DIXIE CHICK...HOLDING ONTO THOSE SOUTHERN ROOTS!

If I could get blood out of this.....

2009-07-13T09:28:00.003-04:00

Then I could probably make money grow on trees.....

But, alas...neither are meant to be....as it stands, the stress level I have regarding our finances is through the roof. Hubby keeps telling, not to worry..not to worry....but, that is really hard not to do....

I hate Mondays..that is no secret....this weekend was very uneventful...nothing of interest to even talk about...Friday night I worked out after work for almost three hours, while hubby ran down to meet his mom to pick up Max....afterwards, he came to the gym to pick me up and we went to the grocery and struggled through trying to buy enough groceries to get us from Friday to this Friday....we had less than $100 to do so, so I perused the Payless sales flyer online, made a list..bought only what was on sale and we managed to spend exactly what we had alloted. I had forgotten how tough that really is. Saturday, we had terrible rain showers in the afternoon....but once they stopped, the sun came out and I went for a 4.25 mile run...For the week, I have ran over 17 miles....I only made it to the gym twice for cardio/strength training, wanted to go back on Sunday for a full body circuit on the strength training part, but it didn't happen.

I was awakened early Sunday morning, somewhere around 7:30 a.m...by the obnoxious rumble of car after car going by the front of our house. We live very close to the street and directly across the street from our house is a church with a beautiful church lawn, and every year at this time, they have an outdoor church service/gospel singing and antique car show. It goes on all day and they are very loud. I tossed and turned for half an hour and realized it was futile, so I got up, made some coffee and spent some time on the computer, that is until hubby got up..and Max.
(Aaron spent a week with his dad and then left Sunday afternoon to go back to Terre Haute to spend a week with his Aunt/Uncle and cousins.)

I did some light housework, then showered and dressed....we had to pack Aaron a suitcase with some clean clothes, etc..to take over to his dads, as he was goig to leave with his aunt/uncle who were up visiting Aaron's grandfather (dad's dad), due to it being his birthday. We ran that over...went to the mall and window shopped (no money, remember)...and I hate doing that...looking at the pretty clothes, wishing I had some, and knowing I cant...but, it killed a couple hours.

Came home and had to listen to Max whine and be defiant...I don't know what the hell is gotten into that boy, but he has become so argumentative...let's just say he popped off at the mouth to his Dad and I both and got sent to his room for a while...he thinks he can have the run of the neighboorhood, go to whatever playmates house he chooses, whenever he wants. I have to remind him, he is six and a half, not sixteen....driving me crazy! I really believe he is going to be a trial lawyer when he grows up. LOL.....

Well, guess I better get to work....wouldn't do for me to lose my job over blogging now would it...I need it to bad.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Hump day....

2009-07-08T08:15:00.002-04:00

Middle of the week..ay yi yi....can't wait for this week to be over. Things are in a slump here at work..same old same old...Mr. Burns driving me bonkers...day in and day out....this job is so boring. But, with the economy the way it is..hubby being laid off...our finances don't allow for me to complain. At least I have a job, seems to be pretty secure..for now. Hopefully hubby is only on lay off one more week.
Very stressful trying to pay bills, put food on the table with no money but mine coming in. I have cut back on everything...it helps when the two little ones are gone to grandmas and their dads for a week at a time...then I only have to worry about feeding hubby and myself...I don't eat much. So, not a lot of groceries in the house this week. Sucks to be this freaking broke! I hate it....it's only temporary...I hope...so, I shouldn't complain too much I guess. Some people are much less fortunate...at least we don't have to worry about losing our home..just our electric being turned off, our car being repossessed...we are $75 behind on last month's car payment, which will be paid this Friday, but the loan company we have the car through are relentless...they are calling me every freaking day. (They won't reposses it, but their phone jocks will threaten to..can't wait to pay this car off and get out from in under freaking CPS...don't ever ever get a loan through these people...they have such unfair business practices..hell, some car dealerships now are telling you, get a loan with us, you get laid off, lose your job, return the car at no penalty. We are less than a hundred dollars behind on our clunker and they threaten to come and get it...let em'...no skin off my nose. Hubby has tapped into his 401 K and we should get that check a week from this Friday ( I hope) and we can get our bills caught up...but, hell...in the meantime...it is causing some major stress...On top of that... all the female issues I have had over the past month...3 trips to the doc and numerous test...we now have medical bills out the ass....insurance only covers so much...the rest is up to us...I hate getting sick, but I truly think stress just aggravated my condition...Thank God I am all better, all tests came back negative...but, seriously, the stress until I found out the test results were out the window.

On the positive front...my oldest son had his 19th birthday last Friday...he turned 19...wow, seems just like yesterday he was a teeny baby...and I was dealing with the colic...then he was walking talking and being absolutely adorable...I love that boy to death...and it is hard for me to look at him now and see he is a grown man....responsible for himself...Hubby and I drove to Terre Haute last Friday, took him to lunch for his birthday...I gave him a small check for his birthday, which I had to ask him to hold until our 401 k money is in our checking... I felt like shit having to do that...I think he understood, what with hubby being laid off and such...at least I hope he did. Hell, I haven't gotten a card or a gift from my mom for my birthday since I was freaking 17 years old...well, maybe a card or two over the last 20 years..but, as you get older, birthdays just aren't that big of a deal anymore. I do what I can...that is all I can do. I just hope that I have raised him/along with his Dad where he will learn to appreciate the gesture, not the monetary value behind it. He will go spend tons of money on girlfriends, but when it was mothers day, or my birthday...I got nothing...not a card, nothing...although he did call me. I just hope he will start priortizing things a little better as he gets older.

For the 4th..hubby and I did nothing...we went out to eat at a new restuarant. That is all. It was a great new Hawiaan Place....Polynesian food is now one of my new favorites...

Sunday...for the first time, hubby took me canoing...I thought I would hate it...I am not much of an outdoorsy kind of gal...but, I loved it...I can't wait to go again. Next time, I would like to take the little boys, I think they would get a kick out of it.

Well, guess I better get back to work...6 hours 20 minutes left...aiy yi yi...don't know if I am going to make it. Pray for me....

Weekends over...Monday again...4 day work week....

2009-06-29T08:14:00.002-04:00

Sigh...Here it is...another Monday. I swear, I don't know where the time goes. It just seems like I was leaving this office on Friday, I blinked and here I am again. There is some consolation though...it's only a 4 day work week.

