Fake An Injury Party

Sorry for the length between posts but things have been pretty busy around here. This should have been up on the blog in November! My church's Adult Sunday School class has a big meeting every quarter. The October meeting always falls around Halloween so we decided to have a fun theme. I found the idea for a "Fake An Injury" party on Pinterest and the rest was history! Now, I cannot take credit for this idea. I follow a GREAT blog, inviteanddelight.blogspot.com, that has creative ideas for parties and gatherings. I also got some other ideas on Pinterest. I'll share all the information below with the pictures I took at the party.

"Used Band-aids" These were made with graham crackers, cupcake icing in a can, and strawberry-apple sauce. They looked nasty! (Idea credit: katherinemaries.com)

"Dirty Q-Tips" Small marshmallows dipped in creamy peanut butter on both ends of a toothpick. (Idea credit: katherinemaries.com)

"Brain!" Strawberry Jell-O in a brain mold. I actually purchased this directly from the Jell-O store online. It came with directions for different mixes to put in it to make cool colors! Find it here.

"Leprous Hands" Microwave-popped popcorn covered in white cheddar seasoning, placed in a vinyl, powder-free glove. I'm embarrassed to say that I misspelled "leprous" in the pic. Oops! These were my idea!

"Bandaged Heads" My co-host, Caryn, brought these. I think she got them in the store with everything included, minus the actual cupcakes. They are so cute! They were meant to be "mummy cupcakes" but we renamed them for the party theme.

Now, here are a few of the guests who showed up with "injuries"...

There are lots of other things we did that I didn't get pictures of. Everyone had to sign in like they were entering an emergency room. The paper required their full legal name, symptoms, etc. We read them off later and some of them were pretty hilarious. The food was served on cafeteria-style trays. We had a photo booth with doctor props. The booth was set up like a hospital room. The punch was blood red. Like I said, great ideas but no pics. =+( It was a great time had by all. I'm sure we'll do something like it again in the future. It is my hope that you will glean some ideas from this post and use it for your next Halloween party!

Cowboy Baby Shower

I must say...I love Pinterest! I found so many great ideas for this shower from there. I will do my best to share all the links for those that would like to have a similar party.

The idea of the cowboy shower came from the mommy-to-be. As you can see, they have three beautiful girls already. But this is their first boy! We sat down at lunch one day and talked about what she did and didn't want at the shower. From there, I did my research and came up with a game plan.

We used a large piece of jean material as our table cloth. We placed a few clean root beer bottles filled with sunflowers on the table. Overhead, my "partner-in-crime," Caryn, made the sunflower pomanders for a feminine touch. To make the plain white plates not so plain, we used Caryn's straw plate holders. She also found the bandanna napkins. Our menu was all Southwest-style:

Southwest Cornbread Salad
Red Beans & Rice (from a box)
7-Layer Dip w/Tortilla Chips
Fiesta Bites
Taco Bake
White Chicken Enchiladas
Fruit Trifle

Caryn made the cake and did an excellent job. I also found this design on Pinterest. But Caryn thought putting the flowers on top would be best. She was right! Not pictured is our drink station. We did a Root Beer Float punch with a sign that said, "Waterin' Hole." Wish I had gotten a pic of it!

The table cover for the favor table was made by a lady in our church. I believe it was originally designed to be a picnic blanket but it worked perfectly for our theme. The favors is a homemade trail mix (Chex, raisins, peanuts, and M&Ms) placed inside a small mason jar. We printed labels on brown kraft paper saying, "Happy Trails," and tied a piece of twine around the lid. Caryn did a great job placing the favors in the crates.

The gift table had the same jean material that was on the food table. I had some country garland in our puppet room that I used as decoration. And Caryn had some cow-spotted balloons put in the back.

At our Wishing Tree table, guests were invited to write a wish for the baby. The wishes were hung with twine on a small lighted tree. The wishing tree idea came from someone else. Although, I put my own spin on the tree itself. I found this lighted tree at A.C. Moore. I looked online for a link to it, but couldn't find one. The mommy-to-be is going to use it as a nightlight!

Now comes the fun part! We did "Wanted" photos! As you can see we had props for the guests to use. It may be hard to see but we used mustaches on the sticks. Every outlaw needs a good handlebar mustache! I found the mustaches (which were sticky on the backside) at the dollar store. But here is a link for some printable ones. Here are just a few pics from the guests...

I took ALL of the pics above on my phone, the Samsung Galaxy S III. I used my all-time favorite app, Pixlr-o-matic, to make the pics look more authentic. My only regret is that I'd had more room to take these pics directly in front of the panel board! They would've come out a lot better. But we had a great time and my main goal is that Mommy is happy with it.

Now, here are links to help you get some ideas!
Blog with the original cowboy/western shower idea
The invites we used
All the signs you saw in the pictures

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them here! Signing out...

Rebecca

Where To Start?

I've heard people say they are intimidated to start looking into their family history. They think it will be time-consuming, expensive, or just too difficult. Well, if you know what you are looking for and can devote a couple hours a day for 2 weeks, you can accomplish a lot. That's what I did. I'll admit, you must have a little bit of knowledge of the computer and internet. Without that, it will probably take you longer, which will cost more. So, let's get started!

Step 1: Talk to your family members

Set up a lunch, tea time, or a quick meeting. The older the family member, the better. They have knowledge of family history that will vanish with them when they leave this world. What should you talk about? First, ask them about their childhood. Ask about their parents, grandparents, and others they remember. You will get some really neat stories to share. But the most important information you can gather is names, birth dates, death dates, and locations. With those things, you will have an easier time finding these relatives online and in census records.

Step 2: Pick a family line

"Huh?" Okay. My father's surname is Coburn. I always wanted to know if I was related to James Coburn, the actor, as a cousin or something. But I knew I would have to research the Coburn family line to make the connection. So, the family line I chose was the paternal Coburn line. (Lesson of the day - paternal: fatherly line) I kept looking for the father, his father, and his father, and his father...get it? Once you make your decision, stick with it. It can get confusing if you start swerving in and out of paternal and maternal lines. As I said above, I looked through the Coburn line. Once I reached the end of my search, and I could go no further in the line, I picked one woman with an interesting last name and searched her paternal line. TIP: Paternal lines are easier to research because their surname usually never changes!

