I can always count on Tim Hawkins for a laugh

Blogging again. Part 2.

The first week we were back, we spent w/ my dad & Nancy in Yoncalla. It was a great time to relax & get acclamated to the new time zone. 3 hours difference sure does...make a difference!

The girls hung out in the shop a lot. I rested my body a bit. I had been feeling under the weather for a few months. I actually noticed a lump in my stomach a month earlier & the nerves of not knowing what it was...was wearing on me.

Within a few days we were in our rental. Ross & I decided to wait to buy. We don't want to get stuck in something until we know where we want to live.

About 5 days after moving in I had a Dr. appt. They discovered that my uterus was enlarged quite a bit. It was the equivalent of someone's who is 16-18 weeks pregnant. Yikes. The Dr. scheduled some bloodwork & an ultrasound right away. There were 2 possible problems. It could be a fibroid tumor or a sarcoma tumor. 1 is an easy fix. 1 is not. I went back in after 2 weeks & it had grown even more. My uterus was now 18-20 weeks prego looking.

A week later the ultrasound showed it was a fibroid tumor. They would still test it once it was out, but it looked like an easy fix. There were 2 of them. 1 the size of a roma tomato. The other the size of a palm sized basketball. The only way to get rid of them was a hysterectomy.

Of course I'm freaking at this point. I don't want to go through menopause at 32. The Dr. was pretty confident that he could save at least 1 ovary. 1 looked pretty damaged because of the size & position of the tumors, but the other looked great. Whew.

3 weeks later I had the hysterectomy. They had to do a vertical incision vs. the horizontal so healing would take a bit longer, but all went well.

After the whole mess was out, it was the size of a basketball. I feel so much better w/ it all out! Recovery has been pretty simple. The girls have been super helpful. Ross has been so accomodating & the best news was that it contained no cancer. Hooray.

I'll be back in a few days to share more. Love you all for sticking around.

Peace & hair grease.

Blogging again. Part 1.

OMW - it's been forever since I've blogged. Not that stuff hasn't been happening. My life has been so chaotic. I probably could've USED the blogging outlet. I just never made the time.

Well that's all gonna change...at least for today. So here's what's been happening in my life since Spring.

Part 1.

At the end of March, Ross came to Indiana & we were able to sign papers for our house closing. The new owners had asked for a 45 day close, so I had plenty of time to box up a ton of stuff. With 4 feet of snow outside, what else was there to do right?

We had arranged for our pickup to be hauled out by semi & our furniture & such would be hauled out by semi seperately.

With the help of awesome friends we loaded the whole house in less than 4 hours...and it was 3100 square feet! The semi truck driver was ecstatic that he could get a head start about 7 hours earlier than planned! We said our goodbyes to neighbors & headed to a hotel.

We spent a few days just enjoying time w/ Ross. He left Dec. 4th & we were able to see him for a week over Christmas & a weekend over Valentine's day. Talk about a hard 4 months! I have a whole new respect for shoveling snow. I was outside shoveling one day for 3 hours. And that was just for the morning routine. I did another 1.5 in the evening!

So we spent a few days together at a hotel until we flew out a few days later. Once we landed in Portland we were able to enjoy lunch w/ the totally awesome Clayville Clan. Jenni, Brian & their handsome boys.

It was a hectic few days, but also comforting to know we were back home.

So there's part 1. I'll try & add more tomorrow. Sorry for the lack of writing, but after each installment you'll understand why I've been absent from the blogosphere. Love you interpeeps.

I love Tony Campolo

I'm sure some of you have already seen / heard this story. Tony Campolo tells a story about some ladies he met in Hawaii. It brings me to tears every time I hear it. Thought I'd share.



No more country club churches. Amen.

Hide n Seek

The other day Campbell wanted to play hide n seek. I despise hide n seek. Mainly because I can't win. There are only a few spots that a grown up can hide in our house. A closet, behind an open door, under the table or behind a curtain.

Those are all great places EXCEPT...the dog. She doesn't leave my side. If I'm hiding behind the curtain, she's standing in front of the curtain. She's like a stinking alarm screaming "SHE'S RIGHT HERE. LOOK OVER HERE. RUFF RUFF. HURRY UP. I'M TIRED OF STANDING HERE."

But the other day was different. At about 1 o'clock I was feeling pretty sweaty after a day of packing. I wanted a shower. By myself. Alone. I only need 10 minutes. Hmmm...

So I asked Campbell if she wanted to play hide n seek. "OF COURSE!" she said.

