Bringing it home to Cincinnati!

All I have to say is that I held my breath as they announced the winner last night. I never get into reality shows. Truthfully, I hate them. I can't stand Survivor, I only watch American Idol when they have the REALLY bad auditions and I haven't watched Dancin' with the Stars since Drew Lachey. But, this week - I was all about Clash of the Choirs.

I'm so happy for Nick and his choir! One of the girls I work with knows two members and I've been privvy to some of the e-mails from them describing their experience. It's good to know that Nick is a good guy in "real" life and not just on TV. Plus, Children's Hospital is such a wonderful charity - Maggie spent three days there in 2005 and I could not have asked for a better experience.



So, GO TEAM LACHEY! Cincinnati is proud!

On a side note, I need to take this time to acknowledge my wonderful husband who has put up with my Nick addiction this week (begrudgingly most of the time) and I wanted to post a photo of HIS woman so that you all know he has his own list of celebrities. (Kind of like Ross and Rachel) His is Reese Witherspoon - at least it's not Jessica Simpson.

Not only is he hot...he's a genius!

Did you watch Clash of the Choirs last night? If not - WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? If you did, then you know my man, NICK LACHEY, (do I need to reinforce how he's my man? Because...I can if you need me to) absolutely blew everyone away with his choir's performance of Flight of the Bumblebee.

In case you didn't see it (which, we'll talk about later!) here are some clips from the performance last night.

http://www.rickey.org/?p=6736

First off was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" - which is one of the very few contemporary Christmas songs that I LOVE. Nick knows what I wanted for Christmas! (Just kidding Scott!) Then, he did the Bumblebee. WOW. Just WOW! If that doesn't win it, then I pretty much think America has their heads up their rear.

Finally, he closed with "What's Left of Me". Can I just say that I would take what's left of him? When he gets on his knees - yea, he's singing to me. Poor Nick. I'm married. Happily married. We'll just have to wait sweetie...

Anyway - when I snap out of my fantasy world that I live in where Nick Lachey is begging me to take him home, I'll be wrapping presents and doing all of the other Christmas stuff. I'm holding my breath that he wins tonight. My next wish is that he signs on for Dancing with the Stars. He NEEDS to be on there. I wanna see him do push-ups with a cowboy outfit on. HELL yeah...

I need a cold shower now...

I've been given notice...

Apparently, my frequency of blogging sucks and I know that. I admit it. But, my friend Karin decided that I needed to be made AWARE of how annoying my less-than-stellar update schedule has been.



I promised her I would blog. I'll try to be better about it but I haven't had much to say lately. Been busy at work and swamped at home. Last night Addie got a haircut. Tonight Maggie has Girl Scouts. Tomorrow night I have a Focus Group Study. See the pattern?

Anyway - I did manage to DVR "Clash of the Choirs". Truthfully, it's a cheesy concept but my man is on the show. That's right everyone. I said MY man. That means, hands off (you, too, Vanessa Manillafolder and the chick that claims he was her first kiss!). Now that we have that settled, I've only had time to watch Nick's choir's first performance on Monday and the taped segments during their practice. Mental note - hang out more at Graeter's and SCPA. I haven't seen the performance from last night but the reviews are coming in and it's not good but it's not completely bad. I'm just hoping he makes it to the next level - I want to hear him perform his song. Plus, I get to look at him and it keeps me from throwing a fit that Grey's and Private Practice aren't on.

Here are some photos courtesy of enquirer.com...




His look in the second photo has me biting my knuckles.

Finally, before I forget, I need to mention that my wonderful husband (who is going to yell at me for the Nick post) was also Father of the Year because he had to pick up the Hannah Montana tickets from will call. In an effort to provide equal props, I wanted to mention that.

She got the best of both worlds...

Ok - so you probably know that I was frantically trying to find a celebrity to call the local radio station so that Maggie could go see Hannah Montana. Well, that failed miserably - BUT, guess where we went last night? That's right - to see Hannah Montana. The best part was, I didn't have to pay some ridiculously overpriced ticket broker to go. We kept checking ticketmaster.com all day to see if any tickets from promoters were released and low and behold - at approximately 2:15 I got a set about 5 rows from the stage! Talk about lucky!

Here are some photos from last night:

My friend, Missy, and her daughter went with us. Alexis and Maggie and the best time!



Here's the Jonas Brothers. Believe it or not, they're not bad. They're all the same height which I think is kind of funny, but they aren't that bad. They have a song that I actually like - S.O.S. It was cute.



Then, of course, is Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus! She does "two" shows. First, she comes out as Hannah Montana, and then the Jonas Brothers come back out for a song or two and then Miley comes back out as well...Miley. LOL!

The kid earns her keep - I have to say that. She was dancing and jumping around the stage the entire night. Girls were just SCREAMING - it was actually a decent concert. I didn't feel like the dreaded parent sitting through something lame. I even have considered downloading her CD's from iTunes this weekend for Maggie. (And, maybe put a few songs on my iPod -LOL!)






Missy and I decided to proclaim ourselves "MOMS OF THE YEAR". LOL!

On a separate note, I want to thank two VERY GOOD friends for the lovely boxes I received in the mail this week. One was Sharon Laakkonen, who sent me these YUMMY and DELICIOUS truffles that she and Britt make every Christmas. We used to fight over them at Imagination Project and this year I got my own tin of Cookies and Cream ones. Talk about to die for! They're being rationed out at the Rohlfs household - one per person per day. Thank goodness Scott is not big on chocolate! ;)

Secondly, I got a gift in the mail from Trish who owns Work In Progress kits. (Link is on the side) Her kits are always SO darn cute and she sent me the latest. LOVE you Trish! :)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Do you know anyone famous????

Please tell me that you do! Reason is - our local radio station is having a contest where you can win tickets to Hannah Montana and Maggie is DYING to go. Right now, I can't afford them because the lovely scalpers are asking upwards of $500 - $1500 PER TICKET. Last I checked, I don't make that kind of money. So, I thought I'd blog about it and maybe, just maybe, someone who knows someone who might be famous might have them call in for Maggie.

