New Year's Resolutions

  Like I said before, I normally do not make New Year's Resolutions, but I need a to do list so here goes:

1. Take better care of myself.  I have slid off the healthy eating side and regular work out part of me. I have lost about 10 pounds over the last 6 months and I need to find it! I know, eye roll, but as hard as it is for people to lose weight, it is just as hard for me to keep it on. And yes, I eat cheeseburgers, so do not even suggest it.  I am also joining a gym. I miss going and I am getting a bit jiggly in places that do need to be, plus it will help with the weight gain.

2. Meal plan/eat at home more.  I think these two go hand in hand. If we meal planned we would not eat out as much and it also goes with number one.

3.  Organize my home. Hubby and I have been married almost 3 years and I still have boxes to unpack. Granted they are out of sight, but still. We are almost through with the interior painting, looks so much better by the way. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do, so no more excuses.

3. Take hubby overseas. Hubby has never traveled outside the US. We are ordering his passport in January and using our free plane ticket to venture outside the US. Now, it will probably just be Mexico or a cruise, but, dammit,  he needs a passport stamp.

4.  Maintain a budget. We have a budget, but follow it loosely. I need to get a tighter reign and follow it to the letter. It is just smarter that way, especially if we want to accomplish number 3.

5.  Take dance lessons. Hubby and I keep talking about it, but never follow through. 2015 will be the year we learn to Tango!

6.  Keep my theme of 2014 going. I adopted the "Let it Go" outlook and it has served me well. It also goes well with the "Shake it Off" theme as well. I cannot fix what I cannot control.

7. Strengthen my backbone. I let people walk over me, because I hate confrontations. Well, sometimes people and issues need to be confronted. So beware, my inner bitch, will be present in 2015.

I am printing this out and posting it at home so I can check these things off my list as they happen.
I will keep you updated on my progress. I need accountability.

Happy New Year's Eve! Make 2015 a great one!

Hugs

Reflections from 2014

  So, 2015 is fast approaching, and of course, I have been reflecting on 2014. I almost named this year the "Year of the Slug" for me because I felt like I have not accomplished anything, but then I remembered what I had done the previous 2 1/2 years and realized I needed some slug time. The previous 2 1/2 years I was consumed with work and finishing school so slug time was needed. But, I was still wondering what I had accomplished, so here is me looking back.

Co Directed Women Run Arkansas Hillcrest. This was an amazing experience that I am blessed to be able to do again in 2015. My co director and I and some fabulous leaders trained women for around 8 weeks to complete a 5K. I was in charge of the Walkers and we had a fabulous time. I met some amazing women who blessed my life in ways that cannot even imagine. Helping someone achieve a fitness goal and have fun doing it is simply wonderful. Come join us in 2015!

Finished a half marathon. It was rough, I did not train properly, but dammit, I got my 13.1 magnet and display that sucker on my car proudly. I did it with some great friends who without them, I would still be gasping for air on a crazy big hill in Branson.

Started blogging. This has really been fun. Thank you to my readers and I am looking forward to expanding my blog and creating a website. Did I mention I love my techie hubby?

Repaired two broken relationships. Both, believe it or not with exes. One came out of the woodwork like a freight train and has been so freeing and I am enjoying not having that hate anymore. The other, I believe, just needed some time and blame stopping. I encourage you to repair any relationships that may be hurtful, if possible. I know sometimes there are only so many times you can put out the olive branch, so do so with caution. It takes time and willingness on both parts. Do not push.

Spent some wonderful quality time with the hubby and kids. It was so nice to be able to come home finish dinner and be able to participate in the goings on at home and the outside world instead of having my nose stuck in a book.

Traveled. I love to travel with whomever and whenever. Places I have been: Branson, Dallas, Denton, New Orleans, Pensacola, Nashville, Oxford, all over Arkansas, and Orange Beach. I got to dip my toes in the sand, reconnect with a high school friend, tour some colleges with older son, eat some great food, and make wonderful memories.

We bought a new to us two seater car that we are enjoying tremendously. We love, love, love this car.

I applied for tons of jobs and finally got a new one! This taught me patience. I needed to wait for the right one and it came, in spades! More to come on this later. Not quite ready to share yet, but I will soon!

 I guess looking back, it was not too slugish. I am going to actually make new years resolutions. I normally do not participate in this ritual, but I feel I need a to do list. I will share my resolutions tomorrow. I am a list person and I am ready to get started on this one.