Our weekend was good....busy, but good. Friday, one of our dear friends came over and we had a cook out. Had a couple of cocktails. After he left, I was pretty beat, so ended up going to bed around midnight. Saturday, I spent the morning drinking coffee and trying to catch up on my reading. By late afternoon, the hubby and I decided to take the kids swimming. We spent a couple hours at the pool. It was very nice and relaxing. At least for the first hour. Now, I am the type of chick that hates getting her hair wet when she goes to the pool. Yes, I am "one of those"....I prefer to get my body wet from the chest down, get out and lay on a chaise and dry off from the sun, and read....while the kids play. And I don't like to get splashed. So, I was sitting on a lounge chair, drying off, relaxing..reading my magazine and some kid a girl, about 10 or 11 years old, had one of these little squirt tube type things, kind of like a water gun, but in a long tube, and she kept squirting me with it. The first couple of times she squirted me with it, I ignored her...the third time, I asked her to please not squirt me again....the fourth time she not only soaked me, but got my magazine wet as well....I stood up and said I have asked you nicely to please stop squirting me, now don't do it again! After that incident, hubby was back and sat down next to me...we were chatting, and the little bugger did it again! This time, drenching my legs and my magazine...hubby jumped up and told her to not do it again! He was rather loud and angry sounding when he said it, so the girl ran over to her mom, who of course jumped up and yelled at us, What do you expect, you are sitting by the kiddie pool, which sorry, the kiddie pool was to our right about 200 yards away, and the little girl was no where near the kiddie pool. The woman needed to make her kid mind, instead of yelling at us. What the hell is wrong with people? If it had been one of my kids and someone yelled at them for squirting them, I would have apologized and took the squirter away from my child....anyway, at that point, the pool was preparing to close, so the woman grabbed up her stuff, her kids and waddled away in a huff...we left the pool as well, and took the kids to Pizza King for dinner. We had a lot of fun, but the little kids were over tired at that point and they were being loud and obnoxious, so I was so grateful to finally get home. After showers, the two youngest went to bed, and we, hubby and I sat out on the porch and sipped some wine, and relaxed. Lovely way to end the evening. At least it was until the mosquitoes came out. Hate those buggers!
Sunday, spent the morning being lazy again....and finally around noon, showered and Justin (15 year old) and I went to the gym....it felt great to get in a good workout. I ran 4 miles, then spent another hour on weights for my legs and then worked on my abs....
Hubby ended up taking Justin home later and I was able to relax, read and get my mind geared up for returning to work.

On other news..Hubby has gotten laid off from his job. So, I am having some sleepless nights figuring out what we are going to do, how we are going to make ends meet. He says he has a plan, well...for all of our sakes, I hope it works.

Almost Friday.....

2009-06-25T08:51:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness it is almost Friday....I feel like crap today. I have been stuck in this office all week with Mr. Burns and I swear if he is in here with me again, all day today, I very well just might lose my freaking mind! Great...just radioed me and said he would be here in 2 minutes. Pray I make it through the day.....

On another note, it's been almost a week, with a second trip to the doctor on Tuesday, and my little problem has not gotten better. It is just about to push me over the edge. I am calling the doctor back today. Test were run on Tuesday, found nothing...if I don't get some relief soon, I may just want to become a man. LOL....

Have a great Thursday....pray I don't end up on the news for going postal on my boss, the annoying Mr. Burns.

Why does the weekend go so quickly?

2009-06-22T08:10:00.002-04:00

Hey, ya'll....can't believe it's Monday already. It is rainy and gloomy today here in the mid west and the only place I want to be is curled up in my bed, sleeping....not stuck here in this fertilizer office. I am sure Mr. Burns will be in here again...all day...long....yes, he is still here. Has not been fired yet...but a little birdie tells me, unless he picks up his game, he will be phased out. My company hired another salesman to work in our department with him...they are counting on this guy outselling Mr. Burns, then they have reason to let him go. I know the man has a daughter to support...and I feel bad in that respect, but if it does happen, maybe it will give him the boost he needs to do what he is truly good at and that is play the saxophone. Not sit in the office day in and day out, constantly missing his projections and numbers.

Moving on....the weekend was not so good for me. Started out with the best of intentions, but I got sick...in a feminine way....women, it is one of the worst aggravating conditions you can get as a woman...I tried to take care of it with over the counter medicine, that in fact made my problem worse..so, I was in misery all weekend. By Saturday afternoon, hubby knew our weekend of going out with friends, dancing, our normal no kid weekend activities were not going to happen, so we drove down to the lake to visit his parents for the evening. We took KFC and the movie Grand Torrino down there for his dad to see. It is a great movie...a little too much racism in it...but, it was still good for a Clint Eastwood movie. We didn't get home until Midnight and by that point, I was in total misery. I drank half a bottle of wine and went to bed. Sunday Morning I knew I was going to have to go to the doctor..so, hubby took me to Urgent Care, my problem was diagnosed and I was told by the doctor to stay out of hot tubs, which is where I think I may have picked up my little problem. Last week hubby went to the gym with me and after working out, we went and got into the hot tub, two days later..I have my little problem. So, anyway, ladies, if you are susceptible to infections of the female variety, please stay out of public hot tubs....I was given one little pill to take and today, I am glad to say I am 100% better. Which I am so relieved. I missed an entire weekend of working out and I didn't eat very healthy this weekend..I>e...the Kfc....McDonalds...crap, crap, crap...so this morning, I am up 2 lbs and I plan on hitting the gym hard tonight. I hate missing my work outs..It makes me feel like total crap.

In other news, all the kids are doing fine. They are enjoying their summer. The oldest is working every day, planning for college this fall and enjoying his last summer as teenager. He will be 19 July 3rd...damn, I'm gettin old. The second one, is spending his summer getting up at 6 a.m. every day for football, weight training, etc...I admire his dedication, but the poor kid can't enjoy his summer because of it. The third son, Aaron is alternating weeks with his loser, non job holding, non support paying father. Max also goes the same week he is gone to Keith's parents and spends time with the them at the lake. He loves it down there. Grandma keeps him busy and it is so much better for him then spending his day cooped up in our house while his dad is trying to sleep and I am at work. I miss them though.
Hubby is going to be laid off the entire month of July. That has us in a tizzy, worrying over money and how we are going to make ends meet. He will file for un employment right away, but that takes several weeks to get the first check. Unfortunately, like most families, we live paycheck to paycheck, no savings and it is going to be a struggle. Hubby has a plan, he always does...I am sure we will survive this. I am trying to find ways to pinch pennies and save money in every way I can....What are any of you doing to cut costs and survive the economy downturn? Have any of you gone through lay offs or lost your jobs? I would like to know how you are handling things...

Well, I better get to work. Mr. Burns will be in at any moment....Have a great week everyone!
Dixie

Still alive and kicking!