If that's the case, e-mail me and I'll give you the details. (Button is on the side) On a side note, one of the reasons why I am trying so hard to do this is that Maggie has offered her piggy bank full of money to the free store or some other charity where they will either feed the homeless or buy toys for kids that don't have anything. I must be doing something right because Maggie is willing to give and that warms my heart. So - to help celebrate and support her thinking, I thought I would do what I could to try and win these tickets. If she doesn't go, it won't be the end of the world. But, as a mom, I'm going to try to do my part. I'm not telling you that story so that you'll say "Oh - look at her - she's a good kid" but I'm telling you that story because I'm not one of those psycho mom's that has to give my kid everything. But, if there is something I can do to celebrate a good deed from her, then I'm going to try my best to do it. (That also goes without saying that this is the same kid that cut 9" off of her hair for Locks of Love and is growing it back out to do again)

Anyway, I wish I could offer a favor to you - I guess I could come and clean your house or scrapbook your photos. That's about all I'm good for. :)

Let me know if you know anyone!

This man came from Cincinnati...

Just to think - he grew up a MILE from my house. I lived in Lockland. He lived in Wyoming. Damn...

I probably ran into him at the public library there.

Don't get me wrong. I'm totally happy with my Deer Park boy, but a wife has to have fantasies, right?

Click on the headline to go to the youtube video of Nick singing on Oprah yesterday. Oh - and the other photo - that was his halloween costume. It's Nick in a box!

Yea I know...

I suck at being a good blogger these days. It's just like all of the sudden, I don't have much to say. I don't know why - I just don't. I've been pretty busy with my house in turmoil right now. We're having a bathroom addition built as well as gutting our main (AND ONLY) bathroom that we had. SO - things have been turned upside down and there is this fine layer of dust that keeps covering everything. I'll dust and it reappears, so I'm just going to let it appear until the work is done and I can do a complete cleaning. In the meantime, it's driving me nuts.

Yesterday the family and I went over to Laura's to have our Christmas photo taken. It turned out pretty well except that Addie didn't want to cooperate - AT ALL. We have all of these awesome shots, but Addie is pretty pissed off in most of them. That's the wonderful life of a (soon to be) 2 year old.



But, what's even more funny is this photo of my niece's kids with Santa. That's the twins (Teagyn and Braelyn) and then their big sister, Ryan. Notice where Ryan is. I was laughing so hard that tears were in my eyes because the look on her face is pricess. I haven't taken my girls to see Santa, yet. I'm sure Addie will have her moment.



Hope you get a good laugh!

The old lefthander rounded third and headed to heaven...

I ran downstairs here at work this morning and every day the ladies out front put a quote on the messageboard. Today it read: "Rounding Third and Headed for Home" - Joe Nuxhall - 1928-2007. I nearly froze and tears started to well in my eyes.

If you're not from Cincinnati, it might not have much meaning to you. But, Joe Nuxhall WAS Reds baseball. When I was a kid, every game was announced by Marty & Joe. My dad loved to listen to those two and whenever he would take me to games, we'd always look up at the WLW booth to them with their broadcasting gear on. Sometimes they'd wave down to us because we'd get there early. Dad would sometimes bring a radio and listen while he watched. Why? Because they seemed to make the game better. Even if the Reds were losing, you at least got to hear the banter between Marty & Joe. Joe spent SIX DECADES with the Reds...

In the summer of 1994, my dad was very sick from his cancer and unable to really get out of the house. We couldn't go to the games, so dad watched them on TV and of course listened to the radio. I remember how exciting it was that Marty & Joe sent my dad well wishes via the radio - they told him to get better. We know how that story went, but I was just so glad to hear them say that to dad. It meant a lot to him. (My brother had asked them to say something to dad on the radio - which they happily obliged)

I guess it's another ending for me in terms of memories of my dad. I have some that I cherish and most of the time they revolve around Reds games because that was "me and dad's time". I can remember being tore-up about Riverfront when they imploded it to build Great American. Why? Because my dad and I went to Riverfront. Listening to the games on the radio are not the same. Why? Because it's not Marty & Joe. I know things change, but I'm not always ready to embrace them. I'm emotional that way, especially when it comes to my dad.

You'll be sorely missed, Joe. I know my dad will be happy to see a familiar face, but here in Cincinnati, Reds Baseball will never be the same.



Edited to add this photo. It's of my brother and Joe here a few months ago. He just sent it to me. Priceless...

I know...I know...

I have been REALLY bad about updating the blog. Truth is - I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had much to say. I guess I HAVE had a lot to say but just haven't taken the time. Sorry about that. I've received a few e-mails lately wondering where I am and I apologize. My laziness just got the best of me.

Since I last posted (which I realized was in OCTOBER - Bad me!) I saw John Edward. You know, the medium - Crossing Over, Cross Country, etc. He's amazing! I won't go into details right now because I'm not in the mindset to talk about it (I'm battling really bad vertigo courtesy of a raging ear infection) but I promise to post about it soon.

We're in the midst of bathroom remodeling which is probably going to take until the holidays. Our contractor was only in for 2 days last week. Not really sure what that's about but he's a pretty dependable guy so I'm not going to sweat it. As soon as the rooms are done, I might post pictures. Depends on how much I like them. (Which, for what I'm forking out - I better LOVE them!)

I've also been on a decorating binge. I saw Laura's apartment not too long ago and I LOVE her decorating style. So - now I'm hell bent to redecorate rooms in my house. I've been begging Scott to repaint the infamous orange living room. (We're talking TONY STEWART HOME DEPOT ORANGE here) I'm bouncing back and forth between chocolate and a pretty not-quite aqua blue. I haven't decided, yet. Well, and he hasn't committed to letting me paint it, yet, so we'll have to see.

What I really want, is for it to look like this:


Just clean and ORGANIZED. I'm trying to make an effort to get there - I really am. But, it's hard when you're trying to balance kids, full-time job, etc. But, I know that once I get organized, life will be easier.

