Puppies and Sunshine.

The weather was so nice this weekend. Today was 70 and sunny. Church was packed. The good weather really got people out. Sarah practiced her back handspring and the puppies ran wild. I worked in the scraproom quite a bit. Mike set up my early birthday present in the room. He makes all the technical stuff look so easy.

2/08/09 CLX Burn Circuit 2, 20m of Turbo Jam

ALC.

Supper tonight was at Chili's. Featured here is one item from my top 10 food list. Mike and I are huge fans of their salsa. Friday is the perfect night for eating out. For that matter, any day of the week will do. I came home and watched Fringe on the dvr. It is quickly becoming my favorite show.

I worked at the Alternative Learning Center today. Let me say you will not meet a more wonderful group of people anywhere. I feel the love the teachers pour on the kids. This is where the school system moves the kids with discipline and other issues. The environment is designed to teach the kids life and relational skills. It was an instant fit the first time I worked there. The kids are very open and willing to talk about their lives. It is such a treat to visit with them. I would love to take a few of them home and provide a solid home life. Some parents just don't realize the huge impact their life choices make for kids.

My Mess.

Here is a picture of the old scrap space. I am moving stuff to the new room. Things are progressing along nicely. A lot of the leftovers will end up in a garage sale.

I subbed at the Junior High today. I had a new experience called Code Red. When this happens the teachers pull all the students out of the halls and lock them in the rooms until the all clear is called. Luckily, I was on my prep period with no students. So I stood at the door listening for the gun shots while I flipped through the guide book for Code Red. I still don't know what happened for a fact. The rumor was a kid passed out from drug use. Who knows if this is true. The kids are all about drama at this age. The teacher had a bulletin board with reading recommendations featured. I was pleased to see I had read all but one. It was a novel about football. For those of you unaware of the Twilight phenomenon, it is BIG. Every other student is reading that series. I walk down the row of desks and count the number of Twilight copies. Yes, even the boys and Middle school too. I have seen one or two at elementary. Those have been provided by parents.

While the class did busy work, I finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a beautiful story. I love, love, loved it. Guernsey is a small island in the English Channel. German troops occupied the island for years as a base for their London invasion. Potato peel pie was a treat for the starving residents struggling to survive. The entire book is a series of letters written by various people on the island. Each one reveals a piece of the picture. The residents form the book club to meet secretly and help on another through starvation, death, and Nazi rules. Some of the letters make you cry and some make you laugh. Human nature is examined from all angles. I can only sit back and thank God I have never experienced such pain. The book kept the focus on the best of people. It made me ask would I, could I react the same way in their situation? Only by the grace of God.

CLX

My next workout obsession was delivered by the nice man in the brown truck. The new set is Chalean Extreme. You may already know Chalene Johnson from her Turbo Jam fame. Beach Body is the company that produces these workouts. The set includes a complete food guide with recipes, a guide on proper form, and eight DVDs. I love the set, moves and music. I will now be challenged with sticking to a program for the entire 90 days. Much of the program is designed to be slow and heavy (tortoise). I am all about fast and light (hare) workouts. The goal in many of the workouts is total muscle failure by the 12- 15 rep count. It is a well rounded set that also includes cardio, abs, and motivation. These are short intense workouts. You have to lift at your max or you are simply wasting time. The body loves to have a variety of workouts and it is time to shake things up. Constantly mixing things up makes the body work at its peak performance. I recently read a disturbing article about a woman who trained for the Ironman competition. She was a fitness competitor and personal trainer. Her goal was endurance to complete the competition. At the end of training she had no weight loss and no definition. The body adapted to running, swimming and cycling incredible distances. Long story short, it's not all about cardio. You have to build muscle.

Increasing protein is another challenge. I will really have to make that happen. I am all about carbs.

2/04/09 CLX Burn Circuit 1

The Keeper of the Tape.

Sarah is so creative. She is always making something from scratch just for the fun of it. Absolutely no prodding is needed from me. It is entirely self motivated. I just sit back in awe and watch. The running question at our house is "Where's the tape?" We now know where to look for the tape. Sarah has it and keeps it closely guarded. She needs it for her creations. I am not kidding. I have witnessed entire rooms with furnishings constructed from just scotch tape and notebook paper. I put an Origami set in her stocking this year. She will sit down in the evening and fold those paper squares into art. Here she is pictured with a Valentine's day project. Ever the Type A personality,her card creations for class began with a theme, supply list, and detailed plans.

She is on her second round of antibiotics this month. If this does not knock out her sinus problem we will have to go to the doctor yet again. The next visit will include sinus x-rays and possible ENT visit. Last year we visited the allergist. Not one thing tested showed any reaction. I don't know how she puts up with the constant congestion.

New Week, New Book.

How about this for a title? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society written by Mary Shafer and Annie Barrows. The title alone is interesting. The setting is London during World War II. The book is a series of letters between a writer and people experiencing life changes due to the German occupation. Unfortunately I have not had much time to read today. Mike is gone and things are busy as always. My carpets were cleaned today. It smells and looks so clean. The kids and dogs are not allowed to set one foot on them.

2/2/09 Biggest Loser Power Sculpt

Friday.

Mike and I attempted to move scraproom furniture upstairs. It didn't take long for him to realize what I already knew. There was no way on this earth we could haul that heavy stuff up those stairs. Major bummer. So I began to call movers. We were able to schedule them for Saturday morning. Until then the room gets put on hold. Big sigh. One disc from the Chalean Extreme set came in. I happily spent time previewing it while I ironed. It looks fabulous. I can't wait to do it tomorrow. Jamie had a haircut appointment after school. Apparently, the whole rock band thing has kicked in. He had a fit over the 1/4 inch he had trimmed. I was not ready for that. I guess he thinks haircuts are no longer necessary. I really don't have a problem with long hair. It does has to have some style and shape to it. Mike doesn't want to spend good money on 1/4 inch cut.

1/30/09 The Firm Total Body Toner

Saturday.

The movers came at 7:30 and got busy. They were thrilled to have the work. The men told Mike it had been a hard few months with the economy so bad. Mike is very generous and they left quite happy. I am thrilled to have it all moved in. All of the furniture pieces in the scraproom are repurposed items. Most of it came from Mike's old office at the pharmacy. I am thrilled to have a real desk with drawers. Also included are a microwave cart, computer stand, and small chest. Each piece will have a purpose - think centers in a school room.

I tried the interval and ab workout on the new Chalean DVD. It was a solid workout that left me dripping sweat. The new set is sleek and modern. Many of my favorite moves are in this disc. This will probably become a favorite.

I only had a little time to play in the room before we left for Conway. Mike has a Bronco gathering planned for tonight. We farm the kids out to anyone who will take them and head out. The group meets at Outback for a good time. I really do like this group of people. They all discuss the next planned trail run somewhere in Missouri. This one does not include hotel rooms so Mike may go alone. We enjoyed dessert at one the members home. I took several pictures, including a group shot at the restaurant. I have to post the one of the model Bronco. They had several of these around the house. These men are as obsessed with their toys as I am with my scrap hobby. Speaking of obsessed. You may think my scraproom is over the top. I simply ask, have you seen my husband's shop?

1/31/09 CLX Get Lean Intervals /Abs

Sunday.

What a beautiful day. Our weather has been gross. Today was like a warm spring day. The puppies spent a lot of time outside. After church I began to arrange things in the scraproom. Finally! I can actually start to set things up. Many thanks to Mike for his help with the computer and technical stuff. I will wait until it's complete to post any pictures. Today's picture is my idea of a great Superbowl.