Is it Me?

I called my mom the other night and told her I wanted to get my nose pierced. She got really quiet. She does that when I talk about tattoos too.

So, I sent a text to a friend telling her the same, and she suggested another tattoo instead.

Husband wasn't really for it either, although he did say I can do what I want.

I guess the fact that I was 0 for 3 meant it wasn't gonna be the best look for me.

So, maybe I should go for this hairdo instead. I've always wanted pink hair. Or pink anything for that matter.

Of course, by the time my hair is long enough to go pink, I will be about 60, and then it really won't be a good look.

Ah, what's a girl to do?

Question of the Day

So, today's question of the day is.......when does one become an official blogger?

I used to ask myself this back when I was trying to become a runner. Is one a runner after a 5k? A marathon? Once a runner, always a runner? Well, probably not the last one.

So, are you a blogger if you post everyday? Every week? Do you need a certain number of followers? Is it when you get comments on every post?

If it's the followers and comments thing that makes one a blogger, please start coming by more often and saying hi when you're here.

I really, really want a pretty, custom-designed blog, but I can't justify the expense until I know that I am a real blogger! Or, if anyone wants to design one for me....

Time is Running Out

I'm thinking about boycotting M&M (the company) not because they aren't Weight Watchers- friendly, but because I can't find my favorite product anywhere! And I mean I have searched EVERYWHERE, only to find them in a Walgreens in Chicago back in August. Sad that I can find the weird flavor combination of peanut butter and strawberry, but not the oh-so incredible coconut. If anyone knows where to get these, please let me know. I love them.

Lettuce Salad: A Recipe

You know how some mom's hang things on the refrigerator to show their pride in their children? Well, my mom doesn't. Not anymore at least; her fridge is completely bare. No pictures. No nothing. She may have when we were young. I don't remember. And I am certainly not saying that she isn't proud. I guess she just prefers a clean fridge. Except for this.

This "recipe" was created by my brother and hangs proudly over my parents' stove. It has for years. Let's see...Colby is 30 now, so he must have made this when he was about 28. Kidding. But don't worry, he laminated it, so nothing can hurt it. It will last forever.

In case you can't read it, it says:

Slice tomatoes

Put lettuce in bowl

Add some sliced carrots and white dressing (any white stuff will do?)

Then add sliced cucumbers plus sliced squash and brocolli.

Put salad in refrigerator with sprinkled water for 10 minutes (better set that timer).

Eat it after dinner (it's a dessert salad!).

But my favorite part is the drawing. What is going on with the dog's back side, and is the salad on fire?

Well, if you are stuck inside because of the snow and ice like we are, now you have a new recipe to try out. If you like it, let Colby know though because I am not taking credit for this one!

My brother told me the other night that he reads my blog and I'm not so sure I believe him. Now, I guess we'll see!

A Link...and a smile

I am sure most of you out there in blogland are already quite familiar with NieNie and her story, but if you are not, you must check them out here. Anyway, I fell in love with her and her darling family after catching her on Oprah this year. At the time, it was her incredible style that I was drawn to, but now that I am caught up on their story, it is so much more. I wish I could be friends with her. I always want to make new friends, and I think she would be a good one.

Anyway, NieNie and her husband, Christian, survived a plane crash, and although they are clearly still struggling with the daily reminders of that accident, it is obvious that their incredible relationship (among other things) will pull them through. They seem to have one of those marriages that any couple wants to emulate, and they inspire me to be a kinder, more loving wife. With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I am thinking a lot lately about my Valentine and the many, many other things that I am grateful for, and in the spirit of NieNie's blog, I thought I would share my list for today.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. My sweet husband, who filled up my car with gas (without me asking) because I was about to head to the big city.

2. A brother who helped me tonight with the design of sweet husband's V-Day present when I knew he would rather watch basketball.

3. Weight Watchers because I can actually feel my collarbones again.

4. Iced tea with lots of Splenda

5. My incredible mom for stalking her fridge with ww-friendly foods.

6. Dinner at Mahogany with the family (minus a few members who were dearly missed).

It's Not a Diet...

It's a lifestyle change....haha. I checked in on my "lifestyle change" yesterday at my weekly weigh-in to see how I was doing, and I was a little disappointed to learn that I only lost 2 lbs. last week. 2 lbs. is 2 lbs. though, and I should be happy with that. I should be thrilled, but after last week's 6.4, I don't think anything would have seemed enough. Anyway, I have now lost 8.4 (I can add), and it has been much easier than it should be. I'm exercising, journaling, counting my points and eating chips, queso and the Mexican Kiss at Juanita's and Dynamite Shrimp at In the Raw. Did I just admit that?

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me...

