Losing It - Week 10

Well, here we are. The last week of our Losing It Challenge. So . . . ?

Ten weeks ago, Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Ashleigh from Heart & Home and I had a crazy idea. We were lamenting our weight loss woes on Twitter, and somebody suggested a blog challenge.

So, just like that, we started one. Just a few days later. Without a whole lot of planning. Or thought. And yet?

The Losing It Challenge seemed to work.

Not for me. I didn’t lose any significant weight. But you all? Oh my goodness! You ladies of #LosingIt10 have blown my mind.

You’ve been honest. You’ve been inspirational. You’ve shared your struggles, your successes, your lives. Some of you have lost a lot of weight. And some of you haven’t lost any pounds but have gained resolve, motivation, even wisdom. (I’m putting myself in that category, by the way.)

As you report your percentage of body weight loss, we will have a winner. But, as clichéd as it sounds, I believe everyone who’s pushed through this last 10 weeks has won something.

But let’s talk about the winning and the prize for a moment. If you linked up at least six out of the 10 weeks, you are eligible for the prize package of a six-month subscription to The Six O'Clock Scramble (a meal planning service), a Weight Watchers pedometer and a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.

The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of his or her body weight during the 10 weeks. So make sure you include that info in your post that you link up below.

But wait! There’s more!

No, not super-sharp knives. But more community, more sharing, more weight loss. Kathy at House of Hills has agreed to continue hosting Losing It as a weekly carnival. The friendships and support that have been built over the past 10 weeks is incredible, and I’m so excited Kathy is going to keep it going for us!

But before you leave me (Don’t leave! Or, at least, please come back!), please answer this question in the comments: What does weight loss success look like to you?

Does it look like a certain number on the scale? Or a size of jeans? Or maybe a pair of jeans from college or pre-pregnancy? Or perhaps for you it looks like a fridge and pantry stocked with healthy foods or the ability to eat your favorite treat in moderation?

For me, weight loss success will look like this:

• A certain number (or below), healthy food choices on a consistent basis
• The ability to shop in non-big-lady stores (sorry, Lane Bryant)
• The ability to use my body for what God intended it (Hello, water skiing. It's nice to see you again.)
• And an absence of negative thoughts (particularly no longer singing, "I hate myself for loving food" in Joan Jett style).

How about you? What does weight loss success look like to you?



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I knew the moment she ripped out her feeding tube.

Have I mentioned lately that Annalyn was born seven weeks early? No? Because she was. And I kind of talk about it a lot.

You know why? Because it was a miracle.

And not just the fact that she was healthy, but it was also amazing that she was able to come home so quickly.

Every time I hear about a family living in the NICU with their premature baby for weeks, I’m thankful all over again that Annalyn only had to stay in the hospital for nine days longer than I did.

But part of the strong will that kept her warm and strong and breathing well when she was a teeny tiny baby? Um, yeah. It’s the same darned will that’s driving me crazy two and a half years later!

I am not exaggerating. When Annalyn was less than two weeks old – still weighing barely more than four pounds – she ripped out her own feeding tube.

The NICU nurse said that they wouldn’t put it back in unless she needed it; she said they’d try to give her a bottle. But, she warned me, babies never took the bottle that early. They had to be at least 36 weeks (or in Annalyn’s case, three weeks); something in their little tiny brains just clicked at that point.

Every time, she said. That’s how they all were.

Except my tiny baby. Annalyn started eating from a bottle and never looked back.

That strong will was a good thing back then. A real good thing. And, as a friend recently reminded me, it will be a great thing when she’s 16 and dating.

But right now? At age 2 ½? That strong will drives me cuh-razy!!!

A few weeks ago, I had to take her to choir practice with me. She was great. Except for when she said, “No, Mommy! You no hush me! I no hush!”

Yeahhhh.

I know, I know. Some of it’s typical two-year-old stuff. (And don’t even tell me about how the threes are more terrible than the twos. I may have heard it already. Just a time or twenty.)

But you have to admit. The thought of that tiny baby who pulled her feeding tube out – as a teenager? Kind of scary, right?

Over the next several weeks, the March of Dimes will be holding a walk in a city near you. (Or in your city, you know, if you live in a city.) March for Babies gives hope to the 500,000+ babies born early every year. The money raised by these walks supports programs that help mothers have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is a cause that’s close to my heart. So when I heard (because they told me) that Famous Footwear is supporting the March of Dimes with a special shoe, I was impressed.

For every pair of Dr. Scholl's "Inferno 2" walking shoes for women purchased, Famous Footwear will donate $5 (up to $500,000).

For a, ahem, related discount and a giveaway, visit my other site.

Have you ever walked in a charity walk? What’s your favorite cause to support?

P.S. I love the March of Dimes and this shoe campaign. Therefore, I'm linking up to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

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Famous Footwear Giveaway

Famous Footwear is donating $5 to March of Dimes for every pair of Dr. Scholl’s Inferno 2 walking shoes for women they sell.