2009-06-15T08:17:00.002-04:00

Hey, ya'll..Ole' Dixie is still here. Just busy, not often do I have enough time to get on here from home and blog, since the idiots still have me blocked from work. Once in a blue moon, I can get on here from work, just for a brief period of time, so I wanted to quickly give an update and let all of ya'll that still read me, both of you, lol..know that I am ok. Just busy, kids are out of school, work is still driving me crazy and I have no free time. Still going to the gym, working out 3-4 times a week. I am now up to running 4 miles a day. Whoo Hoo! I am loving life and all is good. Now, if I could just come into some money, quit my job, stay at home and be a full time mom and wife, I would be in 7th Heaven.
Take care ya'll. I am never far away!
Xoxo
Dixie

Bittersweet.....

2009-06-02T08:10:00.005-04:00

Well, Sunday night, I attended the graduation of my oldest son. Sitting there in those bleachers, watching him walk in with the "pomp and circumstance", cap and gown on....hugging each and every teacher lined up for the graduates, as he passed...make his way to his seat...I couldn't help but think of every single momentus moment I have had with him. The day he was born, the day he started school..how he stood up for me at 7 years old, with his dad, when we were going through our divorce...all the fun things, the sad things...including the day at 13 he came to me and said he wanted to live with his Dad...that day just about broke my heart....and Sunday night, seeing what a handsome, fine young man he has turned out to me, I couldnt suppress the tears from stinging my eyes...I looked at his Dad and said, "We did good"....and yes we did do good. As he walked across that stage, accepting his diploma, the tears rolled down my cheeks. I am so proud of him. I know, without a doubt, he is going to do great and wonderful things. He has ambition,drive,good work ethic...and people, no matter who he meets, just love him.
Here is my graduate....who graduated with honors. This Mama couldn't be more proud!

2 weeks ago??

2009-05-29T08:11:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. Where the heck has time gone? Were any of you worried about me? LOL....I have not been deliberately ignoring this old blog, but work still has me shut off from blogger....this morning, once again was just a little quirk and allowed me to get on.
So, what's been going on? Nothing....work is still as frustrating as ever.
My routine outside of work is still the same...
The kids are out for summer vacation. Their last day was Tuesday. Aaron is already acting like a teenager, at the age of nine and a half...he sleeps in until noon, only rolls out of bed to get some cereal and back to his room for Playstation time. Which is causing a stir in our house...as Max, at six, enjoys the Playstation too, we only have one....so, hubby says the fighting starts as soon as Aaron is up. Don't know what to do about that. I hate having to work, not be at home to plan activities for them to do this summer. I would love to check into some kind of summer camp, but then you have the expense. We don't have the money. The ex still has not paid any support for Aaron, hasn't since last September...it is really getting old and starting to piss hubby, and myself, off in a major way.
Also, hubby came home yesterday, said they had laid off 200 people where he works. Luckily, he wasn't one of the 200....yet! Keep your fingers crossed that his business picks back up, orders pick up (he is a machinist) and he doesn't get laid off too. Just like millions of other families out there, with the economy on a downturn, they are having to struggle and endure, for one, I don't know what we will do. Luckily the house we live in is paid for (belongs to hubby's parents), so we won't have to worry about ever being homeless....when it comes to feeding the family or rent payment, they will work with us...but, as I told hubby, no sense worrying about something that has not happened yet?
Has the economy effected any of you? If so, what are you doing to get by?

This weekend, my oldest son graduates high school...it is going to be bittersweet. I can't believe my son is at the point in his life where I was just 20 years ago, seems like yesterday....I am so proud of him, I will make sure to post pictures as soon as I can.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Dixiechick...out.

Happy Friday everyone!

2009-05-15T08:14:00.003-04:00

I am so glad it is Friday. This has been such a long week. We are picking up Justin this evening, going out for a family dinner, maybe rent a movie and relax.
I am looking so forward to that. I am tired...but, in a good way. I went to the gym last night and ran 3 miles, walked .80 miles, then worked my arms again, my abs and did 10 minutes on the Wave...has I was preparing to go to the weight area to start my upper body exercises...I had this nice lady approach me and tell me "If I looked like you, I wouldn't be in here"....I laughed and told her, If I were not in here, I wouldn't look like this...then we had a nice conversation about how she was trying to lose about 40 lbs, what did I do to lose my weight, what my exercise routine was, etc....we chatted about 15 minutes..I gave her my card and we may get together for a work out sometime. It was really nice to finally have someone be nice to me there. Usually, I get catty looks from the other women, the men just leer, some smile, but no one ever speaks. So, that was nice....we chatted like we knew each other forever...anyway, as I have said before, I don't have any female friends really, so maybe she will become one.

My weekend plans consist of gym time, hair appointment tomorrow....got to cover up those greys, and some one on one time with the boys.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Wow...Surprise...Surprise....

2009-05-12T15:15:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I actually got onto my blog from work! They have been very thorough with blocking any/all blogging as of late and by the time I get home from work, especially on the nights I go to the gym, you can forget about me blogging. I do not have an extra spare moment.

How was the weekend for everyone? Mine was good...busy as usual. Hubby and I went to the gym together last Friday night. He spent some time on the treadmill with me, then while I was finishing up my upper body workout, he went and soaked in the hot tub. Afterwards, we grabbed a quick supper and went home to shower and go out for a few drinks with Friends.

Saturday, we honest to goodness, lazed around the entire day. Finally, we got ourselves up and dressed and got out of the house for awhile. We didn't do anything to eventful.

Sunday, Mother's day...(I had no kids! On Mother's day! Imagine that.)....hubby took me for a late breakfast at Bob Evans....then we came back home to relax...hubby drove down to his Mom's to visit with her and pick up our little Maxter...and I got to stay home and relax.

Unfortunatley, during the night, Sunday night, I came down with a terrible stomach bug....hubby actually came home from work early to help take care of me. I was miserable! So, I ended up not making into work.

Needless to say, you can only imagine what my reception was like coming back here today. Not good. Fortunately, the day is almost over...I am feeling better and I think I will hit up the gym for a work out tonight. I have not been in 3 days. I am missing it. I am still sort of weak feeling, so I may not push myself too hard tonight. A little cardio and some leg/ab exercises.

Hope you are all having a great start to your week! Tomorrow is hump day! Yay!

Workout and daily food intake for Monday....May 4th....

2009-05-05T20:48:00.022-04:00

Sorry I didn't get this posted earlier today..Work once again had me blocked from Blogger...I hate that!
Anyway...here is one of my new adopted motto's...and I can vouch for it...since I started eating healthier and working out, I feel like a new person and their is no diet pill or medicine that can do for you what movement can......

"Movement is medicine for changing a person’s physical, emotional, and mental state.”