I recommend you looking back at your 2014, but focus on what you accomplished. We all have negative things and failures that happen in our lives, but it is the positive  and happy stuff that keep us going.

Thank you 2014 for another amazing year. You made me stronger and believe it or not, more optimistic!!

Hugs!

Merry belated Christmas

  How was your Christmas? I hope you enjoyed it. I did, for sure. This was the off year for having the kids so Christmas morning was spent with Mark's boys, they crack me up. Rader got the whole family recorders so we could have a family concert. I know for sure he was joking, but the funny thing is I am going this week to get some recorder music and we are going to be the new Jackson family only not with the singing. The boys left around 1:00 to head to their mom's and hubby and I packed our bags and headed out. We made a quick stop by my bff's house to wish her a Happy Birthday, yes, on Christmas, had a glass of champagne or three and then got back on the road. We were spending the next few days at a friend's cabin in the middle of nowhere, just the two of us. Sound heavenly? It was. No cable, no internet, just us. Oh, there was a fabulous hot tub on a wrap around porch with a view of the river. Yes, coffee tastes much better on a cold morning with fog rising off the river relaxing in a hot tub in your birthday suit with your hubby, trust me. And, at night, there is nothing more romantic then relaxing in a hot tub with your hubby surrounded by candles, a soft rain and a glass of wine. I told you it was heavenly. It was great to get away from the stress of life and just be together. We watched movies, played games, ate great food, drank and celebrated each other. I recommend getting away with your hubby every once in awhile. It will do your soul some good. So that was basically my Christmas. Hubby's parents and brother were sick over Christmas so we are going to all get together on New Year's. It works out better this way because both of my kids will be home and will be able to join in the fun. I hate when I do not have the kids for Christmas, but hubby and I decided to make the most of it, as you can see.

Merry belated Christmas to you all!

Hugs!

Just Dance

  Let's dance! It is fun and a great way to burn calories. A 150-pound person can burn about 200 calories doing hip-hop, salsa, or ballroom for 30 minutes. So put on your favorite song and get to moving. Hubby and I love to dance. And lucky for me, he is pretty good at it. We are looking at taking dance lessons in the new year. We are thinking either Salsa or Ballroom or a combination of both. We attended a Christmas Ball a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. Love getting dressed up all fancy and sparkly. It makes me feel even more girly.  Hubby dresses up to and we looked pretty amazing in my honest opinion.

  I loved! my dress. Hubby went shopping with me. He always knows what looks good, so he is great to take along. I went to a new consignment boutique in Little Rock and found this number for a mere $15! The shoes were from last year so a fancy night out at the country club for $15. Cannot beat that! Doesn't hubby look amazing! I love when he is all dressed up. Yummy! We danced for about 4 hours that night and our feet were paying for it the next morning, but it was well worth it. The next night we had another Christmas party to attend and danced at that one as well. I wore heels again, but by then my feet had enough rest that they were ready to boogie. It was a fun and full of laughter weekend. 

 Get to dancing my friends. Either with someone or by yourself. Who cares. As the saying goes, Dance like no one is watching!

Hugs!

The year of the selfie

  2014 was the year of the selfie.  According to Twitter, 92 million people tweeted a selfie. Personally, I think that is awesome! That tells me that a lot of us, yes I am a selfie taker, have enough confidence to post a picture of ourselves on social media. So yea us!  Keep taking the selfies. I love seeing them.
 Are you ready for the upcoming Christmas holiday? I hope you are not allowing it to stress you out. Hubby and I decided to give our kiddos cold hard cash this year instead of gifts. We asked them what they thought of this idea and they were all on board. What teenager doesn't like cash? Now, the cash of course, along with a couple of small items, will be wrapped so they will have something to open, but I have not missed the shopping. I think because most of our peeps birthdays are before Christmas or right after, I am shopped out by the time Christmas comes. So, cash has been a great option. This may be a new trend for us. Hubby and I have also decided to get some things for the house this year instead of exchanging personal gifts. I am very excited about getting a new cook top and some things for our bedroom.
  My kids are leaving tomorrow for Chicago and will not be back until the following Sunday. We have the stepson just about every other day, so hubby and I have made some awesome plans for the Christmas holidays. I can hardly wait.
  Healthy eating tip for the holidays:  Do not overdo it. Sample the Christmas goodies. Watch your serving sizes. Choose the smallest plate at the party and do not go back for refills. You do not want two weeks of overindulgence to ruin all the hard work you have put in throughout the year. I, personally, am having a hard time with the fudge and cookies this year. So yummy!!!!!
 Have a fabulous weekend and let me see a selfie of what you have going on.