If you’d like to buy these shoes (Look at them! They’re cute! They feature a breathable mesh upper with supportive and reflective leather overlays, Dr. Scholl's Air Pillo Gel insole for comfort and a durable traction outsole!), you should do it now. They’re on sale for $39.99 (regularly $49.99), and if you buy them by May 1, you can save 10% if you order online (use this code: MODN999).

And to help you do that, I’ve got a $50 gift card to Famous Footwear to give away. You don’t have to use the gift card on these shoes. But you can. If you want. But you don’t have to.

How do you enter?

• Visit FamousFootwear.com and tell me what shoes you’d buy with the gift card.
• For an additional entry, become a fan of Famous Footwear on Facebook (and leave a separate comment telling me you did it).
• For a third entry, become a fan of Giving Up on Perfect on Facebook (and leave a separate comment telling me you did it).

I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner after midnight (CST) on Friday. I’ll announce the winner Saturday morning (so you still have time to use that coupon, if you want)!

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Something smells fishy…

And that’s a bad thing. Don’t bother telling me about the health benefits of seafood. Because here’s the thing: it just plain stinks.

The other day, I went to the grocery store, and the whole darned store smelled like dead fish. Or live fish. They smell the same, you know.

And that made me start thinking about my favorite – and least favorite – smells. So, because I didn’t have any deep thoughts in me last night, here they are:

Worst smells in the world that make me gag:

• Diesel fuel – I’m pretty sure this is thanks to the years I spent feeling nauseous on the school bus. But whatever the reason, I really hate the smell of diesel.
• Fish – I think we’ve covered this one.
• Ketchup – Back in college, right before I got married, I worked at McDonald’s. For four long weeks. And one of my horrible tasks involved taking this poker thing and smushing down the trash. The trash that contained a LOT of used ketchup. So while I do love dipping my fries in a large amount of the red sauce, I cannot stand to smell it. I know. Weird.
• My cats’ litter box – I don’t know what else you could possibly need to know about this one.
• Raw meat – Every once in a while, somebody in my house needs to sniff meat to see if it’s gone bad. And I can’t do it – because raw meat always smells bad to me! (Same with milk, but I’m sticking with a list of five here.)

Best smells in the world that make me so very happy:

• Clean laundry – I know some people are particular about which detergent should be used and which soaps smell best. I’m not that picky. I think pretty much any clean laundry smells wonderful.
• BBQ – If only BBQ tasted as good as it smells. (I know! Heresy!) My husband loves BBQ and could eat it every day, and luckily for him, we live just a couple blocks away from a great BBQ restaurant. Unluckily for him, I’d rather just drive by and sniff strongly than actually order some ribs and eat them.
• Burning leaves – Or a woodburning stove. But it has to be in the fall or winter. Because I’m not picky about anything, much less my favorite smells.
• Coffee – I don’t drink coffee. I don’t like coffee. It’s gross. Even a hint of coffee totally ruins food – cookies, brownies, ice cream. But the smell? Love. It.
• Apple – This might be a given, since my blog header has apples, but just in case you didn’t know: I love apples. I like eating apples, I like eating apple foods, and I love smelling apples. Lotion, candles, perfume, air freshener – all of it. Mmmm.

What are your favorite – and least favorite – smells?

Images by klynslis and kennymatic.

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Week Recap: Positive Polly vs. Negative Nelly

As I was driving home from work on Friday, I started thinking about all the ways my week had been crummy. But even though it had, in fact, been a terrible week in some way, I had a hard time not also thinking about the good parts of my week.

[Who is this positive-thinking woman, and where did she come from? Weird!]

Don’t worry. My rose-colored glasses aren’t totally clouding my vision. I can still tell you about all the crazy things that happened last week. But I’ve just got to mix in the good stuff, too.

So, here are 10 [completely random and unrelated] things that have happened in the last week. We’ll see who comes out ahead: Positive Polly or Negative Nelly.

