Friday, April 27, 2007

I'm grumpy

I've been grumpy and suffering from self pity all week. Of course, I blame it on the weather. It is supposed to be nice this weekend, like 70s, maybe 80! Hopefully that will make me feel happier.

Got any good jokes?

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Change of plans

Ok, so taking into consideration recent events in my family, DH & I have decided not to travel to Los Cabos. I am totally fine with that! Earning the trip to Los Cabos was important to me, but actually going wasn't quite as important to me as my husband is. Last year, going to Aruba was a big thing, but not so much this year. Plus it wouldn't have been quite the same anyway, as a couple of good PL friends weren't going either. I still get to say I "earned" the trip, and in lieu of going, PL will give me a $500 gift certificate! More GC to help fill my candle closet!

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Watch out Sammy!


PL is coming to Cabo Wabo!

Wahoo! I (unofficially) have earned my trip to Los Cabos this May! DH is going too, although his trip isn't completely free (but it is cheaper than last year!) I say unofficially, because I haven't received confirmation yet, but I crunched all the numbers, and they all add up! This pic is one of the infinity pools at one of the 3 resorts we are staying at.
I am so pumped! I worked really hard this year, and although I didn't want this trip as much as I wanted to earn Aruba last year, it still means a lot to me! I guess I'm proving to myself that I can be successful at what I do. This is just a small portion of what I do, but a part I love. And I don't neglect my family, my faith or my day job either! Of course DD isn't thrilled about us going, but she'll get over it. And my dad is once again travelling up from Florida to watch the kids, which is so great. I"m so blessed that he is willing to spend 5 days and nights with 2 growing, active, and sometimes bratty kids! DD promised she would be nicer this year. She informed me that she is "much more mature now". My dad is going to turn 77 while we are gone, so the kids and I will make him a surprise cake!

Today is also my 1 year anniversary of promoting to a Unit Leader with PL. We had a little celebration meeting at our house tonight. It was great to see some new friends and some old friends! And the Ice Cream Cake was yummy. Poor DH can't eat it though, the crunchy middle part has wheat flour in it.

It really sucks, we find so many of our favorite foods are banned for him now. Pizza is a big one. And I feel guilty eating them, especially in front of him. He has told me that he doesn't want me to feel I have to go gluten free, but I don't like to eat his favorites in front of him. Especially since this is so new to us all. We still have to go grocery shopping at the natural foods store. He is really hesitant though. I think partly because every gluten free substitute has paled in comparison to the wheat filled original. We really need to find a good white bread. I don't know that we will... I think I also need to expand our menu. It will get boring if I don't. Problem is I'm not much of a baker or cook. Guess I'll keep trying and learning.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Weather

I tell you, it totally stinks when it goes from 2 gorgeous sunny days of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit a current temp of 45, and cloudy.

I am ready for summer. I checked my plants, and I am seeing some sprouting. Now we will probably get a snowstorm, just to screw up the growth of those little flowers.

*sigh*

I really love volleyball season. For DS, that is. He practices or plays games between 2 and 4 times a week. The times vary. Sometimes 5-6:30 or sometimes 3:30-5. I love the latter. On those days, I have to leave work early to get home, since DD will be on the bus, and isn't ready to be home alone.

Today is his first game, at 4:30. I'm leaving early anyway.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Why do I do this?

I stress about stuff. Stuff I can't always control.

Like right now. PL. I'm stressing about earning this trip to Los Cabos. I need 3 people to start, and 2 have so far, but neither has actually qualified, which they also need to do. Then I need a 3rd. A person contacted me, and she is trying to put together enough sales to qualify by March 30. But who knows. I've talked to all 3, and they are all trying, so I need to just let that go.

Then there is the part about earning DH's trip for a discount. Right now, assuming all 3 of the above people qualify, I have earned my trip, and his for a slight discount. But at the beginning, we agreed to only go if we could get his trip for a significant discount. Right now I'm quite a bit away from getting to that goal. So what do I do? Stress about it. I have 5 shows on my calendar between now and March 29. Will that be enough? I don't know. But I can't let it go.

Guess it's the overachiever in me. Failing is not an option. My mind accepts that if I earn this trip, but not DHs at the buy in I want, that is not failing. But my emotional side doesn't.

So I am staying positive, and looking forward to the next 10 days!

Hey, anyone need any candles?

Monday, March 19, 2007

trial and error begins

As you may realize, our family is going through some major trial and error, regarding foods that are gluten free.

DS & I went shopping yesterday. We wanted to find some pizza crust that would fit the bill, since DH mentioned to me he misses pizza a lot.

We went to the local Pick & Save, which has a VERY limited gluten free section. Found 1 type of pizza crust mix. It seemed very easy to make, which is critical for me. I'm not a big baker or cook. I like to cook, but the hassle of getting all the ingredients has outweighed the ease of buying the ready made stuff. Up until now that has been the guiding point in my culinary achievements.