So on a typical day, this is my diet....(actually what I did eat on Monday)

FOOD JOURNAL FOR MONDAY MAY 4TH:

BREAKFAST:

ONE PKG INSTANT OATMEAL 140 CALORIES

ONE CUP BLACKBERRIES 62 CALORIES

½ CONTAINER YOPLAIT LITE YOGURT 50 CALORIES

2 CUPS OF COFFEE WITH TRUVIA AND ½ TSP OF CARNATION CINNAMON CREAMER 40 CALORIES

MID MORNING SNACK:

MEDITERRANEAN BLEND SNACK MIX

(RAISINS, WALNUTS, FIGS, APRICOTS, ALMONDS PISTACHIOS, CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES AND HAZELNUTS)

¼ CUP 140 CALORIES

LUNCH:

MCDONALDS GRILLED CHICKEN SOUTH WEST SALAD 320 CALORIES

NEWMANS LIGHT ITALIAN DRESSING, ONE PACKAGE 60 CALORIES

AFTERNOON SNACK;

ZONE PERFECT DARK CHOCOLATE NUTRITION BAR (FOR A PREWORKOUT PROTIEN PICK ME UP) 190 CALORIES

½ AROUND 2:30

THE OTHER ½ AROUND 4:30

ONE SUGAR FREE RED BULL, ON THE WAY TO WORK OUT 10 CALORIES

DINNER

ONE CHARGRILLED AND FRUIT SALAD WITH LIGHT ITALIAN DRESSING

280 CALORIES

TOTAL OF SIX 16 OZ BOTTLES OF WATER

BEFORE BED:

5 HONEY BAKED PRETZEL TWISTS 50 CALORIES

ONE CUP OF GREEN TEA FLAVORED WITH TRUVIA AND SPLASH OF 2 % MILK 10 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1352

MONDAY EVENING WORK OUT- 5:15 PM TO 7:30 PM

TREADMILL

35 minutes

Intervals

2 minutes walked .10

Then ran 1.25 miles at 6.5 miles per hour

Walked .15 at 4.0/4.0 grade

Ran .65 at 6.5 miles per hour

Walked .15 at 4.0/4.5 grade

Ran .60 at 7.0 miles per hour/3.0 grade

Walked .10 at 3.8 miles per hour/4.0 grade

Ran .25 at 7.5 miles per hour, 1.0 grade

Walked .10 miles 3.5 grade

Ran .25 at 7.0 miles per hour 1.0 grade

Walked .15 (cool down)

Total run 3.0 miles

Walked .75 miles Calories Burned: 410

Abdominal Crunch:

3 sets of 12 50 lbs

Hyper Extension crunches:

3 sets of 12

Low Back Extension:

3 sets of 12 50 lbs

Regular crunches:

3 sets of 12

Arm Curl Machine:

3 sets of 12 30 lbs

Arm Extension Machine:

3 sets of 12 30 lbs

Low Row Machine

3 sets of 12 45 lbs

Seated Dip

3 sets of 12 30 lbs

Ellipetical

10 minutes

Cross Train Reverse

2 min Level 5

4 min Level 7

4 min Level 5

Calories burned: 131

More ab work:

Crunches

3 sets of 12

Hanging dip crunches

3 sets of 12

More cardio

The Wave Machine

15 minutes

Level 25

Calories burned: 320

Incline Chest Press:

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

Chest Press:

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

Lateral Raise:

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

Lat Pull Down:

3 sets of 12

45 lbs

Shoulder Press

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

Rear Deltoid

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

Pectoral Fly

3 sets of 12

30 lbs

(Same picture as above, but sitting backwards)

Well, that’s it…my 2 ½ hour workout…..which was cardio/abs/upper body/arms……total calories burned, not including resistance training/ab work: 861

I took tonight off....still watching what I eat...

Tomorrow, back to the gym, for same intensity of cardio and I will be working abs again and legs.

If you have any questions...don't hesitate to leave me a comment and I will be happy to answer what I can...

Later..

Weekends over..Whew...Did it fly by!

2009-05-04T08:31:00.011-04:00

What a busy weekend....Friday night, hubby and I only had one kid, Aaron..so we went out for dinner, stopped and rented a couple movies. Slumdog Millionaire...and Marley and Me...I highly recommend both. They were excellent!
Saturday of course, I had to work from 8-noon..which was a complete waste of my life and time, but what are you going to do?
After work Hubby and I headed to Terre Haute, to visit with my oldest son and take pictures of him and his date before they went to his Senior Prom...
Here are some photos...

The proud Mama and her baby!!!!

Tim and his little cutie date Hannah...

Mom and Son at the local park where all the kids gather for photos before the prom.

The handsome young man!

Tim, his date and just some of their friends....

Tim and his best friend Josh...in the shades they got while in Florida on Spring Break! Are these dudes cool or what???

Another shot of Mom and son....

Mom, Son and Son's Father (the first ex)

That's about it...just lots of more of the same..so, I will stop there. It was really nice to see Tim...it had been four long months and I can't believe, each time I see him what a handsome young man he is turning out to be...He is very popular with his classmates as well as there parents. It was hard on me to stand in the background, no one really knowing who I was...acknowledging his step mom and his dad, until Tim pulled me forward and said this is my mom...that helped. I feel like the last four to five years of his life have went by in a blur and I have missed so much. I can't believe he is almost nineteen and will be starting university this fall. He has turned out so well and I must credit his Dad for doing such a wonderful job with him over the past four years. I have helped and done all I can, when I can...but, ultimately it has been his dad. Sigh....I suddenly feel so freaking old!

Anyway, after we left the park, we took Justin out to eat and then headed back to Lafayette....with a quick 45 minute visit at Keiths parents, to pick up Max, we didn't get home until 10:30 Saturday night.
Sunday was spent running errands...we went out to lunch, Indian food...yum, my favorite...surprisingly the two younger boys were very well behaved and the Starbucks for an afternoon treat/pick me up.....then to the mall. Hubby needed some new shirts/shoes and luckily we were able to find both for him. Thank goodness....he has been doing without for so long, it really made me happy to finally see him do something for himself.

I am ashamed to say, with my busy schedule, I was unable to make it to the gym at all this weekend. I just did not have enough hours in the day....I was exhuasted yesterday and Mother Nature, once again hit me over the weekend full force..and going to the gym on the first two days of that is just not an option....it is so bad now, I am starting to get concerned..Looks like it is time to pay the doctor a visit...
Anyway, I am headed back to the gym tonight and I will post my workout tomorrow, for those of you who are interested.

For breakfast this morning, I had oatmeal with blackberries, and 100 calorie Yoplait yougurt and I am working on my second cup of coffee....for lunch today, it will be a grilled chicken salad from somewhere with light Italian dressing and before I head to the gym, around 4 pm I will have a power protien bar and a sugar free red bull....After I work out, I am usually not that hungry, so I always have a grilled chicken salad....Throughout the day, I try and drink 6-7 bottles of water and stay away from sugary juices and drinks.