Anyway - that's all for now. Sorry that I don't have any words of wisdom or anything. The diet is still...well, it's there. I'm trying. Or, half-assed trying. I haven't had any remarkable weight-loss in the past three weeks. I think I'm on hiatus and in hiatus denial. It'll kick back in. Soon, I hope!

WHY women should love the UFC!

So, I spent my Saturday night at UFC 77: Hostile Territory with my amazing husband and a few friends. (All guys of course) As I was sitting there (anyone that knows me knows I am always willing to throw down - hence my love of fighting) I was thinking - "Why aren't more girls into this sport? It has EVERYTHING a girl could want. Hot men, hot men only wearing shorts and hot men wearing shorts and sweating while beating the crap out of each other." Seems like a no-brainer to me. So, I decided in an effort to share with you - my girls - WHY you should like the UFC, I have come up with the FIVE HOTTEST MEN OF THE UFC. (This is my my opinion and in no way endorsed by Dana White or anyone else other than myself)

1) Andrei Arlovski - born in Belarus, I could just imagine sweet Russian nothings coming from this guy.




2) Matt Hammill - He's a Cincinnati boy. (You know how I love my Cincy boys!) He's also hearing impaired which makes him even more remarkable. He's an Olympic wrestler and he wrestled Scott's best friend in high school. He's also not too bad to look at but his personality makes him even cuter.




He's the one on the right in the second photo.

3) Rich Franklin - Another Cincinnati boy. Just an all-around good guy. Supports the troops and looks nice while doing it.




4) Tito Ortiz - He's the Huntington Beach Bad Boy and there is a reason. Tito is tight. The only problem is that he dates Jenna Jameson which basically means I would never touch him with a 10 foot pole, but he's still nice on the eyes.




5) Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes - I had to put two guys in here because I realized after saying "Five" that I probably have more. It's a toss-up between these two. Chuck is mellow and has piercing blue eyes. Matt is a country-boy. With a nice body. Hmmm...which one do we pick?





(Chuck is the first photo and the next two are Matt Hughes)

There is a guy who's job is to "pat down" the fighters before the enter the octagon. He checks to make sure they're not "greased" (they would slip in submissions) and he pats down their shorts to make sure they 1) have on a cup and 2) no weapons. Once again - why can't a GIRL have that job. I'll apply for it.

Anyway - hopefully you get a little amusement out of this and understand WHY I totally love the UFC. Seriously - these guys are pretty hot!

Just a busy girl

Sorry again for being a bad blogger. I've just been a busy girl. Between work, shuffling Maggie to her activities, Scott with TKD, remodeling two bathrooms, etc., it's been crazy.

On a good note, I did go to a great benefit crop last week and got to spend some time with good friends. I've missed my scrapbooking girls. It was SO nice to be around them again - even if a few were missing. (That's right Tina K - I'm talking about YOU!)

Yesterday, Laura met me for lunch. It was like old times. So much fun! I missed her. We laughed and talked and shopped and laughed some more. Good times I tell ya - good times!

One of the neat things that's going on is that Maggie now has a "big sister". There is a very nice catholic school in our neighborhood and some of the seniors have signed up to have "little sisters" from Maggie's school. The parents basically had to fill out a form for their daughter to participate. One Saturday each month, the big sister takes out the little sister for some fun and it's all sponsored by their school. Last night Maggie got a call from her big sister and she was in HEAVEN. She talked to her for an hour and I swear - she's going to be a teenager faster than I know. I cleaned her room and listened to her talk to her "sister" and it was so cute. They were asking each other their favorite music, color, tv show, movie, etc. So cute! Her big sister watches Grey's Anatomy - Maggie was like "Oh - that's my mom's FAVORITE show" and she's doing these little hand gestures. I was cracking up. I think this is going to be a good thing. Her "sister" lives relatively close to Maggie's TKD school and she's STILL a girl scout. I was pretty impressed with that. She seems like a good kid - I'm really hoping this turns out to be a positive thing - both for her and for Maggie.

That's about all. Scott and I are going to see the UFC tomorrow night. That's right - I love the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Blood and all. It's a BLAST! I'm the only girl going with four guys - all the ladies will be jealous. LOL!

Hope everyone has a good weekend and I'll try to be better about updating. :)

Sorry for the lack of blog posts...

I'm sorry for being a bad blogger. I just haven't had much to say this week. It's been a somewhat stressful week which yielded in my gaining 1.8 lbs, which I actually took with a grain of salt. I deserved it. I didn't make the best food choices this week, but I'm working back on plan now and plan to lose that 1.8 PLUS some next week. It's like I am at a plateau, and that I'm hovering. I just need the swift kick in the ass to get back on track.

I did get to scrapbook last weekend but since my scanner is not working, I have to photograph my layouts. I'm also looking forward to scrapbooking next weekend and this weekend my good friend, Karin, and I are going to be reworking and reorganizing my scrapbook space. She loves to organize and we don't get to see each other very often now that we don't work together, so it should be a good time.

In the interim, I thought I'd post a page with my stinker on it. I did this a few weeks ago at the retreat with my friends. (Which, I will get to go to again soon! Can't Wait!!!!)



All is good at the Rohlfs household. We're getting ready to start the big adventure of bathroom remodeling. Wish us luck. We're scared.

Just some fun stuff...

First off, thank you everyone for your support on my last post. I think I was just SICK and tired of this entire "lifestyle change" and really wanted to enjoy some tasty food. But, I got back on the saddle and had a great weigh-in this week. I lost 4.2 lbs, which is the most I've lost since June in one week I believe. I was pretty excited about that! That brings my total to 36.4 lbs.

I know I don't always update my blog like I should, but I promise to try. I just don't always have things to talk about. I guess this week I could talk about the new shows (thank GOODNESS Grey's is back!) but truthfully I don't have much to say about them. (Imagine that? Ha!)

