because my dad aked

I haven't posted an entry since a year ago! Everyone has been on facebook and keeping up with my daily grind there but my dad mentioned he missed reading my blog....probably my only reader;) So I guess I'll post here again. I also keep a current blog for my rabbit habbit here.... web.me.com/sheandg. I did have a sewing blog as well but it is too hard to have so many blogs to keep up on so I'll try to post any art/craft/sewing/photo stuff here. I am working on a few craft things but they are all for christmas presents so I can't post them and ruin the surprise. I'll post everything after the gifts have been opened.

please don't get sick

So Presley had a playdate with a friend last night and her dad calls Greg today because she was at the doctor and has H1N1. I am praying she doesn't get sick!!! It just makes me so nervous I am such a worry wort as it is and I was dreading having this flu in our home.  So we will see in the next 5-7 days if she comes down with any symptoms. I will just make she she gets plenty of sleep and eats more healthy stuff. I hope we are spared the flu this year. If she does gets sick please let it be mild. I hate watching our lil' ones sick. There is nothing worse taking care of a sick one when you are sick too.....So everyone say a little prayer that Presley doesn't get sick!!!

Presley is 3 today

Happy birthday my big girl

The party was good. She got some great presents and she got her cake so she was a happy girl. We are all done with birthdays in this house for another year. I am so sick of eating cake and that is a huge statement for me I could eat cake everyday but I am finally sick of it for the moment. We ( more me...ok ALL me) bought Presley a new guinea pig for her birthday. He is a lil' peruvian. He is very sweet and laid back and loves to cuddle. I think she ended up naming him hamster. We'll see if that sticks we can call him hammie for short. I am so jealous Greg is going to the viking/packer game tonight and I'm not! I bet the crowd is going to be insane. My mom is coming over and we are going out to eat and do some shopping. Presley needs some winter things like boots and hats and a few more outfits. I sold some of her baby stuff the other day so I guess I'll turn around and get her some much needed items. The way the weather has been we should be getting snow any day now. I can't believe how the weather just turned overnight. went from 70's to 40-50's. Greg broke down and turned the heat on sat. I think I could have held out a little longer. This week I start week 3 of my run training. It looks a little more intense this week. run 90 seconds walk 90 seconds then run 3 minutes and walk 3 minutes and alternate. It shouldn't be too bad. 

wiped out

This last month has been so busy with birthdays and entertaining I am so ready for a weeks worth of sleep. The weather has took a dive and it has been rainy and cold for the last few days. We really need the rain but I wish it was a little warmer. Doing the "farm" chores in the cold rain is not as fun. I have to get the garage cleaned before I can move the buns in there. The 3 that got sick are now in there but I wish I would have moved baby Jane in there a few nights ago along with the other 2. I think the very chilly nights stressed her out and her nose has started running again even on antibiotics. She is in the garage now so hopefully she gets better real soon. I just don't know what else i could do. I hope she doesn't have a life long issue. I was suppose to clean today for Presley's birthday party on sunday but didn't get that far. I am spending the day tomorrow at another rabbit show so i guess I'll get up early and do everything sunday mornig...I do better under pressure anywho. Plus we are taking Lyla and Wyatt for a sleepover sat. night so I'm sure 3 toddlers are going to trash the place so I might as well wait cuz if i cleaned before I would be all stressed watching them tear up the joint. It is going to be interesting taking care of 3 -3 year olds!!! They are going to have a blast i just hope they all sleep ok cuz I hate those night wakeups. I think Greg will be on night duty! I have been doing great on my running today will be the last day of week 2 and then it looks like it starts getting a little more intense. Since I don't have a treadmill I'm at the mercy of the weather and it looks like I'm going to be running in the rain when Greg gets home. BRRRRR  running in 48 degree cold rain doesn't sound fun but it is just 30 mins. Suck it up I'm a minnesotan!!