I asked her to count to 20. As soon as she covered her eyes. I ran upstairs, shut the bathroom door & jumped in the shower. After about 5 minutes or so I hear her run upstairs. She opens the bathroom door & walks passed. (Sh...she didn't see me). Never mind the shower's running...she didn't figure it out. She doesn't even think or realize that I'm in there. I? Am a genius.

She leaves. A few minutes later returns & says "mom are you in there? I found you!"

She thinks she won. But we all know who the REAL winner is? I got 15 whole minutes. Alone. Ahhh...

I love Daft Punk

I'm on a youtube kick. This video is awesome. Wait a little bit for the hands to start jiving!

St. Patrick's Day VeggieTales edition

This is a great video on the Sumo Of The Opera DVD by Veggietales.

It's a great explanation for kids that tells of the history of St. Patrick's Day.

Missing my hubs

I'm missing hubs today. Actually, I've been missing him for awhile. I'm trying to keep things alive...but not sure if it's been successful. =/

I know this video has been through my circle of friends, but I still love it. Can't wait to laugh with you babe...(yes, laugh is code).

Twitter - all the juicy details

I've been pretty absent from my blog lately. Between our Indiana house selling & offering on a new house in Oregon, it's been hectic. Wait, those aren't the REAL reasons I haven't been blogging. The blame is really on Twitter.

I've been doing it for awhile, but I'm really enjoying it more & more everyday. Here's an explanation on how it works. The little tidbits that come across from people all over the globe can be insightful & hysterical. It's become second nature to type in things that are happening in my life. If I find a good deal on milk, I'll twitter it. When traffic is backed up, I'll twitter it. When a child pooped their pants at Walmart, I twittered it. When a blister pops in my new workout shoes, I twitter it with a picture. My followers get all the juicy details before anyone else.

I'm gonna tell you the only problem I've had with Twitter. When I send someone a picture from my phone it's super easy. I do it several times a day, so I'm good at it.

Problem is, when you want to send your husband a picture of your cleavage cause you've been seperated for over 3 months & don't want him to forget what he has waiting for him at home.

You type in the twitter email addy instead of your husband's. Within a minute of posting it, your husband calls you & informs you that your "girls" are making their internet debut on Twitter.

So I run downstairs (hanging up the phone by accident on the way) only to discover I've closed everything out. Twitter pulls up, I delete the tweet.

Ahhh....breathe....relax. Call hubs back.

Ross says "I CAN STILL SEE IT!"

Oh shoot! It has to be deleted from Twitpic too. *point, click, click, delete* Ahhh...there we go. Hopefully no one will notice.

I sit there clicking the replies tab & the refresh button waiting for someone to comment. My fears were recognized when SadeeLady (Selena) says "@mandyconforth what the heck is that a pix of? Looks like an unmentionable, or was that the point?"

Dang it. Someone saw my bits.

I direct messaged her & told her of my horrible mistake. She replied with "CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! must breath.....oh! my head. It huurts 2 laugh that hard!"

Which made ME laugh uncontrollably.

Anyway, no one else reponded. THANK YOU JESUS!

Hubs & I (and Selena) had a good chuckle.

And the "girls" are in hiding.

When I said my Twitter peeps get first dibs at all the juicy details...I wasn't kidding.

Camp Counselor

In High School I was an counselor for the Outdoor School program at one of our local grade schools. High School students basically went to camp for a week to mentor 5th graders in various outdoor & group activities.

Every night we had campfire. We were blessed to have an indoor area to host it. Whether rain or shine we enjoyed campfire.

There were 2 counselors in charge of seating kids in neat & tidy rows. Those neat & tidy rows had to be re-adjusted everytime we did a stand up, action song (Cinnamon & I sang Singing In The Rain).

But at the end of the night, each row was excused one by one by the man in charge. His camp name was Tigger. He had a beautiful, masculine singing voice. Two songs he sang make me tear up ... even today. One was called Bamboo, the other was All My Life's A Circle. I found versions online, but none do it justice. His version was slow & calming. The kids were silent & were excused row by row while the rest of us sang this song w/ him, waiting for our turn to head back to our cabins for lights out. Here are the lyrics:

All my life's a circle
Sunrise & sundown.
The moon rose through the nighttime
Till the day break comes around.

All my life's a circle
But I can't tell you why.
The seasons spinning 'round again
The years keep rolling by.

Seems like I've been here before
But I can't remember when.
And I got this funny feeling
That we'll all be together again.

There's no straight lines make up my life
And all the roads have bends.
There's no clear cut beginnings
And so far no dead ends.

BTW - my camp name was Porkchop. I nickname given to me by my dad when I was a baby. I had fat thighs.

Did you ever go to camp? If so, what was your favorite song?

