint to Daughter #3!!

I've seen hot air balloons up close before, but I guess it's been a while and I'd forgotten how huge they really are!!  They are beautiful, graceful and a little overwhelming in person. 

This picture was taken during the "Evening Glow" event.  It was really something to see!!

Officer Sarah Jones

Meet the new Highland Village Police Officer Sarah Jones!!  Doesn't she look official in her uniform!!  Momma Bootsie got all teary eyed while taking this picture.  Hard to believe our, shy, quiet, reserved daughter is now a very confident, mature and go get 'em woman!!

She worked very hard to get to this point, after weeks of training, a little blood, a lot of sweat and a few tears later what we have is a police officer!!

So very proud of her and all she has accomplished!!

Toning and Health

Along with my healthy eating habits and walking, Daughter #3 has become my own personal trainer!! She is in top shape and works out with the Insanity videos every day...too much for BoostieMom!! However, we do walk and now she has me doing arm exercises (big trouble spot of mine). I'm not seeing the results, yet! But, I can certainly feel it!!

Doing my best to plan good healthy meals for our up coming vacation at the beach!! I'm a little nervous, because I know how easy it is to fall back into bad habits!! And one can do a lot of damage in a week by not eating healthy!! Plus, I'm not doing all the cooking so I don't have complete control...but I am planning ahead and taking lots of fruits and veggies and healthy snacks I can eat. So I won't eat the cookies, cakes, potato chips, sweet rolls etc...that will be just an arms lengths away!!

My family knows I'm practicing healthy eating, so I know they'll be respectable! However, that doesn't mean there won't be unhealthy food around!! Lord give me strength!! I figure if I start psyching myself up now I'll be okay....right?

Note to self: The scale is watching and waiting!!

Whew!!!

Bootsie is happy to report a .8 weight loss!! Whoo hoo, and again, whoo hoo!! I was really dreading this morning's weight in!! Like I said in yesterday's post, Saturday and Sunday were not good WW days :-/ I know I'm not out of the woods yet, cause I know sometimes it catches up a week later, just like weight loss!! However, if I'm really, really, really careful and stay focused I think I can avoid a weight gain next week.

Down a total of 5.2 pounds!! Not huge, but I'll take it!!

Baby steps, but steps in the right direction none the less!!

Tried a WW new receipe last night...Penne with Vodka Sauce!! Very good, even Mr. Husband and Daughter #3 like it!! We added grilled chicken to make it even better and more filling!!

YUMMY!!!

Scared of the scale...UGH!!!

Tomorrow morning is weigh day...I'm not looking forward to it!! Saturday had pizza and beer with family at a very spontaneous pool gathering, Sunday night went to Joe T. Garcia's for dinner...the chips mocked me until I ate them and the frozen margaritas were screaming my name!! Oh good Lord, how I hate being so weak!!

I've used all my daily PointsPlus and weekly PointsPlus Allowance too!!

What's the saying..."old enough to know better, but too young to resist"

I'm back on tract now, but I know those two days of weakness are going to tell on me tomorrow.

So I guess I better, just bite the bullet and move forward!!

Tuesday weigh day!!

Bootsie is happy to report another loss this week...a whopping 1.4 pounds!! Very excited!! In the grand scheme of my weight loss journey I know that's not a huge amount, but it's still a successful week. Every little bit adds up and gets me closer to my first goal (5% loss of total body weight) and eventually to my ultimate goal...a healthier Bootsie!!

The loss just confirms the few changes I made last week worked!! Will continue on this course and expect another loss next week.

Plus, I think I'm almost ready to make the commitment to join the Zumba class or at least try it...I'm really scared and pretty nervous!! My fear is I won't be able to keep up, which they say is normal when you start out...nervous, because of how I look in workout clothes :(

Oh well, gotta get over the fear and face it!! The sooner I start the sooner I'll feel and look better in workout clothes...Right?!?!?!

I read my friend Dillypoo's Blog and all her accomplishments and I'm so proud of her!! She has been a great inspiration!! She took it one step at a time, went from being a couch potato to a marathon runner!! WOW!!

Life in General...

Life can certainly be unpredictable; a co-worker's husband passed away, it was very unexpected. I can't even begin to wrap my head around what she must be going through. I think of my own husband and just can't imagine!! My heart and prayers go out to he and her family.

On a happier note, Daughter #3 has found a Bible study group and church she likes and wants to start going to. The Lord works in our lives is such mysterous ways...thank you Lord for all our Blessings!!

Gotta stay focused!! So far so good!! It's a hour by hour effort...

Snack time!!! I'm really enjoying this years watermelons, seedless one are the best!!

