Visitors

I have been blogging for almost a year and have had many many visitors to my world.  I am honored by all that choose to visit me and silently, I guess not so silently now, wonder why any one would ever want to come back.  You all have supported me, laughed with me, and helped me to grow, I truly, and with all of my heart, am honored by the visits and the comments.  But today, at this very moment, I am Star Struck.

Star Struck?  What?  Star Struck?  Really?  Seriously, if you could look into my eyes right at this moment you would see STARS!!

Really!!

Now, let me explain.  If you look at my blog page you will see the little thingy, I don't know a better word for it, over to your left.  It says, "Visit from my friends".  I love this little thingy.  Some visitors show up but most don't but that's OK with me.  It's just fun sometimes to actually see who has come to visit.  And right now, at this very moment, the top visitor on my list is........are you ready for this? 

It's The Pioneer Woman. 

I have to tell you that I am currently trembling inside of myself.  A visit from Pioneer Woman!  You have got to be kidding me!  I feel so honored!  I am like a teenage girl getting to see Elvis or The Beatles in person, and they actually made eye contact with me.  OH MY GOSH!!  I am just beside myself and giddy with excitement.  The first blogger that I ever read, who happens to have too many followers to count, visited me.  Oh boy, please catch me as I fall over and giggle with excitement!

I first discovered the blogging world through The Pioneer Woman about three years ago.  I sat down and read everything that she had ever posted, by the way you have to read her story Black Heels To Tracker Wheels it will melt your heart and give you a laugh along the way.  I have also become such a better cook thanks to Pioneer Woman and my family is ever so thankful.  My midMan and the boys beg for The Marlboro Man Sandwich all of the time.  We have come to love Crash Hot Potatoes and we simply must make something from The Pioneer Woman at least once every weekend, it's a fun world of discovery for us.  She has made me a better cook, and midMan was losing hope for me, so it's a great thing that I found her.

I love her cooking so much that I purchases 5 of her cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, even before they were available, to share with my family and friends.  If I had more money I would share them with the world.  Her cookbook ROCKS!!!  You should all go check her out if you are not already a big fan.  I mean seriously, she is so well know that she was on Fox & Friends and Good Morning America this week.  So cool!  She taught me how to brine a turkey, to die for. mmmmmmm

On another note, The Pioneer Woman also got me more interested in photography, enough so that I bought a camera almost like hers.  She has some really great advice, which you can find HERE, and she makes it understandable, and for me that's a big thing, except I am still aperture challenged.  She also share's her home and gardening experiences HERE and she home schools her four punks, amazing in and of itself, I could never be that disciplined.  On top of all of that she has also started The Tasty Kitchen, a place for all of us to join together and share our favorite recipes.  Oh, and lets not forget the contests!!  Let me just say that you all should join in on the fun.  Someday I will win that mixer, a bright pretty RED one, to match all the appliances that will someday be in my log cabin.

I told you all I am completely and totally STAR STRUCK!!  WOW!!  If you haven't checked out The Pioneer Woman you should head on over and you will be hooked. 

Thank you so much for visiting my little blog PW.  I'm really not a freak, I promise hehehe, but you have "ROCKED MY WORLD!".

Love to All,

midRae 

It's a.........

But first I have to say, 'I MISS BLOGGING!!'  There I said!!  I can't stay away.  I felt like I was on my way to a funeral since I posted that I wasn't going to blog any more.

Boy that lasted less than a week, am I getting flaky in my old age or what?

Blogging has gotten into my blood and I love it.  I think, just like all of you, that blogging is an outlet, it's a way to say what is on our minds and to share what is in our hearts, along with all that is important to us.  I need blogging, or I like to think I need blogging, it's not like I will die tomorrow without it.  But I love it and I am here to stay.  I will just figure everything else out as I can.  Maybe I'll get tailEnd to start doing chores, as I hear tailEnd cry's out in pain behind me, my 3 boys have never really ever had chores.  They are hard workers but they also love their game time.  Anyways, I'm back and I'm loving it.  I missed you all and can't wait to share my boring life, remember Photography Class.  It was good, more later on that.

