BBW and bathing suits

Ok, so I am a BBW! Not much I can do about it for the time being, but I am working on it. I have to fight against the 40 pounds my thyroid meds and my bipolar meds put on me. I am working at increasing my metabolism in a healthy way. That being said, I went and bought a new bathing suit. I would have looked like a sausage in my old one. I bought a 2 piece with a skirted bottom. I love it! It’s flattering on me. It’s a straight skirt. Maybe I will find a picture online. I also bought some tops and capri’s for vacation and summer here. I am just hoping it shows up in Ohio some time this year!!! rotflol…I crack myself up!

I think I just became a soccer mom!

Sheesh! The things we moms do for our kids. Caleb wanted to do this soccer camp where they learn basic skills and have fun. He has never really played soccer and is kind of behind in this as soccer is really popular around here. He has played soccer at school and that’s about it. Today it was in the high 40’s and I froze out on the field watching him. Poor kid has a cold but he is a trooper! He is now sneezing and coughing more. He has 2 more days of this camp and now he wants to sign up for our local soccer club. I would have to get a copy of his birth certificate really fast and pay the money. I just don’t know what to do. I am afraid he won’t stick around till the end of the season! We shall see.

50 things about me

1. How tall are you barefoot? 5′2″

2. Have you ever smoked? Yes. In high school for about 1 year

3. Do you own a gun? My dh does but I don’t think I could use it if needed.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Is this really a question? ALL that I am in this world is because of hot dogs. Really.

7. What’s your favorite Christmas song? O’ Holy Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee.

9. Do you do push-ups? As in the ice cream treat?? lol

11. Are you vegan? Did you read the hot dog answer??

12. Do you like painkillers? Yes. When I need to kill a pain.

13. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? LOL! I am a flirt!

14. Do you own a knife? Yes, it’s just a little thing

15. Do you have A.D.D.? I think so.

16. Middle Name? Lynn.

17. Top 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I wonder if Jay will bother to read this and see I copied her again, I miss the money JAM owes me, and I am forgetting the debt.

18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. Cheese, crackers, juice.

19. Name five drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, water, wine coolers, juice, coffee

20. What time did you wake up today? 9:15, outta bed then, but I was being woken up at 7 am and on.

21. Current hair? long layers growing out

22. Current worry? Getting the laundry done.

23. Current hate? Stupid people, as always and rude drivers.

24. Favorite places to be? Anywhere with my hubby, home, and out with people

25. Least favorite place to be? Jail, not that I have ever been there.

26. Where would you like to go? The beach and the mountains.

27. Do you own slippers? Yep.

28. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 yrs? I hope serving the Lord someway that is satisfying.

29. Do you burn or tan? Burn that peels and never really tans much.

30. Last thing you ate? A chocolate dingdong

31. Would you be a pirate? Could I hang out with Johnny Depp?

33. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever gets stuck in my head from TM

34. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? A monster under the bed or my brother and his stupid tricks by pretending to be a monster.

35. What’s in your pockets right now? Nothing

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Jay’s answers I am erasing.

37. Best bed sheets you had as a child? purple ones

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Gallbladder attack, had it removed 4 years ago.

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? One.

41. Who is your loudest friend? Christine

42. Who is your most silent friend? Sue

43. Does someone have a crush on you? Probably.

44. Do you wish on the stars? Sometimes.

45. What is your favorite book? Don’t have one.

47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? I will Be There,and I will Never Go.
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? You Raise Me Up by Selah

49. What were you doing 12AM last night? Sleeping with my hubby.

50. Do you love the pain a tattoo brings? No. Don’t have any.

Alpha Weekend

It was great! The Lord really moved and people were touched and changed. Some need more, well we all need more of Him. I was able to hear from the Lord and use it as an intercessor. I did a funny magic show for the Talent/No Talent show and then at the end of the evening on Saturday, we gathered around the fireplace, indoors, and I read a bedtime story to those who wanted to hear it. It was “You are Special” by Max Lucado. I was amazed at how the grown adults sat there with all their attention on my story. It was really cool.

We have begun planning our vacation. We will travel to SC by way of TN first. There is a cool train around the Great Smokey Mountains and we are going to stop in Gatlinburg then drive to the train depot the next day and ride the train. It should be fun. Right now I have to go buy appropriate clothes as the weather gets warmer as we go south. It was 38 here yesterday but in the 70’s in TN alone. I can only imagine how warm SC will be. With the weight gain from all the meds, I have nothing that fits for summer but some shirts. I will have to also sort through the boys’ clothes too.

Both boys have colds today and are home from school. I guess I could have sent them but it’s ok. They can make it up later.

I still have to run out to buy an atlas today sometime.

See How Much I Love You…

Found this on another blog…something I will have to try…

SHMILY:

A Lovestory You Will Never Forget

by Laura Jeanne Allen

My grandparents were married for over half a century and played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find.

They took turns leaving “shmily” around the house and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged “shmily” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers, to await whoever was preparing the next meal.

They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio (where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring).

“Shmily” was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper, to leave “shmily” on the very last sheet.

There was no end to the places “shmily” would pop up. Little notes with “shmily” scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows.

“Shmily” was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents’ house as the furniture.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents’ game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love, one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship.

They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate affection, which not everyone is lucky to experience.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses, as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other’s sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble.

My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew “how to pick ‘em.”

Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune and each other.