1. Last week, I was miserable at work. And, it’s possible I made my co-workers miserable while I was at it. Thanks to a huge, mundane project that took longer than I anticipated, I became even further behind on another huge, mundane project that’s taken longer than I anticipated. By Friday, I was on the verge of tears, both frustrated with the job and with myself for not getting it all done. Quitting time both could not come fast enough – and came way too fast!
2. One of our local radio stations has gone through several changes over the past couple years, after being one of the city’s classic rock stations for years. (Maybe decades, but I’m not going to look it up now.) Last week, the station became Gen-X Radio, playing retro, grunge, hip hop and hair bands. You know, music from the 90s – the stuff us Gen-X-ers like. At least I do. (And yes, I consider myself Gen X. Don’t get me started. I did a ridiculous amount of research and debate on this very topic with a former co-worker. And I won.)
3. Several girls from my church organized a huge, multi-family garage sale last weekend. Because my cousins and I trade hand-me-downs like my husband used to trade baseball cards (I don’t know. I tried to be clever, and that’s all I came up with.), I don’t have boxes of children’s clothes to get rid of. And because we’re probably not finished having children, I can only pass on so many baby things. So when I somehow ended up making $70 (and that’s after buying several fall outfits for Annalyn), I was thrilled!
4. I was not thrilled, however, to pay $150 to the plumber. It’s too bad they don’t have some sort of frequent customer club. We’d be getting discounts left and right. Instead, I got busted for putting a few “potty wipes” down the toilet during our recent potty training adventures. Guess what I won’t be doing anymore!
5. I didn’t edit my Losing It post to tell you the big news, but I’m telling you now: I was down 3.4 lbs on Friday! Woo-hoo!! Considering the two – count ‘em, TWO – packages of Oreos that have called my house their home over the past week, I’m not predicting a repeat performance this week. But, I’m still trying…
6. When I shared ice cream with Annalyn last week, I actually thought, “Good thing she’s not sick!” Um, yeah. She was. And now I am, too. The cough and scratchy throat started on Thursday and by the time I made it to bed on Saturday, I felt like death. Or at least, an upper respiratory infection. I actually stayed home from work yesterday. It was either that – or listen to my co-workers say after every cough, “You should go home!”
7. The reason I got to bed late on Saturday? A girls night, that’s why. I spent the evening reminiscing and laughing with girls who I’ve known forever. I love them so much, and it’s always good to catch up.
8. Remember the plumbing problem I mentioned up there? Well, before our washing machine overflowed, our fridge started leaking. The very same night. Thankfully, Mark is handy, and he’s already fixed it.
9. Mark got a job transfer a few weeks ago, and now he’s working nights. It’s been hard to adjust – for all of us. The weirdest adjustment? Not being able to call him during the day. I say “weird,” because it’s not like I need to ask him important questions at all hours of my work day. But it’s nice to be able to call him…just in case I have some of those important questions, you know?
10. Even though I can’t call Mark during the day – because he’s sleeping, if I didn’t make that clear and I don’t think I did – it’s been so great to have him home in the evenings. Annalyn can play with him, while I cook dinner. Then we can eat dinner together and do the bedtime routine together and sometimes even watch TV together. Like we’re a normal family or something. It’s good.

Well, I thought Positive Polly and Negative Nelly were going to have a tie. But now that I’ve written about my week, I think that Polly has eked out a win with Mark fixing the fridge in #8. So, it turns out I had a pretty good week. What about you?

This post will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.


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Don't they say burned noodles are the mother of invention?

Speaking of cooking - or not, the winner of the Chili's giveaway is here.

For the first year and a half of Annalyn’s life, my parents came over every Thursday night. And brought dinner with them.

It was a pretty sweet deal.

But last fall, I decided I should probably be able to pull together a meal at least once a week, so I told them not to bring dinner anymore.

For the most part, it’s been just fine. Sure, cooking dinner with Annalyn hanging onto my leg has taken some getting used to. And we’ve had our share of meltdowns and stress and sweat. (Meltdown = her, stress and sweat = me)

Dinner goes much more smoothly, of course, when I have a plan, when I decide what to fix before 5:30 that night.

A couple weeks ago, I planned to make baked mostaciolli. I don’t remember what else was wrong that night, but the evening was not going smoothly. And then I dumped my box of pasta into my boiling water.

It was a bad box. Half the noodles were burnt and almost immediately began falling apart. I briefly thought I could just pick out the bad noodles. But that did not work.

And of course, that was the moment my parents arrived. Annalyn was throwing a fit about something, I was picking burned noodles out of boiling water, and I needed to leave for choir practice in about 45 minutes.

So I improvised. I made do with what I had on hand. And I made a taco casserole. So, in case this ever happens to you – cranky toddler, busy night, burned noodles – here’s the recipe for the casserole:

Taco Pasta Casserole
3 cups macaroni
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can tomato sauce
Cheddar, shredded

Boil the pasta, rinse and drain. Brown the hamburger, drain and add taco seasoning. Mix pasta, hamburger, corn, beans and tomato sauce. Pour into casserole dish, cover with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.

The good news is that this makes a LOT of food. So not only are you covered for dinner on the first night, but then you have leftovers for lunches or another dinner.

You could probably freeze half before baking, but in that case, I’d recommend not boiling the pasta quite as long. I’m not a fan of “al dente,” but freezing already-soft pasta has never worked out for me.

Have you ever had a box of burned noodles? Or some other last-minute cooking disaster that forced you to improvise? What did you do?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Friday Food, Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays and Presto Pasta Nights (which is here and here).

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(in)courage: Speedy Forgiveness

Image by Ramanathan.Kathiresan

This morning I got a speeding ticket on the way to work.

[Note: I wrote this a few weeks ago, so don't go thinking that I got ANOTHER ticket! :) ]

I was driving really fast. On a residential street. In the rain. In other words, I completely deserved that ticket. (The one that’s going to cost me all the money I’ve been saving for a blog redesign and then some. Sigh.)

You know what else I deserved? Getting in trouble with my husband.

But aside from noting that a ticket of my, AHEM, substantial size would get him fired (he drives for a living), he didn’t say anything other than, “It’s okay.”

To read the rest of my story, visit (in)courage.

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Chili's Gift Card Winner

Congratulations to Amber Renea! Random.org picked #18, and that is your lucky number today! E-mail me your address (givinguponperfect at gmail dot com), and I'll mail it to you!

Thank you to everyone else who commented. I loved reading about what YOU do when you don't feel like cooking dinner. For the record, it's almost always ORDER PIZZA at my house!