Happy Monday everyone! The weekend will be here again before we know it!

Day 5.....

2009-04-30T08:23:00.002-04:00

Well, it's day 5 and "Mr. Burns" is still sick....it went from "sinusitis" to some kind of inner ear thing.....he said he was too "dizzy" to drive and since he commutes from Indy every day, he has supposedly been "working from home".....yeah, right. If so, show me proof. I am so annoyed and ticked off, you would not believe. I can not get past the tongue lashing he gave me when I was sick last time, and actually still came into work....to make sure his reports were done on time.
Last Saturday was a mandatory sales call day, he didn't show up for that. Said he was calling from home, yet I have received no sales, no correspondance from him what so ever....
If I had missed five days of work, due to an Inner ear problem, I would have done been fired!
I have no trust in this guy, I do not feel sorry for this guy and I think he is milking this little illness for all its worth. My Branch Manger, the Region Manager...they are all ticked off and it would not surprise me in the least, since not only has he played this illness a little too far, but his efforts in sales are horrible. He doesn't care! During our last conference call, the Region Manager had to yell at him several times, because he wasn't paying attention.
I do have a feeling, when and if he does come back, that he is going to be reprimanded if not terminated.
We will see...

This has been a long busy week. Thank Goodness Friday is almost here. Although, once again, I was told on Monday, that we have to work again for a mandatory sale day this Saturday morning. I am hoping they let me work from 8-noon....because after that, I have to drive to Terre Haute (2 hours from me) for my oldest son...it is his Senior Prom and I have to be there to see him all dressed up, to take pictures of him and his new girlfriend...(yes, he broke up with the other one, thank goodness~I never really cared for her)...so, I am excited to meet her.
I will make sure to post pictures on Sunday or Monday.....

I got a half day off yesterday, (God forbid they pay overtime for this Saturday nonsense) which was nice...I came home at noon and hubby and I went for lunch, sans kids...it was lovely....then he took me shopping. I have lost so much weight, all of my clothes from last summer do not fit...I am now in a size zero....so, finding clothes has become really challenging. We were able to find me a few new outfits at Body Central and Wet Seal....I love those stores! Hubby was quite generous and I am very lucky to have such a great guy! He takes such good care of me.
We came back home just in time to relax for a half hour before the kids got off the bus.
Then the youngest, Max and I, went to Walmart and to make a quick stop by the seamstress I have hired, who is making me a couple new skirts for summer, to try one of the completed ones on. She did a fabulous job on it...the only thing I didn't care for was when she measured my waist, she said it was bigger than what i thought. I measured it at the gym, it was 27 inches, she said it was 29...what the hell? I didn't argue, but I thought to myself, that can't be right. I just bought extra small clothes, my pants are size zeros...so, I don't think she measured it right. the skirt was a little loose in the waist, but hubby paid for it anyway. It will work, it's just I don't think she was accurate in the waist measurement. It's 27 inches, and I will stand by that...lol...

I think I am going to explore the possibility of becoming a personal fitness trainer...I have gotten so into working out, and have received a lot of compliments from people at the gym on my workout routine, endurance, etc...that I think it is something that I would like to do. But, I may be to old to start that kind of job, I don't know.....I also think I am going to take this blog to a different level, maybe incorporate some fitness stuff on here. Like my workouts, my food intake, etc...

Would any of you be interested in that?

Well, guess I better get off here and get my work day started...

Dixiechick...out!

Back to the Grindstone.....

2009-04-27T08:11:00.003-04:00

Good Morning, blog world.....How was the weekend? Mine had its good moments, along with the bad. Am I ready for another week in this flourescent lighted hell? No! I am not.....It is going to be such a beautiful day today. The thoughts of being cooped up in here is just too much to endure! Sigh...but, what are you going to do....the bills have to be paid. What messed up the weekend for me was having to come in here and work for four hours on Saturday. From 1-5 p.m....which really didn't give me much of a morning....made for a long day.

Friday was great. Hubby took me to our favorite place for dinner..McGraw's Steakhouse....I had a salad and the most wonderful glass of Pinot Noir...yum, yum..then hubby and I split an order of Jack Daniels rib tips...they were so good. I do believe they are my new favorite. Afterwards, we went down to our favorite neighboorhood bar, The Knickerbocker, hung out with our friend Doc and Jeff, the owner....we all sat out on the patio, it was so nice out....very relaxing evening.

As I said, Saturday morning, I was just a wee bit tired, so I lazed around until time to get ready for work. I watched reruns of the show "The Cougar".....wow! That is all I can say.....I think the chick is pretty, but not "all that"...I must admit, she had some very attractive younger guys to contend with....although the funniest moment was when this one wise ass guy, upon introducing himself, told her she looked way to "old" to be a cougar....it was hilarious...he meant way too young...anyway, I watched that all morning, got ready, came into work for the "mandatory" sell a thon....funny thing, remember back in the first of March, when I got sick with the stomach flu and worked with it, asking to go home early one day, and I caught total hell for it...well, funny how it's ok when one of the managers gets sick...My Commercial Manager called in for our mandatory call day...said he went to the hospital, because he was not feeling good/dizzy...they diagnosed him with sinusitis....for real????? He missed a mandatory call day because of sinusitis...I had the stomach flu so bad I lost 5 lbs in 2 days.....and caught total hell for asking to leave work early....you better believe I am going to remember this if anyone ever says a word to me again if I get sick or my kids get sick.

So, after 4 hours of very unproductive work on my part, I got off work and went to Hell mart, came home, hubby gave me a foot soak, and we got ready to go meet a new friend in Indy....the evening ended up being a bust....hubby and I had a spat, went to bed upset with each other....
Sunday Morning, for a while, we kept our distance...I made coffee, sat out on our porch drinking that and reading my fitness magazines....finally hubby came out, we talked things out and decided to shower/dress and go into town. We went downtown to Spurlocks and had a great late lunch/early supper. After that it was time to go pick up Max and get things ready to return to work/school today.

Puny Mr. Burns is not in yet...maybe he still has water on his brain....dizzy...can't drive and won't be in today. That would make for a pretty good Monday...lol..

Only 4 more days until Friday!!!!!

Surprise...Surprise....

2009-04-23T08:06:00.003-04:00

Wow...I was able to log onto my blog today. From work! Imagine that...lol. Not sure how long it will last, but I will take it while I can get it.
Thank Goodness it's almost Friday! I can not wait for the weekend to get here. I have been so busy, so stressed..I am ready for a break. Although, I have to work for 4 hours Saturday afternoon, which sucks. Right now at work is our busiest time.....and, unfortunately, our sells are still down, so Saturday is supposed to be a "Region sell-a-thon"....Every body has to work. No exceptions. Not that I see it's going to do any good. Who the heck is going to be home on a Saturday, especially businesses, whose decision makers/managers are usually off on Saturday?
I am sure there are going to be tons of people, waiting by the phone, just itching to buy some lawn care. Whoo Hoooo!!!!