Step 3: Look to the internet

Once you have the information from your family member and an idea which line you'd like to research, you can start filling in the blanks online. You shouldn't be discouraged if you don't have someone from whom you can glean the historical family facts. You can probably find the information yourself, but it may take a little longer. I recommend Ancestry.com as a good place to start. TIP: Don't sign up for your free trial membership until you are ready to devote the time to look for your ancestors. Once that time expires, it costs $ to look at most of the records on the site. I made sure when I started my search that I could spend most of those two weeks on the site, gathering as much information as I could FOR FREE. I was able to finish the entire Coburn line in the two week trial.

Step 4: Start with a census

Census records are released to the public 72 years after the census has been taken. April 1, 2012, we saw the release of the 1940 Census. This means, most of our parents or grandparents (depending on your age, of course) would be listed on this census. Unfortunately, it takes time to index the records to make them easily searchable and only 4 states are indexed. But you can start with the 1930 Census and work back from there. The United States took a census every decade. Taking into account that the further back in time you go, the younger these people got (duh!), you will probably run into their parents. Go further, you'll find their parents! Simple, I know. But for those that are not as smart as you, I had to state that. Now, as a warning, a fire destroyed the 1890 Census. This means there is a 20-year gap in finding your ancestors. It did not stop me in my search. I don't even think it affected me at all. But you may have trouble there.

Step 5: Be prepared for good...and bad

Anything can happen in your search for family history. And it is wise to be prepared for whatever you may stumble across. You may come to a dead-end sooner than expected. It's okay! Try to google that person and see if any information pops up. I was looking for a Chester Coburn in the census records and I hit a wall. So, I put his name in an internet search engine just to see what I'd find. I'm glad I did! From Chester, I was able to get the rest of the Coburn line in a book that had been written about the Coburn lineage. If you are African-American, some census records will not state your ancestors names because of slavery and such. And for others, you must prepare yourself for ancestors that may have owned slaves. It breaks my heart when I hear of these occurrences. I have not found any in my line at this time because most of my lineage is in Yankee territory. But hearing of other's findings makes me glad to live in a time where we truly  follow "all men are created equal." Some of you may find an ancestor who was famous, or involved in something thrilling. Chester, who I mentioned above, helped found the state of Idaho. I found some of my ancestors on Wikipedia, in books, or their signatures on important documents. Military records can give a glimpse into the patriot you may have in your line (In addition to Ancestry.com, you might try Fold3.com for a large collection of military records and pictures). All of these findings, good or bad, help shape your family tree.

Step 6: Write it all down

After this exciting search, you will want to share your findings with others. Print off everything you can. Write all the stories and facts down in a journal. Or you can do as I am and start a blog! Whatever you decide, get all the information together so you can tell your family's story. Some people honestly don't care, and others will be wagging their tails in excitement over your findings. Just make sure you keep it all in a safe place for future generations to find.

I hope my little guide will help you in some way. There are other places and websites with good information as well. The greatest thing I have gotten from my search is a better understanding and thankfulness of my loving, merciful, over-seeing God. So many times, my family line could have been wiped out because of tragedy. But God knew the future and what would need to happen in my past to make my life come to fruition. One last thing...I want you to watch a "celebrity" find their ancestry. Understand that these people have money to hire genealogists to help them in their search. But what I want you to take from these episodes are the stories and findings that can help you understand where your family comes from in doing an ancestral search. My favorite from season 3 of "Who Do You Think You Are?" was Helen Hunt. A good African-American story is Blair Underwood. But you can find all episodes from this season on Hulu.

May you be blessed on your search through your family tree!

My Family Tree

I have been doing research on the Coburn family line for a little while now. This weekend, I came across some even more exciting things. And since it is so difficult to share everything with you, my friends, on the phone or in person, I thought I could write little bits of my family's history here on the blog. Of course, my request in return is that you read these stories, comment on them, and do some genealogical digging of your own! I have been so surprised and thrilled to find out about these people that I never would have known about had I not looked for them. I even found a distant (very distant) cousin online and we are now friends on Facebook. As I told her, we can now share our pasts and our futures together.

These people I have researched are in me. They are a part of me. And I want to not only share them and their stories with my family but also with you. So, little by little, I will share their stories of triumph and tragedy. My plan is to release a new story at least once a week. It may take a while to tell them all, but I hope it is a journey you will walk with me.

Dusting the Keys Off

I have taken up a new activity recently. Piano lessons! I am not taking them...I am giving them. I currently have 4 students and will gain 2-3 more in the summer. (One of those will be my husband!)

It has been an adventure, to say the least. I have come to the knowledge of just how much I really can do with my time. More importantly, I realize that "judging a book by its cover" is soooo wrong. I have 4 girls between the ages of 7 and 13. I assumed, from my friendships with these girls at church, how this process would go for them. But they have all proved me wrong. Ones that I thought would progress quickly have not, and others that I thought would go at a slower pace have speedily learned their material. At first, I was surprised! But the longer I have worked with them, I have gotten to know their goals, work ethic, and God-given abilities.

You see, some people have a natural talent. While others have to work for it. But the thing that makes my students retain the most is this: DESIRE. Isn't that with everything in life? We must desire to do, or the doing won't be worth the time and effort put forth. God asks us to live our life seperated from the world. But He doesn't ask us to do it begrudgingly. He wants us to want it. Live your life for Him with a desire to do so.

But It's Only a Car

Call me sentimental, but I have a hard time parting ways with cars I've owned. My first car was a 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager. Drove it until the transmission started messing up on it. It had almost 200,000 miles on it at the time. By the time it died, I had gotten married, so my hubby bought me another Plymouth Grand Voyager - only this time it was a 2000 model. We wound up giving that car to some friends of ours because they had more kids than we did. With both vehicles, I had a crying party after driving away. So many memories.