football

Since favre is our new QB I am a little more excited to watch the Vikes this year. The last couple years have been so lame with losing all the time. Now we have another football fan in our home. Presley likes to sit and watch the games and loves yelling touchdown. We also taught her the viking song and she runs around singing. Well today I turned the tv on for her to watch cartoons and she said she wanted to watch football!!! We will have to get some tickets for a least one of the games this year so she can go and cheer them on in person. I might have to get a a jersey too. This is the first year she doesn't have an outfit to wear on football sunday. Her birthday falls on a monday night game when we play the packers. That should be a super fun game to watch since we have their Brett now! We better kick some cheesehead butt!!!! I love the Fall

a mellow weekend

Other than stressing over my sick buns it was a nice and relaxing weekend. After last week's birthday festivities it is nice to have nothing on the calendar. The 3 sick bunnies seem to be responding really well to the meds and no more runny noses. No one else is coming down with symptoms so hopefully I'll be able to go to the rabbit show next weekend with the healthy buns. Today was day 2 of my 5k training. It feels so good to be out and running again I can't wait to build up some stamina cuz right now I feel like a big ole elephant running thru the neighborhood with everything jiggling!!! I am so looking forward to BSF this week with Presley. I signed up last week and we are suppose to start wed. and she'll go into her lil' bible study class with the other toddlers. I am nervous to see how she is going to do this will be the first time she has been in a class without me. She is actually going to have to take instruction from a teacher and have to listen and do....I wish i was a fly on the wall during her first class. So when I am in my study group she'll be in hers. It is 2 hours so we'll see how she does!!! I miss being in a bible study it has been about 5 years since I was in BSF. I have to work on Presley's b-day invites for her party 2 weeks from today. I might be lazy this year and just send out an email!!! I need to catch up on my scrapbooking too.......maybe tonight I'll work on it after she goes to sleep. I just hate how dark it is getting so early I feel like being in bed by 8pm now!!!

couch potato to 5k

So my GF Sam and I are both starting the couch potato to 5k program. We are both going to sign up for our first 5k hopefully do the turkey trot. It is a 9 week program and says you'll be running 3 miles nonstop by then. So tonight was my first day and it was not bad other than I have a start of a cold so I was a little tired but the last half was much easier than the first half. I always hate the first 7-8 minutes of exercise and then once I get past that it always seems easier.  So 3 days a week doesn't seem too hard......and I like a set program that starts out fairly easy it seems much more doable than just hitting the pavement and burn out right away. You also are watching your watch so you forget you are even running. I have been eating birthday cake nonstop since saturday!!!! The scale is not my friend right now but man I love cake!~

on a stressful note 3 of my rabbits are sick. I noticed Kline had a runny nose and heard him sneeze so I moved him away from the rest of the herd and the next morning baby jane sneezed and I looked over and she had white snot from her nose so I freaked and called the vet and got them both on antibiotics. Then tonight I noticed Bety had a wet nose and crusty front paws so I gave her some of Kline's antibiotics right away and will have to get more next week. It is a rabbit owners worst nightmare when the "snuffles" hits. It can wipe out a whole herd in no time. Rabbits are very good about hiding an illness and they can look fine one day and be dead the next. Hopefully I caught it early enough and everyone gets better. The only thing is sometimes a rabbit can have a chronic problem and need antibiotics for the long term. I think most breeders will just remove the animal from their herd if that happens because it is sooo contagious. I am just beside myself dealing with this. I guess I will see what happens and hopefully no one else gets sick. I will also have to see if anyone has a chronic problem and deal with that situation when the time comes. I am so bonded with baby Jane she is such a lover and I really hope she doesn't continue to have any more problems. I am not sure how it happened. I think Kline got sick first. Most rabbits can carry it but sometimes when they get stressed it can attack. Not sure if the big 40th birthday bash with all the people here stressed him out?? Well whatever it was I hope I don't have to deal with this again. Poor bun buns. 

