On the topic of Crocheting, I've been inspired by many of you to be more crafty. So a couple weeks ago I bought a how to crochet book (although I was taught some simple crochets last winter) and I've been giving a few things a try. I started out with a pattern for an infant hat and tried to adjust the stitches and it just didn't work. I ended up unraveling it and trying again but before I did that I went on line and found a pattern for a granny hat and I did this...It ended up a bit big for Michaella so I definitely want to try it again. I messed up some of the stitches that are hidden in the back. After that almost success I unraveled the other hat and I decided to try again. I did it with a slightly different pattern. You can find these patterns at http://www.luv2crochet.com/
After I finished the hat I decided to update the scarf which was actually my first crochet project ever. So I added the brown stitching around it and added a flower to match the hat. Michaella has a brown and pink jacket that this matches wonderfully.Right now I am in the middle of a blanket. It is 63 different squares that have all different designs. I have done 8 or 9 of the 63.... I have a ways to go. But when I'm done I will post pictures.

We've added to the family

We've added to the Family. Okay well I did and I every so gently talked Mike into it also. Friday I came home with 1 more,Yes 1 more dog. I kept telling Michaella that he was going to kill me she told people that I was going to get fired. As many of you are asking yourself...how did Mike react? Well he reacted perty much how you would think he would react... not happy. I think there were certain comments about the other dogs eating the new one, perhaps he would disappear. But I know Mike and I know he loves dogs as much as I do so I knew it would just take time. The exact time was about 1/2 hour and then all of a sudden he wanted the new little guy to lay with him and cuddle. But as much as he doesn't show he isn't happy he vocalizes it as much as possible. But actions speak louder than words! :) So every one... Meet Winston. Winston is a "Designer Dog" or a "hybrid dog" He is called a Chion or a Chi-a-Pap or a Paphuahua. (Chihuahua x Papillion) Michael calls him a mutt and an ankle biter. What ever you would like to call him but I call him Adorable! He is my baby. And I can't wait to cart him around in my bag and look ridiculous! (or just you watch Mike will be the one carting him around)

The Daily Plate

I have to tell everyone about an awesome website. It's thedailyplate.com. My mom told me about it and so far it is the most awesome motivator. Everyday you can update exactly what you ate and it will help you calculate how many calories you are eating and how many you burned. It's super because you can just type in exactly what you ate and it will calculate. Like I could say I have a can of Campbell's Select Harvest Minestrone and I had 2 servings (Because it is 2 servings a can you have to watch that) and it will calculate your complete nutritional info (ie calories, fat, cholesterol sodium carbs sugars fiber protein) and the percentage of daily value based on your weight and what your goals are. You then also calculate the calories burned by looking up your type of exercise and quantity of time (ie Kickboxing for 60 minutes). They go into great specifics like how many calories you'd burn in an hour folding clothes or putting on makeup. Its crazy.

Now I've tried uploading a snapshot picture of what it looks like but I'm having technical troubles to the likes of which I've never had trouble before. Therefore I am giving up on the picture...sorry if you are curious enough you will go check it out yourself. It's worth it!

http://www.thedailyplate.com/

Update

Hi,

It's been awhile. So here's a little update. Sorry I don't have any pictures. My battery has been dead on my camera for about a month and I've been too lazy to plug it in the charger, I know it's terrible. I'll work on it.

Well I'll start off with the Nutrisystem. After a month of being on it and not losing any weight I started to get frustrated. Mainly because it just didn't seem worth it. I'm about to indulge you all with a little TMI but I have too for you to understand why it wasn't worth it. So here it it... The Nutrisystem made me so flippin gassy. Mike was really kinda pissed at me. I guess I'd fart in my sleep and he was kinda grossed out. So all of this constant gassy feeling bloating and not all that desirable food that was slightly expensive, I've decided to kick it and go back to my self made diet that has worked in the past.