But, there was a dark cloud in my grandparents’ lives: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier.

As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.

Now the cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather’s steady hand, they went to church every Sunday morning. But, my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore.

For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.

“Shmily.” It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time.
Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s casket and (taking a shaky breath) he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came (a deep and throaty lullaby).

Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. I knew that, although I couldn’t begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.

“S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You…”

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for letting me see.

S.H.M.I.L.Y. Time:

If you’re husband is unfamiliar with this story, copy it and put in in a card or letter that reminds him how much you love him. (If he’s already heard this story, then just do the letter or card.) Be sure to write, “Shmily” on the envelope!
REMEMBER: “SHMILY Time” is supposed to be focusing on our priority after God, which is to bring glory to Him through being a wife. It doesn’t matter what stage (or state) your marriage is in right now. Pray to the Lord to give you the strength, forgiveness, and love you need to be the wife He intends for you to be. He WILL bless you and your marriage.

Don’t forget to post the response you get and what you did… (also, remember to only edify your husband… this is not a time to gossip or share anything that would embarrass your husband).

Last day of training…

Today was the last training class. It was all about paperwork and procedures. I learned how to do the pregnancy tests, where to take the Mr. Green calls. The Mr. Green calls are when an abortion-minded person calls in, usually a female, and a volunteer counselor will go to a private room and discuss the options open to them. Usually we try to get them to come in to the center and talk with someone. I learned that 84% of abortion-minded pregnant mom’s change their minds after having an ultrasound. At APS, there is a mobile ultra-sound unit that comes weekly. They give the estimated due date and a picture to the woman. Again, not a medical diagnosis but a picture and edd. We have to stress we aren’t a medical clinic. We have trained and licensed nurses and counselors on staff so there are times when a medical form or counseling session is needed. We have free services of all kinds at APS. I can’t wait to be part of the team there.

Today, while at my physical therapy appointment, my therapist, Ed, and I were talking about marriages. I brought up the Dr. Laura book, The Care and Feeding of Husbands, and he said he was going to buy it and give it to his wife. I laughed and said he better know his wife pretty well if he was going to do that! I then talked about the 5 Love Languages book. He was very interested in that one. Maybe I will bring in my copy to loan to them. Through the conversation, he eventually said that I was really knowledgable about this counseling stuff and should be a counselor. I thanked him for the compliment and told him he is not the first to tell me that. I also was able to share about APS with him. How neat, huh?

Sheesh, there I go, asking questions to readers that may or may not be out there. I know of a few! Thanks ladies for commenting on my blogging.

Pray for MJ, my friend. And pray for another friend, Donna and her family. They suffer with Mitochondrial disease. It is cruel and mean to their bodies and family.

My first day at APS…

Today was the first day of shadowing at APS. It was great! I watched and helped supply material goods for a woman and her 2 children. They needed some clothes and shampoo. She was sweet and really needed the help. Then she asked about discipline classes for older children. The other volunteer and I were able to help her with some discipline issues with her kids. It was cool. I could really relate to her questions because I asked the same ones when I was a single parent.

My last training is Wednesday. Then I have the official interview, even for volunteers, next Monday. I should then get a regular day to volunteer there.

My schedule is very full right now. I have lots of Pampered Chef calls to make. Probably do those tomorrow night. I had lunch with Christine today. We had a good time catching up.

I am a few days late and wondering if I should test. With the medicines I am on, it’s not good to get pregnant. Although Phil had the vas. years ago, you never know with the Lord! lol….

My desk

I am copying a copycat! Jaybird and a few others took pictures of their desks and posted to their blog. So here is mine.

You will notice that the clipboard to the right of the monitor has my last night’s show orders, I was working on them this morning. I also have my Steelers coffee mug, a curler that I had in my bangs this morning and left here when I got distracted by a phone call with a customer. On the shelf are pictures of my dad and my kids and their cousins. The rose in the pencil can is silk and is a reminder from my Pampered Chef director that my business will blossom and grow and hopefully earn me the extra money I want from the business. I guess I should add a link to my PC website.

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelutz Not sure why this isn’t a clickable link. So copy and paste if you wanna order something or host a catalog show.

So now the next person reading needs to snap a picture of their desk and let me know. I think, by far mine is the messiest. What you can’t see behind the clipboard is a stack of papers and all the dust all over the whole desk.

Wow….

Tonight’s show was great! I did a great job. We have sales into $600 and I got one booking! I am really pleased. I did something very different tonight from my other shows. I actually cooked using the stovetop instead of doing a cold salad or dessert in the oven. It was a hit! I am excited for the rest of the parties this month. I will be dragging those days though as they are back to back.

Jacob’s seat was changed on the bus. This is good news. That little nasty Shelby won’t be able to bother him as much and he might have a chance to show he can behave.

Phil’s boss is getting transferred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is huge! I am as happy as he is that R*** is going. The guy is a bonehead. He has no spine and doesn’t stick up for his managers. He also micromanages and it is so unproductive. It’s like I have a new husband today. He won’t be running 2 crews and his boss goes on the 1st of April, and it’s not an April Fool’s joke either.

I am a happy chicka today. Praising God all the way.

**Editting to add that after meeting R*** today at Phil’s anniversary lunch, he isn’t that bad as a person. Still stinks as a boss but he was nice, even got up when I went to the restroom! lol…I didn’t think men still did that. lol..

Coffee types…

You Are a Cappuccino

You’re fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You’re the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Are You?