Losing It: Ice Cream Treat Edition (Week 9)

I know, I know. Eating ice cream isn’t really going to help me meet my weight loss goals any better than not counting my points and eating McDonald’s for breakfast.

And I’m not even a big ice cream person. Mark can eat half a gallon in one sitting, but not me. Unlike most unhealthy tasty foods, like Pop Tarts or cheese dip or chocolate frosting, ice cream can be in the freezer without me feeling even the slightest bit tempted.

See, just like hot wings, ice cream takes too much effort to eat. The getting out of the freezer and the scooping and the waiting for it to thaw a little bit and the eating slowly to avoid brain freeze? Eh. I can do without it.

However . . .

Several weeks ago, I was looking for blog ideas and discovered that 2010 is the Dairy Queen Blizzard’s 25th anniversary.

And I couldn’t just ignore that little nugget, could I?

Thankfully, there’s not a Dairy Queen near my house or my office, so it was really a one-time celebration. (Because, seriously, if one was close by, you know I’d be celebrating all year!)

Sonic is another story. (Which might make you wonder why I even brought up Dairy Queen, but I’m getting there. I promise.)

After I picked up Annalyn from daycare on Wednesday, we stopped at Sonic and got a Butterfinger Blast for Mark and an Oreo Blast for us.

Just like her daddy, that little girl loves her ice cream! She ate at least ¼ of my ice cream – and then wanted to share with Mark, too!

[Side note: As we shared the treat, using the same spoon because why wouldn’t we, I thought, “Good thing she’s not sick or anything.” Yeah. Guess which TWO members of our family woke up with a cough and scratchy throat yesterday?]

I’m still trying to get back on the Weight Watchers wagon, so yesterday morning, I looked up the points in a Blast. And then I wondered: Which is worse for you, a Blast or a Blizzard?

Just in case you’ve wondered, too (and in case you have the good fortune to live near both a Dairy Queen and Sonic), here’s the lowdown:

Dairy Queen Blizzard
Size: 10 oz.
Calories: 550
Fat: 20
Fiber: 1
Points: 12

Sonic Blast
Size: 12.8 oz.
Calories: 548
Fat: 20.8
Fiber: .7
Points: 12

The verdict? Go with the Blast. It’s still 12 points, but you get more ice cream!

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This post is part of the Losing It Challenge. How did you do this week?


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I {heart} Earth.

Today is the 40th Earth Day. Or do we call it "Earth Day 40"? Or "the 40th anniversary of Earth Day"?

Whatever it is, it's a day - at the least - to think about our planet and what we're doing to care for it.

This year, as I may have mentioned since I'm irrationally proud of myself, I started [finally] recycling. And thanks to my very smart readers (and a guilty conscience), I just told Mark last weekend that we need to buy good water bottles and stop buying the plastic, disposable (I mean, recyclable!) ones.

We're also in the process of replacing all our light bulbs with the twisty, green kind. But I'm just going to be honest: I don't love them. I'll keep buying them, but I think they put off a weird light.

In honor of the holiday, I thought maybe we could talk about our favorite places on Earth. Of the natural variety, not the Disney World or Mall of America variety.

Two of my favorites are White Sands National Park in New Mexico and Bear Lake in Colorado.

Image by Ed Siasoco

I went to White Sands on a youth group trip in high school. We sat on the dunes and talked about deep things for what seems like - in my memory - hours. I was amazed that God just this incredible amount of sand in the middle of nowhere. It was beautiful. And so were the conversations my friends and I had.

[For the record, I don't remember at all what we talked about. But I distinctly remember it being important as only conversations can be when you're 15 and hundreds of miles away from home.]

Image by Alaskan Dude

Bear Lake is in the Rocky Mountain National Park. I've visited it twice with my parents and once with Mark. I have pictures of us on each trip on the same rock. Cool, right?

Also, hiking around the lake (the hard trail, not the easy one, thank you very much) with Mark was the day I realized that I am deathly afraid of climbing down from a mountain. Or from a tall rock. Either way, it's scary. But the lake is beautiful. Postcard, can't believe it's real, wish I could take more pictures beautiful.

What are your favorite places on Earth? And how are you celebrating Earth Day?

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The night we ate at Chili's, not to be confused with that OTHER place.

Back in the day – our dating days, that is – Mark decided that he hated a certain Mexican restaurant we’d gone to a couple times. I didn’t mind that so much; Kansas City has plenty of places that serve chile con queso. But the problem was that Mark kept confusing the restaurant he hated – Chi-Chis – with a perfectly decent restaurant – Chili’s.

Chi-Chi’s is not Chili’s. But he wouldn’t listen.

I would suggest Chili’s, thinking of their chicken tortilla soup or the quesadilla explosion salad, and he would say “No, I hate that place.”

And I’d remind him that he actually hated Chi-Chis. But he wouldn’t listen.

Until the day I was asked to review Chili’s for the blog. Suddenly, faced with a gift card and an assignment, he wasn’t so averse to Chili’s-which-is-not-Chi-Chi’s.

So after taking a trip to the car show several weeks ago, Smitty, Mark, Annalyn and I headed to Chili’s.