But I found out there was another reason I wasn't losing any weight. I have been really tired for the last few months. I thought well I'm just not getting enough sleep, I'm exercising a lot and so on. I'd tell Mike every morning when I woke up... Dude I need to get to bed earlier. (FYI He hates it when I call him Dude) But then it started to get worse and worse. Morning after morning I'd scare myself driving on the freeway because I was SO tired I could literally dose off if I blinked. So I'd hold my eyes open as much as I could and slowly my vision would get blurry, the eyelids would get heavier and heavier and my head would get cloudy. Remember that feeling sitting in church when you'd be so tired and your head would start bobbing? Just take that times 10. I tried everything... slapping myself, caffeine, getting more sleep and nothing helped. (Can you imagine how hard you'd laugh if you looked over on the freeway and saw some ditsy blonde slapping her self?)

So I made an appointment with my Doctor. Mike was convinced I was being a hypochondriac. But a couple blood tests later and I find out I'm hypothordic. Which means my Thyroid doesn't excrete enough of the thyroid hormone. Side effects being really tired and weight gain. So I'm on thyroid meds for most likely the rest of my life. That part isn't cool, but knowing the weight gain had nothing to do with just me being a cookieaholic made me feel that much better. It had just not made sense that I had been going to the gym 5 times a week and I had gained almost 15 lbs in 5 months. So that's all I have to say about that.

Michaella has started back up with dance lessons and she has also decided that she is pretty much Hannah Montana. I'm sure the rest of you mothers with little girls understand the Hannah Montana phenomenon. She has watched the Hannah Montana on tour DVD 4 times in the last 2 days. Michaella has been her alter ego "Dance Star" the whole time. My little girl is ALWAYS singing and dancing. It is like her life is a Broadway show or Disney Movie. This Hannah Montana deal compounded with Disney princesses and Barbie Diamond Castle/Mariposa/Island Princess (and so on) has only proven to me that my little girl is ALL girl. Not to mention she has also decided she is going to marry the Jonas Brothers and she has also gained an appreciation for the handsome males. We were watching Dancing with the Stars the other night and she informed me that Alec Maso was "HOT". OH am I in trouble or what? She is 4 years old. Not to mention she has added the term "sexy" to her vocabulary. I don't know what to think about that.

The other big thing in our house is that it is now hunting season. And I'm sure those of you Hunter's wives know what I mean. It's all about dead birds in our house right now. Michaella actually gets really excited about it for her Daddy. I just hope he isn't too disappointed when she informs him she doesn't want to go hunting because she might break a nail. I see that coming in the near future.

So ta ta for now my fellow bloggers. I will fight my procrastination and I will plug in my battery on my camera tonight so that I can entertain everyone with my very normal life.

HOLY COW

Okay, so today I went straight home because the gym floors are being refinished so they are closed, and Mike & Michaella were out dove hunting... so I had the house to myself. What should I do? I decided to finally upload pictures from my camera. 800 pictures!! Eight hundred freakin pictures. So...I have compiled what I could into the least amount of pictures possible and I have made a slide show of the last month or so and the many things we have done to which I have yet to blog on.

9 years

Today Is Mike & My 9th anniversary. I can't believe how fast time flies. This weekend we are going to get a babysitter for the first time. Any other time we've been out we've either gone as a family or family has been able to watch Michaella.
We sure have been through a lot in the last 9 years. But there is very little I would change about it. We have one beautiful wonderful little girl who is the perfect collaboration of Mike and me. We have house and home, we have good jobs and we have each other. What more can you really ask for?

Nutrisystem

Okay so everyone who has always wondered if Nutrisystem works. No need to longer wonder. I am going to be your human guinea pig. I have ordered my first 28 day supply. It should be interesting. None of the food needs to be refrigerated or frozen so who knows how it tastes. I have been eating lean cuisines for lunch for a long time so I don't mind a little less taste. It isn't as if I'm going from wonderful delish hambugers and other yummy yummy fatty things. So I can assume it would be that big of a let down to my poor taste buds.