Now back to the main reason for this post.

I guess that's all our family knows how to make.  Out of 11 Grandkids, we have only two girls.  So starting out with the Great-Grandkids we are at:  Boys - 1,  Girls - 0.

I love me some boys.

Love to All,

midRae

What is the verdict?

I am currently sitting here, impatiently waiting, holding my breath (I am currently blue in the face and ready to pass out), wishing, praying, and hoping, that all is well and that we will soon, running out of air, know what gender the little blessing we have been given is.

I shall let you all know, just as soon as I know.

Love to All,

midRae

Priorities

It seems like this past month God has been putting the word 'Priority" in my face, under my nose, upside the head, and all over the place.  It has come to the point that I can no longer ignore Him, especially this week.  With my crazy PMS induced frustration, with me feeling like I am only giving 50% to those most important in my life, with life in general, and with God trying His hardest to get my attention, I have decided that I need to Prioritize my life.

My life is probably no crazier than anyone else's, but when you start having vent sessions, that seem to happen more often than they used too, I ask you "What do you do?'  When your Heavenly Father is jabbing you upside the head, 'What do you do?'  When life just all of a sudden seems like too much, 'What do you do?'  When you start questioning your happiness, 'What do you do?'  When some days all you look for is recognition, 'What do you do?'

What should I do?  What should I do?

After much soul searching and tears, I figured out what I should do.  Prioritize!!!  Step back!!!  Reassess!!!  Serve others!!!  I need to sit down and figure out what is best for my family. 

With a heart heavy and sad, I have decided to pretty much give up blogging, along with a few other things.  I really love blogging and find it a good outlet, but there is so much more in my life right now that needs me.  I will still be checking up on all of you, so please don't you all take a break like I am.  Some days you guys are all that can make me smile.  I may surprise the blogging world with a post now and then, I do have a grandbaby on the way remember and will love to share, but overall please don't expect much.

I shall miss the blogging, but sometimes you just have to listen and obey.

Love to All,

midRae 

What's Up?

I bet you've all been wondering that exact thing.  Well, let me tell you what's up.

Not much.  Really.  People talk about the January boredom and let down, well I am here to tell you that it has continued on in to February.  Our poor minds.  We really need to get things hyped up here, don't we. 

Seriously folks.  My life has not been that boring but I always wonder, 'Why would anyone want to read about my life?'  It's not like I am saving the world, and I am not a profound or amazing thinker or writer, maybe a little of my weird humor sometimes, or off on wonderful and exciting journeys, although my life is mostly wonderful, and we are blessed with pretty great health for myself and my family.  We are just your average, nondescript family.  But apparently some folks like to read the boring stuff, so I will share. 

This past week I have been working hard to get back into working out and jogging.  A few nights I managed to jog most of my three mile goal, but I did have to walk a few of those laps.  I've been jogging at the college, great indoor track by the way, and I try to do 30 laps.  Last week I averaged 30 laps of jogging with 8 laps of walking.  Not too bad, until last night.  Not a good night.  I managed to do 20 laps, with muscle cramps in my calves and the knee screaming the whole way.  I think I walked about eight of those 20 laps.  Pretty sad and frustrating.  And I have to confess that the knee is still screaming out in protest this morning.  Ibuprofen here I come.

I have also been adding in my Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD this week, which is an hour long workout and very intense, OK I only had time to do it once, but it's a start.  I love this workout but I have not been doing in very regularly since I hurt my knee back in July, and I have to confess, two days after doing this workout it hurt just to try to sit on the potty.  OUCH!!!  Just a little bit sore, but I love it!!  I mean I really love it!!!  And I really want my body to stay toned, I love having muscle, it's so cool.

I then did the Biggest Loser Yoga DVD, but only for 30 minutes.  Kicked my behind, but loved it too!  I have really been missing my workouts.  And Yoga is good, real good.  Maybe my muscles are so tight and cramping because I have not been doing the Yoga or stretching out.  What do you think?  Probably is the word that comes to my mind.