So, yesterday was Administrative Assistant day....and our boss decided he was going to buy my lunch and a couple of the other "office staff" lunch. I have been having major computer issues with my PC here at work, so I was on the phone with our help desk, trying to run scans, remove viruses, etc....for 2 hours I was on the phone. It was lunch time, they were ready to order, so one of the girls stuck a menu in my face for O'Charley's.....now, I am not a big fan of O'Charley's....for one, I could not go online and see the nutritional values of their menu items, (as I was still on the phone trying to get my broken computer fixed), they were in a hurry, so I quickly scanned their menu. I knew their salads were very high in calorie, so I settled on a "Grilled Turkey Burger, no mayo and some baked sweet potato fries"...thinking, that surely has to be healthy.

The Office Manager ordered, went and picked it up, and brought it back to the office. At which, you guessed it, I was still on the phone, trying to get my computer fixed, back up and running. So, while on the phone, I wolfed that turkey burger down, a long with maybe half of the sweet potato fries....after lunch, my computer was finally fixed, so I logged onto O'Charley's website, so see just how many calories, fat grams, etc that wonderful little turkey burger had....brace yourself, because I almost died of cardiac arrest.....910 calories and 58 freaking grams of fat!!!!
I thought I was going to be sick.....seriously! How in the hell can they get away with serving food like that, masking it as nutritional and it being worse than eating 2 big mac's from McDonald's.....I wanted to go make myself throw up...I could just feel the fat clogging up my body.....yuck! I will never, ever, ever eat from that place again.

I had just went to the gym on Tuesday, but I gathered the family up and made all of them go back to the gym with me last night. Hubby actually worked out with me. I was so proud of him. It was a lot of fun to have him there with me. After the gym, we went to McCalisters Deli....where I had soup and half of a grilled chicken sandwich.....yum, I love McCalisters...but, I was good and drank only water, stayed away from their sweet tea...that shit is truly addicting.

Then we had to go to the laundromat...yikes! Yesterday, our washer finally gave up the ghost and now is residing on the side of the road by our drive way, with high hopes to catch a ride to that washer graveyard with Waste Management. I have a spare one that I had from my previous marriage, that we just stored out in our garage, but something happened to it, and it won't pump water, so we have to have Sears come out and take a look at it and see if we can get it up and going...if not, we have to buy a new one. I am so tired of crap breaking down on us. In the last two months, we have had to buy new tires for the car, repair the fan on the car ($250), buy a new dishwasher ($450) and now the washing machine.....I swear, when it rains it pours.....anyway, the old washer pooped out during the middle of a cycle, leaving the washer full of water and wet soggy clothes, so we had to take that load to a laundromat, of which I had not been in one in many, many years, and run through another cycle....thank God the husband is the laundry guru in our house....I don't like having to mess with crap like that.

So, it was a late night last night. We didn't get home until 9 p.m...had to rush the kids through a shower and brushing of the teeth....then my shower, so I was extremely late getting to bed last night. While at the gym, I got a kink in my neck, can barely turn my head to the left or to the right, so I took to Advil P.M.s and it was so difficult to get up and going this morning. Today is such a beautiful day, it is going to be warm, high 71...the sun is shining....wow, it's days like this that makes me wish I were a kept woman...lol....I would love to be out of this stinking office and be out their enjoying it. If I could, I would have slept in, went to breakfast with the hubby, and after wards went for a 3 mile run. I love to run outside, but just has not been warm enough yet to do that. Today would be perfect. Oh, well.....time to face reality....and this stack of paperwork on my desk. I hope you all have a great day before Friday! And a good weekend, if I don't post again before that. I know I intend to!
Later......

I am a slacker....

2009-04-20T10:03:00.002-04:00

A while back, I was contacted by a fellow blogger, Jessie...sending me a link to her blog.

It’s called 60SecondBreak.com and it’s a place for women to take a breather from their daily lives and share stories about things that frustrate them and things that make being a woman worthwhile.

I did check it out and found it very enjoyable. Here is the link... http://www.60secondbreak.com/

Check it out! You won't be disappointed.

Busy...busy...busy.

2009-04-19T18:38:00.003-04:00

So, what else is new?

I swear..if I had a free moment in my life, it would be recorded in the Guiness World book of records....Free moment, what the hell is that?

Once again, the past week as flew by in a blur. Sorry for my lack of posting, but they have blocked blogger at work. I can no longer access my blog, or anyone else's, at work....it is blocked, as a "social networking site" and I no longer have access.

Since blogging from work was my primary time to blog, "oh, the shame"...blogging has now definitely taken a back burner.

If it were not for hubby running 15 year old to meet his dad tonight, I wouldn't be on here now.

Work is busy, my life is busy. I give so much, well practically all of my time to everyone else, writing/blogging, just has not been a priority.

I mean Friday night hubby and I had a spat...the first one we have had in several months....it was bound to happen though. We have been getting along so well as of late. He has been practically worshipful of me....adoring I guess you could say and I was feeling pretty good about things....and it is so funny how one ridiculous thing can throw everything off kilter. We had a huge fight Friday night...I only got 2 hours sleep for the entire night. And me, and no sleep? You might as well change my name from Dixie to the bitch from hell...literally. A lot of hateful words and I hate you's were exchanged.....all in the heat of the moment. None of which were true. So, I have spent the rest of the weekend, trying to "recover" things......I guess we are ok now...what we were fighting over was so ridiculous, it doesn't even make it worthwhile to blog about. Throw in the stress of dealing with high strung kids all weekend, and I am tired....I just want to go to bed and pull the covers over my head. I couldn't even get through my entire work out at the gym yesterday. After my 3 mile run, I thought I was going to pass out, so I had to stop, constantly and take mini breaks. I worked my upper body a little and half way through my work out, I had to call it quits. That makes me feel like crap!
I usually do a full hour of cardio and at least 30 minutes of resistance and another 20 minutes of ab work. I just could not go any further. Guess the two hours of sleep on Friday night, plus all the additional stress, my body pretty much made the decision for me. Stop! Anyway, tomorrow is another day, huh?

I will head back to work, pray for me that Mr. Burns gets off his ass and gets out of the office. Our sales are looking really, really bad....He needs to be out cold calling, trying to make new sales, instead of depending on me, his assistant to do it for him. I am so frustrated with him...the only reassurance I have is, if he doesn't get off the pot, he is going to be canned. I can't do his job for him.
When he spends his days in the office with me, he gets absolutely nothing done and we make no sales, which makes our bottom line look like crap. We are only 65% to budget for the year, and I don't see us making budget by November.