But this week, my husband finally parted with his car. I didn't think I'd have that hard a time with it until I started doing some thinking. So, if you don't mind listening, I would like to tell you a story about the little car that meant so much to us.

Let's set the scene: summer 2002, beautiful day outside, and I was excited. Tim and I were supposed to be going on our second date that night. He wanted to take me to Outback Steakhouse and I'd never been there before. I was busy getting ready at my parents' house when the phone rang. No one recognized the number, so we let it go to the voice mail. The caller left a message so we checked it. It was Tim. He had been in an accident. From the sound of it, it wasn't too bad, but he was being taken to the hospital.

When I arrived at Riverside, Tim filled me in on all the details. His Rodeo had been hit by another driver under the influence of drugs. The SUV had flipped in the air and was totaled. (There was also a large gash in his arm that required surgery.) He was fine but this meant he would need a new car. He looked around and finally found a 1999 Chevy Cavalier with super-low miles and in his price range. It was a base model so there was nothing fancy about it. Just a car to get him from point A to B.

Tim made up for the date that he cancelled and more. But by the end of the year, things were getting weird. We were both immature and needed some time to grow up. I didn't realize this at the time, though. On New Year's Day 2003, we were having dinner at my grandparents' house with the family. Tim came but he was acting strange. After dinner, he took me out to that car. There, he told me we were done. He just wanted to be friends. Friends? Just friends? With the guy I thought I was going to marry one day? This was a hard pill to swallow.

Any time I saw his car after that, I dreaded it. It only meant more pain or drama. We were still going to the same church, so I saw that car at least 2-3 times a week for a few months. Then...I didn't. Didn't see him or the car, I mean. He went to visit his family in Kansas for a week or so. After that, he went on sea trials for the USS Ronald Reagan. Time had come and gone, and so had our immaturity. We grew up in the months we were apart. Now, it was July 4th. Tim called me and asked if I would like to spend some time with his family who had come to visit for the day. I jumped at the offer. That day, we started our relationship over again. But this time, we were ready.

What a year 2003 was! It started terribly but was getting better as the days went on. Yet, as New Year's Day 2004 came closer, it brought old feelings back. I had a fear in the back of my mind of that holiday because of the meeting we had in his car the previous year. Again, we were supposed to meet my family for dinner that night. This time, we were going out to Golden Corral. Tim picked me up in that dreadful car. The trip over was pretty quiet. When we got in the parking lot, he looked down at the shifter and said, "There's something I need to tell you." I'm thinking...Oh, great, here it comes... Then he said, "Will you marry me?" and pulled out a ring. I was shocked! It took me a minute but I said YES!

That car also helped me realize how great a husband Tim would really be. Tim had picked me up to hang out at his condo one night. He was working on something and asked if I would run with his car to get some pizza. It was just across the street so I volunteered. On my way back, the pizza box fell to the floor. I reached down to grab it when I felt a thud. I looked up to realize I had crashed the car into some hedges. I panicked and wasn't sure what to do. You'd think hitting the brakes would have been the first thing to come to mind...but no. I turned the wheel to avoid more damage, only causing more. I finally stopped the car and noticed the side mirror was laying on the ground. I picked it up while my heart raced. What would he say?! I got back to the condo carrying a pizza box and mirror in my hands while crying my eyes out. He looked at me and said, "Are you okay?" I told him the story and we went out to look at the car. He was so patient and understanding. Not once did he look angry or raise his voice at me. He said it was only a car and he was just glad I was okay. He popped the mirror back on and we never really spoke of it again. What a great guy I had!

That summer, July 31 to be exact, Tim and I got married in the back yard of a friend's house. The car that took us for the first time as a married couple? The little car. The car that parked alone in the driveway of our first house? The little car. The car I drove to go out by myself with my son for the first time - in the pouring rain? The little car. The car that holds so many stories and memories that I could not write them all here? That darling little car.

Tim was driving home from work early November 2011 when the car stopped running. He was close to home, so he got it to start a few more times to get him there. All the water had leaked out of the car, so he filled it again. But it wasn't in there long. Over the course of the month, he replaced the water pump, thermostat, and finally, the radiator. After they all failed to help the problem, we came to the conclusion the head was cracked. No more car. We decided to donate the vehicle to the Purple Heart program. The tax write-off would be better than any cash we could get for the car. So, we setup the appointment for them to pick up the car.

Here it is (above), as I left my driveway on December 9. When I got back, it was gone. But it will not be forgotten.

We currently own a 1993 GMC Suburban Truck and 2005 Jeep Liberty, both we've had for 2 years. And on December 7, we added a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan to our family that I will be driving. I look forward to making more memories in our vehicles in the years to come. Let's pray that they are all good ones!

What I've Been Watching

Okay...I haven't updated lately on the shows I've been watching. Guess I should start with the one that has my attention every week...

The Bachelorette
Ashley as the Bachelorette was not something I was entirely happy with. I feel she lacks the emotional connection with the audience as did Ali or Brad. But since she's the only one we have to work with, let me share a few comments.

Bentley. UGH. Michelle (from Brad's second season) warned Ashley about Bentley coming on the show and his true intentions. But Ashley, ignoring that warning, fell in love with the guy. He is a two-faced liar! Of course, we see it...but she is unaware of what he is saying about her behind her back. I think the warning should have been enough to cause doubt, but Ashley is too blind to see it. And sometimes I feel like she talks about him all the time just to take us off the trail. I'm tired of hearing about the guy, honestly.

Now that it has been a couple weeks, I'll make my official guess. Let me start by saying that I had a really hard time picking someone right away because of our red herring, Bentley. JP stood out in the first few episodes to grab my attention, but Ames had a great date this week. I'm thinking JP will be the final one standing in the end, but Ames will make it pretty far. When you look at Ames, he seems like the type who is a stuck-up, pretty boy. But he really was humble, sweet, and genuine. Like I said, he will get far.

The reason I think JP will be the last one standing is by seeing the way he and Ashley interact with each other already. They seem to connect well and after seeing how they were on the beach in the rain, you can't help but wonder if she talks about Bentley to distract you from the instant attraction she had for JP. (Almost like Ali with Roberto. You could tell early on that they were made for each other. Justin and Frank provided constant distraction.)