another year

wow 37!!! I am not a fan of odd numbers usually those years tend to be a little more "off" but hopefully 37 brings me lots of good times....how could it not with presley!! I had a great weekend I surprised greg with a 40th bash. He had no clue and I got him good. It happened to be my birthday weekend so i took advantage of the party too. Tonight family are coming over for a b-b-g and cake to celebrate my day. Greg's actual b-day is the 27th this month. Then Presley is a week later so a busy time for us. I love the fall it is my fave. The weather is a little warmer than usual but the nights get down to the 50's and I love it. I now I 3 chickens that are laying Penny popped a egg out sunday. She was squawking up a storm and a little later saw her in the corner and an egg under her. Now just 3 left to start laying and then I should be getting plenty of eggs a day so I won't have to buy anymore at the store. ok off to go do something.......

made my first goal

So my first goal was to lose 10 pounds by my birthday and I did it with 5 days to spare. Even with the family reunion and the state fair I managed to still lose in time. SOOO now my next goal is to lose 10 more by thanksgiving. That is a nice mellow goal for 11 weeks away. I might be able to do more but that is a good start I don't want to feel too deprived. I am just looking forward to getting my pre-presley body back. I never knew how hard it was to lose this dang baby weight. She was worth every ounce but man she is almost 3 and I am still fartin' around with getting serious about dealing with it. I figure by the end of this year I should be at "my ideal" weight.  Not sure if I'll ever see size 2 again but not really that important like it was when I was in my 20's. Just feeling good about myself and more energy is what I'm shootin' for. Now If I could just get more exercise in my routine I would be golden.....baby steps!

I made the right choice

for fun I was surfing the web and came across this......both Greg and Presley are libras and I'm the virgo...thought is was fun

Efficient and organized, Virgo is a sign that values order, logic and communication. In their romantic relationships, they favor a devoted partner who shares their love of structure, service to others and the finer things in life. Their loyal nature ensures they have a good chance of making any relationship work, but they will find the most bliss in the following unions:

Virgo and Libra

A partnership between these two signs can be quite harmonious, owing to their shared love of culture and beauty and their desire for security in a relationship. With similar goals and values, these two work well together because they are both working for the same thing.

Virgo and Libra both have a taste for the finer things in life, possessing a shared passion for art, collecting and the theatre. They both love a good conversation, and bring culture and beauty with them wherever they go. Both signs also have a reputation for snobbery, thanks to Virgo’s high expectations and Libra’s tendency to see themselves as intellectually superior to others.

Both signs also share a love of balance, and have a strong appreciation for the differences between them. Virgo admires the charming and diplomatic sides of Libra’s personality, and Libra values Virgo’s love of structure and order, as well as the benefits that come with it.

Many of this pair’s differences actually complement each other well. Virgo is a mutable sign, easygoing and adaptable, while Libra is a cardinal sign and prefers to take the lead. However, Libra is not dominating, but instead offers gentle guidance, to which Virgo responds well.

Cupcake and George

George

Cupcake

So here are 2 pics one of cupcake the mini rex I got and a new lionhead buck. I decided Lionel isn't going to cut it with being a herd buck. His mane stinks and Bety won't breed with him so I got a new buck. He is only 3 months old so he needs another 6-8 weeks or so before I can use him to breed. If Bety turns him down then I'm not sure what to do....guess she is a lot like me;). I need to build a nestbox for Vivien incase she is preggo. If she is she is due in about 10 days or so. We had a gorgeous weekend for weather. Yesterday we went to the arboretum and it was just beautiful. That place is stunning with all the gardens and landscaping. I didn't bring my big camera because I wanted to walk without lugging it around. Greg had his little P&S so we got some pics. My neck is still healing and I just can't have anything heavy around it for a little longer. Maybe I'll make an appt. for a massage next week for my birthday. I can't believe I'm going to be 37 already! My diet is going good I am down 9 pounds so it looks like I will hit my 10 pound goal for my birthday!~!! My next goal is to lose another 10 by thanksgiving. I think as long as I keep the goals simple and not to lose the weight to fast like I usually do I think I will keep it off. Before I would lose the weight in half the time but it always crept back on. I really need to start working out more that will help speed it up a little more and turn the mush to muscle. All I know is 9 pounds feels good and it is a great motivator to see more come off. 