So, I thought I'd post this goofy survey that my nephews did on their My Space and take it myself. I'm not 16, so some of the questions I am going to need to skip. Or, answer in a 16 year old manner. LOL!

Here goes:

1. Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?
Are you freaking kidding me? I saw it done. WHY would I want to stab myself in the lip? Plus, it looks icky. I get upset with chapped lips. I don't think I want a big ring hanging out.

2. Does a kiss make a cut feel better?
It works for my kids.

3. Have you ever passed out on the bathroom floor?
I've never been drunk enough TO pass out.

4. Can you cook?
Yea, but I choose not to.

5. What shoe do you put on first, left or right?
Right. I'm a sock-shoe, sock-shoe person. It means something. I saw it on Oprah once.

6. Have you ever brushed your teeth while in the shower?
No - I think that's kind of gross.

7. Have you had more than 3 boyfriends/girlfriends at the same time?
No, but in my head I have. I've got a husband and Nick Lachey & Kyle Chandler. :) (Just kidding Scott!)

8. Have you ever thought about your death?
Yes, I'm terrified of it.

9. Have you ever had the naked dream?
Yep - it's always BRUTAL, too.

10. Have you ever climbed up a water tower?
I may HAVE hillbillies for family but I'm NOT one.

11. Where do you put your towel after taking a shower?
I hang it over the curtain rod to dry

12. What color are your shower curtains?
Red, White and Blue. I'm very patriotic.

13. Have you ever had stitches?
Yes - but nothing like a major wound.

14. How long ago did you hug someone?
Maggie this morning

15. Did you believe that boys had cooties?
No, I've always been boy crazy.

16. Do you know how to use chop sticks?
Yea, but I prefer a fork.

17. Can you finish the phrase, “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"
Spongebob Squarepants. Which, ironically, Addie goes "Ooohhhh" when she hears the music. It's hilarious.

19. Do you sometimes believe that guys have PMS?
Yes I do! I'm glad you asked. I think everyone has a "time of the month".

20. Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of?
My husband - S2H

21. Have you ever given money to a homeless person?
Yea - I do it all the time. Not when Scott's around, though.

22. Have you ever run over an animal?
No. But Scott hit a squirrel.

23. What is your favourite cereal?
What are we, Canadian? What's with the u? Anyway - it's Chocolate Special K.

24. Have you ever had an Oreo with peanut butter?
No - I don't like chocolate and peanut butter together

25. Have you gotten a text today?
No


At least you know my stance on 25 lame questions. :)

Off to the doc - I did something to my shoulder and can't move my arm very well. Took me a while to type this with one hand!

Is Anybody Out There?

Just checking to see if anyone still reads my blog or if I'm talking to myself. Either way, I'll probably keep rambling.



The past two weeks have been rough on the diet front. I just seem to have plateaued and it's like I'm sick of dieting. I know it's a lifestyle change, blah, blah, blah, but there have been a few days where I just wanted to go out with family and friends and have a meal and not think about it. So - I did. And, of course, I gained .8 pounds this week. Very disheartening. But, as of this morning, that was gone, so I'll take that. I learned my lesson. Will it happen again? Probably. But, am I going to give up? No. I'm going to keep plugging along.

Fortunately, we have a low-key weekend planned. Scott's birthday is Monday so tomorrow night we're having dinner and probably watching the fights. That's right - I enjoy the UFC. If you don't watch it, you should. There are some hot guys in the UFC and they fight in tight shorts. That's all I needed to know.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Had a Great Weekend & Update on Addie

Sorry that I haven't been updating as much as I used to. I've been working through lunches and sometimes only update during breaks since in the evenings it's almost impossible to get online. (It's Fantasy Football Season, so Scott is permanently attached to CBS Sportsline)

I had a GREAT time on a scrapbook retreat this past weekend with my friends Jana and Jennifer. I also met some other girls that were just awesome to sit and chat with and one of them was needlefelting which of course sparked my interest. I predict by the end of the year, that will be my new hobby. (It will not replace scrapbooking of course, but I could see myself doing it.) It was nice to get away with the girls and of course being around creative people is always inspiring!

I also wanted to update on Addie. She has started physical therapy for her walking. She has not started walking on her own yet, because she has what they call "hypermobility in her joints" which has caused some muscle weakness in her legs. We are working with her to increase her muscle strength as well as support her ankles with special shoes. (They are currently holding off on the ortho braces that they first recommended because the shoes seem to be doing the trick.) We had a great appointment today and by the end of the hour, Addie was moving all over the place with minimal support from her therapist. They believe it will just be a jumpstart to get her to walk and everything will be just fine. Developmentally, she's on target or ahead in all other areas except the walking. I figure it's a minute detour that we're heading off at the pass. She'll be good to go in a few months. The PT jokes that once Addie takes off, I'll wish she weren't walking on her own again. She's probably right considering that Addie moves like a mad woman and climbs on everything she can. She's also got a mean streak - I gotta break her of that.

That's all for now. Gotta get back to work (took 5 minutes for my afternoon break).

Hope all is well with everyone.

Never Forget...

First and foremost, I just wanted to take a second and think about all of those that were affected by the 9/11 tragedy. Not just on 9/11, but the aftermath and all events that ensued. We're still dealing with it to this day. This morning I told my daughter to "put things into perspective" because she was having a meltdown over her outfit. I have to keep remembering that - keep things in perspective...

Instead of a really sad post today, I decided to post some happy photos. This is me and Addie playing with the photobooth program on my Mac. She cracks me up. She LOVES seeing herself on the screen and so we made some faces.

Uh oh...



This of course is my favorite. It's her "mean face". When she gets mad at you or you say "mean face", this is what she does...



By the way, these were taken last week. Since then, I cut about 7" off of my hair. EEK!

Here is my other princess, on her first day of 2nd grade. Where does the time fly?



She's hit the age where fashion is pretty important. It's starting to drive me crazy actually. God love her - she's all about primping and accessorizing. She's much more girlie than her mom ever was.