By the way, I would like to put my vote in for the next Bachelor...West! He's got one of those stories like Emily from last season. He really seems like a nice guy, too. I tweeted Chris Harrison with my vote, and I hope he takes it into consideration. Of course, next season will be the return of "Bachelor Pad." The only thing I am looking forward to is seeing Jake and Vienna in the same house. We will get to see their true colors. My guess is that Vienna will try her hardest to make Jake look like a jerk, only to backfire when we see how nice a guy he really is.

The Voice
I have really enjoyed this show. I like that it's not as drawn out as American Idol. It's short, sweet, and to the point. The live shows have been a blast to watch as well. I don't care for some of the outfits the girls wear, though. I thought live television learned their lesson with Janet Jackson and the famous "wardrobe malfunction." Anyway, only two weeks left before we find out who "The Voice" will be.

America's Got Talent
This is another show that can kinda get a little drawn out. But I have enjoyed watching the banter between Howie and Piers each week. One of the main reasons I watch this show is to get ideas for my puppet group. (I loved the Silhouettes! Don't know how far they will go in competition but what a great idea!) They are still in the audition rounds. Live shows don't start for a few more weeks.

Well, that's all for now. This week is going to be crazy with Teen Camp and VBS at my church. We are also in the middle of our puppet performances for the season. I hope to write again before the end of the week. Later!

Thinking It Through

I was trying to get a new post out last weekend. I spent hours getting all my facts and information straight. I researched the Bible on the topic I had chosen. It was ready to go...until I saved it for later. My mind spent some time on the post and my reasons for writing it. That's when I realised that it was really written for the wrong reasons. I've decided that I will take the guideline I wrote and use it for Teen Camp this summer at my church.

So, I need to apologize to you all in not getting a new post up sooner. There has been a lot on my plate lately with family stuff, raising a toddler, keeping my home clean, etc. But through it all, God is still good and taking care of us!

Today was terribly hot. This pregnancy has made me grow intolerant to the summer weather, which is unlike me. Maybe it will be helpful since I am due in December. There's a possibility that my body is preparing itself for a winter baby. I don't know. As long as each day's forecast stays under 90 degrees, I plan to take Joshua outside almost every day this summer. He loves to play in the sand at the beach, ride the kiddie rides at Busch Gardens, and running around in the backyard. God definitely blessed my son with a natural love of the outdoors.

We are less than 3 weeks away from finding out the gender of Baby Gardner #2. I have had two people that say they are always right guess it's a girl. I am still leaning toward a boy, but I will not be disappointed either way. As long as our little one is healthy, the gender doesn't really matter. At the time we find out the gender, we will reveal the anticipated "official" name. We've had names chosen for a boy and girl since we found out we were pregnant. I love being able to call the baby by name. To me, it feels like I've bonded with them long before they ever come out of the womb. We are blessed to live in an age where we have the technology to reveal the gender before birth. It's amazing!

Sorry this post is so short, but I promise to write regularly again. Keep cool out there. Oh, and GO BOSTON BRUINS!!!

Putting it in Perspective

Late last night, the news broke that the United States military had killed Osama bin Laden. My first reaction was of joy and complete pleasure! Hearing how our brave men and women had confronted him and shot him made my patriotism swell with pride! What a great day to be an American!!

But today, my thoughts have changed to sadness. Follow me here...

Brother Byron Foxx was at my church a few weeks ago for revival and said these words, "Lord, put in my heart a love for everyone for whom Jesus died." Of course, this is everybody. This includes the liars, the wrong-doers, the manipulators, the scoundrels, the murderers, and yes...even Osama bin Laden.

What that man did to our country, to the innocent lives on 9/11, was vicious. "Vengeance is mine," saith the Lord. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Right? But we are also talking about his soul. Do you think God was sad to know that bin Laden was an evil man? Yes. But how much more sad did it make Him that he probably never accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as his Savior? Wow.

The greatest justice this man will get is going to a place of torment for eternity in a place called hell. But does that really mean we should be rejoicing over this? Our joys should be aimed to our military and intelligence departments who were successful in taking one more terrorist out of the picture for the world. But please, do not focus your happiness on the fact that a lost soul went to hell.

"Dear Lord, help us to have a broken heart for those that have not accepted You. Help us to have true compassion for the lost and give us the courage to speak Your TRUTH to them. Amen."

Out of the Woods

I would like to thank everyone for the great responses I got regarding my last post "Long Overdue." I had a lot of fun writing it.

This week has been a good week with my nausea. It started going away Monday/Tuesday. I'm hoping I am over the "morning sickness" part of my pregnancy. I didn't have any with Joshua. So, it was really weird to have it this time. I am also very thankful that my ankles have not swollen up yet. By this point in my first pregnancy, my ankles were large! I didn't have pre-eclampsia or anything like that. Just swelling. I hope this means I will not swell with this baby.

I switched doctor's offices this time around due to my previous doctor no longer delivering at the hospital I preferred. So, every time I make an appointment, I meet a new doctor. For my ultrasound, I met Dr. Khan. I like him a lot. He is the kind of guy I could be friends with outside of the hospital. It was very easy to talk to him and he made things very easy to understand (without making me feel dumb, lol). My next appointment is with the nurse practitioner on May 12. Then I have another u/s with the specialist for a routine first trimester test on May 24. I'm hoping I can talk the tech into trying to guess the gender. Who knows...maybe they will?

Tim's family is in town this weekend. They love the beach so we'll probably be spending a lot of our time there with them. I think it's great because I need the extra Vitamin D! Have some fun in the sun this weekend, everyone.

Long Overdue

I want to apologize to my readers for not posting in a while. But I have a great reason/excuse why...

I'M PREGNANT!!!

I am so excited to announce that we are expecting Baby Gardner #2 around December 2. I just couldn't bring myself to write this blog and keep this great news a secret. So, I decided to just not write at all until I could tell everyone.