So we bought the dough mix, I took it home, and made the crust. The brand is called Namaste. Of course everyone had to inspect it and comment. Then parbaked it, and later baked it with sauce, cheese, canadian bacon and mushrooms (on half). So we sit down to eat it.

Not a lot of comments. No "Yum, this is great, or Yuck, I'm not eating this". So I figured I had made an achievement. We all agreed it wasn't the best and wasn't the worst. I still have the other 1/2 of the bag left. Not sure I will make it though.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Who ever heard of this?

Ok, so up until about a month ago, I had never heard of Celiac Disease. Now I'm becoming an expert. Ok, not really, but sort of.

Nearly 3 years ago DH mentioned he had been having some sort of pressure on his side. Not pain per se, but pressure, uncomfortableness. He went to our doctor, who couldn't find anything wrong. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 years, DH has tried numerous different meds, to no avail. It's been a roller coaster ride. The one good thing that came of this, we were at Six Flags July of that year, and he had an anxiety attack. As a result, he was hospitalized for observation, and decided to give up smoking. Hasn't smoked since. No idea if this was related, but I'm thinking in some way it was.

So fast forward to early Feb 2007. He goes to see a gastroenterologist, or something like that. The doctor thinks he might have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which sucks. But he wants to do one more test, a biopsy of DH's lower intestine, as he suspects an intolerance to gluten. What the heck is gluten I wondered. So I went to the mother of all info, Google, and found out. Simply put, gluten is a protein in wheat. Intolerance to it is Celiac sprue, or Celiac disease.

DH was scheduled for the procedure right before we went to NYC. He ended up rescheduling that appt, and the doctor had to reschedule the next 2 appts. So that brings us to last Wed, when DH finally had the procedure, without any sedative, btw.

Monday the doctor's assistant calls, and tells DH that he has Celiac disease. He doesn't have a severe case, but it is definately positive. So now begins a lifestyle change for our family.

I, for one, am happy we finally have a diagnosis. Now there is something I can do! Thanks to some friends from OT, and more googling, I've found out a lot more about Celiac Disease.

One thing that concerns me, it is genetic. So it is possible the disease could manifest itself in DS or DD. There is a gene that if you have it, you have a propensity for this disease, but not guaranteed. So we've made a decision to eliminate wheat products from DH's diet, and limit them with the kids.

We have an appt with a nutrionist next week. In the meantime, I've begun reading labels. Turns out that many companies are aware of this disease, and have taken steps to remove wheat from their products, or at least label them properly. The one questionable item is "Modified Food Starch". Turns out that most companies use corn, but it needs to be verified first.

Did you know that most of Lay's snacks (Doritos, Stax, Wavy Lays) are gluten free? Most food manufacturers address this question right on their site. However, licorice and jelly beans often have gluten in them. Go figure.

Makes me VERY happy this is happening to us now. It must have been horrid to try to deal with this before all the proactive labeling was required.

Did you know that an estimated 3 million Americans have Celiac Disease? Many of them don't even know it!

I've found a few sites that give good info, and am hoping to find out more.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Spring!


The weather is making me happy!

What a great weekend we had! Temps in the low 50s, which is above normal for March! We went to the Zoo. It was "Behind the Scenes" day. Didn't see a lot of behind the scenes, due to longer lines, but we saw the new Cat House, and I got to say Hello to my fav cats, the Snow Leopards.

Today it is in the mid 50s, and tomorrow should break 60! That is almost tanning weather!

Unfortunately, after that it is back to reality, and highs in the 30s again. Boo!

What are you happy about?

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Bragging rights

Ok, so I don't like to brag about myself. But I feel I can brag about my kids anytime, right?

DS had the 12 & under short course state championship swim meet last weekend. He didn't make any individual state times, but was fast enough to swim on 3 of 4 relays that were available. His best friend beat him in the 50 yard backstroke to take a spot on the 4th relay, which of course we were very supportive of. (Plus that way we only had to go to 3 sessions, as there is only 1 relay per age group per session, and as it was we were there Friday evening, Sat morning and Sun afternoon!)

So the first relay he swam really well! He was the backstroke leg of a 400 yard medly relay. They were the B relay team, and ended up in 14th place out of 18 teams. Not bad.

Day 2 was the highlight of his swimming career! It was the 200 freestyle relay, where all 4 boys swim a 50 yard freestyle, one at a time, just like a relay you would see at track & field. DS was the slowest seeded swimmer, and his coach put him in 4th out of 4 boys. The other 3 boys on his team are all in a more advanced group, and all had state cut times in the 50 freestyle. Well, after the race was over, our boys came in 11th! Awesome! But more awesome for us was when I saw DS's split time on his portion of the race. Not only did he BEAT the times of the other 3 boys on his team (which doesn't matter, just a personal thing), but his time would have been a state cut time, if it had counted! In relays, only the first leg counts as an individual time. But most importantly, now DS knows he can swim that fast!

