We as a family have decided to go organic whenever possible. Now I am not willing at this point to pay $9 for a gallon of milk. Not the way my guys drink it. But we do purchase milk that is growth hormone free. We have been buying organic beef & pork from a farmer near us for the last 9 months or so. We get a half or a whole and have it processed at a local butcher shop. I can tell you I can no longer eat meat from the grocery store. It has no flavor compared to the grass fed organic. My hubby and I have been watching some documentary's about our food and how it is "grown" and "raised" now. It really scares me. So it is a personal choice for everyone. I encourage you the reader to do some research on your own and decide what is best for you and your family.

This Summer we plan on growing enough fruit and vegetables to can (or freeze) to get us over the Winter months. I know it will be an undertaking but I feel it is so worth it in the end. So I also encourage you to grow a garden of your own. Even if you are in an apartment, get a couple planters and grow a few things. I am sure you will be glad you did

Hello everyone!!! I am feeling AWESOME today!
I had a migraine yesterday and today I am migraine free! I think because of yesterdays migraine I feel so much better today! LOL
I am still on my exercise wagon. I did not exercise yesterday for obvious reasons but today I got back at it and even added 2 minutes to my work out.
I really believe that when you start an exercise program not to over do it at first. All you are going to do is hurt yourself or be so sore the next day that you never want to exercise again. Last year I was up to 25 minutes (of a vigorous workout) but had started out doing 5 minutes at a time.

I have almost all my designs finished for February! I just need to finish up the last set of the PLUS designs for this month. I already have all of March planned and will be starting those next week! I like being a head of schedule. For me I never know what is going to come up. So if I am a head on work I have no worries if I get a sudden migraine or even the flu about when I will get my work done.

This weekend is Super Bowl weekend. I won't watch as I have plenty of other things I could get done. For those who do, please drink responsibly and do NOT drive if you have been drinking.

Have a great one!

YES! I said I would and I did! LOL I found many excuses this morning on why I did not or should get back on the exercise machine. They included, oh I have a little headache and it will probably get worst if I exercise or my back hurts a little. Oh there were others but I knew I had to come here and post how I did. I did not want to lie and I surely did not want to make an excuse either. So I got up and I did it! I am SO GLAD I DID! I will be the first to say I hate exercise. BUT! when I do it I feel better along with a sense of pride and accomplishment. So if you are putting it off just do it. Ignore all the excuses in your mind and just hop on and get it done. One thing I found that helps me is some jammin work out music. I went through my library of music and did up a short play list (5 or 6 songs to start with). Make sure they are songs that your blood pumping and that they make you feel like moving.

My challenge today for you all is to get up and move at least 10 minutes. I think you will find you feel much better. Now when I say move I mean get your pulse up some. Of course you should always talk to your doctor about any concerns you have before you start any new exercise program. (Had to get my disclaimer in

Well after going a week with hubby laid off and preparing for it to be a good 4-6 weeks before he would go back they got a bid job and he will start back next week (part time) and then the following week full time for 5-6 weeks! I was getting a little nervous about it, but am now relieved!
With him home it really messes up my schedule on how I work. He was actually pretty good this past week and had other stuff around home to keep him occupied. Heck he still has a couple weeks worth of "things" he could get done. Oh well, they will have to wait I guess.

Even with my schedule a little goofed up I managed to get a lot of work done. So I am happy about that. Exercise, well not as much Yes I have fallen off that proverbial wagon. I won't make excuses. I have no great ones other than I had a little stomach thing for a couple days. Plus with hubby home my schedule is messed up! LOL The good thing about that wagon is that even though you can fall off of it, you are allowed to jump right back on! So tomorrow morning a pledge to get back on the wagon and get moving again.

Hubby & I watched Oprah yesterday and they talked about our food and how it has changed (not for the better). We both have believed for years now that Organic meats and produce is the way to go if you can get it. We actually order meat from an organic farmer that is about 30 minutes from us. I can tell you from my experience that grass fed organic meat is MUCH better tasting and in my opinion you eat less of it as the meat seems denser (not tougher). We grow about as big of a garden as we can every Summer and even just ordered all our seeds for this Summers bounty. We also start our own plants. I have found my plants produce better and are much healthier when I start them myself. I encourage all of you who read this to try and do the same. I will offer more information on this in the coming weeks

Stay healthy!

I am just so tired today. I was up early two days in a row and I think that is just too much for me! LOL
Tomorrow I can sleep in. I think I need it.
I have been pretty good with keeping up on my exercising. Maybe I am over doing it a little? I don't think so. I think it just has been a super busy week that has left me pooped!
I a little over half way done with my latest audio book. I remember I must have watched the movie that was done for the book several years ago. As I am slightly remembering parts. Of course the movies are always a little (if not a lot) different anyway.
Good thing is I have gotten a lot of work done I have not had much time to work with the dogs and their leash walking skills, but I am going to take some time tomorrow and give them a walk around outside again and see how it goes. It seems I have done a lot this week, but yet it does not seem like I have much to talk about. So I will close here for now with a good night everyone.

Shocking I know! Here I am THREE days in a row!

