A Fall Makeover

Without really meaning to I've been working toward a fall makeover.  About a week ago I asked mom to do this ab and squat challenge with me.

I started this challenge a long time ago but I quit before I ever finished.  That is why I wanted an accountability partner this time.  Mom and I text each other every day when we have completed our workout for the day.  Let me just tell you when your mother text you and says she has finished her workout for the day it tends to sound like her telling you to get your booty in gear and do your workout.  HA!!  We are six days and feeling every day of it.

I have the extra challenge of trying to do these exercises with my furbabies around.  It always takes me a little while to get started because this happens every single time...

I also decided I wanted to change up my makeup for fall.  I've never been much of a makeup girl so I'm not sure what inspired this need for a fall look.  I didn't want to spend a ton of money since I wasn't sure what I was going for so I went and picked up a few new things to try from Wal-Mart.

I wore the purplish lip gloss in the middle today and loved it.  I tried the eye shadow as well and quickly learned I know nothing about eye makeup.  I normally don't wear anything more than mascara.  I'm going to have to find some good eye make up tutorials.

Do you have any tips?

Lately...

This week teachers and students across the state of Arkansas are working through the Benchmark test.  It still amazes me how exhausting this week is not just for students taking the test, but also for teachers and staff who administer the test.  I spend my mornings walking in circles.  I'm not supposed to sit down.  I'm not supposed to read or work on anything.  I just walk around in circles making sure students are on the correct page - but without looking at the test material - and monitor the time.  It is a long week for everyone.

I come home wanting to do nothing but crawl into bed and sleep and then find myself wrapped up in party planning with the husband.  We are planning a porch party.

We could not be more excited about this.  We plan to have lots of food and yard games for everyone to enjoy.  Special outfits have been ordered.  Lots of flags have been ordered.  

I'm having such a fun time planning with the husband and Krystal who is serving as my co-planner.  

At the beginning of April I decided to do two different 30 day challenges.  So far so good.  But man were my legs sore those first few days.  The idea of a 5 minute plank scares me and seems impossible but I am determined to do it.

I have really been struggling with waiting for a baby this past week.  Satan has been attacking more fiercely than he has ever attacked in this area.  I've cried and felt guilty for wanting a baby. I've thrown a temper tantrum...more than once in the past week.  

And then God - who loves me far more than I deserve - reminded me of these words.

And I immediately began to pray.  

 I thanked him for this sweet time with my husband. 

It wasn't easy but I was able to truly thank God for our wait. 

 And I turned the wait over to him yet again.  

Growing pains are well...painful.

Life Lately

Tuesday night I went to Zumba for the first time in about a month.  I love it but man is it hard after you've been out for awhile.  We did so many squats I thought I might die.  Thankfully I had a sweet friend there suffering with me.  That always makes it a little easier.

It must have been too much for my body to handle because I ended up sick Wednesday.  I woke up not feeling to great that morning but went to work because I had meetings for half the day  Around 9:30 though things took a turn for the worse.  I had a fever and was feeling dizzy.  I ended up going home at lunch and skipping my meetings.  I had sent Andrew a text telling him I felt horrible and was coming home.  When I got home he had made me some sweet tea and had the bedroom all ready for me to sleep off this sickness.

It was so sweet.  He went and picked up lunch for me and gave me some NyQuil.  Then I was gone.  I slept for most of the night, but I woke up feeling much better.


Thursday night brought talk of a beach vacation with the entire Weaver family.  The timing of the trip isn't exactly the most convenient for us since I'm a teacher, but I was able to get permission from my principal to miss Open House.  I'm going to have to make up some workshops and have my classroom ready a week early but our beach vacation is booked....with the ENTIRE Weaver clan.  We can't wait to spend a week in the sun with family.


I helped take our Elementary Quiz Bowl team to the regional tournament Friday.  They didn't walk away with a trophy, but they played hard and had fun.  We ended the trip with a visit to GiGi's Cupcakes.  A first for me.

And oh my!  So good!!!

Yesterday we bought a new chair for the chimney bedroom upstairs.  I love it!  It makes me want a new bedspread for that room though.

I also got a sneak peak at my new blog design this weekend.  It is almost finished.  I can not wait to share it with you.  I'm loving it!  Miranda is incredibly talented and great to work with.