Oh, well...at least my job is secure. If I were going to be fired, I know that I would have already been. Plus, I got a raise....a small one, but it helps.

Well, that's a wrap....I really don't have a lot more to talk about. Wishing what few readers I have left a wonderful week!

Dixiechick....out!

Friday again...Easter Weekend.....

2009-04-10T09:40:00.005-04:00

Wow...this has been a tough long week for me. So glad today is Friday. Here's a little Easter humor for you.

We don't have any big plans this weekend. No Easter celebration, no egg hunts...My two older boys are still out of town..The oldest is still in Florida, the next one is in South Carolina and my two youngest will be away for the weekend as well. As usual, Max is going to Grandma and Grandpa's for Easter and Aaron is going to Terre Haute to visit with his Aunt and Uncles for Easter. Hubby and I did put together a pretty nice Easter basket for the two little ones, to be sent down with the relatives to give to them. The Mother in law wants us to come over for Easter dinner Sunday, but hubby doesn't want to go. So, we may do brunch together. Maybe...I don't know.
Things are kind of weird right now. Don't know why....Maybe it's the chilly rainy weather today. Maybe it's because I don't want to be here and things feel weird between the hubby and I today. I am sure we will be ok before the day is out. I don't know....I can't describe it. When I left for work this morning, I felt his mood change, he was upbeat then all of a sudden he was different towards me...I can't explain it..but, it has really bummed me out this morning. I am not feeling this work thing today either. I don't want to be here. I never want to be here. I feel gloomy, depressed and just plain old down and out...out of sorts that is. Like I said, it's weird....I don't like feeling this way. I honestly just wish that I could go home, crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head and sleep the day away.
But, I can't do that....I am not going to give into this depressive state of mind.
Things have to brighten up today....maybe I will go tanning at lunch. A little warmth to the skin, even if it is fake sun, is better than nothing.....

Hope all of you have a great Easter Weekend...enjoy your families...don't eat too much chocolate!

Soon.....

2009-04-03T14:11:00.003-04:00

Thank God! This week has been so slow...this day has been so slow. I can not get out of this office fast enough....2 1/2 more hours to go. Yay! I am looking forward to a nice weekend with my family. Hopefully a little housework will get done, a couple of gym visits, and a impromptu little trip to Indianapolis with the family tomorrow.

We are planning on taking the kids to the Indianapolis Childrens Museum...we only live 50 minutes away from Indy, but we have never taken the kids there. They are exicted, at least Max is...takes a lot to get Aaron excited. We will probably be in Indy all day tomorrow. Sure to be fun, but exhausting. That's why I would kind of like to go to the gym tonight. I have only been twice this week...so I would like to squeeze in 2 more visits this week. My trainer friend texted me a little while ago, saying he could train me today...but, Mother Nature, the bitch...decided last night was a good time to hit me with the force of a Hurricane...not kidding. The first two days of her monthly visit are like a violent tornado....literally knocks me on my ass....and wearing tight little work out clothes, non anh....not happening. Why do some feminine products have to be so bulky? TMI...I know..but the first two days...I have to double things up, if you know what I mean, and an "accident" in front of a personal trainer, that would so suck. So, If I am going to work out, I don't want an embarrassing situation to happen in front of him.
Sunday...I plan on doing nothing...other than a work out. Possibly going for brunch with my family.

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

HOW MUCH MY MAN LOVES ME.....FOOT SOAKS AND JESSICA SIMPSON SHOES....

2009-04-01T11:56:00.005-04:00

Ya'll...I know this may sound mushy/gushy, sappy and all of that...but, I must tell you what my lovely wonderful husband did for me last night...I came home form work, cooked dinner...totally awesome rocking spaghetti dinner, complete with salad and garlic bread...and after dinner, he insisted I relax, he did the whole kitchen clean up duty, in between doing laundry...so, I sat and watched t.v., Everybody Loves Raymond...because that is one of my most favorite sitcoms, and sipped on a glass of Pinot Noir....after he was done with the kitchen clean up..he proceeded to give me one of these....

He put Lavender foot soak salts in it, let me soak until the very warm water was cool, then he scrubbed the bottoms/sides of my feet, dried them off and lotioned them up for me...so very sweet.....

See, I have been wearing these shoes that have been pinching the sides of my feet, making little callous places on them...hurt, owie, very badly....he noticed this, he knew of this...

So, after the foot soak, he went online, said he was going to buy me a new pair of shoes...after looking online, he knew ordering a pair would take a week or so to get...so, he decided to run into town, to the mall and buy me a new pair. He knows what I like, he knows my shoe size...so, I was so pleasantly surprised when he came back home, with not one, but two pairs of shoes...He went to Macy's....and purchased me these lovelys..

These are from the Jessica Simpson line...and I loves 'em.....they are totally sexy...

What did I do to deserve this guy?

Sigh....

Ajooja....where are you??

2009-03-31T15:52:00.001-04:00

Ok...Ajooja has made his blog private, and I am sure he just overlooked inviting me..so, if you are on his private list, help me out here...send him a contact, tell him to email me, contact me, something...let me know how to reach him!

PICTURES......

2009-03-31T14:07:00.018-04:00

Updated one of me....Ignore the lopsided hair...bad camera angle...

Max's 6th Birthday party...in February....

Max posing with Grandma (a.k.a...mother in law)

Aaron at Max's birthday party, playing with Max's Nerf dart tag....

Belated Christmas pictures...

Aaron's eyes in this picture...evidence of his preteen expressions, the rolling of the eyes.

All the boys, just after dinner...getting ready to play Apples to Apples...fun game!

Santa came to Grandma and Grandpa's for the Maxter...now you see why he is so spoiled.

More Christmas at Grandma's!

That's it for now...I will try to be a better blogger and a better photo taker/uploader.

THINK SPRING!!!!!

2009-03-31T13:29:00.002-04:00

I Know we are officially in my most favorite season of all...Spring. But, somehow, the weather is still chilly...mornings are still coat weather, and by late afternoon, you are in limbo about the jacket thing...do I take it off, stay slightly chilled, or leave it on, stay hot! I hate Indiana weather...for gosh sakes, we had snow flurries just this past Sunday.

I want warmer temperatures...I want to be able to wear the strappy high heeled sandals, the sleeveless cute tops/skirts...and shorts....I hate bundling up and honestly, I don't like being teased by Mother Nature...let's get the temps to the mid sixties...keep them there.

Clothing during this kind of weather is annoying....you just don't know how to dress. I am sitting here right now in a short sleeved blouse, but I am cold. How many more weeks of these blase' temps do we have to endure?

Ok..rant over.

Let's cover some updates...