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day. So that means no mail today. I have also decided to take the day off of exercise. I don't want to hurt myself and my back is pretty sore today. Don't worry I will back at it tomorrow

Today I plan to start the book, "Salom's Lot" by Stephen King. I will start it after lunch today.
So look out embroiderer's, there will be LOTS of new designs coming your way! LOL

This afternoon when hubby gets home from work we plan on planning our Summer garden. Need to get those seeds on order so we can get them started around March 1st. I am also looking into ordering some Mason bees and houses. They are suppose to be more productive than honey bees.
Every year we plant a pretty good size garden. Especially since we live in the city! We do have a large city lot though. I am a tomato junkie. I love planting new varieties as well as heirloom types. I always over plant. Every year we have many more than we need! I do plant for my Dad and my sister's family as well.

One last note for today. Please stop and take a moment today to pray for those in Haiti. My heart just breaks for what they are going through now. I encourage you to donate if you can. I actually donated to Heifer International. Those families will need animals when things get cleaned up there so they can feed their families.

I know, it is so weird. I am posting two days in a row!!! Now don't get too used to this. We all know that it may not happen a lot

Well today has been fruitful already. I have gotten almost the first week of February's designs finished. Plus I finished the audio book I was listening to. Impact by Douglas Preston. It was very good. Did not help my resolution to clean up my language, but the story was very good. Lots of action and was never boring from start to finish. I even liked the ending a lot. I am going to start Salem's Lot by Stephen King tomorrow. I know it is an older book (came out when I was in high school) but I never read it so I decided what the heck.
I do a lot of "reading" while I work. It really helps pass the time and I find myself actually working longer as I want to find out what happens next! LOL So my subscribers probably like it when I get into a book. More embroidery designs for them! LOL

I also am working on training both dogs to walk on a leash. As you all know from my last post, I am trying to get healthy this year. Tali had been a nightmare to walk. She just would pull and pull, you would swear she was a sled dog! She just wants to go nose down and run. That is the beagle in her. O.k. so she is all beagle and that is not great for walking. So I started on Darli first, thinking she is younger and should learn faster. NOT! She just sits and refuses. I drag her around the house. Lucky for her we have hard wood floors. She does eventually get up and walk but whines the whole time like she is being tortured.
So I tried Tali again. She walks perfectly, in the house. She knows all the house smells so no biggie. Get her outside and I say Houston we have a problem. She is getting better. She has learned that if she pulls, she gets choked. No I do not have a choke collar on her. So they both are a work in progress. Oh and by the way, YES I have seen the Dog Whisperer, and I am calm and assertive! LOL

It is only 12:43 pm here. WOW can you imagine what I might accomplish in a FULL day!

o.k. o.k. o.k. I KNOW!!!

I completely fell off my blog wagon! I really did have good intentions for this. I know you are saying, sure she did. REALLY I did! Things just kept happening that prevented me from posting to it.

O.k. enough excuses. It is a new year and that means I get a do over

Let us start again, today fresh.

In the past I have mainly written about my dogs. This year I am going to include more about me. Novel concept huh? LOL

I am not a person who really takes stock in New Years resolutions. Sorry but I just think most are setting themselves up for failure. It should not take a new year for you to realize that you should quit smoking or lose weight. You KNOW that before the new year rolls around. If you have luck with them, hey great. For me they do not work, so I generally never do one. This year I kind of did after the fact. I decided to clean up my language. I don't know how I got into swearing more, but it happened. I don't like it so I am making a conscious decision to stop doing it. Sure I slip up, mostly to myself. But I think it is coming along.

Another thing I decided that was a high priority this year was to get healthy. Not necessarily lose weight (even though I am hoping for that side effect). I have had many health issues over the past years including an under active thyroid gland. That is all working well now, so now I need to get moving on the rest. I have started exercising again. Wow it is hard to get back at it. I am starting slow, 10-15 minutes a every other day on the elliptical and the other day 20 minutes on the bike.

I will be posting my ups and downs (hopefully not many downs) here and I hope I can inspire some of you to work along with me. Remember the goal is to feel better and be more healthy, whatever that may bring.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010! I know I plan on making it a great year for me

So much has happened since I last posted in my blog that I am not sure where to begin. It seems time just slips away from you. No matter your plans or your intentions time always has the upper hand and before you know it, you have no time left for those great plans!

Tali has become a new sister since I posted last. No I did not get another puppy from Tali's parents. I actually got another Dachshund. Darlington (Darli for short) is an adorable dapple puppy. She is a little stinker but not nearly as crazy as Tali was when we got her.
We are enjoying her most of the time and finally it seems house breaking has made a break through! LOL

So I can try and promise again that I will post more often here, but instead I will just say that I will post when Father Time gives me a break and gives me that spare couple minutes to jot down something!

I was sitting here with like 2 minutes of free time and realized I had not written in my blog for a LONG time!
I thought that I would have all kinds of free time this Summer since my hubby was not going to race this year. Yah right!

I cannot believe the Summer is practically gone. I had such big plans. We were going to go to at least 3 or 4 races as just plain old fans, and have fun and watch. We have not even made it to one yet, and the season ends next Friday.
 I thought we would take a mini vacation. Maybe just a couple days in the Dells. Never happened.
We had planned on working on our home this Fall and start some of our "big" remodeling projects. First the other house needs a roof, so ours will wait.

It seems like the more you plan big the less time you have. The days seem to be flying by faster and faster. As a child it seemed like Summer's lasted forever (of course so did the school year). Everything took so long to happen. Christmas & birthdays always seemed months away. Then you waited so long to get your drivers license. Then it seemed like graduation would never get here. After that it all seemed to speed up some. Every year it seems as if your foot is getting heavier on that gas peddle.
I for one am ready to press down on the brake a little. I feel like I am missing so much. I think we all need to slow down a bit and enjoy those precious minutes before they all slip by.