Five on Friday 01/10/14

First things first.  I have wronged my husband and I owe him a public apology.

I left something very important off my Year in Review post.

In 2013 we saw Fleetwood Mac in concert.

Whew!  Glad that's off my chest. 

Now we can move on to a little Five on Friday fun.

Andrew & I had a consultation with an orthodontist Wednesday morning.  It was the same guy I mentioned before.  The first visit was just having molds made and the initial prognosis.  Wednesday we sat down and talked about exactly what needed to be done and how much it would cost.  For me that means braces on top & bottom but only after I have four teeth pulled.  For Andrew that means braces on top after he has one tooth pulled.   Something about that doesn't seem fair to me.

I had a consultation with another orthodontist last week.  He didn't want to pull teeth right away but felt like it would probably have to be done before we were all finished with the process.  

It has taken me time to get to this point, but right now I'm leaning toward the first orthodontist - the one who wants to pull teeth.  I just feel like he has actually studied my mouth and cares about me individually.  The second guy feels like cookie cutter orthodontics.  I feel like he gives everyone the same treatment regardless.  

I have another consultation with a third orthodontist next week.  I'm thinking after that appointment I will make a decision.

As I was getting ready to go back to school after our orthodontist appointment Wednesday afternoon I got the phone call that they were dismissing school at 12:30 due to incoming inclement weather.  I had just backed out of my driveway when the call came so I went around the block and right back home.  Around 8:30 Wednesday  night I got the call that we would be enjoying yet another snow day Thursday.  I enjoyed getting to sleep in, but I'm going to be in school all summer.

My blog is in the process of a makeover thanks to my sweet friend Miranda.  She has been designing my blogs for quite awhile now and always does a fabulous job.  I was heart broken when she got out of the business.  Good news!  She is back!  She has just opened a new shop call Lil Birdie Design Shop.  If you are interested in starting the new year with a new look, please go check out her shop.  She does amazing work and is so easy to work with.

I think I have finally made a decision about my first decorating project for the house.  There are a lot of blank walls in our house, but there is one that drives me crazy.  Our little breakfast nook.  I snapped a picture of it a couple of weeks ago and asked friends for ideas.

The table doesn't sit centered on the wall which throws me off a little with decorating.  I received several ideas.  Most people suggested that I paint a quote on that wall or do a quote with vinyl.  Andrew isn't a fan of that idea.  Besides it would take me a sweet forever to decide what quote I would want to use.

I found a picture on Pinterest that I liked.  It is actually very similar to my original idea for this space.

I grabbed some scrapbook paper and taped it on the wall.  I need to live with it awhile before making my final decision.  Pretty sure this is what I want to do.  Now I just need to find the perfect fabric and decide what color I want to paint the canvases with words.

I went to Zumba tonight for the first time in over a year.  I've been wanting to go for a couple of weeks but haven't been able to find the motivation.  I finally just went tonight even with Andrew tempting me to skip and go eat at Brother's BBQ (where we had our anniversary date).

I am so glad I went.  It was so much fun!  I've missed it.  I had a big goofy grin on my face pretty much the entire time.  But man am I going to be sore in the morning.  I can already feel it!

Still Here

What? I have a blog? Oh yeah...that's right.

It feels like a lifetime ago that I last blogged. Blogging just hasn't been a priority lately. I hope to get back into posting regularly to record our lives and to share with you some things God has been putting on my heart lately.

This post though is going to be a hodge podge of things to get caught up on the day to day things I know I'll want to remember.

1. We celebrated the husband's 31st birthday this past week. On his actual birthday I surprised him by filling our bedroom with 31 balloons. Attached to each balloon was something that I love about him. I think he was pleasantly surprised.

Last night we celebrated with his family. It was so nice that his parents and all of his siblings were able to be there. I know that meant a lot to him. Jill made some delicious desserts for the occasion. Joy Beth made lemon bars. We can't celebrate Andrew's birthday without them.

Jackson got to meet Sydney for the first time last night. Oh my goodness! He was precious. He wanted everyone there to see her and know she was there. Then he decided he wanted to hold her. As Jill went in the bedroom to get the bobby for him, he looked at his Mom and said, "I'm so excited". He was too proud to hold his new baby cousin. He and Millie are expecting a baby brother in a few months. He is very excited about that!



