11.30.2010

A few of my favorite things

Oprah's not the only one who gets to share her favorite things with followers. Granted, I'm not giving any of my favorite things away, but I just feel like these things are so great that I think you should be interested.

  1. My lovey dovey, favorite hubby (he LOVES that rhymn, believe me)
  2. Cheesy-ness/awkwardness
  3. 4-year-olds
  4. Teaching 4-year-olds
  5. My Mario; especially when he's sleepy
  6. Craisins by the (6 oz) bag
  7. Christmas decor
  8. Dark nail polish
  9. Cardigans
  10. BOOTS
  11. Skinny jeans (also jeggings)
  12. Dresses
  13. Leggings
  14. Scarves
  15. She & Him
  16. Forever 21
  17. Ingrid Michaelson
  18. Weddings
  19. Date nights
  20. Photography (I more admire it than perform it)
I hope you all enjoyed a few of my favorite things. I could probably go on and on.

Goodnight all. Sleep well!

Let the weight loss begin!!

Tonight I am starting my second round on Weight Watchers. I did it a couple of years ago but didn't connect with anyone in my class (seeing as they were all old enough to be my parents) and I jumped off the wagon after just a few months.
I decided to try again because a) I did lose weight while on WW and b) I just found out one of my friends from Bible study leads a meeting in Jackson. She encouraged me to check her class out because there are a lot of young people in there. I expect I'll still be the youngest but they at least won't be the same age as my mom and dad.
Wish me luck. I really hope this time I can make a life change in the way I see food. I'll keep you updated during the process.

Update: I lost my first lb last week!! YAY!! I know it's just a pound, but that's just one of the many I plan to drop here in the next 6 months (or however long it takes).

11.29.2010

A Sad Day in the Braswell World

Tonight our sweet Cleo said goodbye. She was almost 14 years old and was the sweetest, most loyal dog. We love our girl and are said to have let her go, but she was very old and sick and is better off now. Here are some pictures I took of my sweet dog sister last summer.

Here's to sweet puppies who start off as pets and end up as family!!




11.25.2010

Thanks


HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

Here's to unbuttoned britches, happy hearts (and moms), and BLACK FRIDAY!! Be sure to tell your family and friends thanks for all that they mean to you. 
Thank you to all my friends and family for molding me into the person I have become today. I love you all very very much!
Now let's go shopping!!!


11.23.2010

My Christmas Playlist for 2010

1. Merry Christmas Baby - Etta James
2. Christmas Tonight - Dave Barnes
3. Meet Me at the Mistletoe - Dave Barnes
4. Jingle Bells - Our very own 1005 feat. Anna Myers
5. Winter Wonderland - Ella Fitzgerald
6. All I want for Christmas - Ernie Halter
7. Christmas Love - B.B. King
8. Baby It's Cold Outside -  Ella Fitzgerald
9. You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft
10. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
11. All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey (don't judge, it's fun)
12. Merry Christmas Baby - B.B. King (yes again. I really like this one too)
13. On Santa's Way Home - Marc Broussard
14. I'll Be home for Christmas - Michael Buble
15. Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby
16. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr. 
17. Jingle Bell Rock - Matt Belsante
18. A Marshmallow World - Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin
19. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
20. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Billie Holiday

There's my Christmas list for the year of 2010. What's Your's?

11.22.2010

I just gotta say...

I sure do LOVE my dearest, darlingest husband!! He is so good to me and we are one heck of a team. He's normal and I'm a weirdo. He thinks things through and I just go with it. He makes money, I spend money! What more can you ask for, I mean, really? 
He's the studliest stud muffin I know!
Alright. End of bragging post!

11.18.2010

Can Facebook Ruin Your Marriage?

Every morning Rob and I watch HLN. Every now and then they have a very interesting story where they ask for the viewer's opinions. Today's story was about a pastor in New Jersey who urged the married couples in his congregation to delete their Facebook accounts because it could be putting their marriages in danger. 
I can't say that I totally blame Facebook for the demise of marriages and I can't say that they are totally to blame for unfaithfulness in marriages. What I can say, however, is that if a marriage is going through a low point, cruising through the Facebook pages of old boyfriends/girlfriends could lead to the temptation of beginning an affair (emotional and/or physical).
My own personal opinion is that when your marriage is good it isn't hard to remember why you're with your husband and why past is past. On the other hand, when your marriage is in the rocky stage it may not be so easy to remember why you married your husband and not some other man; It may be a lot easier to cloud your judgement about the reasons for breaking up with Bobby Joe or Mary Sue; It may be easier to excuse a little cyber flirting which may lead to much more concrete forms of an affair. 
Before I could say a married man or woman needs to delete their Facebook account, I would also need to add that it is a personal preference kind of thing. If you can be on Facebook and not feel the temptation to search for old "flames" or to contact them then you should have nothing to worry about. If you are able to see the past as the past and know that it's past for a reason, then you also should not worry. 
However, if you are going through a difficult point in your marriage and you would like nothing more than to receive attention from past flames then you should take a deep breath in and press the "Cancel Account" button. Old friends can just look you up in the phonebook. 
There is no friendship that is worth losing the trust in your marriage or putting your marriage at risk for failure. When you say "I do", you put everything else on the back burner (except of course your relationship with the Lord). Even when you are unhappy in your marriage, it remains the most important human relationship. Your commitment to your husband should not be dependent upon your "happiness", for happiness is a fleeting feeling. It is unreliable. It comes and goes with everything in life. This is something that we must always remember in our married lives.
Well, now that I have stated my opinion, I want to know what you think. Do you think that all married couples should delete their Facebook to steer clear of any possible temptation? Or do you think the deletion of Facebook accounts should only be considered when temptation presents itself?