Then I added in a new photography class this past week.  Granted its only one night a week, and only for an hour and a half, but I do have lot's of reading and homework to do.  I love it though.  With only one class behind me, in which the instructor gave us 1/3 of a full semester of information to learn, I have learned a lot.  I have learned that I have managed to do some pretty OK stuff, by accident.  Seriously, completely and utterly by accident.  Hopefully I can now do some by design.  Anyways, homework.  I need to take 9 different photos depicting 9 different elements or concepts, before this Wednesday.  I can do that!!!

Off we go to this Saturday.  Taxes for some of the family.  I somehow have been nominated to do everyone's taxes, every year.  I think it's because I'm the one who always buys the tax program for their computer and does their own.  Don't get me wrong, I love to help out family and to save them money.  And I always feel bad if they have to pay back.  Or if they even are lucky enough to be a zero.  I just love to see my family and friends do well and make good.  I want them all to have a little extra to help with some tough times.  But I thought about this yesterday and decided I need to realize that it's not me who decides and is to blame if someone has to pay the taxman.  I'm just the one who can type and has a computer. 

Anyways, Sunday was midMan birthday.  WHOO!!! HOOO!!! WHOOT!!! WHOOT!!!  YEAH!!!  He really wasn't that excited, poor soul thinks he's an old man, and he's going to be a grandpa this year.  We have got to cheer him up!  We did have a little family fun on Saturday and we all sang, and had way to much food, and way too many treats, and let's sabotage our weight loss goal.  I do that every weekend, crazy fool that I am.  I really need to stay out of the kitchen.  Anyways, I love my midMan, and wish him many years of happy fun as a grandpa in the future. 

And speaking of weight loss, I have been working real hard to record and keep track of all that I eat.  I have a couple of books that I carry around with calorie counts in them and am recording it all in a journal.  I always do really well during the week, but when the weekend comes I loose all of my will power.  It just runs away and hides.  I ask you, 'What to do, please tell me, what to do?'

So, yeah, that's my week.  I warned you, pretty boring.  But most days I am very thankful for being boring.  I am a creature of habit and routine.  I like to know what I have planned and pretty much keep to the plan.  I have decided though that I need to change thing up a bit, still trying to figure out how, so that I can get my workouts in every day.  Right now it is looking like I may have to get up at 4:30 in the morning, and I really really do not want to do that.  But I will figure it out.

Love to All,

midRae

One Word Wednesday.

Winter Rose

Love to All,

midRae

PS. Remember when I wrote about my younger brother, who happens to be 42 years old, having his first child.  Well this is her, just two months old, and isn't she the cutest.

'not me' Monday........

 

Here we go again. Yeah!! And now it's time for that fun weekly carnival that we all love, 'not me Monday!' Let's all join in and see what we got. I'm sure we have a lot of those 'not me's' just stored up and ready to share.

Oh boy, here I go!

As we all know I had my knee fixed 3 1/2 weeks ago, torn cartilage, and I have had to slow down and let it heal, under protest.  I am not one to sit around, at least I like to think I am pretty active, and I was jogging 3 miles just three weeks ago.  So, it was not me who went walking last week at the indoor track at the college and managed to fast walk 3 miles in 50 minutes.  Nope, I would never push myself that much to get back to jogging 3 miles in less than 30 minutes.  And it was not me who became so frustrated by other jogger passing me that I seriously considered putting my foot out to trip them.  I would never let that thought cross my mind.  And nope, I do not hate to be left in the back of the pack and I am not thinking the whole time that everyone is say to themselves, 'Look at the slow person, look at the slow person.'  Nope, that is so not me.

And then in my all consuming track to physical fitness and slimness, I would never sabotage myself by making 7up Cake this weekend.  Nope, I would never do that, and I definitely do not do that each and every weekend with some other yummy and wonderful goodness that I love to cook.  Nope not me. Never, never, never!  On a side not, I finally got the 7up Cake to turn out right, which has never happened before, which you can read about here.  Yeah for me.

So this week is starting out with a promise to myself to be a good girl this week and to stay out of the kitchen this weekend.  My poor family.  I guess they are going to need to learn how to cook because I can not be left alone in the kitchen.  I've decided its best just to avoid that area of my house.

Love to All,

midRae