Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Babies Visit Santa

Austin going to the Winter Formal

Santa Claus

This is a whimsical Santa that I painted.

Annabeth going to the Snowflake Ball

Notice her cowboy boots!

You are Never Alone - there are Angels surrounding you.

I have battled depression my whole adult life.  I don't know why.  I don't really understand it.  I have everything I need.  I have family that loves me.  I am surrounded by people all of the time, and yet I still get so lonely.  I find peace in knowing that even though I feel lonely, I am never alone.

This song was sung at my friend Kellie's funeral.

Daddy's Birthday

with Granny

Happy Halloween

Mickey the Mouse and a sweet little Tootsie Roll

I have a new grandson, Hunter

Sarah finally had the Little Baby. He was born on September 28th, 2011 at 12:20 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.  His name is Hunter.  He is a very sweet baby boy and his big brother loves him.  They are so cute together. Just yesterday, I thought Noah was so tiny, now he is the BIG brother.

Ho, Ho, Ho

This is the simplest painting that I have done, and yet, you know exactly who it is supposed to be when you look at it. Sometimes simpler is better.

Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose

I love Jack because of the snow swirling about. It is cute and I thought I could have it hanging during the winter months, not just Christmas.

Love Birds

This is probably my favorite painting that I have done. It is funny too. I really did not care much about doing this, but my friend Joyce, really wanted to do it because they were going to be using different mediums, such as bubble wrap and old books. I decided to go because just going to paint is fun, whether I like the painting or not. The fence posts are pages of an old yellowed book deco-page'd onto the canvas, we lightly "white-washed" the paint over them. If you look at the painting up close, you can still read the words through the paint. Then the clouds, we painted onto the bubble wrap and then pressed them onto the canvas. It was alot of hard work. Joy and Joyce were both with me and we had bunches of fun.

Trick or Treat

I painted this little knobby, knee'd witch as a door hanger. I love the shoes. The rest, not so much, but oh well......you can definitely tell that it is a Halloween painting. So, trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.

Happy Fall, Ya'll

This is a door hanger that I made for fall. I figured a plain ole pumpkin could be used for fall, harvest, or Thanksgiving time of year, besides that, I love fall colors.

Hotty Toddy

If you know me, you know that I have fallen in love with painting. I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love to paint fun, whimsical things. This is a stadium that I painted for my man, you REALLY have to use your imagination because it shows them winning! (sorry about that, I could not help myself), and them winning over LSU is an ode to our friends in Louisiana. I had lots of fun painting with my friend, Joy.

I'm Ready to Smash the Scale

I am so frustrated and tired of this. I have been following the Weight Watchers plan faithfully for 6 weeks now and have lost a total of 10 pounds. You might say thats not so bad, 1-2 pounds per week, but the problem is that for the last three weeks I have gained 0.8 lb, lost 0.4 lb, then today gained 0.4 lb. All I can think about is the things that I have missed out on in the last three weeks.....had chicken instead of steak at Logan's STEAK house. Ate salad instead of a hamburger and fries, got a kids meal of spaghetti and marinara instead of the Baked spaghetti with cheese and meatballs. Snuck in air popped popcorn at the movies. We have only eaten out maybe once a week for the past 6 weeks.....that is alot less for us, I have taken my lunch every day to work......UGHHH!!! It is just so frustrating. I am just ready to throw in the towel.

I know, I know.......just think where I would be if I had not been following the program these last few weeks.....well, I would probably be the very same. I was within 3 pounds of my starting weight as the the last 2 times I started weight watchers (in 2006 and 2009). I guess I am very good at maintaining this figure.

You may also be thinking that Weight Watchers is a way of life, not a diet. I agree, but you don't just wake up and your whole mind set is changed. It takes time to change habits and change your way of thinking. For me, right now, it is alot of work, planning, shopping, cooking, preparing, thinking.....when what I really want to do is eat a bag of chips. I will figure it out somehow, but until then, I don't know what to do.........thanks for letting me whine.

I'm just kay

Get Your Flu Shots

Today at work, I gave 45 flu shots in a 2 hour period. That's alot of shots, arms, bandaids, Tylenol, cookies and WHINING! I have never heard the likes of whining from nurses and doctors....all grown people. It felt good to do something that was above and beyond the call of duty. Glad to make a difference.

Well, I'll Be Darned

I dreaded going to weigh in because I just knew I had gained weight (according to my home scale). I had eaten every last daily point as well as all of my weekly points. I wrote on the Weight Watchers message boards about how discouraged I was, and got so much encouragement about getting back on track and that losing 11 pounds thus far was a good thing. So..........I bit the bullet and went on to weigh in. i had lost 0.8 lb.....not much, but a loss. I was happy. I stayed for the meeting and the leader was Kayren. She was so sweet, and the fact that she leads 3 meetings a week will be great. Hopefully I will be able to catch her meeting at least once a week. I really need the encouragement.