I pointed out to Mark that they serve fajitas, which is what he eats at every Mexican restaurant (except Chi-Chi’s, because we don’t eat there, you know). I’m not sure if he wasn’t in the mood for fajitas or if he didn’t want to get more confused about just where we were eating, but he opted out of that dish.

Instead, he and Smitty both ordered from Chili’s new Fresh Pairings menu. It’s a good deal: for $9.99, you get an appetizer and an entrée. Smitty got chips and salsa and the Grilled BBQ Chicken Salad, and Mark got the Texas Cheese Fries and the Shiner Bock BBQ Burger.

Both of their entrees looked sooo good! And I always love Chili’s chips and salsa (although I’m not a fan of smothered fries in general, which you may find surprising). Mark didn’t care for the Shiner Bock BBQ sauce, but I liked it. It had a vinegar taste to it, and I thought it was good.

We ordered grilled chicken and fries for Annalyn. The grilled chicken was so good that I was jealous! I wish I’d ordered it for myself! Lucky for me, my sweet girl only had eyes for her fries. So the chicken was mine for the taking.

And that was a good thing, because I was actually a little disappointed in my own meal. In an attempt to be healthy, I ordered the Smoked Turkey Sandwich. It wasn’t bad. It was okay. But when we go out for a special dinner, I want something more than “okay.”

Which means I should probably have ordered something other than a turkey sandwich.

And this review wouldn't be complete without telling how great our waitress was. Annalyn was a little difficult (since it was dangerously close to bedtime), and I was weird (because who takes pictures of their food at a restaurant?). Smitty ordered her salad without bacon, and Mark insisted on getting multiple refills of his iced tea. But our waitress was on top of it - and with a smile.

It's almost as if she knew I was reviewing the place!

Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner. And I’m pretty sure Mark has finally figured out the difference between that other restaurant and Chili’s.

As part of this review, I have two exciting things to tell you. Click over to my other site to find out (And don’t be skipping this part. You want to check it out!).

Have you ever gotten two restaurants confused before?

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Chili’s Contest and Gift Card Giveaway

I love reading cooking blogs and printing out new recipes and admiring the glossy pictures in a cookbook. I even love making a grocery list and buying groceries (sans toddler, of course).

And I do like to cook. But sometimes, I do not feel like cooking! Enter Chili's . . .

Chili’s knows all about this feeling, and that’s why they’ve started their new campaign called Shout Out to Eat Out. Every day until August 30, Chili’s will be giving away a $50 gift card to someone who, you guessed it, shouts out. All you have to do to enter is upload a 10- to 30-second video, telling Chili’s why you don’t want to cook tonight.

Easy enough, right? (Or, at least, easier than cooking dinner!)

And because I don’t want you to have to wait to win that drawing, I’m giving away a $50 gift card to Chili’s to one of you. Just leave a comment telling me what your solution is for the nights when you don’t want to cook.

I’ll let Random.org choose a winner this weekend, so comment by Friday at midnight (CST).

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And THAT is the night the lights went out in Georgia.

I was sad to hear last week that Dixie Carter passed away. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I want to be just like Julia Sugarbaker when I grow up.

In honor of Ms. Carter, I set out to find 10 of her best rants from Designing Women. It shouldn’t have been hard. After all, she had a good rant at least once every episode!

But YouTube wasn’t feeling cooperative last night. It seems like only a few episodes are available online. I still found plenty of good stuff, though, so if you were a fan, here are 10 videos for you. (Which means, yes, this post will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.)

1. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
2. It Has Been the Men
3. We’re proud of our crazy people.
4. The Designing Women Talk About AIDS
5. Jury Duty
6. Sweet Georgia Brown
7. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
8. It’s still compost.
9. Football in the South
10. Dixie Carter on The Bonnie Hunt Show

Did you watch Designing Women? Do you ever like a good rant, too?

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Perspective on a Monday

I have not had a good week, you all. It seems that every aspect of my life - work, home, parenting, marriage, finances, blogging - is overwhelming, discouraging, frustrating or all of the above!

But instead of dwelling on all that (because, believe me, it's boring), I'm going to share the view I had last week as I left Cedar Falls, Iowa. I'd just been blessed to spend the afternoon with two amazing women, two blog friends who are real friends, and this is what I drove into for about 45 minutes.

I love it when rays come through the clouds like that. When I was a kid, I thought it was God pouring His love down on us.

Okay . . . I still think that.

A couple weeks ago, I was having a rotten morning. As I rushed down the hall of Annalyn's daycare, I barely glanced at the mom and son in the foyer. But as I walked back out, cringing at the screams I could still hear coming from my child's mouth (how much do I just love that separation anxiety comes and goes more than once?), that mom said, "Have a great day!"

I looked over at her, sitting there beside her son and smiling. And I remembered that I really don't have that much to complain about. See, she was sitting with her son, like she does every morning, waiting for the bus that takes him to his preschool. She sits next to him, and he sits in his wheelchair.

My daughter gets 60 minutes of physical therapy once a week. And she takes it upon herself to exert her strong-willed personality every single day by yelling, screaming, hitting, pulling and running away.