That's all for today. I haven't been the best about watching my diet this week so I'm dreading the scale tomorrow. It's like Celebrity Fit Club says - The Scales Don't Lie...

Ramblings in my head...

I thought I should post more than just my weight-loss journey, even though that seems to be a large presence in my life right now. Anyway - today's topic is RAMBLINGS IN MY HEAD


1) Yesterday I went over to the mall to eat Subway and take a walk. Within the 10 minutes I was at the foodcourt, I saw TWO SEPARATE instances where moms were there with their kids (who were maybe 2-3 at the most) and in once case, the mom was in line at the Sbarro and her daughter was running around tables and quite a distance away from her. The mom didn't even bother to look to see where her kid was. ANYONE could have taken that child and she wouldn't have noticed for a few minutes I'm sure.

In the second instance, the mom was walking a little one in a stroller and the toddler was following behind. She wasn't holding her hand or anything. She was on the phone and looking for something in her purse while pushing the stroller and the toddler wondered off into a different direction. (Because - well, she was a TODDLER) It took the mom a couple of minutes before she turned around and hollered for her kid.

I don't know - but I think that these parents probably would be the first ones to pitch a bitch if something happened and their child was hurt/abducted, etc. I'm thinking an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

2) I'm driving over to my mom's this morning and this truck is literally on my tail end. I'm sure that my mazda sign is stuck to his bumper now. Being the moody chick I am (I think lack of food is finally catching up with me), I brake-checked him. Wanna talk about someone backing off REAL quick. Because there was construction traffic, there was nowhere I could go and the option to speed up wasn't available, either. He needed to get off of my tail. Is brake-checking the best option? Probably not. But, I bet he'll think twice before tailgating a white Mazda 626 again...

3) I've switched over to 3-Ring versus post-bound albums. My favorite? American Crafts Modern Albums. They're affordable, they hold a TON of embellished layouts and the colors are pretty. I'm so glad that I made the switch. They look a LOT better on my shelf versus the multi-colored post-bound albums.

4) Britney Spears is performing on Sunday and I'm actually thinking I need to tune in and watch it. It's like a train wreck. I can't turn away from it.

5) I'm having my hair done tomorrow. I don't know what type of cut I want or the color. My greys are really coming in full-force these days. Gotta get those covered. Now, the question is - short or long. If there is enough for locks of love, I'm thinking of going to a bob. But, then the idea of cutting off all of my hair scares me. My face is probably too fat for it and I'm too lazy to style a really cute cut. Decisions...Decisions...

6) Barb and I had a good conversation about "working moms" and the flack that we take for having our "priorities" out of whack. Well, let's see. I love my children dearly and they are my first priority but paying my mortgage is high-up, too. Why? Because I need to put shelter over their head. Buying groceries. Another biggie. They need to be fed. Clothing? Sure...They can't go out naked. This is all stemming from a woman in Cincinnati who left her 2 year old in the car while she worked. I'm thinking she had other issues besides the fact that she was a "working mother". It seems that the letters to the newspaper editors and the call-in talkshows are flooded with opinions - most highly negative towards the working mom. It's sad. We should all support each other.

7) Did anyone see the Ms. Teen USA interview or whatever? The one where the girl rambled about a map, South Africa, Iraq the taliban and a partridge in a pear tree? I was waiting to see how long Mario Lopez could keep a straight face. I wouldn't have been able to do it. I'm sure that nerves had a lot to do with it but I think we probably need to take a good look at our educational system. I believe so many kids are pushed through for the sake of graduation statistics, etc. I went to school with athletes that had "personal tutors" (i.e. kids that did their work for them). I'm sure those athletes are doing well these days. Considering none of them went pro and most are drifting from job to job, that worked out well.

Ok - that's it. Enough ramblings for today. It's just sometimes you gotta get your thoughts out there.

In a Total Funk...

Well, let's see. I feel like I'm in a total funk today. Actually, most of the past week has been a funk in one way or another. I think I'm just tired and really need to rest to tell you the truth. Or - I need to bump up my exercise again because I've been slacking off in that arena.

Had my weigh-in today. I only lost 1.6 lbs. I should kick myself for saying "only" but when you're used to averaging 2.6 per week, it does seem smaller. However - I deserved it. I didn't eat as well as I normally do and I know that. I went to a crop with Barb and Jana on Saturday and had the most magnificent dinner and dessert. It was delicious and worth every calorie. As long as I don't make that a habit, I think I'll be good. The crop was fun! That's for sure. I missed scrapbooking for the fun of it and nothing more. I have about 8 layouts that I need to upload to RMH. Maybe tonight...

So - with my weigh-in today, I'm down a total of 33 lbs. You know what's frustrating? I went to a few parties this weekend and it was like NOBODY noticed. I mean - 33 lbs. That's a TODDLER. You know? I would think it would be noticable but nothing. Not one word. That's always frustrating because then you get to thinking "Well, if nobody is noticing - then why am I bothering". Of course, I'm at my lowest weight I've been in about 6 years so I am very happy about that. I just wish I could get out of this funk.

I promise to blog more. This week was really busy and I didn't have much going on. I don't want it to be a bitch session about my weigh-loss journey. So - if it seems that way, my apologies. This is just a very emotional roller-coaster.

See that number?

See that number right there? Not only is it my age, but it's the number of pounds I've lost so far. That's right - had another great weigh-in! I'm so excited! I was honestly surprised because to tell the truth - I wasn't that good all weekend because once again - drama with the family. One of these days I'm going to move - far, far away so that I don't have to deal with it. I'm going to pack up the kids and the husband if he's willing and move. (After all, it's mostly HIS family that I would try to get away from - although mine have their moments)

On a separate note, yesterday we took Addison to see her physical therapist. Because she's not walking, yet, they wanted to have her evaluated to see if there were any issues. Apparently, Ms. Addie is SUPER flexible. She has a broader range of motion in her joints and because of this her feet pronate due to her ankle flexibility. I knew the kid was flexible because you should see how she contorts herself when she's ticked off, but I never thought it would be an issue where it could affect a physical action. They believe it will be quickly corrected with some orthopedic braces and a few months of PT. Her next appointment is on the 18th and now the battle with the insurance company begins. I just love that...