Hugs!!!!

Happy mom

  I am one happy mom/step mom/aunt today. Last night we had a family dinner/craft/cookie night. My kids will be with their dad this year, so this was the only night we could all get together. I made a whole mess of spaghetti and meatballs along with a salad(gotta have the healthy stuff, and remember, more salad, light dressing and less spaghetti meatballs). It was awesome. We had all four kids, our niece Elizabeth and our niece Lauren. Lauren was in town for a class and she stopped by to see us. She is my niece from the ex's side and I do not get to see her as often as I used to, so I was thrilled when she came by. After dinner, we decorated ornaments and made cut out sugar cookies. It was super cheesy, but fun. I loved having everyone over and cherish these moments. So shout out to all the teens and young adults for indulging this very blessed mom/step mom/aunt.

Hugs!

Decorating ornaments

Niece Z doing a great job

Rader cutting out his cookie. Jake apparently thinks he needs supervision

You know I had to get a family picture

Lauren loves arts and crafts. She is an interior designer if you need some decorating help

My handsome oldest stepson. It was great seeing him!

The Bosch's were represented

Like father, like son

Happy Birthday!

 Today is hubby's birthday. We have both taken the day off work to celebrate. We have a little bit of a tradition on how we celebrate hubby's birthday. Hubby gets lots of coupons and email links for free meals on his birthday so we try to cram in as much as we can. We usually start off with Krispy Kreme for a free donut and then on to Denny's for a free Grand Slam, but we had a delay this morning and could not get to Krispy Kreme. My hubby works hard, so I try and take the day to spoil him. He gets to choose whatever he wants to do

for the day. So, at the moment, he is off getting a massage. When he returns, I am not sure what is on the agenda. The last two years we have seen the Hobbit movies, but the latest does not start until tomorrow so we will wait until this weekend to catch it. He has talked about going to the Art Museum or the Clinton Library, but who knows. It is chilly today, so outdoor activities are out. I have planned a fun dinner for tonight with the guest list unknown to him, so it should be fun. Nowhere on our free list for birthdays, but it was easy and convenient for everyone so it will have to do.

  Anyway, Happy Birthday to my awesome hubby, Mark. You light up my world sweetheart and I am thankful every day to have you in my life. Many kisses, baby!

Hugs!

Oh Christmas Tree

 Last Sunday, we decorated the house for Christmas. I say we, as in Jake, hubby and I. Ellie and Z, my niece, were in the living room supervising the process. Hubby sets the tree up, a wonderful smelling real one, puts on the lights and then goes outside to hang lights and wreaths. I decorate the house and tree. Jake chipped in and hung some ornaments with me. I think he is feeling a bit nostalgic as he is going away to college next year. I love our tree. It does not have matching ornaments, a theme, or fancy ribbon. Our tree is a tree of memories. Handmade ornaments the kids made in school, pics of the kids growing up made into ornaments, and ornaments which were gifts from friends and family. There are also ornaments the kids and I have made every year for the last 10 years. The goal is that when the kids move out and have their own home, they will have an ornament set to take with them.

I love the memories. It is our third Christmas as a combined Francis/Bosch household and we are making our own memories and traditions. The first Christmas I will admit was a bit awkward as we tried to combine two sets of memories and traditions. We decided to pick out what was most important to the both of us and get rid of the rest. I am going to get Rader in on the fun of making ornaments this year. He does not know it yet, so shhhh it's a surprise. I have taught hubby how to make fudge and this weekend we are going to teach hubby how to decorate Christmas cookies. Can you believe hubby has never decorated cookies? This boggles my mind.
  As far as the actual Christmas day goes, it will be interesting. My kids will be with their dad and hubby and his ex split the day so we get the boys Christmas Eve til Christmas day at 2:00. I am hoping the eldest stepson comes by. We really miss him. Hubby's family is not celebrating until 2:00 so stepson is going to miss the Francis family get together. It is so hard this time of year trying to coordinate everyone's schedule, but we always try to make the best of it. Hubby and I have extra special plans for Christmas that we are so looking forward to. After all the stress we have been through the last few weeks, it will be awesome. Do you have fun Christmas plans? What are your traditions? Whatever they are, make the most of it, spend time with the ones you love and as always:
Hugs!