We had our first appointment last Friday morning. The doctor did an ultrasound to confirm ONE baby and that I was a week further along than originally thought. I have had some nausea for a couple weeks now, but it has gotten better since the doctor suggested I take B6 everyday.

In celebration of this announcement, I thought it would be appropriate to write about some questions we pregnant women love...and hate. Pay attention...

"How far along are you?/When are you due?" LOVE
This is a great first question to ask once you hear the news from the proud momma. She wants everyone to know when the new bundle will arrive and hope you will anticipate their coming as much as she is!

"Are you having twins?" HATE
Okay, this is usually heard to the mom as, "You are so big that you must be having more than one!" Please, please, please, do not ask this question. Now, I cannot speak for the moms who have actually been pregnant with twins. Just know this, if she is having more than one, she will probably be so excited/shocked that you will know before you have the chance to ask.

"How are you feeling?" LOVE or HATE
This is a toss-up. If you ask the mommy who is having a really emotional day, you may regret you asked at all. On the other hand, if she's having a great pregnancy, she will be glad to tell you how wonderful it has been for her. I'll admit that I got tired of this question the further along I got. How I felt was not what I wanted to think about. I wanted my attention on the end result, holding my precious newborn. The better question to ask is probably, "How is it going?"

"Are you ready?" HATE
Of course, I'm ready! How could I not be?! Do you think I'm a horrible mother??? (Get my drift?) A better question to ask is, "How is the nursery coming along?" Or, "Do you have all the clothes/items you need?" (See next question.) Leave the "birthing process" questions out of the convo. Mommy has enough to think about and prepare for to "be ready."

"Where are you registered?" LOVE
This question is not asked enough. We WANT you to ask this question! I noticed that hardly anyone bought items from my registry because there were only a few who asked. This is important to the expectant mom. She doesn't want to have to worry about things like the furniture, stroller, car seat, window treatments, etc. She wants to focus on the birthing process and preparing herself...not the room/items. I know everyone like to buy clothes, especially for a little girl (or so I've heard. =+). But, mommy would like to buy some clothes, too! Focus on the items on the registry so mom can focus the gift cards on the clothes she wants to buy. EXTRA POINT: If you are afraid of purchasing items on a registry or just don't know how...get a gift card to that location. Momma will love you! Diapers and wipes are a huge help, too. (As long as you buy the brand MOM wants!)

"Boy or girl?" LOVE
About the time momma starts showing, you can ask this question. For those of us who like to find out the gender, we will do so somewhere between 16-20 weeks along. I even like to give people an opportunity to guess. It gets everyone excited about knowing what you are having. Once we tell you the baby's gender...DO NOT SECOND GUESS IT! "Oh, but I still think you are having..." Don't even think about it.

One last pointer...
DO NOT share your pregnancy/birth horror story. If it is negative in any way, don't tell us. We know the risks and challenges. We are aware there can be problems. But, the goal is to help momma think positively about her coming experience. If it's positive, uplifting, funny, encouraging...by all means, share away.

I'm sure I've left some questions out. But I will approach them as I remember them. I promise to be back writing more often. Have a great Easter weekend, everyone!

Pounds for Crowns Week 5

We decided last week to change the time we meet on Sundays from 5:00pm to right after the worship service (or around noon). After church was over, I ran up the stairs and into the classroom, threw my boots off, and stepped on the scale. And what I saw made me jump for joy! I lost 3.8 lbs this week which puts me at 156.6 lbs. The total weight I've lost in these 5 weeks is 9.4 pounds! Only 7.2 lbs to go until I reach my first goal. Awesome!

It was my mom's birthday yesterday. We had my parents and my sister over for lunch after church to celebrate the occasion. I made my mom's recipe of teriyaki chicken. I've had so many people ask me for the recipe that I have decided to share it here! It is so yummy and easy to make. Enjoy!

Momma Coburn's Teriyaki Chicken
Prep time: 5 min. Cooking time: 50 min.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast, unfrozen
garlic powder, to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly dust chicken breast with garlic powder on all sides. Then, place chicken breast in glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, mix soy sauce, ketchup, and honey in measuring cup. When 20 minutes have passed, remove dish from oven and turn chicken over. Change oven temp to 300 degrees. Evenly cover chicken with teriyaki mixture and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Remove dish again, turn chicken, and baste. Return to oven for final 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve with brown rice and vegetables.

Note: For larger batches, increase sauce measurements and cooking times as needed. I made 4 lbs chicken in 2 dishes on 350 degrees for three 20 min. intervals. And sauce measurements were increased to 2/3 cup each. Also, the sauce is great to pour over the chicken when serving.

Music To My Ears

What a fun, busy week I've had! I played the organ for a wedding on Friday afternoon. I came home for about an hour afterward and then headed out to the Bible Truth Music regional choir conference in Yorktown, VA. (Please visit their website! http://www.bibletruthmusic.com/ ) I had 7 members of my choir, including myself, attend the event. The church served dinner on Friday, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Everything was delicious!

After we ate dinner, we immediately started learning 6 new songs that most of us had never heard before. We spent a few hours on Friday night rehearsing and learning the basics of the music. Right before we were released for the night, my mom, my husband, and I were asked to sing in the ensemble. So, we had one more new song to learn! We didn't get home until about 10:30pm. My baby boy was already asleep so I didn't get to see him that night.

Saturday, we had to be at the church by 8:30am for breakfast. I made the tough decision to leave my son, asleep, with my sister (the babysitter!). I really missed him but I knew it would go smoother if he didn't have to say goodbye to me. We rehearsed the 6 songs we heard the night before again on Saturday. Would we learn them in time? Yes! At 4:00pm, the concert started and we sang each song like we had practiced them for months. My sister got to the concert late so I kept peeking between the choir folks to get a good look at my son. He was a good boy during the entire concert. Once we finished our part, I quickly made my way to my seat so I could love on my son. He wanted to get down and play so I took him in the nursery so he could run around. It had been almost a whole 24 hours since I had seen him last and I enjoyed every minute holding him!