1. I recycle...not paper, not cans, not anything that I should recycle. Nope. I recycle dryer sheets, and by recycle I mean use them more than once. I always add a fresh one, but there are usually two or three in any dryer load.

2. I have always worried about not having enough friends, but as I grow older I am much more concerned with quality, not quantity. And I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a good friend.

3. I love the library and I get excited just thinking about going there. Where else can you get endless hours of FREE entertainment in any city? I especially love checking out CDs and making new Ipod playlists. Sorry Itunes but you're too expensive for me these days.

4. I am a huge advocate of animal rescues. Yes, I have bought from a breeder, and I love my dog dearly, but I am still slightly ashamed that I bought. Please rescue and have your pets spayed/neutered.

5. I have some sort of an anxiety-provoked mental issue whereby I pick my skin off until my digits bleed. Fingers, toes...it doesn't matter. Yes, it is painful. No, I can't stop. There is an actual scientific term for this, but I can't remember it at the moment.

6. I have zero willpower in the dessert category. I can pass up any other type of food, but if it has loads of sugar in it, count me in!

7. I LOVE garage and estate sales.

8. Besides Big Bang Theory and Reba reruns, I only watch reality TV. Tough Love, Intervention, The Real Housewives, Everest, Little Miss Perfect, Hoarders....these are my shows!

9. I write left handed but do EVERYTHING else right handed.

10. I could never relate to how military families feel when they have a loved one overseas until today. I just found out that my cousin is deploying soon and it is such a scary feeling.

In Case You Are Bored

Ok people... I am not trying to be rude or crude or crass here, but I have what I believe is a funny story. I wasn't going to share it with you for fear of offending someone until I read this post on the joys of tampon insertion (it's funny; it really is) and laughed out loud. So, I figured I may as well risk it and share the wealth; you never know who might need a good laugh.

I was laying on the bed the other day. J was at work and Fletcher (our big dog) was laying on J's pillow watching me on the computer. With just me and the animals at home, the house was pretty quiet, so I was quite caught off guard when Fletcher farted OUT LOUD. And I mean loud. Up until that point I didn't know that dogs could make auditory emissions. But, I guess it caught him off guard too because he looked at me with that "Did I really just do that out loud?" kind of look and then turned to look at his butt to see where the noise had come from. I honestly think he was a little embarrassed.

Well, like I said, I didn't know that dogs could produce loud ones like that so I decided to do a little research. Yes, I spend many hours a day doing "research" on the strangest, most meaningless topics out there. Today's topic was John Phillips of the Mamas on the Papas, and I was mostly just looking for pictures of his trackmarked arms. More to come on that later.

So, I googled "do dogs fart out loud," which I obviously already knew the answer to but was trying to understand why I had never heard it before. And I came across a website called smellypoop.com. You can check it out for yourself if you have any lingering (no pun intended) questions about the bowel system, but I must say it is pretty gross. Not only does it answer every related question you can ever come up with, it also suggests that you try this simple experiment...just in case you are bored...

How much gas does a normal person pass per day?

On average, a person produces about half a liter of fart gas per day, distributed over an average of about fourteen daily farts.
Whereas it may be difficult for you to determine your daily flatus volume, you can certainly keep track of your daily numerical fart count. You might try this as a science fair project: Keep a journal of everything you eat and a count of your farts. You might make a note of the potency of their odor as well. See if you can discover a relationship between what you eat, how much you fart, and how much they smell.

People, I couldn't make this up if I tried (nor would I ever want to). But why oh why does this author think that anyone would ever try this "science fair project"? Like I said, I hope I'm not offending anyone. Being a nurse, it is sometimes a little too easy to find the humor in bodily functions that other people find repulsive!

A Letter to Cesar Millan

Dear Cesar,

I'm at my wits end and I need your help. Back in November I adopted this precious little thing from the Humane Society, and although she looks tiny, she will be a year old this month. When I brought her home, she was as sweet as can be- not quite housebroken, but crate trained and willing to learn. We followed the same steps with her as with our other dog (who is fully housebroken) and it was working. She would go to the door when she needed to potty. The only problems occurred when we were sleeping or didn't see her waiting by the door, so needless to say, we were pretty pleased with her progress.

Then the holidays came and went and it was time for a family vacation. We dropped the dogs off at my brother-in-laws house because he and his girlfriend volunteered to watch them for the week we were gone. They had been there many times before to play with his dog, so I wasn't worried.

But since we have been home, my dog has become NEUROTIC. She is terrified of the grass and won't go near it, even for a treat. If I set her on the grass she immediately runs back to the porch. If i hold her there, she stands on two legs for as long as I hold her and then sprints to the porch. And, the worst part is that she is now only going to the bathroom in the house. The problem is getting so bad that I have bought stock in the carpet cleaner we use. Kidding, but I should. Puppy pads don't work- she goes around them. Treats don't work- she doesn't get it. I'm about to put her in diapers, but I'd hate to clean up that mess. What's a girl to do?