I hate peeing in the woods

This HAD to be invented by a woman. A woman who went hunting w/ her hubs & splashed herself while hovering over a log. This is ingenius. And only $40. You know you want one.

My hubs is hard to buy for, but I think the girls & I would use it more than he would.

Who's the hardest person to buy a gift for in your family?

ht: Ross Conforth

Check their homework

Thanks to Michelle for sending me this!

I'm dedicating it to Mandy Thompson. Sorry for poking fun last week. Love ya.

Mommy's reply to teacher about homework:

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told Sarah how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had. Then I found one more in the back room, and several people were fighting over who would get it. Sarah's picture does NOT show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely, Mrs. Smith

Like Mother Like Daughter

So you all know I have these 3 gorgeous girls. I haven't posted any blog pics for awhile. Seems they all get stuck on twitpic. Dang that twitter. It's such a time waster. And NO, I won't give it up! ;) But aren't they gorgeous y'all? Scrumptious.

So anyway, the girls & I have had a lot of time to talk about what it means to be a woman of God. Conversations about honesty, friendship, worship, manners, money & yes...even boys (blech) have all happened over the passed few weeks.

I've noticed that I have a definite opinion about parenting. I am not the parent who lets their kids run through the grocery store. I am not the parent that gives in to their kids when they ask for a treat. In fact, if you beg in our house...it's a def. NO! I am not the parent who lets their kids say hate, dumb, stupid, shut up, fat, or I'm gonna kill you. I think those are all words that tear people down, not build up.

Only today (ouch) I realized that I said hate, dumb, stupid, shut up, fat, crap, s*** & a few other choice words. I wasn't around the kids for all of them...but still. I need to work on practicing what I preach.

I want to raise young women who have respect for others & themselves. Guess I should start by exuding that same trait huh?

I'm gonna start working out

I'm not telling you all this so you'll keep me accountable. In fact, if you call me on NOT working out, our friendship is over. No, I'm serious. Finito.

Anyway, I made this silly resolution to lose weight this year. It's time. I've been hanging on to it for about 9 years. Eating is fun. Being chubs is not.

Since I made this commitment to myself I've been noticing the way people talk to/about each other. I notice a lot of folks belittle people for their weight. I even saw a blogpost that someone put up that called someone a dough boy because the man was "pouring out" of his seat & blocking this couples' movie view. And the guy that wrote it & his wife are both overweight.

I never want to be the person who says or does hurtful things. I know I have in the past. Maybe even about someone's weight. I think most of us could stand to be a little healthier. Maybe that includes mental health too, cuz making fun of people is jacked up.

Menu planning pays off BIG

I won't ever do this post again, but I was so excited to see how menu planning pays off in a BIG way. Here's the menu for 2 weeks. I can mix & match depending on my mood.

Breakfasts- 14 total
Pancakes & fruit
French toast & fruit
Eggs & sausage (x2)
Cereal (x2)
Fruit bars & muffins (x2)
Banana Bread (x2)
Pumpkin Bread (x2)
Oatmeal w/ raisins (which I'm sure will end up being Pop Tarts)
Cinnamon Rolls

Lunches - 14 total
Nuggets & fruit
Nuggets & veggies
Turkey/veggie wraps (x2)
Taquitos & veggies
Taquitos & fruit
Grilled cheese & soup
Tuna sandwich & veggies
Turkey sandwich & fruit
Quesadilla & veggies
Bagel pizza & fruit
Slice beef, cheese, crackers & veggies (x2)
Macaroni & cheese cooked w/ veggies

Dinner - 14 total
Chicken, rice & veggies soup w/ rolls (x2)
Tacos
Chicken parmesan, salad & garlic bread
Fried Chicken, mash taters & corn on the cob
Chicken, bacon salad w/ hb eggs
Meatloaf & baked potatoes w/ asparagus
Spaghetti
Sliced beef, cheese, crackers w/ veggies (x2) - using up our Cmas stash & it's NO COOK!
Pork fried rice
Pork chops w/ creamy rice & salad
Lasagna, salad, garlic bread (x2)

I also planned out 28 snacks (2 per day), and dessert that would be served every other day. Things like cookies - I made the batter, baked enough for one day then froze the rest in perfect scoops. That way I'm only baking enough for that night's dessert. Chocolate chip muffins - I baked them all, then froze for a later snack day.

I also planned for schedule hiccups. If something happens I have extra cans of soup & a few rice a roni boxes...better to know I have another option instead of saying "Oh well, let's just his McD on the way home."

My total at the grocery store was 137.81 including tax & including one bottle of Windex, 4 rolls of paper towels & 1 stick of deododerant.

Can't wait to go back home