Alright, I've been saying that I would write about the NCAA basketball tournament and haven't done it yet. The time has arrived! We are down to the Final Four. I didn't do well in my brackets after the first round. But there were so many upsets this year! Of course, the teams I had been cheering for since the beginning of the tournament were ODU, VCU, George Mason, Richmond, and Hampton. These are the "local" teams for my area. Of those five, only one has gone far and that is VCU. They are playing Butler in the Final Four on Saturday with a chance to play for the championship game next Monday. No one thought they would do as well as they have. Actually, they had to play their way in to the regular tournament. A lot of analysts thought the committee should not have let VCU in at all. But, look where they are now?! They deserve this moment. Shaka Smart, their head coach, has been the conquering hero for the team. I hope they can go all the way and win the whole thing. It's going to be tough, but look at what they've already accomplished. It can be done.

I'll have another post shortly with my weight-loss results this week. See you in a little bit.

Pounds for Crowns Week 4

Sunday, I stepped on the scale to get a disappointing loss of only 0.4 lbs. This puts my current weight to 160.4 lbs. I can't wait to get out of the 160s! I was surprised I didn't lose more knowing how much walking I did on Friday and Saturday. I hope this means I am going to have a great week soon and get into those 150s again. Anyway, my total weight-loss since starting back on WW is 5.6 pounds.

I decided to not watch "Celebrity Apprentice" until Monday morning because I was so interested in all the basketball going on. (Again, I will be posting more about the tournament later in the week.) But, what I saw was not surprising. Nikki did the right thing by taking responsibility for her team losing. She showed her integrity by not throwing someone "under the bus." Too bad it didn't help keep her around longer. She was a sweet girl.

Monday night, "DWTS" premiered for season 12. Most of the stars are average dancers but the one that surprised me the most was Kirstie Alley. I didn't think she would do that good, but she can dance! Top 5 dancers, in my opinion, are: 1. Ralph Macchio 2. Kirstie Alley 3. Chelsea Kane 4. Hines Ward 5.Kendra Wilkinson. The last two have a little more work to do to catch up with the top 3, but they have potential.

Last night, I watched one of the best episodes of "Biggest Loser" this season. The contestants were split into 4 teams, with the new black team needing one more member. They had to choose one player from all the previous contestants to come back and join their team. They chose Jay. Probably a good decision but my heart really wanted them to bring Arthur back. Kaylee finally realizes that she should go home and tries to get her team to throw the weigh-in to make it possible. But they won the weigh-in. This turns into a verbal-boxing match with Alison on how "you can leave whenever you want to." Of course, the red team (who lost the weigh-in) would still have to send someone home, whether Kaylee left or not. What happened next was the best part of the show. Justin told the teams to send him home so Courtney could stay. How awesome is that?! What a merciful thing to do. They respected his wishes. We got to see an update at the end of the show and it looks like he is doing very well. Just a heads up...next week looks to be crazy.

I have a wedding to play the piano/organ for on Friday, then a choir conference all weekend in Yorktown. And the Sweet 16 round starts Thursday for the NCAA tournament. As usual, I will be talking about it all right here. So come back!

Catching Up

I apologize for not writing at all this week. There has been a lot going on! This post will take me from last Tuesday to Saturday. I'll write another post with my weight-loss results tomorrow.

So, last Tuesday night I watched "Biggest Loser." The two teams had to become one team, and lose more weight than they lost together the previous week. They had a group challenge and a pop challenge which teamed them up in pairs which was made up of one member from the previous red or black teams. My thinking during this episode is that we already know the red team has an alliance. Since that is the case, the black team should do the same. I know they were one team this week, but an alliance is in place to end, regardless of what color shirt they are wearing.

When it was apparent that they were not all going to get immunity and someone would have to be sent home, Marci should have kept her mouth shut. The black team should have voted Kaylee off to give the red team one less member in the long run. I hope Marci's decision to sacrifice herself doesn't hurt her girls in the coming weeks. Side note: Thank you, Jen, for your vote to send Kaylee home. I wish the other girls had done the same.

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day...my favorite holiday of the year! I wore my green shirt, socks, nail polish, earrings, bracelet, hat, glasses and eye shadow. We ate breakfast at The Pub. They were serving corned beef and eggs, french toast casserole, breakfast Shepherd's Pie, and steak & eggs. After we left there, we headed over to Target for a little while before going to NASCAR Sports Grille to watch the ODU/Butler game. It was an incredible game, but I wish ODU had won. I'll be talking more about the NCAA tournament in another post this week.

Friday, my bff and I went to the zoo. Joshua loves lions and he had a blast looking at all the animals. We played at the playground and ate lunch there, too. It was a gorgeous day! That evening, my family sang at a benefit sing for Cystic Fibrosis. There was a great crowd out to hear the 6 Southern Gospel groups. We raised $725 in the offering that night. Awesome! If you are one of the ones who came, thank you so much for your contribution. It will go a long way!

On Saturday, I had what I would consider to be the perfect day. I woke up that morning to the news that my friend's brother-in-law had accepted Christ as his Savior. Now, I know this is always something to be happy about, but he was just given days to a week to live. His decision was needed urgently before he entered eternity! Then, we went to Busch Gardens for a few hours where we had the best time. Joshua rode quite a few rides, some by himself! It was so much fun. On our way back, Tim dropped me off at the mall to buy a dress and get my hair fixed up for the opera that night. He bought a tuxedo and brought me flowers. We ate at a fancy restaurant and had a great time with friends. I would love to go again in the future! I think we're going to try "The Mikado" next Spring when the VA Opera performs it in 2012.

Sorry if it feels like I crammed everything in here. I will admit that the basketball games took up a lot of my time when I wasn't out doing something else. I will do a much better job of keeping up with my blog this week...promise. :)

Pounds for Crowns Week 3

I lost 1.6 lbs this week! This brings my total weight-loss to 5.2 lbs and I now weigh 160.8 pounds. I think I had a pretty easy week. There were a few times that I was tempted to cheat, but I surprised myself at how strong I was to not give in. My splurge meal this week was going to eat Mexican food and I ordered a full order of flautas (but no guacamole). I ate 2/3 of the plate. It was so yummy! But I made sure that I ate good all week so I could spoil myself. I did not get out to walk as much as I wanted to, but my goal is to do more walking this week. The good thing is I am supposed to walk around the zoo on Friday and around Busch Gardens on Saturday. That should give me enough activity even if I don't get to walk earlier in the week.