Sincerely,

Nellie's Mom in Oklahoma

I Heart Botox

It's my new obsession.

I've been seriously thinking about it for months now.

I finally had it done...once.

Now I'm obsessed.

I analyze every face I see. Male or female. Especially celebrities.

Does she have wrinkles? Did he have Botox? How do they take care of their skin?

Not trying to be rude. I just can't help it.

I don't want wrinkles, and I don't want to go through the pain of a facelift or resurfacing.

So, for now, I'll stick with the Botox.

And hope it does the trick.

P.S. If you want it too, come to my party!

A New Favorite Food Find

Hubs and I stumbled across this popcorn at Reasor's the other night and decided to try it since the packaging made it look so tasty! With 120 calories, 2 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber, each individually packaged serving has only 2 points! Yes, the packages are small, but the popcorn is rich enough that one serving is the perfect size snack. I am in love with the Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan, and he loves the Cranberry Almond. We have yet to try the Honey Multigrain, but it may be next on our list. So, if you are looking for a healthier, sweet snack, pick up a box of Smartfood next time you are at the store. Enjoy!

A Brief Update

As I mentioned below, hubs and I started Weight Watchers (again) last week, and I figure if I blog about it, it will help me be more accountable. So here goes.

Week 1- 6.4 lbs gone!!!

We had our weekly meeting tonight and here's what I learned...well, nothing actually, but it did feel really good to tell the group how much I lost over the past week.

"My name is Mizzle and I am an overeater and sugar addict. And, this week I lost 6.4 lbs. Yay!"

Clap. Clap. Clap

Ok that's not exactly how a WW meeting goes, but it may as well.

Anyway, this is what I did differently last week...

1) I went to the gym 4 times. My goal was 4 times and I did it!

2) I chose fruit and veggies over cookies.

3) Major cutback on ETOH

4) I made a rewards board to keep me focused on the prize. My first reward is coming up at 7 lbs. and hubs has to take me for sushi!!! Other rewards include a new dress, pedicure, bathing suit and tattoo.

Hubs was definitely upset that I lost more than he did though. He said that he needs to "start trying this week." LIAR (said in my best sing-song voice)....he was at the gym with me every day and counted his points as well as I did. He just can't stand that a girl beat him at something!

The Red Soled Shoes

I would never, ever consider myself a fashionista. As I type this, I have on jeans that are two sizes two small and have a hole in the crotch, black Tom's that my dog chewed on for a bit, a bright red OU hoodie and a ball cap. And I'm pretty sure that fashionista and ball cap don't go together. Ever.

Oh and on a side note, I just looked down and realized that I am still wearing my purse from when I got home about 1.5 hours ago. Weird.

But, my husband, who claims he has better style than me, is trying to turn me into one. And he might be onto something.

Anyone who is a fashionista knows all about the red-soled shoes, and now I do too.

Check out my Christmas gift from hubs. He did this on his own. I would NEVER ask for a gift this extravagant, but I sure do love them! And I have now joined the ranks of Oprah!

A New Set of Goals...on Paper

My dad has always encouraged me to set goals and stick with them. He says that if you actually write them out, you have a much better chance of accomplishing them than if you just say or think them. So, after um 31 years of not accomplishing a single New Year's resolution, I think it's time to try it his way. So, here goes...

My Top 9 Goals of the Year

I would have 10, but I'm stumped at 9...can't think of anything else.

1. Set a Budget. Hubs and I are horrible about spending money that we shouldn't spend on things we shouldn't spend money on. Ha!

2. Lose weight. It's weight watchers time again and I really am committed this time. I promise. The other 3 times were just trial runs. But, I figure if i blog about it, I will be more accountable. So, more to follow on that note.

3. Take a photography class. My local community center is offering one in Feb. and I am going to sign up. Anyone wanna join me?

4. Continue to work on communication and patience in my marriage. Oh by the way, did I mention that these are in no particular order? This is an important one, folks.

5. Get rid of all credit card debt. I don't have much, but what I do have nags at me ALL. THE. TIME.

6. Join at least one women's club in the Tulsa area and hopefully make some new friends. Bunko? Book Club? Scrapbooking?

7. Drink at least 2 full glasses of H2O/day. I'm starting at ZERO, so even this will be an improvement. Baby steps.

8. Figure out a way to run without leg pain and do the couch to 5k program. Then, run one. And then train for another half marathon.

9. Donate a few hours a month to a local animal shelter or other rescue organization. Please, Please, Please rescue, people!

And since I've never, ever accomplished or stuck to a single new years resolution, I'll be happy with just 5 out of the 9...it's a start right???