But that little boy? Can't do any of those things, despite therapy services much more extensive than Annalyn's. And yet, there's his mom, every morning: smiling and laughing and, I imagine, thankful for what she has.

It's good to have perspective, isn't it?

Has anything put life into perspective for you lately?

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Losing It - Week 8

All day yesterday, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Or at least a Chrysler Pacifica. But no, I’d just spent the previous day driving said Pacifica.

I told Mark, “I feel like I worked out really instead of just sitting on my butt!” Too bad I’m sore from driving nine hours, not running nine miles. Or something.

[Don’t get worked up. I’ll tell you all about the driving and the nine hours and the whole reason I did it all . . . next week.]

I never would have thought that sitting perfectly still – aside from some very enthusiastic jamming to the sporadic radio stations and my favorite CDs – would make my stupid, weak muscles hurt. And all that random aching has made me think about the many different ways I’ve hurt those same, weak muscles.

• Crunches, leg lifts and lunges in my bedroom every night in high school.
• Running sprints and separators at early-morning basketball practice.
• Learning how to lift weights with my friend Jeremie and then with my boyfriend.
• Frequenting the student rec center that sat next to my dorm.
• Joining Curves. Quitting Curves. Joining Curves again.
• Walking with my friend Katy – at that rec center, of course – weeks before my wedding.
• Taking aerobics for an “easy” credit. Ahem.
• Kickboxing.
• Walking.
• Tae-Bo.
• Walk Away the Pounds.
• More walking.
• Water aerobics.

I’m sure there’s more. But I can’t remember now. So, tell me: What’s your favorite way to exercise? What’s the hardest thing you’ve done to burn calories? (Mine would definitely be the kickboxing class. It was super hard and super early in the morning!)

This post is part of the Losing It Challenge. If I’m one thing, it’s consistent: still not losing weight, but still not giving up. How about you?


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Survey says...

I love surveys and quizzes. Almost as much as I love lists – and you know that’s a lot! And I have to say that seeing your answers to my blog survey was just about as fun as taking a survey myself. Thank you so much to everyone who answered my questions. I appreciate your input and will absolutely take it all into consideration as I move forward.

Because I’ve found that at least some of you (you know who you are) were very proud of your responses, I thought I’d share the ones that caught my attention most. (Note to the person who said, “I wish you’d write about me more”: I will. Oh, I will!)

Does it bother you that I . . .

• The ads have become overwhelming. It's all about the ads now, not all about Mary.
• Sorry, nothing personal, I really just don't like Disqus.

[I hear you. And as soon as I can afford to move to Wordpress, where they have fancy plug-ins and rainbows and unicorns, I will amend the situation. Until then, I think I’m going to stick with it. I am truly sorry about the inconvenience, though!]

• No actually to all, but survey monkey says I must include an answer.

[Bad Survey Monkey! Bad! Okay . . . I must confess . . . that was my fault. And I’m sorry. Perhaps you can say that is what bothers you on my next questionnaire!]

Why do you read Giving Up on Perfect?

• Because you're my friend and that's what friends do! :) It's also usually pretty entertaining. :)

[Usually? Awww, you really are a true friend! Ha!]

• Because you are Mary, and there is no other. End of discussion.
• Because you have some good posts :)

[Some? Um, thanks? Are you related to my friend up above? :) ]

• b/c I met you once and really liked you!

What would you like to change about Giving Up on Perfect?

• GUOP is now much too formatted. It's too gimicky. The realness is gone. Instead of a post about what's on your mind today, it's about someone else's blog, or book, or whatever.

[I’m not going to lie. This comment – including the part I left out of this post – hurt my feelings. I’m sensitive that way. BUT it also made me think, and that is not a bad thing at all. Honesty – even when it’s not what I wanted or expected to hear – is a good thing. So thank you.]

• P.S. Please tell me how many 18- 24 year old males you get to respond. :)

[Yes, sure. That would be none. I had one male respond, and I’m guessing it was my brother.]

• I would trick you into moving next door to me.

[I like that. I don’t find it stalkerish at all. Seriously. Because there are absolutely bloggers I’d move next door to in a heartbeat! (Say it with me now, in our Jim Gaffigan whisper: “Bloggers are weird.”)]

If you haven’t taken my blog survey and want to weigh in, it’s not too late. No, there’s not a prize and I can’t hug you through my screen (plus, it’s anonymous, you know), but it will help me as I make some changes around here.

A few other insights to share with you:

One person mentioned that my sidebars “can be distracting with the buttons and ads,” while another person pointed out that the site sometimes takes a long time to load. I know. And it is annoying, isn’t it! I’m saving up for a redesign and can’t WAIT to get those things fixed.

The majority (69% and 75%) of respondents thought the new feature ideas sounded interesting, although two people will hate a series about non-profits or charities. I’m not sure what to think about that, so I’m still processing. If you have any additional feedback about my ideas – Mission Monday or Wednesdays at Work (The names are still in progress, so don’t laugh. Short copy is not my thing.), leave it in the comments!

[Unless you’re one of those who hate Disqus, and then you can always shoot me an e-mail.]