Last night's episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" was crazy. Lisa was definitely put in a position to fail by a majority of the team. She didn't really help herself in the boardroom either which put the final nail in the coffin. Why couldn't she have been more outspoken in front of Mr. Trump as she was during her interviews? Goodbye, Lisa. It was nice having you these two weeks. I personally felt that Dionne Warwick should have been fired after the way she disrespected Marlee. I hope she's the next to go.

Joshua, my son, has had hiccups off and on for the last few days. I think this means he's going through a growth spurt. His appetite hasn't really changed so I don't know for certain. He is finally growing out of everything in the 9-12 month size. I had to get some new clothes for him this week. Answer me this...how do you make a kid gain weight that doesn't eat a lot? He's not a finicky eater. He just eats when he wants to. His last visit to the doctor was awkward because he was underweight. I want him to at least be in a healthy weight range when we go back in a few months. I know he looks just like his father (tall and skinny), but Joshua needs to gain some weight.

Tonight is the finale of "The Bachelor." I will be tweeting live tonight if you want to follow along. http://twitter.com/rngfreckles Make sure you keep a tissue box nearby! Also, they will be announcing the next Bachelorette on Jimmy Kimmel tonight. I don't normally stay up that late so I'll find out tomorrow. Of course, I'll be talking about it here. Until then, don't forget to fill out your NCAA basketball brackets! I love this time of year. Go ODU and Hampton!

What I Saw

Sorry for being late on getting to this post. Here are the shows I watched this week and my thoughts.

Celebrity Apprentice:
Seriously? We have this much drama in the first week?? Crazy. Which describes most of the celebrities on this season of "Apprentice." But I must say, it is a very good group this time around. Most of them are pretty famous and have powerful, outgoing personalities. I have a feeling this will be the best (and most controversial) season to date. My favorite to win is Marlee Matlin, the deaf actress. It would be a great lesson to those with disabilities that you can do anything your heart desires regardless of handicap.

The challenge this week was to raise the most money by making, selling, and delivering pizza. Of course, Mr. Trump split the team into guys vs. girls. Project manager for Team Backbone was Richard Hatch, and for Team ASAP was Starr Jones. The guys really tried their hardest and seemed to put the most effort in, but lost to the ladies by almost $100,000. In the boardroom, Mr. Trump decided to fire David Cassidy. Although he wasn't the project manager, but because he was a sissified DIVA, he was let go on week one. Don't get me wrong, I do not care for Richard Hatch or his attitude at all. But watching David rely on Jose Canseco for backup, acting like the "little guy," made it hard to ever see him as the winner of this show. Let's see how they do next week!

The Bachelor:
The "Women Tell All" aired this week and, boy, was it a doozy! If you've been reading this blog, you know that I think Michelle is crazy and shouldn't have been on as long as she was. But the way some of the girls treated her was completely uncalled for. Who knew Jackie could be so mean? I will admit, Michelle was pretty funny if she was being sarcastic in all of her private interviews. Looking back, I could see how she was probably being silly. Thanks to Ashley H. and Britt for standing up for her.

Speaking of Ashley H., if I were her, I would have waited to die my hair until after the "Tell All." It just looked really strange to see her one way and then reminisce about stuff with the old hair-do. Just saying! And did anyone else notice she still couldn't say she loved Brad? He should give her the number of his therapist. He works wonders apparently!

Next week is the finale. Yay! (Go, Emily!!!) I will be tweeting live again if you'd like to follow. http://twitter.com/rngfreckles

The Event:
I had to watch this show on Tuesday from Hulu because of the above show. ;+) I do not believe in aliens. (Sorry to those that do!) But I have been hooked on this show from the first week. They had a 2-hour special event on Monday that answered a lot more questions but the preview for the coming weeks made me more intrigued. Ah! I probably won't comment on this show a lot but if I get requests to mention thoughts, I will.

Biggest Loser:
Not much to say this week except Sarah had it coming to her. Didn't she look great at the follow-up? I'm hoping she'll announce a pregnancy at the live finale. I hope, at least, they keep up with her progress whenever she does get pregnant.

Guess that's all from the world of television from my perspective. I'm watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" when I can, but that one is basic. Nothing deep or controversial to talk about, just interesting. :-) Keep me in your prayers when you think about it. I start a super busy 8-week stretch this weekend. Thanks!

Pounds for Crowns Week 2

I stepped on the scale Sunday evening, hoping to pull a large number. Instead, I got a disappointing 0.6 pound loss. I know, I know...it's better than gaining! But I was still looking forward to losing 3 or 4 pounds this week. Oh, well. I just know that I need to do more activity this week than I did last week. Maybe this means I'll pull a large number next week! Anyway, this week's weigh-in put me at 162.4 lbs and a total weight-loss of 3.6 lbs.

I found so many good foods to eat that are low in point value. Some days, I don't have enough room in my stomach to eat all of my daily allotment of points. Joshua and I went for a walk on Monday and we'll probably go again one or two more times this week. I say "we" but he was just in the stroller. We go to the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton when it's too cold or wet outside. I am very thankful to have a place to walk indoors so I have no excuse to get out and be active.

My son has been an emotional kid so far this week. He's thrown quite a few temper tantrums and has had attitude changes at the drop of a hat. His nose has been running all day so I would like to blame this on him possibly being sick. But I really think the culprit is teething. Yes! He will be 18 months on Thursday and he is already getting his 2-year molars in. My mom mentioned it to me tonight and after researching the symptoms, I am 99% positive this is the issue. He has been early for all of his teeth so it doesn't really surprise me, but this is the first time he has had any teething problems. His only symptom of teething in the past has been waking up frequently in the middle of the night. But today? He has been fussy, grumpy, runny-nosed, chewing his fingers (rather than the norm of sucking on them), and refusing some food. I just hope he gets these teeth in quickly because it's hard to handle a grumpy little boy who cries at any given moment.