I was so proud of my boy! Of course, DH was too! After the race was over I was ecstatic, and was accepting congratulations from all the parents around me. (as if I had swam the race, hee hee) We were all wondering where DS pulled such an incredible time from! He beat his previous personal best by nearly 2.5 seconds! So I was sitting there glowing, and DS came walking over, with the biggest grin I have ever seen on his face! He came running up to me and gave me a huge hug, which he doesn't do much anymore in public, being the "mature 12 year old". He was all teary eyed, and my tears were just flowing as well. I heard one of the other parents say "Seeing expressions like DS's make all of the driving so worth it!" That totally made it worth sitting at the hot pool for hours and hours!

Sunday he also posted a personal best time, and also beat the other 3 swimmers on his relay team. I just knew he was still flying on the high from Saturday!

Now he is already talking about swimming all 5 sessions at the Long course state championships in July! And getting some individual times as well.

We have a month off now, and start the next season at the end of March. DS can't wait! Neither can I.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

My special offer!

I’m asking for help! I’m really close to my goal of earning the trip to Los Cabos for DH & myself. But I need a little help to get there!

I’m offering 2 ways to get free candles!

#1 – Have a $250+ show in March and you could get your choice of 2 or more of a list of 10 items each at a 60-70% discount! PLUS, if you host a $250+ home or catalog show and submit it to me by March 29, I will add $50 to your free hostess credit! Remember, you can schedule a home show or a catalog show!

#2 - Would you like to get a free candle Gift tin? They are Nectartini or Cherry Orchard. Just make a purchase now and get one of them for FREE! Make a $50 purchase and get them both for FREE!! I will be happy to send you a flyer that shows the pictures of the items mentioned above.

Act now, as this is a very limited time offer!


Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I must be crazy

So DD has been bugging me since November about going to see a concert. One of her good friends (who is way more spoiled than she is, believe it or not) got tickets, and of course she NEEDS to go too. (segway, this other girl has a phone in her room! And she is 9-10 years old!)

I told her that I would keep an eye on Ebay for good seats at a decent price. I looked at Ticketmaster, they were sold out right away. Not a good sign. So for the past 3 months I've been watching, and bidding where possible, to no avail. Oh, and the concert is this Sunday. So tick, tick, tick. (no this is not the show 24, or I might have to blow something up)

So today I looked, and some guy posted 3 sets of 2 tickets. He also posted his phone # if someone wanted to combine to get 4 or 6 seats. So I called. Looking at the going rates, the cheapest tickets were well over $100-150 a seat, which is highway robbery. After a nice conversation, I decided to buy the 4 tickets, for less than that, but still more than any ticket for any concert I have ever been to.

And DS doesn't even really want to go, or so he says. Might just be a 12 year old "I hate my sister so anything she wants to do I don't" thing, I hope. DH does want to go, which is what helped me to decide to buy the tickets. 3 out of 4 ain't bad, right?

Oh, and the concert?
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High School Musical.

*Sigh* I must be crazy. Tell me I'm not crazy!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

shameless plug

Ok, so I think you all know that I sell PL candles, don't you? And you all know that last year DH & I went to Aruba. That was a free PL trip. Well, it was free for me. DH we paid a discounted rate for.

So this year, the trip is to Los Cabos Mexico. My goal is to earn both trips for free, or only have to pay a minimal amount for DH. That is where YOU come in!

If you or anyone you know it interested in getting some GREAT candles, just let me know, and I'll send you a link to our catalog. I don't really want to post that here. I am offering 20% off all purchases, as a little thank you to you!

Thanks for humoring me in my little venture!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

So I officially have a preteen

DS turned 12 on Sunday. It feels odd to have a pre teen child. So sweet, he went to another kid's birthday party! We decided to wait until January to have his, especially since he can't make up his mind what he wants to do. Other than go to Wisconsin Dells, which isn't happening.

He is all of the sudden being more helpful though, so that could be a big plus. He helped me carry a cooler to the van, without being asked!

74 hours until we leave for warmer weather.

If I don't get back here, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

update

So I was googling something (don't remember what), and one of the top results was my blog! That reminded me to post an update. After all, it's been over a month!

So Winter is here, summer is gone. Darn. However, it will be around 50 here next week, so that is good. I just don't like Winter. It really creates too many problems for me. Driving during snow storms is horrid, and it's cold out. Can't really wear sandles, or walk around bare foot too much. About the only good thing about it is people burn more candles in winter. Not sure why, cause I burn them all year round. You can always use a good scented candle, especially when the air conditioning has been running for days.