Last but not least, I found it interesting that 44% of respondents started reading my blog because someone else linked to me. With that in mind, I’d like to encourage each and every one of you to link to me today.

KIDDING.

Mostly.

Seriously.

The end.

[Except this: Who is standing in line at the Post Office today to file taxes??]

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Science lab, mysteries and a book review

Eighth grade was the first year we had science lab. Not being particularly inclined toward the sciences (do not even get me started on College Chemistry), I only remember two things.

One, our teacher had pigs – in a jar. And two, I was paired up with Trevor. And I did not like Trevor. I don’t remember where those feelings came from, but I remember feeling them. Strongly.

However, while I couldn’t tell you for the life of me what pickled pigs have to do with, well, anything, I can tell you what I learned from Trevor.

One day in science lab, I noticed that Trevor had a book. That still strikes me as odd, but whatever. I thought it looked interesting, and he said it was. Then he actually loaned it to me. From the moment I opened up Sue Grafton’s H is for Homicide, I was hooked.

I’d always been an avid reader and a huge fan of series, but until then I’d stuck with young adult books. Important fiction like those epic novels written by R.L. Stine. But after reading the gritty, complicated mystery by Grafton, those simplistic books didn’t do it for me anymore.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could end this random story by telling you that Trevor and I became the best of friends after that? Well, we didn’t. But I don’t remember carrying my torch of hatred onto high school, so maybe sharing that book did bridge somehow bridge a gap. Whatever that gap was in the first place.

Today I still love reading mysteries. My favorites are political thrillers, although I eat up the cop/detective stories, like James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series (yes, another series).

But sometimes the gore and worldliness gets to me. Jonathan Kellerman used to be one of my favorite authors, harking back to my days as a psychology major. But in the past few years, I haven’t been able to enjoy – or in the case of his last book, finish – his books because the situations and people he describes are just too awful.

That’s where good Christian mysteries come in. However, that phrase, “good Christian mysteries,” is more often an oxymoron than not. Which is why I was so excited to discover Diann Mills’ Call of Duty series.

[Yes, another series. I also buy multiples in different colors when I find a pair of shoes or pants I like.]

This series, like the O’Malley books from Dee Henderson – which I LOVED, features characters with real flaws and real problems. The dialogue is authentic, the mysteries can’t be solved in the fourth chapter, and the Christian part of the book doesn’t hit you over the head with preachiness. In short, Mills writes good Christian mysteries.

Here’s the summary for Sworn to Protect (Call of Duty Series, Book 2):

Border Patrol Agent Danika Morales has sworn to protect the southern borders of our nation, but that oath has cost her. Two years ago, her husband, Toby, was killed trying to help the very immigrants Danika was responsible for sending back to Mexico. His murder was never solved. But now, a recent string of attacks and arrests leads her to believe that someone in McAllen is profiting from sneaking undocumented immigrants into the country . . . and it may somehow be tied to Toby's death.

If you like mysteries but appreciate a smart, moving story more than CSI details of human horror, I highly recommend this book and this series.

Do you like mysteries? And what about [here comes the “whammy” question] Christian fiction? What are you reading right now?

Disclosure: This book was provided for review by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, and this post includes Amazon affiliate links.

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Granny's gold couch

Remember when I asked you to choose which couch I would write about? No? It’s been too long? Well, then, this will be new and exciting for you.

Or not. I am writing about a couch.

After tallying up the votes, it has become clear. You all are dying to know about my grandparents’ brown, gold and orange flowered couch.

[You all have weird taste. Kidding. But seriously? Orange flowers?]

Are you wondering why it’s taken me so long to get around to writing this post? Part of it is only that I’m a mess, always behind and doing things last-minute. This, I’m sure, comes as no surprise. But the other part is that I have so many random, seemingly unconnected thoughts and memories with that couch. It’s actually been hard to figure out how to write about it.

So I decided to make a list. Then I decided to do it on Tuesday. And that is how I came up with this Top Ten Tuesday list.

The Top 10 Things I Love About Granny’s Gold Couch:

1. It was retro before retro was cool.
2. As kids, we never had to worry about spilling. Those hideous flowers really hid stains well.
3. I have so many pictures of my cousins and me sitting on that couch, all bunched up together and laughing. Or posing. Or all looking in different directions. (above) You know, we didn’t have digital cameras back then.
4. It really was comfortable!
5. I know this well, because Mark moved into his first apartment around the same time Granny moved into assisted living. She sold that couch – and a matching chair, side tables and two orange lamps – to Mark for just $100.
6. If it hadn’t been for that couch, we probably wouldn’t have had anywhere for visitors to sit in our first apartment after getting married. With it, we had ample seating for our couples’ Bible study, various “dinner parties” (a.k.a. Little Caesar’s pizza for all or a taco bar on a card table), and just hanging out with our friends.
7. Owning and living with that couch in all its gold and orange flowered glory really made me appreciate the first couch we bought. Blue and green plaid, if you’re wondering, for quite a bit more than $100 (and, sadly, quite a bit more than we could really afford).
8. Back to the fact that I grew up sitting on this couch at my grandparents’ house . . . just thinking about it has taken me on a rabbit trail down memory lane, bringing to mind the sounds of Channel 5 news and Hee Haw, the taste of pudding cups and Pop Tarts (okay, that one isn’t a stretch), the sight of a wooden calendar and green coveralls, and the simple pleasures of feeding the birds, eating a brisket and going to the beauty parlor.
9. The couch’s matching chair made a great spot for the birthday girl to open – or, at least, pose with – her presents (below).
10. And apparently, the couch was so great that they bought it twice! Look at those pictures. The two chairs? Not the same. Both are gold, brown and orange. Both have flowers and fake wood. But they are different chairs. That, my friends, is priceless.