I didn't eat them...YAY me!!!

Don't be fooled by the statement "All Natural Ingredients", these might be better than regular chips, but for 6 points I think I can find a better way to spend those points!!

Kind of proud of myself for having the will power to set them aside!! I wrote in big black bold marker 6 Points on the front...so every time I look at them I'm reminded NOT to eat them!! I'll take them home for Mr. Husband (skinny person) or Daughter #3 (who burns lots of calories) to enjoy!!

Boostie is determined to stay focused!!! I so want to see another loss on the scale come weigh day Tuesday!!!

Struggling a little with how to break up my meals and snacks by points, trying to keep my blood sugar as even as possible by eating 5-6 times a day. I'm allowed 32 points a day. If I split it up into three meals, that's 10.6 points per meal, which doens't really work out every good since I eat 5-6 times a day. If I split it evenly by 5-6 that's only 6 or 5.3 points a meal/snack. I've about decided not to worry about making each mail even and kind of just go with the flow...on adverage breakfast is 5-7 points, depending on what's in my smoothie. Lunch and dinner are normally higher in points value. However, if I eat fruit for a snack that's zero points or veggies dipped in hummus that's only 2 points...it's all trail by error!! I just can't afford too many errors and still see a loss one the scale!!

Live and Learn

Celebration!!

Bootsie is celebrating!! Consistency has paid off...down three pounds this week!! Whoo hoo!! It's a small victory, but a victory none the less!! When you have a huge amount of weight to lose three pounds is not very much, but it's a start.

WW Club recommends not to look at the huge amount of weight you have to lose, but rather break it down in smaller goals, like first goal 5% of your body weight, then 10% etc...I've had to break it down even a little farther. When you have a lot of weight to lose 5% can still be overwhelming!! So I've broken it down even more...with this week's loss I'm half way to my first goal!!

I'm focusing on more fruits and veggies and smaller portions. Portion control is so freaking hard! I always want to take that last bite of leftovers, you know the ones, there's not enough for a meal, but don't want to throw it way either...SLAP MY HAND, HARD!!!

It's all a process and I'm struggling to stay focused!!

Mermorial Day 2011

As we embark upon another Memorial Day and beginning of summer 2011, I would like for everyone to remember the real reason for this holiday.

Thank a soldier for their service!!

Bootsie's brother is in Afghanistan serving with the 181th Air National Guard a branch of the 136th Wing from the Naval Joint Reserve Base (formerly Carswell Air Force Base.

Proud to be an American!!

Stormy weather in North Texas

Bootsie's family and house were untouched!! Thank you Lord!! But, what a scary night in North Texas for others...three rounds of storms, several tornadoes and much damage!! We fared very well compared to our neighbors to the north. Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas were hit very hard and lives were lost. Prayers for everyone affected.

While the weather was going crazy and disrupting others, Bootsie, Mr. Husband and Daughter #3 were grilling fish on the patio preparing a delish dinner!! We were seeing the reports on the TV where possible tornadoes were touching down and huge hail was busting windows!! Finally, it hit me; O.M.G. I better call and check on some people!! Brother's girlfriend was in the bathroom with the cat, both scared to death!! Friends at Eagle Mountain Lake were safe but shaken. Daughter #1's mom was freaking out and scared out of her wits!! However, after all the worrying and near heat attacks, everyone was okay and no damage!! Amazing!!

TCC Police Academy Graduation

The awesome women of Police Academy #143...from left to right Sarah, April and Stephanie...

And she gets the diploma...

Boostie's Daughter #3 graduation from the police academy Thursday, May 19, 2011. Can't believe we now have an Officer Jones in the family. She is so excited to be finished and very anxious to start her career!!

As the mom of an officer, I'm a little worried. However, she is very well trained, has a good head on her shoulders and a very strong faith, so Boostie Mom is doing okay!!

She went through a lot to get to this point, beat all to hell during tactical fighting training, she has been OC sprayed, tased and learned to drive like a bat out of hell and knows how to use radar!! And that's just the tip of the ice berg!! So very proud of her!! Don't let her small stature fool you, she is one tough cookie!! She can put you down and trust me she will if need be!!

1st day of Police Academy

Getting ready for the 1st day!! Mom....Really?

January 17, 2011 was a very special day at the Bootsie Jones house. Our youngest daughter started the policy academy!! All her hard work and determination has finally paid off. She's in and loving it!! Passed all the physical requirements the first day to earn her academy T-shirt reward!!

She could believe I was taking pictures like it was her fist day of kindergarten!! She'll thank me later, when she has these first photos for her police scrap book.