2. The husband and I are working on changing our lifestyles. If we are facebook friends, you know we've climbed Pinnacle Mountain 4 times in the last 2 weeks. I honestly thought I might die on that mountain the first time. Thankfully, it gets a little easier each time. We are exercising on a pretty regular basis. Andrew goes to the gym every night. I'm not quite there yet. :)

We've also changed the way we are eating. Eating healthy has been like a little adventure for me. I've learned to eat things that would have killed me a month ago. For instance, I now eat my sandwiches on wheat bread. That's HUGE for me.


3. This past weekend we finally finished up the flower bed makeover project. I don't have a before picture, but trust me it was bad. We planted some new evergreen shrubs and a tree as well as added shutters to the house. I absolutely love the way it turned out!

4. My students take benchmark test this week. It makes for a long and exhausting week for everyone involved. I'm not allowed to sit while they are testing the first 4 hours of the day. My feet are pretty tired when I get home. However, they worked so hard today and I was definitely proud of them. This is what we work all year for.

5. It is vacation time in the Weaver household. God has blessed Andrew and I with two amazing trips. He and a friend are going to the east coast to visit with a friend and explore New England. I'm definitely going to miss him this next week, but I'm thankful he has the opportunity. A few days after he gets home I'm taking a group of 7th and 8th graders to D.C. for four days. We are beyond excited!!

6. Thursday night I'm going with a dear friend to a concert entitled Girls Night Out. Mandisa, Laura Story, and Britt Nicole! The husband bought me tickets months ago. I am so excited. I can't wait to see how God works that night.

7. Do you play Draw Something? It is my new favorite game. I love it. I feel sorry for the people who play with me though because I CAN NOT DRAW! I'm sure I give them lots of good laughs.

8. I think it is about time for a give away. Don't you? Not sure what I want to give away yet, but I'll come up with something. :)

It's November....

So, it's November. I figured I better do a new post or you all would start to think I'd disappeared. That is if any of you are still out there. Are you out there?

Ya'll I started bootcamp last night. I'm not going to lie. It was hard! There was nothing fun about it. I miss Zumba. It confirmed the fact that I have absolutely no upper body strength. My arms are VERY sore today. Push ups are evil. :) Hoping I can survive the next six weeks.

This year is absolutely flying by. I've said that before, but it's never flown like it is this year. I don't want to even think about how close Christmas is. Andrew bought Michael Buble's Christmas album a couple of weeks ago. It is starting to get me in the Christmas mood. It's a pretty good cd. I think I might include it in Christmas give away soon.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm at a complete loss as to what we are going to do for our Christmas card this year. We've normally already had our photo shoot by this point. You see I've had this idea in my head for months, but I'm slowly coming to he realization that it just isn't going to come together the way I want. So now I'm completely clueless. Oh the husband had a suggestion. I vetoed that one immediately!! Though I'm getting desperate so if you totally don't "get" our card this year, you'll know I went with his suggestion. :)

On a completely different note, I'm on a mission to get our house clean and organized. I'm giving myself one or two jobs at a time. The whole shebang is way to overwhelming. I'm going to need you guys to hold me accountable. Ask me how it's going. K?

That's all I have for now. Maybe I'll have something worth blogging about soon. Right now we're just living and staying busy. :)

My Birthday Present

The husband bought me a new camera for my birthday. It is a Nikon D5100.



I am super excited about it. It finally arrived today so of course I had to play with it tonight. Thankfully I have two of the cutest subjects to try it out on. Here are my favorites from our little photo shoot tonight.

On a totally different note...I had my first class in Aqua Zumba tonight. That was interesting. Definitely a workout. Looking forward to going back Saturday morning.

Death by Exercise A.K.A. Zumba

The gym where the husband and I are members quit having my cardio dance class back in February. :( I have really missed it. I've done the treadmill a couple of times since then, but I just don't enjoy it as much.

They have started having Zumba classes. It is $5 at the door with no commitment. They have Zumba Dance on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings and Zumba Toning (with weights) on Monday nights.