We had a big swim meet this weekend. Both kids did FANTASTIC! I am so proud of them. DD actually qualified for the finals in the 100 yard Butterfly, but she was going to a birthday party this afternoon, so we pulled her out of it. DS was an alternate on a couple of races as well.

Got a call from my dad. He had stopped by a couple's house who he is friends with, for no apparent reason, other than to say "Hi". The wife wasn't feeling well, but seemed ok. Then the next day he got a call from the husband. The wife died! I feel so bad for him, and my dad. He was thankful that he had a chance to stop by. God does work in mysterious ways. RIP Mies.

I'm gearing up for a busy couple of weeks with PL. Doing a couple of fund raisers, including 6 different shows as part of a group fundraiser for the swim team. I sure hope it goes well!

Then in January the Los Cabos trip contest starts! So if any of you want to help me earn it by buying some candles, or trying PartyLite for yourself, let me know! (end shameless plug)

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Is Summer over?

Wow, did we have a super fantabulous weekend! It was in the 70s both Sat & Sun. Worked great for DD's birthday party! We went roller skating, then to a pumpkin farm, where we took a hay ride to pick our own pumpkins. We've been going to Jim's Pumpkin Patch since DD was 1 month old!

After arriving back home, we played, ate pizza and ice cream cake, played some more. Then DD & her friends gave each other "make overs". That means putting make up on, and not in huge amounts either! Then watched Harry Potter and to bed! I couldn't believe they were all sleeping by 11:30pm, until 7:30am! Guess the high level of activity helped!

Yesterday the temps were only in the 50s, today too. There is talk of the dreaded 's' word, possibly tomorrow night. But it won't stick, since the ground is too warm.

So how's the weather been in your neck of the woods?

P.S. Anyone need candles? :)

Friday, September 08, 2006

Why do we blog, then don't?

Ever notice that blog entries go in streaks? I wonder why that is. Do our lives go in streaks, where we are too busy to blog, then not? Or are we too bored to blog, then not?

For me, I'm just too lazy.

Or a motormouth.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

What's new?

I've had a busy month! August is PL's bonus month for earning next year's trip to Los Cabos! DH & I have set a goal to earn both trips for free, so I have quite a challenge ahead of me. As a result, I decided my goal for August would be 15,000 points. I actually acheived 14,680! Plus I helped one person start her new business with PL, and I think she will be sponsoring her daughter in the near future! Yeah! My team is growing, and we need to keep that up! We're still struggling to maintain the unit though, so growing is good!

Work is in a bit of a holding pattern. I'm trying to focus on cleaning off my desk. Yeah, right.

Kids had off of swim this month, which was great timing. Next week DS starts back, 4-5 practices a week! DD starts back 2 weeks later, 3-4 times a week. Of course they aren't at the same time most days, and sometimes not even the same facility! So here we go back to taxi driver! Thankfully gas prices are going down!

We're heading down to see my dad & sis for Christmas this year. Right now we're driving (yuk) but it beats $500 each for flying!

Ok, that's my update!

Sunday, August 06, 2006

A little sad

Today would have been my parents 49th wedding anniversary. But they only made it to 41 before my mom died, of cancer.

Happy Anniversary Mama. I miss you.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

I'm baaaaack!



Wow, was that a fun 5 days! St Louis was hot, hot hot! 103 on Wed & Thurs, or something close to that. Wicked storms Wed night! Tornado in East St Louis. Saw a bunch of broken windows, downed trees near the Arch, and this big piece of metal (like 10'x10') wrapped around a pole in front of the Dome, where we were. But our facilities (& hotels) had power, so it ended up good for us. I'm so sorry for all those peeps in St Louis area who STILL had no power as of this morning.

Anyway, Conference was awesome! Had a great time, laughed a lot, cried a lot, shared info, ideas and gambled too. I got to walk on stage in recognition of PayDay, and earned an extra $1000! I didn't win any extra prizes, but a friend of mine did. She won another $1000 and the entire Holiday Product line!! Whooo Hoooo!

We went up in the Arch, in this little Mork type pod. It was a bit freaky. Then on top it was swaying quite a bit, since some big winds kicked up while we were up there. The pic is me at the top, 630 feet up. Oh, and cell phones don't work very well up there. go figure. As we were going back down, we heard some fireworks, and managed to catch the finale. Very cool.

PL's new Fall/Holiday catalog is now available, and I love it! There are 6 new scents and a bunch of dift holders! My favorite new scents are Brandied Apricot and Roasted Chestnuts.

Oh, and next May, we are going to Los Cabos Mexico for the incentive trip! I'm going to have to do some research, as I've never been to the west side of Mexico! But we will! Also, next year's conference is in Houston, at the end of July. Geez, can it get any hotter?

{Insert sales pitch} I am having a 25% off candle sale, from now until August 9. If you want me to send you the list and info, just send me a PM or email.

Ok, enough for now, gotta get to bed.