11.15.2010

Let the journey begin


Hello all! I am happy to report that we have arrived in Eugene, Oregon; home of the Oregon Ducks (aka #1 in the nation)!!! And it only took us 10 hours to get here. Also we've been up for 14 1/2 hours...yay!!! We are so happy and thankful to be here and in our fluffy beds.
We have been set up in a fabulous 2 queen suite with a 32" flat screen for Rob to play his video games and keep his sanity.
Tomorrow morning Rob goes in for a consultation with the doctor and anesthesiologist and then will go in for surgery some time in the afternoon. I will be sure to update the blog as soon as he is awake from surgery.
Thank you all for your prayers and love. We certainly appreciate it. We are praying and trusting in the Lord that this will be the surgery that takes it all away. Pray that God will guide the doctor's hands and decisions.

Update - 11/17
Rob was discharged from the hospital around 10 am pacific time today. He is feeling better than he did before surgery and all he has taken for pain post op is ibuprofen! Praise God!! We are both so thankful that this surgery has gone better than any other. We truly believe that this will be the end of Rob's struggle with pilonidal cysts.
Thank you all, again, so much for your thoughts and prayers. We are more than thankful and appreciative of all your support. Continue to pray for Rob as he will be in recovery for the next 4-6 weeks. We will be flying out of Oregon at 1pm (pacific time) next Tuesday, the 23rd. He has a follow-up this Friday morning and another one next Monday. I will update you on what the dr. says. I'm sure it will be nothing but good things.

11.12.2010

Be blessed so you may be a blessing

I haven't blogged anything about this and I'm not sure why I just haven't. Anyway, Rob has to have another surgery for another pilonidal cyst. This is his 6th cyst and he has been in a lot of pain for quite sometime.
Last December he had surgery on this exact thing and even though it has been 11 months, the wound from that surgery never healed and remains open to this day. Because of that open wound this new cyst appeared a month or two ago.
After countless hours of research, Rob found a doctor who specializes in pilonidal cysts. As a matter of fact his father created a brand new surgery that has had a 96% success rate with patients who have suffered from 5 or more cysts.
The crazy thing is that this doctor is located in Eugene, OR. OR as in Oregon. Oregon as in across the country. Now don't get me wrong I love the northwest and this will actually be my 2nd trip to Eugene. It is just nuts that we are flying completely to the other side of the country for surgery.
Crazy or not, we're doing it and trusting that the God of all the earth will protect us and heal Rob's body. We have both received approval from our jobs to take the week and 1/2 off that it will take and we have scrounged up the $ it will take. Now the rest is in the Lord's hands.
With that said, I have to now tell you this. Yesterday I sent notes home to all the parents letting them know that I would be out for a week and a half and also letting them know why. Later that afternoon one of my kids, who had already left, came back to the school and handed me a card. I thanked him and sent him back to his car, not thinking it was anything more than a "we're praying for you" card. After he left o opened the card. Along with the sweetest note from his mom was $30. Worried I had sounded like a beggar I re-read one of the notes I had written. After reassuring myself that it did not sound like I was asking for $ I became very emotional. That $30 was simply there to say thanks. It was a gift from one sister to another and nothing more.
Now, I still haven't decided if I feel ok with keeping the money, but I do know that it was a very sweet gesture and I appreciate it a lot.
Beyond the money, the note she wrote me was probably the sweetest and most rewarding note. In it she expressed her thanks for how well I have taken care of Parker and how much he adores me. It was a very simple card but with so much heart.
In this job I have found a lot of parents who couldn't care less who's taking care of their child much less letting that person know that they appreciate their work. It is always a huge blessing to get to know the parents to the children. I love these kids and I'm going to miss them while we're gone. But I am more than ready to have my husband back in good health.
Keep us in your prayers and I will send updates on how he's doing while we're gone.