That's about all that is going on right now in Ginger land. I am scrapbooking this weekend! Whoo hoo! First time in MONTHS that I've been to a crop and I can't wait. I'm meeting my friend, Jana, at a local store to crop the day away and Saturday can't get here fast enough. Then, it's family time for the rest of the weekend. Last week I took Maggie out for Mother/Daughter day so I'm sure she's going to be asking when the next one is. I can't afford them - we went to Justice and I spent WAY more money than I intended to. But, she was so darn cute in those clothes. Her whole "fashion" thing is killing me these days. She's way more girlie than I ever thought about being.

Anyway, got a long weekend which also means that I have to be SUPER careful on this food journey/diet/lifestyle change that I'm on. Don't wanna overload with bbq and all sorts of food and tip the scale in the wrong direction.

Later!

In such a good place...

I had a great weigh-in yesterday. Lost another 2.6 lbs, so I'm down 28.8 since June 6th. I started my new job on June 4th - and I attribute most of my success to being in a good place right now both in my personal life and professional life. Not to say that I wasn't in a good place before, but it was like a rebirth for me. I'm home earlier each night and we eat dinner as a family now. We don't grab and go for food or eat junk. We actually take time to prepare our meals.

I'm less stressed because product design is SUPER stressful. Marketing has it's moments but all in all - it's a manageable level of stress. Plus, the support here at work has been fantastic and the support of my friends has been awesome. Scott's support has been the best, too. Even though occasionally he likes to have that double-cheeseburger from Wendy's, he eats my low-fat meals and even made us a low-fat yummy breakfast on Sunday complete with turkey sausage. That's my man! We exercise together and he makes it fun. (Unless he gets all "weight trainer" on me. Then, not so fun!) ;)

Maggie's school reopened today and all is fine. It was a downed power line that apparently caught something on fire but didn't affect the school, so no big deal. Things get SO blown out of proportion.

Addison is still plugging away. She likes to poke her belly and go "bee-bee" now. (For her belly button) Cracks me up. She'll say "belly" but I call it her "bee-bee", so she says that. I need to post updated pics of the kids. I might exercise, but I'm a lazy ass when it comes to everything else!

OMG...WTH?

Actually, I guess the graphic is a bit more intense but I saw the shirt on Print Liberation and cracked up and had to use it. But, it sort of fits the day.

Maggie's first day of 2nd grade is today so we did the ceremonial photos, I walked her in to talk to her teacher, etc., etc. (Her teacher by the way looks like Cheri O'Teri) This is the first year that she was very adamant about her "first day outfit" (high school musical tee) and she had to accessorize with earrings and a bracelet. Anyway - they already had it set-up to release the classes early because of a heat alert in Cincinnati and only half of their school building has A/C. (Fortunately, Maggie's class happens to be in the AC'd part)

So, my phone rings. They have this "call command center" voice mail system and they use it A LOT. It's the 800# so I pick it up thinking it's a reminder about the early dismissal. No. It's the principal telling everyone that the kids are on the front lawn with their teachers because the power is out at the school, there are firetrucks blocking the street to access the school and that we can come and get our kids if we want to. They haven't had lunch and they will keep our kids till 1 but if we want to get them, we can. WTH?

Then, I get a phone call from one of the parents that's a friend of mine and she's like "I think the fire is at the school. That's what everyone is saying. There are firetrucks EVERYWHERE". She had to park a few blocks away and walk up to get her daughter. She said it's chaos there.

I call my mom because she's the one who picks Maggie up and my nephew is going to go get her. His really good friend's mom works there so she'll release my daughter to him (trust me - I've talked to her before - it's all good) and thank GOD he's there to help. But - it's just crazy. First, the heat. Then, the power outage. Now, a fire. All on day ONE of 2nd grade. Sort of overshadows that High School Musical shirt and monogrammed earrings, doesn't it?

Hopefully the fire isn't at the school. Hopefully this is the only chaotic day we'll have this year. Hopefully Tim has no issues picking Maggie up and doesn't have to park 10 blocks away. At least everyone is safe - they said in the voice mail that it was not an emergency. (Maybe the lunch lady burned the sloppy joes?)

On a side-note, my weigh-in is in less than an hour. Wish me luck!

Feel like crap today

It's Monday - and I feel like udder crap. I started getting a migraine last night. I NEVER have those, so I have no idea why I'm getting one. But, I've had it all night and today. I'm sitting at work (finishing up my lunch hour) and I've already taken four tylenol today. (I can't take ibuprofen - allergic to it) My stomach is also bothering me. It's like my body is worn out or something. Anyway - this post is more whining than anything. Sorry for that. I just want to go home and take a nap, but I have to push through the next four hours.

I found out that my e-mail button isn't set up for my new e-mail. Duh... Sorry about that. So - I'm fixing that today.

Let's see - I need to make this post at least halfway interesting. Oh - before I forget - thank you everyone for your support about our vacation. It's definitely tense around the Rohlfs household. Actually, not ours, but when we're around the ILs. Anyway - hopefully some resolution comes out of everything. Who knows...

Back to halfway interesting. I'm one of those "list" type people, so I think I'll list 10 of my guilty pleasure songs on my iPod. Here goes:

1) White Lines - Don't remember off hand who sings it. Grandmaster Flash? Freeze...Rock!

2) Around the Way Girl - LL Cool J. Need some bamboo earrings...

3) If You Go Away - NKOTB. That's right - New Kids on the Block when they dropped the "kids" thing and went with an acronym. Circa 1994.

4) Say You Say Me - Lionel Richie. LOVE me some Lionel.

5) This is How We Do It - Montel Jordan. Wasn't this his only song? 1 hit wonder.

6) Islands In the Stream - Dolly and Kenny. That's right. I like Dolly and Kenny. LOVE them together. Grew up to hillbilly country and ghetto music. Talk about a mix.

