I've Been Tagged!!

At least I don't have to run like I do in a real game of tag....

The Rules:
After posting these rules, each player proceeds to list 8 relatively random facts/habits about himself/herself. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, leaving them a comment on their blogs to let them know.

1. I HAVE to eat things in even numbers—especially with things like M&M's.

2. I jumped out of a helicopter (assisted) when I was seven years old.

3. I am DEATHLY afraid of spiders. The bigger they are, the more I cry. I had to kill a small wolf spider a few weeks ago. I was convinced that it was going to jump on me, and I was in tears for twenty minutes!!

4. I've been to Europe three times since I was 18—once in December 1993 I went to Germany on a college missions trip; then with my husband and his family in May 2001 to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium; and then to England and Scottland in October 2006 with my 9 month old daughter to visit one of my best friends from college. I can't wait to go again!!!!!!

5. I always eat my macaroni and cheese with harvard (pickled) beets, and I always put ketchup on my mac and cheese.

6. I'm not a phone talker. I just can't do it—even with good friends. Don't know when it started.

7. I have panic attacks when I go into a traditional church. That's the biggest reason we go to a house church now.

8. I'm a LOT more on the charismatic side than most people would think.

All the blogs I read have already been tagged, so I'll just be tagging friends by email ;-)

posted by Brandi at 4:57 PM | 1 comment(s)

A Few of My Favorite Pictures

I just uploaded my digital camera into iPhoto for the first time since before Easter. So I thought I'd just post a few of my favorites of Adriana. Most of them were taken at our family Mother's Day/birthday get together last week.


Adriana with her Easter basket. My sister got it for her from Walgreens. You press a button on its paw and it wags its tail and says, "Somebunny Loves Me!"



The only candy we got her was Peeps. She wasn't really sure what she thought of the marshmallo...


She takes after her mother.... That cup USED to be filled with 54oz of pure, unadulterated Diet Pepsi [drool]


Risa and Adri having fun. Ben's in the background...not sure what he's doing.


Adriana lounging in the gazebo. She thinks she's pretty smart getting up there like that.


Adri LOVES to play in the grass. I originally put her in the little red, white and blue dress, but she kept falling down and bleeding, so I had to put on jeans. Then we realized that her toes were bleeding too, so I sent my 12 year old niece, Emily, inside to find her a pair of shoes. She came out with fur lined leather slippers. Not exactly what I was looking for, but it did the job.


Adriana running from her cousin Lizzy.


Evidently my daughter likes corn. RAW corn.... [shrug]

posted by Brandi at 6:51 PM

The Rules of a Toddler

Oh, so THIS is why I was going crazy. I wasn't following the rules!!!!


If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be removed.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.
If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

posted by Brandi at 3:36 PM | 3 comment(s)

Hmph....

Did you know that hard boiled egg yolks disintigrate into powder when you try to finish them in the microwave? Uh....yeah...that's what they do. Sometimes I think I'm one of those people meant to serve as a warning to others.

posted by Brandi at 7:18 PM | 1 comment(s)

An Honest Mistake....

I just had to post this joke....


Little Tony was staying with his grandmother for a few days.. He'd been playing outside with the other kids for a while when he came into the house and asked her, "Grandma, what's that called when 2 people sleep in the same room and one is on top of the other?"

She was a little taken, but she decided to just tell him the truth. "It's called sexual intercourse, darling".

Little Tony just said, "Oh, OK," and went back outside to play with the other kids.

A few minutes later he came back in and said angrily, "Grandma, it isn't called sexual intercourse. It's called "Bunk Beds". And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you."

posted by Brandi at 6:34 PM | 4 comment(s)

Yummy Breakfast!

I just made the most wonderful breakfast burrito!! It really was nothing different than a typical burrito--eggs, sausage & cheese rolled up in a tortilla. The difference was that I used MorningStar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties. OMG(osh) they are SO yummy!!!!!!! No grease, no icky gristly pieces to spit out, and they really don't taste all that "veggie" really. I had two patties, but if you cut it down to one, it cuts the calories down from 422 to 342, and it still filling! Not a bad start to the day. Lunch will probably be my spicy black bean burgers.

Yes, I've crawled back onto the diet/way of life wagon. To help me to this, I'm trying out www.sparkpeople.com. It's a lot like DietWatch.com that I used to belong to. And funny thing, I JUST now realized that my friend Felicia made a comment on that entry and suggested this same site!! Silly me....

There is one point that I'm really struggling with. My mother, of course. It hit me this morning when my mom said, "Wow! With all this weight I've lost I'll bet I'm in a 16/18 now!!" My mind immediately took me back to the summer of 1991. My mom and I were standing in the middle of Montgomery Wards looking for school clothes. I had worked so hard ALL summer to lose some weight before my senior year. I wasn't losing pounds, but I must have been losing inches, because I tried on a jacket that was a size large. Not a 1x or a 2x, but your average size "large", and it fit! I was SO excited!!! I said very quietly, but excitedly, "Mom! Isn't this great! I don't have to wear my fat-clothes anymore!!" I was met with nothing more than silence and an icy glare. I immediately apologized and told her that I didn't mean to offend her. I was just excited that I was finally in a normal size after all these years. She just walked away from me. I've never been in a size large again. That's not her fault...it's mine. Then the PCOS kicked in while I was in college and that just set me back even farther. But I've always had a deep sense of guilt whenever I managed to meet my weightloss goals and she didn't. I'm working on getting over that, because I know it will be a stumbling block until I do.

posted by Brandi at 9:15 AM | 2 comment(s)