So, what about you? Are any of your memories connected to furniture?

ALSO - if you haven't taken my blog survey yet, would you please? It really won’t take more than a few minutes, and I really want to know what you all think about what goes on around here. Thank you!

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The deviled egg is in the details.

Since I spent most of my weekend in the bathroom, singing the Elmo Potty Song, and the rest of it buried in paper, doing our taxes, I don’t have much new to share with you today. Instead, I thought I’d tell you about the hundreds dozens of deviled eggs that stank up my kitchen over Easter weekend.

[“Stank” does not sound right. Although it does properly describe the nastiness that was my sulfur-laced fridge. And I’m fairly certain it’s grammatically correct. At least if I base my grammar on Dr. Seuss, and hello? Who doesn’t? Just like the Grinch, those eggs “stink, stank, stunk.”]

As I mentioned in a recent weekend linky post that has yet to be named, I was excited to try a new recipe for deviled eggs. One that includes bacon and cheese. And so I did.

Deanna’s recipe yielded 10 deviled eggs. Since I wasn’t sure if my family would like the different eggs, I decided I’d make a batch of normal ones and a batch of the new ones.

But, as you may know, math is not my strong suit. I can do math, thankyouverymuch. It just doesn’t come naturally, as they say. Or quickly. Or, sometimes, accurately.

Really, the problem was that I just overestimated how excited my family would be to eat eggs. And when I was counting up people, I forgot that Chad doesn’t like eggs at all (although he was proud to tell me he just recently ate his first omelet and it wasn’t bad), and my Nana is still on a diet. Plus, my cousin Craig and his wife weren’t there.

So, to make this story a smidge shorter than it could be, because believe me, I could go on – I made too many eggs. So this recipe will show you how to make 20 deviled eggs. But only do so if you actually intend to feed a small egg-eating army.

Deanna’s Deviled Eggs

10 eggs
1 cup Mayo
1 Tbsp. Mustard
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
8 slices bacon, fried crispy and crumbled into tiny pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
paprika

The original recipe called for Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste, but I didn’t add any of that. Actually, I didn’t add paprika, either, because I didn’t have any. But I wanted to. Also, the original recipe, which I’ve doubled here, called for one tablespoon mustard. And so I used two tablespoons. And it kind of ruined the whole thing for me.

Boil your eggs. I used Sarah’s method for boiling eggs, and it worked beautifully. Slice them in half, pop out the yolk and mix them with the ingredients (except the paprika). Scoop the mixture into a ziploc bag, snip off the corner, and squirt into the egg halves. (Yes, those are my technical cooking terms.) If you haven’t crumbled the bacon small enough, you might notice that it gets stuck. Just snip off a bigger corner. (Again, technical words here.) Sprinkle on paprika and refrigerate until serving.

Remember, don’t go crazy with the mustard. Even if you like mustard – and I do – you don’t want it covering up the bacon and the cheese. Which are kind of the whole reason for the recipe.

In summary, my weekend included phrases like, “Where are your panties?” and “Yay!!! You peed in the potty!” as well as “We only gave how much to charity last year?” and “Why isn’t that credit showing up in our refund?” How was yours?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

WAIT! Don’t go just yet. Have you taken my blog survey? If not, please do. I promise it won’t take but a few minutes, and I really do want your input before making some changes (or not) around here. Thank you!

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Bloggy Business: giveaway winners and a survey

This post will be super quick, because my husband and daughter are playing outside and I want to join them! It has been a gorgeous weekend, but I've been focused on potty training AND income taxes. Now, though, I'm ready to play!

First of all, if you are reading my blog (which, hello? You are.), please take a couple minutes to take this survey. I'm thinking of making a few changes around here, but I want to make sure that it's something that YOU will like. The survey is only 10 questions long, and it truly will take just a few minutes. Thank you!

Second, thank you SO much for participating in my blog anniversary giveaways last week! I had so much fun reading about your favorite jewelry, books, cookbooks and funny stories. What a great way to celebrate two years in this bloggy world.

Now, on to the winners:

The winner of the Stuff Christians Like book is Carla Anne!

 The winner of the Point of Grace CD and cookbook is ssmueller64!

The winner of the Lisa Leonard necklace and Angie Smith book is Beth at Not a Bow in Sight!

Congratulations, ladies! Please e-mail me your address, so I can get you all set up!

I hope you've had a great weekend, too. Oh, yeah. One more bloggy bit to tell you: I have not actually forgotten about the couch post I promised you a million years ago. I'll have it up on Tuesday!

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