Of course, I did watch my favorite TV shows this week. But it's late and I'm too tired to write about them right now. I will do my best to post tomorrow. Goodnight!

Controlling My Anger

I apologize for not writing about "The Biggest Loser" this week. I wanted to wait a little while before writing because I was SO mad about this week's episode. I have heard comments on FB and Twitter about it that I would like to address as well. Guess we should start at the beginning...

After last week's weigh-in, we find the contestants are sent home to their families for 2 weeks. I think it's a little earlier than usual but a lot of these people were very homesick this season. Most of them did a great job keeping up with their diet and exercise programs while away from the Ranch. When they got back home, they knew the challenge would be to run a 5k. The reward...you could pick your trainer again in the order you finished the challenge. My thoughts, at this moment, were, "Great! Now the teams can go back the way they wanted them to be originally. No big deal!" But then Sarah does the unexpected! She chooses to stay with the black team, essentially sealing Arthur's doom. I heard some people say they were upset with Jen, but she was in the same position Arthur was in and was going to be sent home if she didn't get to re-choose her trainer. Please don't blame Jen! It really is Sarah's fault for what would become the most emotional weigh-in I have ever seen.

Black team weighed in first and kicked some booty! I am so proud of them!! Then, the red team. Rulon weighed in first and had me thinking that the red team might actually win the weigh-in. But the rest of the team had horrible numbers. Moses and Kaylee apparently had a hard time being accountable to their weight loss at home. They didn't show it or mention it until Arthur said something in the interview. Funny, the red team didnt even acknowledge that the father and daughter had dropped the ball. As poor Arthur goes up to get his weight, he is reminded that he could have immunity if he loses over 18 pounds. Then the scale shows he only lost 16. I screamed. I knew what that meant. But, hark! In comes Bob and Jillian to tell the red team to get some backbone and keep him on the ranch. Was there now hope? Uh, no. The red team decided to vote with their own interests at heart and booted Arthur from the ranch. My thoughts? Go black team and go Courtney. I hope every red team member loses every weigh-in left in the season...and Sarah, too. (Who I was cheering for, but no longer.)

Another thing that has gotten my blood boiling this week is the NFL/NFLPA labor talks. Court documents released this week showed how the NFL and the owners would have had access to $4 billion (yes, that's billion with a "b") during a potential lockout. And the players would not have had access to the money. But the crazy thing is, a 1-2 year lockout has been premeditated for 3 years now. Unbelievable! Good thing is the judge who presides over the NFL disputes ruled in favor of the players and that money will now have to be divided properly to the players for "damages" and such. As I write this, both sides have agreed to extend the CBA talks thru next Friday. I hope this means that they are seriously trying to get a new CBA and not just attempting to delay the inevitable. Can't we just get this deal done peaceably?

Now that I've shared what has burned me up this week, let me share some good news! My darling son has been on a great schedule since the beginning of last week. He's been getting up early, eating breakfast and lunch on time, laying down for a good nap without fighting, and going to bed at a decent hour. I didn't really do anything to cause it, he's just been a good boy! I guess God is the one I should thank for this change of behavior in him. It has been such a help to know how to plan my days. Let's hope that this schedule continues! Have a great weekend everyone.

Pounds for Crowns Week 1

FINALLY! I lost 3 pounds this week on WW, after gaining the previous 3 weeks on P90X!! This puts me at 163.0 lbs. I am still over a 25 BMI for being overweight, but I am so close to being in a healthy weight range.

This starting week wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because I'm so excited to be getting rid of this weight. The hardest day of the week was Saturday. Tim and I attended the Apprentice School graduation at the Ferguson Center that afternoon. After the Baccalaureate service, they served a light lunch. In the past, they've had salad, grilled chicken, steamed veggies, etc. But not this year. Ham biscuits (like Hardee's), fried chicken strips, chicken cordon bleu nuggets, potato salad, pasta salad, and egg rolls were all to be found on the buffet table. The egg rolls were 100 calories each (thank God!), and the deviled eggs they had were about 70 calories each. They also had a fruit and cheese area, which helped fill me with less damage to my diet. And dessert? Brownies and an assortment of large, chunky cookies. I ate the same amount of points for a tiny plate of food as I did for 3 trips to the salad bar at Jason's Deli on Sunday! Unbelievable.

Now to the activity which helped burn some of my calories...walking. Thursday morning, I walked for 20 minutes at Boo Williams since it was so cold out. Saturday, while at the graduation, I did a lot of walking to get from the Baccaleureate service to the graduation area. I also had to meet Tim in the back where he took his robe off before and after the graduation. (It was a long walk.) But the best part of the week was yesterday afternoon. We had gotten home from lunch, and Joshua and Tim had laid down to sleep. Instead of watching the basketball game, I decided to take a walk. I walked very briskly for about 45 minutes in the cool air, listening to Pandora Radio on my phone. It was so peaceful. I am looking forward to the next few Sundays to take advantage of this again.

Today, I took Joshua to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. He has seen some of the commercials so he was familiar with it before we got there. He wasn't afraid of the character that came out to greet the kids or of the rides that bumped him around. He is a little small for most of the games but I got to play those. ;+) It was nice to get out and have a good time. Mostly, it was good to chase him around to help burn calories!

No. I did not watch the Oscars. I was hoping "Toy Story 3" would win Best Picture, but they did not. Other than that, I didn't really care to watch. But I am looking forward to tonight's episode of "The Bachelor." We will found out which 2 ladies will make it to the final rose ceremony. Sometime during the show, they will reveal the newest cast for "Dancing with the Stars." I cannot wait!!! I love, love, love that show. I will be tweeting live (@rngfreckles) if you want to follow along. And of course, I will update here as well.

Just a reminder, only about 15 days are left before my Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser ends! Please read my previous post http://justanotherfreckledgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/cystic-fibrosis-benefit.html and get involved before it's too late!