Till next week, I'm just kay

Learning How to Look Skinny ;O)

We were watching Big Brother and I noticed that Julie Chen always stands kinda sideways, with one foot in front of the other, it must be to make her look skinnier. I tried it, but I don't have very good balance, and I will just fall over. Also, a friend at work, anytime she gets a picture made, she pushes her chin out really far to avoid the double (or triple chin in my case). The black clothes are a must for skinniness.....it disguises the lumps and dimples.

So here is the skinniest me possible.......for today......not re-touched. Well, I've got a ways to go. What can I say?

The Higher the Hair, the Closer to God

Well, I did not do so well this week. I gained 0.4 lb. I am still off work from being in the hospital. Still don't know exactly if it was dehydration or something else. I am having so many tests done every day....ughhh. Then my hubby, Dwayne, had hernia surgery on Friday. He is recovering nicely, but he was feeling pretty poorly over the weekend. Then for Labor Day, my mother in law made Bar-B-Q for us. It was good, but I had to count all of the points. And today is my Sarah's birthday. She wanted to go to Logans. I planned my meal before hand and even had points left for cake...yummy!

Since I did not have a weigtloss this week, I thought I would show one of my "skinny" pictures. It is from 1992. I had lost 113 pounds on Weight Watchers doing the Fat and Fiber plan. As you can see from the hair, we liked it the bigger the better......even when it was short hair.

Hopefully next week I will be a loser, until then I'm...........

just kay

Happy 23rd Birthday, Little Momma

Angel Food Berry Trifle

I am going to a ladies night out tonight at church called "Just Desserts". The pastor's wife is going to be speaking about the sweetness of Jesus. We are all to bring a dessert. I bought the stuff to bring an Angel Food Berry Trifle. Yummy 4 points per serving. I will post the recipe tomorrow :o)

Out of the Hospital and Back in the Saddle

I ate whatever they brought me in the hospital, but I faithfully tracked every single bite. I at least thought about what I was eating. In the process of being in the hospital, I missed my weigh in day. I went today to be weighed, and have now lost a total of 10.8 pounds.

I am glad about that, but, of course, me being the glass half empty kind of girl, now I am thinking about all of the IV fluid I got that went right through me and how this is probably still not a real reflection of my weight loss. Oh well, the numbers are down so that is what matters. I followed the plan, tracked what I ate, and am now on to day 2 of limiting my diet coke intake.

The Dreaded Water

Well, I have continued to have dizziness and shakiness this week, then Wednesday night during prayer meeting, the left side of my head and face went numb. We left church and went straight to the ER. They did a CAT scan immediately to rule out a stroke, then ended up admitting me to the hospital with a blood pressure of 64/33. Over the last three days, I had lots of tests to rule out stroke and heart disease or heart attack. All of those were normal. The only thing that was abnormal was my electrolytes. The Renal doctor said that my kidneys took a "hit" from the drastic difference in my diet and the fact that I don't drink ANY water.

If you know me at all you know that I love diet coke. The only water that passes between these lips is when I brush my teeth. I have always said that I probably won't drink water until I have to go on kidney dialysis. Well, it is not that bad yet, but this is really a wake up call for me.

I may have to try some lemon or sweetner, or crystal light or something and I am not giving up diet coke totally, maybe just in moderation.

Annabeth's Birthday Cupcakes

I did very well "points-wise" at Annabeth's birthday party. We had cupcakes. I thought it would be good because they are very IN right now and also it would be portion control for me. A piece of cake for me is more like a hunk of cake. I did not eat ice cream, although I did buy the individual containers for portion control there too. I had a large bowl of berries, so I had 1 cupcake and a large serving of berries. It was very nice and I had the will power to resist. Unfortunately, there are left over cupcakes. I am giving them away left and right. Anyone want a cupcake?

Happy 12th Birthday to my baby girl

And We're Off!

It has been a very good week. I lost 7 pounds!!! Yea, I'm a Loser! I am trying not to pat myself on the back too much because I realize that you always lose alot the first couple of weeks from excess water and such, but I also need to see the "glass half full" and be proud of the work I have done. It has not been easy. Old habits are hard to break.

My biggest downfall is sweets. A handfull of cookies will usually fix most anything, just ask any little child. Not really, though. It just makes me feel more guilty. This week, I have done well eating lots of fruit and peanut butter (yuk, if you know me), but it has satisfied my sweet tooth.

It is on to week 2, my lunch is packed for work tomorrow and I am ready to go. Just gotta stick with it, plan, go to the grocery, track my intake, and soon I will start the water, but not quite there yet, but it will come. One day at a time.

just kay

Today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life.....I hope!