I decided to go tonight. Lately I've been feeling the need to workout and get into shape. I sent my friend Amanda a text and invited her. To be honest, I didn't think she would join me. I was both shocked and thrilled when I got a text back saying she wanted to join me.

Let me just tell you....that was a workout. I am not a sweater. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a girl and its not lady like. I'm really not. But when we finished tonight, I was soaking wet with sweat. So Gross!!! I came home and immediately weighed myself, certain that I had lost 5 lbs in sweat. Seriously.

It was a lot of fun though. I'm going back next Wednesday night. I don't think I'm ready for doing this with weights yet. I'll build up to that.

Our instructor reminded me of Pauly Shore in Son-in-Law. She was funny. And man can she shake her booty. That's a big part of Zumba - being able to shake your booty. I will be practicing in the bathroom mirrow when the husband isn't around. :) If you know how to shake your booty and walk forward in a salsa like motion, I'm open to pointers.

I'm exhausted. My right foot hurts. That bunionectomy is still a little sensitive. But I had a blast. The hour went by fast and I'm glad. I was plumb wore out by the end. I lost what little coordination I had to begin with.

January 3

I know what you are thinking. How in the world did she come up with such a creative title? Well, let me share my secret with you....it's today's date. :)

This is just going to be a random post about today so I thought what other title is more fitting than the date.

Today was my first day back to work after having two weeks off. I won't lie. I've been dreading it. I have never been so ready for June so early in the school year. This year's group challenges me. I'm sure I'll be thankful later because they are stretching me as a teacher, but right now it's not so fun.

Anyways, today actually went quite well. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but the day was far better than I had anticipated.

I came home with high hopes of an anniversary date with the husband. Unfortunately he isn't feeling well. He has felt bad since Saturday. He just didn't feel like going out tonight. I think he felt a little guilty, but I assured him that I wasn't upset about it. I'd rather he stay home and get to feeling better.

Since we didn't have a hot date, I decided to go on to my cardio dance class while he slept. It's been several weeks since the last session ended and I have really missed this class. Excersicing really does make you feel better. I sleep better and have more energy when I excercise. But let me tell you, I could tell it had been several weeks. I was feelin' the burn tonight. There were a couple times I really wanted the class to be over for the night, but when you are in a room full of women you have no choice but to go on.

We did a new song tongiht that we didn't do last time where we have to do lunges. We go to the right side, then left side, and then face forward and squat. I can't go to the left where I'm stretching the toe of my bunion foot. It HURTS!!! So I just stood there like an idiot. I really wanted to yell out that I had surgery and just can't do that so that everyone would know why I was just standing. HA!! That's the other thing. Last time I was getting to wear I could do more on my right foot, but it was tough tonight. I will have to work back into it.

Tomorrow is Sugar Bowl Day!! Woo Pig Sooie!!! Our principal is letting where our hog gear tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that. Yes, it's the little things in life.

Shake Your Groove Thang! Yeah Yeah!

This past weekend the husband and I joined a local community center. They have a very nice gym with three full size basketball courts and a rubberized track above it that is 1/10 of a mile. They have all your workout machines like the treadmill, bike, and elliptical. They are opening an indoor Jr. Olympic size pool in the next 3 or 4 weeks. The pool has a retractable glass roof...pretty cool.

They also offer aerobics classes. I have always wanted to do something like this, but 1. have never known where I should go and 2. have never had anyone to join with me.

Well now I know where to go. I signed up for Cardio Dance, which I'm told is basically Zumba. As for who would join with me, I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone on this one. I don't know anyone else going.

Last night was my first night. It is 12 classes, 3 nights a week for the next 4 weeks. Oh my goodness!! I had so much fun. It was definitely a little embarrassing, but I felt better knowing I wasn't the only one who didn't know what I was doing.

There were about 13 of us last night. Women of all ages, color, shapes, and sizes. It sounded like most of us were more than willing to let go and laugh at ourselves.

It was definitely a workout. Made this girl sweat! I'm going back tonight for round two and am so looking forward to it. I've even been practicing my moves in front of the bathroom mirror. HA!!!

I am so glad the husband encouraged me to go ahead and sign up. It is going to keep me busy, which isn't a bad thing with all the husband's travels. I am already making new friends and I can get into shape which I am so not!!