Spring?

I think Spring is on it's way......but I could be wrong. This week we are supposed to have weather that is nice- 62 Tuesday and 66 Wednesday! I hope that does not change. Sunday, we took Sumo and Lizzy to Loose Park for a nice long walk. As you can see, Lizzy has on short sleeves. This is one of the 1st times in a long time we could be outside without a coat!

I'm looking forward to the trees growing green leaves and the flowers blooming. I'm NOT looking forward to being miserable with spring allergies...BUT it'll be worth it. I'll just dope myself up as usual. I'm also looking forward to turning off the heater and not using the air for a few months. I'm hoping we can last until July....we'll see. It can get pretty hot in June sometimes. Even if we only make it April & May w/o using heat or air that'll make me happy. Just bring on the warm weather!!!

Jewel got her Drivers License!

I'm a very proud mom today!

A change of heart

Jeff and I decided to buy our house about a month ago. It's in need of a lot of repairs...but we figured that we love the house and the location so much that it would be worth it. Well I've had a change of heart...and so has Jeff. Considering the current state of the economy- I don't think it would be wize to buy a home that needs so many repairs. We would never get back what we put into it. So- we started thinking about buying a smaller home. Something with 3 bedrooms...2 baths...and a full basement. We can finish the basement ourselves- and even ad a fence to the backyard for Sumo if we found a house that did not have one already. This weekend we drove around neighborhoods looking at different homes. I am pretty happy anywhere in Prairie Village.

I'd LOVE to move into a house that does not need any repairs! I love where we live right now, except for the fact that there are many, many things that need attention. Leaks, crumbling front porch, extensive landscaping, plumbing issues, water problems.... there are many things I could ad to the list. I'm sad when I think about moving again...and I really think that if our house was in better shape there would be no question about wether we wanted to buy it...of course we would! Jeff and I need to make a wise decision about what house we buy. I think we are on the right track now.

The Oscars

Ok now that the previous distraction has been addressed.....

I love the Oscars! I know what everyone says..."Stuck up celebrities patting themselves on the back".....I know I know....and I agree to some extent. But I still love watching them. I love most award shows for that matter. But the Oscars are different. They are the best, the #1 honor an actor/actress can receive. I love seeing all of the stars glammed up and looking their best (you know they starved themselves, waxed, pulled, dyed, tweaked and stuffed their selves into their dresses/tuxes). I love seeing the genuine surprise of the underdog winning....even the big stars can't help but get overwhelmed when they win. I love the speeches....even the unknown people like "sound editing" and "set design". I saw a lot of unknowns last night win...that's really cool. Left, is one of my favorite actors....Johnny Depp....he was nominated for best actor for his role in "Sweeney Todd"...I have not seen it yet- but Lizzy has and she said it's really good. I'll have to rent it when it comes out. He did not win- but I'm not sure he deserved to considering his company.

Ok, it has to be said.....

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sleepy

I went out last night to entertain a few co-workers from out of town. I was not out late but I had a drink and it's made me feel kind of sickly today. It's reminded me why I don't drink...haha I guess I have to be reminded every once in a while. Now- I'm sleepy.

I'm on day 45 of being a non-smoker. Not one puff. I almost caved last night when I felt a tiny bit tipsy from my drink....but I didn't. I'm proud of myself.

Dinner tonight to say goodbye to a friend that's being let go. She's a nice person. The company I work for is letting her go after 8 years because they are closing down the AL office. The one remaining person is going to work from home now. I feel sad for her, but I guess that's life. You can never feel completely secure with any job.

I went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch! Mmmmmm one of my favorite places to eat. I only ate half my food- remembering my diet! My whoe family is on a diet right now...we are all doing well so far. Eating right and excercizing. Feels good.

Sumos Bath...and oh yeah it's Valentines Day too!

Yesterday early evening Jeff and I took Sumo to have a bath at Petco. He only gets to have a few baths a year so he was ready! In fact, this is only his 2nd "real" bath since he's been too big for the sink. Akitas are extremely clean dogs- so only 2-3 times per year is necessary. Anyway, he's been blowing his coat for over a month now ....I've been cleaning hair (Vaccuming, Swiffering) every single day at my house just to keep up with it. I knew he was on the tail end (no pun intended) of his shedding so I decided to get him in for a bath. You should have seen that room after we used the blowdryer on him! There was hair on the walls and probably the cieling! Anyway, he looks terriffic and I think we got most of the loose hair off of him.

Today is Valentines Day! I made Jeff a picture- I think he liked it. I'm going to go home and make a nice dinner for the fam and tell them over and over how much I love them. V-Day is not just for couples...it's for family too.

Debut of the Bangs

What do you think?

Bangs

I cut bangs tonight. Not sure what I think yet. I'll take a pic soon. I have not had bangs in about 7 years....so this will take some adjusting. I've been wanting to do it for a while....so we'll see how fast I get use to it.

Stuff

Smoking Update:

32 days...yes, it still sucks....I hope someday I start enjoying being a non-smoker!!

Sumo Update:
Almost a year old! His birthday is March 22nd. He's HUGE...

Kids:

Kids are great.... Lizzy has a violin concert tonight, she is still really into playing and she is so good! I'm glad she's kept w/ it. Jewel is working and still learning how to drive so she can take her test. Chris has already started baseball practice...each Friday night, and his last basketball game is this Saturday. We stay very busy with sports and school activities.

Life:

We have begun the process of buying our house. We've rented it for almost 2 years now and dispite the repairs needed....we love the house and the neighborhood. I'm hoping we can get it at a "fixer uppper" price so that we can afford to fix a few things right away. There is a laundry list of "have to have" and "wants" when it comes to repairs. I'm sure a lot of people would think we're nuts to buy a home that needs repaired....but if the price is right and we can do it we will. The very first thing I'll do is PAINT! Inside and out.

Oh I dropped the few lbs. I wanted to thank goodness. I can watch what I eat for a week or so to slim down a bit. I was looking at pictures last night and realized I use to be SO THIN!!! I'm going to try damn hard to lose about 10 lbs in the next month. I want to be that thin again! If I could weigh 126 (10 lbs. from now) I'd be really happy!