Well, today is the day. What can I say??? I have had it with being big. I always say that I wear "party girl size" clothes, but really, I hate it that I have to wear plus sizes. I am embarrassed, I am sure that I embarrass my kids with my size, but mostly, I need to get healthy. I am so out of shape and out of breath, even that is embarrassing. Walking up the hill at work or up the stairs from the cafeteria, I am so short of breath. I am just too young.

I decided that I was the only one that can control my own destiny. I joined Weight Watchers. I need accountability and a community of people to give me tips, encourage me and to talk to. They say not to look at this as a diet, but as a "live it". I like that.

I know that it will be a tough, long road, but what do I have but time, anything is better than nothing. I am hoping that by blogging about it and showing pictures that are not photo-shopped or re-touched, that it will make me work harder.

So, hopefully next week I will be a Loser................just kay

Happy 1st Birthday, Stink Pot

Sarah and Parker got married

Well, Sarah has added to her family. She married her high school sweetheart, Parker.

my Summer Vacation 2011

This vacation has started out with a bang, Austin had his wisdom teeth taken out and had to take care of him for a few days, went to an office visit with Sarah to "see" lil' baby on the ultrasound. It is still amazing. I have never seen a 4D ultrasound before, so it was pretty neat. Then I went with Big D for a surgical consultation to have his belly button hernia repaired. He is going to have it done over Labor Day weekend, so he does not have to miss much work.

I did do something fun. I went with some friends from work and Sarah to paint a couple of pictures. The first was sunflowers, and the other was tulips. I love them. I wish that I was an artist sometimes. It is very calming to just blend the colors together and create something....even if the teacher is telling you what to do and how to do it. It is very relaxing.

It will be back to work next week, but I will be glad to visit with my work friends.

until then......I'm Just Kay

Happy Birthday Momma

My sweet Momma would have been 70 years old this year. My how time has flown. I miss you still. This birthday has been so bittersweet for me because a dear friend of our family, "Nana", went home to be with the Lord just the other day. She had been one of your prayer warriors, and it became all too real when she got sick and passed, how similar your situations were. I guess it was really the closest person that had died since you. My heart broke for the family, knowing that it is a hurt like I have never felt before. But I did imagine a great homecoming that you had planned for her. She was buried yesterday and it really made me think about how much I missed you.



Just Kay

Summer time

It has been such a long time since I got on here, but wanted to update you on the things going on in our lives.

Sarah is doing good. She is 27 weeks along with baby boy #2. She is going to have her hands full, as if she doesn't already. The doctors are hoping that she will hold off until the end of September. Noah came 2 months early, so we are hoping to not have a repeat of last summer.

Noah is the sweetest little thing. He has started crawling and he is BUSY! I think I liked it alot better when I could put him on a pallet on the floor and he would stay there, but it is very sweet when he pulls up to the chair you are sitting in and looks at you with those big huge eyes.

Austin is at Governor's School for the Arts. He has been there 3 weeks, staying in the dorm, and working hard. He is earning college credit and working hard so that is good. I did not realize how much I would miss him though. It is so quiet around here. He also got a part in the play Gypsy at the Germantown Community Theater, they start rehearsals in the middle of July.

Annabeth is enjoying being an only child for a bit. She pretty much stays in her room watching TV, playing on the computer and doing her summer reading. Did I mention that it is quiet around here

Dwayne is singing with his quartet. They have quite a few dates recently and he is loving it. He has filled in at a couple of local churches recently leading the music. Sometimes I think he really misses doing it full time, but he is loving traveling around with SHQ. He still feels like he is fulfilling his calling by bring the gospel in song.

Me, what can I say. I am working in the NICU, I stepped down from my management position and am back to being a "bedside nurse". I like it so much better. I can clock in, do my work, clock out and go home. Much less stress. That is really what I went to nursing school for. I still do extra stuff, but not nearly as much as I was doing. I also help Sarah with keeping Noah a day or so a week. I love being a Mimi.

I guess I will close for now, take care...........kay

Happy Father's Day, Daddy

For My Man's Birthday

Happy Birthday to the sweetest husband I know. I love you more than words can see. I hope you enjoy the attached video. It is a slide show to the song "Take it To The Cross" performed by Servant's Heart Quartet that Dwayne sings in. He loves to sing and it is fun to get to see him doing something that he enjoys so much. Happy Birthday .................just kay

Happy First Mother's Day to my daughter Sarah

We went to Louisiana for Mother's Day. We had a great time catching up with old friends. We stayed in Gulf Port, Mississippi. Noah loved the sand and the ocean. It was good to spend time with just Sarah and Stink Pot for a while. I love you both. God is in contol...........love, Mom

Easter 2011

It was Noah's first Easter. Unfortunately, Sarah had to work, so the Easter Bunny came to Mimi and PeePaw's house for Stink Pot. He had his first Ring Pop and he thought that was pretty good stuff. We took him up to the hospital to see Sarah after church. I know how hard it is to be working in the medical field and miss out on family stuff.

Anniversary Cruise

Happy New Year 2011