7) John Deere Green - Joe Diffie. Refer to above post. I can't explain it.

8) Forever - Kiss. Just some good 80's hair band love songs. Gotta love hair band love songs. My iPod is full of them. Don't make me break out singing "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue.

9) White & Nerdy - Weird Al. This song is HILARIOUS. Rollin'...In my Segway...

10) Your Baby Never Looked Good In Blue - Expose. Come on. Every high school girl cried to this song. Admit it. You played it over and over and cried. No? Just me???

Alright - that's my guilty pleasure iTune list. I've got a lot more but I don't want you to think my taste in music COMPLETELY sucks.

I would post a photo but I don't have any here at work. Sorry 'bout that.

Well, I'm back. That's all I have to say about that.

I got home from vacation on Monday and sadly, it was one of those situations where I was GLAD to get home. I keep debating what I should write about my vacation. Should I be completely blunt and truthful or try to sugar coat things for fear that it will cause a family uproar. You know me - gotta be ballsy - so I'll do a balance of both.

We go to Florida every year with Scott's parents and his cousin Kelly and her two children have joined us the past two years. Kelly's kids and ours get along GREAT - they adore each other and Kelly is great. His parents and I have always had our differences but 99% of the time it's because of how they treat his sister over Scott. THAT bothers me. Well, this year his parents brought his sister's kid. I thought it would be a nice time to bond with him. Boy was I wrong.

He managed to bite, kick and pinch Maggie. He smacked Addie and yelled in her ear. He taught the kids the middle finger, to which I found out from Scott's aunt that his heinous sister taught her son that because she thought it was funny. This is the crap I'm dealing with. I'm no prude and Maggie knew what the finger meant, but it's embarrassing to deal with at a restaurant and quite frankly - it's pathetic that his mother TAUGHT him that. (Don't even get me started on him knowing what SEX is. He apparently can explain it IN DETAIL)

The fact that he picked on our kids ticked us off and NOBODY would discipline him and when Scott and I stepped in we got the "well, he's only five". Yea - Addie is ONE. She couldn't fend for herself and Maggie is too respectful to knock his head off. Anyway vent over. We're making different plans for next year. I'm sure this isn't the end of the whole ordeal. But, for now - we're home and settling down.

I weighed-in yesterday after the vacation, and I was definitely nervous. It's hard to eat right when you go to restaurants every night but I made the best effort I could. It paid off. I dropped another 3.6 lbs for a total of 26.2 lbs so far. I still have a long way to go, but it feels good to have 26 lbs behind me. I just keep plugging away and taking it one day at a time.

Oh - and as for vacation pictures - I didn't take many. Sad. I know. I was preoccupied with trying to make sure my kids weren't being attacked. Ugh...

Leaving for Vacation Soon - Can't Wait!

I've only got a few more days before the family and I head off for our annual trek down to Florida. I can't wait! This is the first time in about four years that my vacation won't be cut short due to a trade show. It's also the first time that I don't have to "work" while on vacation.

By the way, the quiet little neighborhood that I live in actually made CNN.com yesterday. We have a nutso neighbor about 10 houses down from us that was apparently an "animal hoarder". Not only that - she had 40 DEAD animals in her freezer. What's sad is that the neighbors have complained about her for quite some time. I know on any given day she had 6-10 dogs in the back yard. (She lived on a corner lot so we could see her backyard) One night I came home from a crop and saw a huge snake in her window and a parrot. I used to tell my husband "Something is NOT right about the house on the corner." Sure enough. It wasn't. This morning when I left I saw that they had set out a bunch of disgusting animal cages for the garbage people. I think that hazmat should take care of that - not our poor garbage guy.

On a more positive note I had a great weigh-in this week. Lost another 2.4 pounds so my total is up to almost 23. I actually got to shop this week and bought two pair of shorts that were TWO sizes smaller than what I did wear and got some shirts in the regular department at Old Navy. Feels good to shop there again! Hopefully when I go back to the doctor, my PCOS will be under control. I've still got a long way to go on the WL journey but I'm pretty satisfied with my start.

Well, if you don't hear from me for a week or two that's because I'm enjoying time with my hubby and two girls.

Oh - and for all of you that have shown support - thanks. It means a lot. :)

The Girls are Here!!!

Had a busy weekend - my niece had her twins on Sunday. I have to say - I got the baby itch BAD when I first saw them but quickly remembered what it was like to be up at 2 am, then 5 am, etc. Plus, considering that I carry the same twin gene - I'm scared that baby #3 would end up being #3 and #4. Anyway - all of that aside, she's doing well. They decided to take the girls c-section because they were vertex breach. (one was sort of "wrapped" around the other is how it was explained to us)

Here are photos that my brother sent me. Because I had a birthday party for Maggie on Sunday I only got to see the twins for about 10 minutes after they were born. They were still being cleaned and evaluated so my photos aren't as "pretty" as these.

They look SO much alike! They're supposed to be fraternal but boy do they look alike. And they have our trademark Hasty nose - that little pug nose that makes us all look alike!



I could just snuggle them all day long. I'm heading down after work to give them lots of love!



So - that's the exciting moment going on for me right now. I weigh-in tomorrow but Aunt Flo is coming to town so I'm sure that any weight I lose will be a stretch. I've been a good girl, though. Hopefully that pays off. Saturday we leave for Florida and it can't get here soon enough. This time next week, I'll be sitting on the beach. (Hopefully people won't be trying to push me back in thinking I've beached myself!)

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Gossip

Ok - normally I don't pay attention to industry gossip because I've seen so much bs out there that it's almost funny. Someone grab me a shovel and some boots because here comes the shit. Literally, that's how it is. But, I had to post about a funny one. A friend of mine sent me a link to a thread yesterday where a girl posted that she had info from a "good source" that I would have product coming out soon with a new company. ????? Really? I didn't know that. And, it's supposed to be from ME? Interesting...No wonder my friend was wondering why I didn't tell her. Heck - they didn't even tell ME!