Dancing with the Stars...I am lost. I haven't watched it but once this season, and I am afraid, the season is too far in for me to pick up. For some reason, it just did not grab my attention this time around. Who is left, who went home? I don't have a clue.

My other favorite show, Lost? I have only seen the first two episodes this season. I am 2 seasons behind on Grey's Anatomy and 1 season, plus curtain season behind on Nip/Tuck....
T.V. used to be such a favorite past time of mine....now, forget about it! Since I went on this fitness kick, incorporating gym/workouts, my job, family in the evenings, it does not leave time for me to watch t.v. The most I watch anymore is TLC...Little People Big World, Jon and Kate plus 8 (are they getting a divorce?) and the new show, Table for 12....that's it. I have 3 netflix movies I have had for almost two months, haven't watched them..no time!

Every weekend, I say I am going to catch up on my t.v./movie viewing, but it never happens...I am always on the go from early morning until late in the evening...on kid free weekends, hell...honey and I have been rolling in at 3 or 4 a.m...I am exhausted...running myself ragged...but, at least I feel healthier...all be it a tired kind of healthy. So...T.V...and me, we are only acquaintences...nothing more.

How is everyone else out there in blog land? So many of you I miss reading. Everyone on my blog roll to be exact. I have not done a thorough reading of my blogroll buddies since before Christmas...no time! If you are reading this, just leave me a comment, update me on how you are doing, and I do apologize for not dropping in...Pissy, Flat, Monk, Ajooja....how are you guys? Drama Queen...you never did email me...Beati...I will be over as soon as I can...I miss all of you..and I am going to have to find a way to catch up on your lifes.

Ok...more updates...(geez...I am all over the place here aren't I?..what I get for not posting in so long I guess)...

My mom...she is doing much better. She has hired a new team of doctors..new lung specalist, new heart doctor, new GP.....they are afraid the pills she takes for her diabetes are no longer working to control it and are talking about switching her to insulin shots....they are still planning on replacing the two stints in her heart, but they have put that on hold until her health improves a little and she has the strength for the procedure.

My kids are all doing lovely...Max is doing much better in school...Aaron is pushing that pre-teen age, so his mouth is starting to over ride his little britches....not so nice to be around some times....his grades have slipped a little...reading and math have become his problem areas....lots of work to do there...c average, but he is capable of better, so he and I aren't very good friends right now, as I am pushing, pushing, pushing him too better.

Hubby and I are doing fantastic...we are closing in on our 7 year anniversary soon, and we find we are more in love today than ever...I think he loves me more now, then I ever thought possible...may have something to do with my weight loss...110 lbs now and he is like a horny teenager..lol..hell, we both are...so, that's all good.

I am getting ripped...I love going to the gym, I love the 2 hour workouts I put in....and I am loving the effects...I love running, I love cardio and I abhor the weight lifting, but I am doing it, a lot of it and I think I am ready to run my first 5 k.....just need to find one. My work out with the personal trainer went great...he really gave me a lot of good pointers and showed me some great free weight exercises..plus, I think I made a terrific new friend in him...he has hung out with hubby and I a couple times and we all had a blast.

So...life for the Dixie...is good! No complaints...still hate my job...there are up days, and there are down days...but, I am trying to roll with the flow. It's busy, super busy...hence my lack of posts on this little ol' blog....but, don't give up on me...

Easter is coming up....I plan to post about that....what do and your family do for Easter..if you celebrate it? Real Easter Baskets or store bought?

There will be updated pictures...I know I have been slack on that for a while...I have a ton on my camera...maybe if I get time this afternoon, since Mr. Burns has vacated the building, I will see if there are any worth posting.....

Later...Dixiechick...out!

Gym....

2009-03-25T15:10:00.001-04:00

I went to the gym last night, put myself through a 2 hour, 890 calorie burn workout...I am going back tonight...but tonight, I have an appointment with a personal trainer...

Pray for me....yikes!

Lazy..yep, that's me....

2009-03-25T08:12:00.002-04:00

But, only when it comes to blogging.....sorry folks. I don't know what is wrong with me....guess my life is just too boring. Nothing to share. I don't want to get on here and keep rehashing the same b.s...work, kids, job, gym, etc....whine, whine, whine.

I do have some good news. My mom is out of the hospital...for now. Her pneumonia is better, she goes to the doctor for lung x-rays...I pray they don't find anything and they give her an all clear. She is going to have to have 2 stints replaced in her heart, but they are waiting to do that surgery when she has all of her strength back.

I have been so busy, just living life, that blogging has taken a back burner. Shoot, I haven't even watched Dancing with the Stars....I don't know what is going on. If I can get a break from running, constantly being on the go, then this weekend, maybe I can go to abc.com and pick up where I left off, which would be the first show. I did hear that Denise Richards got voted off last night. All I can say about that is good...I can't stand her. One episode of her reality show was enough to solidify my opinion on her....

Work is a little better. I have my good days, my bad days....I never heard anything back about that other job offer. So, I will just bide my time. With Spring here, I am scheduling Mr. Burns more appointments out of the office, so the less time he is in here the better for me.

Hubby is getting less hours at work.....he is used to working six days a week, with overtime optional...now, all overtime is cut and his days have been cut back...not good. It has really pinched our purse strings, but he says he refuses to take part in this recession...it worries me...as they have told him he faces lay offs this summer. I hope that is not the case.

The kids are on spring break this week, and I am stuck having to work. I have been informed no one, absolutely no one can take time off until after June....as this is our busiest time of the year. Funny, one of our managers has three days off this week...guess that rule applies to some but not all. I get so sick of double standards. Aaron is with his Dad this week, Max is with Grandpa and Grandma, down at the lake...I hope they enjoy themselves. Although Max has been sick the first two days of his Spring break....with fever. Thank goodness the mother in law called this morning and said it had finally broke and he was back to his old self. I have Spring fever...I would love to take a trip away some where..but, that entails money and the ablility to take time off work...I have neither of those. My oldest, the 18 year old, called me a couple nights ago...I guess his Dad has given him permission to go to Florida for his Spring break next week....he wanted me to give him some money. His Dad even emailed me and asked if I could contribute. I don't have it. Tim has a job, his Dad gave him permission, so they need to work it out. His dad makes the big bucks...he works for the government and his wife works as well. Tim is staying with a group of eight or more, so the condo will be split 8 ways....if he budgets his food/spending choices, he should be ok...we have to eat, take care of the other kids. I am afraid to ask hubby if I can send him a little money. Tim is almost 19, hubby feels he should be "making it on his own"....as he has no rent or other expenses but gas, car payment and insurance. I want to help him, but with hubby's hours cut back, we just do not have it. Once again, I am sure Tim will be upset with me. What else is new?

Well, I better get to work....lot's to do, so little time. Have a great hump day everyone!!!!!