Irene

Per weather.com:

"Hurricane Irene is beginning to lash the Carolina coast with heavy rain and gusty winds. Buoys off the North Carolina coast were reporting waves to near 20 feet as Irene heads for landfall early Saturday. Irene’s fury is expected to deliver extremely destructive storm surges of 6-11 feet and torrential rains that could isolate the Outer Banks from the rest of the state. Strong winds will likely cause power outages. 

Residents are urged to heed the evacuation warnings immediately. Ferry systems continue to run on a first-come, first-serve basis pending storm conditions. It is being recommended that residents secure emergency supplies such as water, batteries, medicines and other imperative items as widespread damage and power outages are anticipated. "


We have family in the Outer Banks and friends in Wilmington.  Please keep them in your prayers.

WW Wednesday: 20 in 20 - Week 5

Hi everybody!

I'm checking in really quickly with my results for this week's weigh-in.

I was up 0.8.  

Blah.

I deserved it, though.  I had a big dinner out last night and there were burgers and milkshakes scattered here and there throughout my past week.  In short, I didn't eat in a manner that would lead to a weight loss.

New day, new week, though!

How are the rest of my 20 in 20 participants doing this week?

Ein Gelber Ballon

A bad cell phone picture...

can still provide a beautiful memory.

See you all here tomorrow for WW Wednesday!

It's about time...

I got more etsy listings completed.

In truth I've only taken the pictures. Now I have the materials needed to do some listings during BabyCakes' nap, though.

She might be cute but she's not the most helpful business partner.

Back to the Gardens

Today BabyCakes and I met up with our girls Miss Rachel, Biz, and LadyBug at the Duke Gardens.

We hadn't been there in over a year and unfortunately BigBoy was at school today so he couldn't go. :(
(Biz lives in a school district that uses a traditional school calendar, unlike BigBoy's year-round.)

The Gardens hold a special place in my heart because when we first moved to Carolina I would sometimes meet J for a picnic lunch there. We would lay out the blanket in the Asiatic gardens and eat our sandwiches. (He's a turkey man and I was all about some pb & banana while pregnant.)
After eating we would lay back on a beautiful Spring day, watch the clouds, and hold hands. It was this wonderful little break from the real world where he was in a new job and I was alone during the day in a new place with no one to call a friend but the two Labradors at home. We had each other and the baby in my belly and that was more than enough.

Anyway, back to the present day.
It turns out ducks will eat Cheerios.  I actually thought to bring bread for the ducks but didn't think to get it out of the car.

LadyBug kept a close eye on me and my camera. 

BabyCakes made her brother proud and ran from many most of my attempts to photograph her.

Lil Miss Independent had to march around like a big girl after Biz most of the time.

Ha!  Got one!

BabyCakes and LadyBug didn't really have much to do with each other today. 
This is a posed shot of sitting on a rock.  Can you tell?  :)

Speaking of poses... 

There was a lot of construction and even more humidity, so today wasn't quite the relaxing stroll through a beautiful landscape that we expected, but I always enjoy our time with our girls.

And here as a bonus is the very rare shot of we Curls together, in all our sweaty, pale fair-skinned glory.

Oh how quickly things can change.

WW Wednesday: 20 in 20 - Week 4

Good afternoon!
Let's jump right in to today's results, shall we?
I myself felt pretty good heading in to Weight Watchers today.  I got more exercise than usual this week, and even though I had pancakes for dinner last night, I was pretty confident I had a loss coming at me.
I was right: 2 pound loss, baby!  Woohoo!  I'm making up ground for my slow start.
My loss also kicked me into the next decade of numbers.  Numbers I haven't seen since I was a Freshman in college, I might add.  Holla!

:)

Okay, for anyone annoyed by my rejoicing right now, I'm sorry but I'm not sorry.
You all know how long I've been at this. It's hard to believe that I've lost another 40 pounds since reaching out to my blaaahg readers for support.  (Thank you all so much!)
It has been slow, meaningful work for me.  No crash diets, no pills, no deprivation.
Some days/weeks/months have been harder but I never gave up.  I'm not going to, either.
I still have a ways to go until I am at a "healthy" weight, but you too can start now and change the things that you are unhappy with in your life.  If you don't know where to start, just ask someone you trust and say a prayer for peace and clarity.

"You don't have to see the whole staircase.  Just take the first step." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lesson learned this week:  Fudge should not be in my house for more than 24 hours.  I even finished off the chunk that my non-sweet-tooth-having hubs requested I save for him.  Oh yes, yes I did.  And no, I'm not proud of myself.  Only oreos can live at peace in my pantry.

Goal for this week:  Continue to enjoy the beautiful weather by going for more walks with the children.  Try for 5 in the next 7 days.

So, my fellow 20 in 20 participants, how was your week?

~Cayce