Anyway - truth is - I have NO intentions of doing product right now. I don't have any deals inked and honestly I'm just enjoying the job I have. I love the fact that I got to walk around the show and enjoy the papers and scrapbooking like I USED to. That was a great feeling. I can use WHATEVER I want and not have to worry about promoting my own stuff. Right now I can scrap for the pure enjoyment of it again. Trust me - that feels GOOD! (Besides, Gin-X was never that big - it was a fun ride but too much work.) LOL!

So - if you're looking for some good industry gossip- here it is:



I had a shagadelic 10 seconds with Austin and let me tell you - it was randi baby! I laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes. This guy was hilarious. He had the entire motion of Austin Powers down pat. I thought he WAS Mike Meyers. So - there you have it. Fat girl with Shagadelic Brit. Show me love!

Back from Chicago and Checkin' In!

Well, I got back from Chicago on Sunday night and let me tell you - it was SUCH an adjustment for me at the show. I'm used to getting there a day or two early to set-up and then being tied to my 10x20 space for the entire day, with breaks for the potty or lunch. Not this time. I had the freedom to walk around and it was ENCOURAGED. I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I had an absolute blast walking around with my good friend, Jane, and talking to a lot of people that I adore dearly but only get to see at the shows. (Or talk to on e-mail)

Here's a photo of me and Jane on Thursday night. She's so spectacular! Our new joke is: "Do you know Jane Hasty?" Reason is - that woman knows EVERYONE! It's hysterical.



I tried so hard to be good in Chicago. I packed protein bars to keep my blood sugar stable and I only ate turkey at the "expoteria". Kitty and Wendy (The fab-o girls that did Find Your Groove) brought me some 100 calorie snacks - God love them! All that hard work paid off because I dropped another 3.4 lbs on the scale this week. I love Weight Watchers. It's been so good for me! Since June 6th, I've lost 20.2 lbs. I hit my first goal. I wanted to lose 20 lbs by August 4th when I leave for vacation and I've done that ahead of schedule. The next is another 5 pounds. Since I have a long journey, I'm doing it five pounds at a time. I can only hope to hit my next big goal. The support of my friends has been so crucial. So, THANK YOU!

Sittin' at Concourse C...

Ok - seriously. EVERY FREAKING TIME I have to fly to Chicago, through Chicago, or anywhere NEAR Chicago I'm delayed.

Here I am - sitting in Concourse C waiting for my next flight delay. I've already been delayed twice. Good thing is - my Macbook is charging and I got some new stuff uploaded to my iPod.

Yesterday's weigh-in was good - 3 more lbs gone. That brings my total to 16.8 so far. I still have a long way but I'm also still going strong. I packed snacks for the trade show so that I don't blow the diet and Jane and I are going to work out each night. (I can't wait to see my girl - I've had to call her twice to let her know I'm delayed)

Oh - and as a result of those 16.8 lbs, I bought three new jeans today. Two pair are size smaller and one pair is TWO sizes smaller. Hell to the yeah!

Since I'm sitting her blogging, I thought I'd put up some new photos of my precious girlies!



This is Maggie right after she won her medal at the TKD tournament last month. I need to take a photo of her with her new haircut!

This is Ms Addie's "mean face". If you say "mean face" she gives you this look like she's going to kill you. It's hysterical.



That's right - all 19 lbs of her will kick your ass!

Oh- I think I might hear a boarding call... later!

My First Baby Turned 7

Yesterday Ms. Maggie Mae turned 7. This is going to sound totally cliche but I can't believe how fast kids grow up. In the photo here, she was about 3 1/2 and so sweet. Now, she's still adorable, but sassy quite a bit. (I keep warning her that if she doesn't quit that crap, she'll be lucky to see 13!)

I did make the day about her, though. She wanted to go to TKD to get her birthday "whoopings" that the instructor hands out. (I told her she was sadistic!) Then, we let her pick where to eat dinner and afterwards we all played the Wii back at home. That was her birthday present and it's SO much fun. I'm beginning to think it was more of a present for all of us versus just Maggie. But, it's been a great leveraging tool, too. She gets all of her chores done so that she can play it. It keeps her off the couch because you have to be up and moving with the remote. I love the boxing! Usually she and I will "box" a few rounds every night.

I'll have to post a photo later this week - we also had her hair cut off on Saturday for Locks of Love. She's been growing it for a year and a half now and they lopped off 10", giving her the cutest little bob. She absolutley loves her new hair. It cracks me up to see her swinging her head all the time to feel it twirl. Goofy kid.

That's all for now - I'm heading out to CHA tomorrow. I weigh-in in about 10 minutes so wish me luck. Hopefully, it's been a good week!

Ooops, I did it again!

I can't even begin to tell you how much the Weight Watchers group here at work means to me. They're so supportive and the fact that I've only been here a month makes it more amazing. I joined immediately - 2 days after starting my new job and I'm happy to report that as of yesterday I'm officially down 13.8 lbs!

EVERYONE there and I mean EVERYONE is so supportive. Not only during WW meetings but whenever we run into each other in the hallway or during other meetings, etc. It's really helped to keep me on track. (Buying smaller clothes also feels pretty damn good!) We have this friendly competition where the Biggest Loser for the week gets to keep a Mrs. Potato Head at their desk. I won it again yesterday. (I got it my first week, tied the last time and won it again) My new friend Marissa and I seem to be the one vying for her every week. I adore Marissa - she's my inspiration at this point. We both have PCOS so we relate and we both know what it's like to deal with weight. I was so worried I'd have no friends here but she is definitely someone I can hang with. So Marissa, if you read this - thanks girl! :)

I also wanted to thank everyone for their support on my last post. You know - some days you just have to tell everyone how it is. So much BS goes on - lies, rumors, assumptions, etc. Really pisses me off sometimes, but I have learned that at the end of the day, it's the important people that matter. Those that understand, support and are just simply there. I appreciate that. More than you probably know. So, thank you! From the bottom of my fat cow heffer heart, thank you.