bunny fun

I went to the owatonna rabbit show today. Laural got to my house at 6 am and I loaded 5 of my buns to take. Laural brought her tans she had about 20 she was showing. I was proud of Bety my lionhead she took BOB ( best of breed) and Jara my fuzzy lop took BOG (best of group) The judge said Baby Jane looked very promising but she got beat out because she was so young and not developed as much as the others in her class. She is still so young but i was curious to see what the judge that of her and chester. Chester also got good marks so in the spring when they are more mature I think they might do well on the table. Vivien my other fuzzy didn't do very well which I wasn't shocked she is long in the body and not a good head. I will breed her with Kline and see what kind of babies she throws and figure out from there. I bred her to kline 2 weeks ago but not sure if it took. I will but a nestbox in her cage in about 12 days and see is she starts making a nest and just wait. If she isn't pg I will try again. I know Bety isn't because she wasn't letting lionel "in".  I tried again today with laural here and still she wasn't in the mood. I think I will wait until I see if vivien is pg and try them both in a few weeks. A few people wanted to know if bety was for sale but no she is a keeper. I wish I would have had some lionhead buns to sell today cuz I would have done well. 

So yes I came home with another bun. I found a tri colored mini rex for 5 bucks and said sold. Greg loved the mini rex because they are so ultra plush. Greg named him cupcake. He is a sweet boy but too big to show and breed so he will just be a pet. He was born on new years day so he is 9 months old now. But now I am thinking about getting a pair of lynx mini rex to show and breed.....but will wait until spring even though convention is next year here in MN and it would be great to have some good stock to show and sell. It is in oct or nov next year so I would have 1 year to breed and get some wins and show prospects under my belt. I am just really excited to get a few litters out of mine. I am still on the fence about lionel he is lacking in the mane dept. but will give him a chance with one litter before I find a different herd buck.

I love my rabbits and going to shows is so much fun now that I actually have a few to bring and put on the table. I can't wait until Presley is old enough to do this with me too.

just a hen house

Well it is officially just a hen house now. I found pearl a home today since he started crowing a couple days ago. So no more roosters just hens living in the coop. Greg was bummed out Pearl turned out to be a boy he liked that white fuzzy guy. Petunia is now laying eggs too. So just 4 more girls are free loaders still and should be laying soon. It was a wonderful weekend and the weather couldn't be any more perfect. I am so excited the state fair is starting this week and we are going on friday. The rabbit show is friday morning so I will be there early and probably spend most the day there. I can't wait to check out the poultry too. I could spend the whole day at all the barns. The MN fair is the best!!! Presley was sick all weekend. She had a fever and was lethargic but that was all. I kept waiting for the puke/poop but nothing. It was actually kinda nice cuz she just laid around so we were able to do things around the house without her needing to be entertained. I still felt bad but enjoyed a calm Presley too.  

lazy saturday

Today was a great lazy day Greg had to run to do some work in the morning and was home around noon and we did a little yard work and played in the yard with Presley. Mark & Georgia came over with the twins and they all bounced on the tramp and ran around the yard naked!! They were running thru the sprinkler so 3 naked toddlers streaking the backyard was too funny. That is Presley favorite thing to be is naked. That girl is always pulling off her clothes and running around in the buff. I think when the temps turn -20 degrees around here she'll be singing another tune. I caught Porckchops my d'uccle chicken laying another egg today so that has been her! I made sure she got her props today and Greg thinks I'm a totally loony bird as I was praising her for being such a good chicken!!! Oh well I get a kick out of it.....

eggs for breakfast

Last night I was giving the chickens fresh water and noticed 2 little eggs in the corner!!! So exciting to have fresh eggs already. So this morning I couldn't wait to crack them open and see what they looked like and tasted like. They are very tiny still but as the chickens get older they will be a little bit bigger. So they were so tasty and the yolks were such a pretty orange color. Presley liked them too. I am so proud of my girls and so excited for fresh eggs from here on out!! No more buying grocery store eggs...... 

she also ate a fresh green apple from the neighbor's tree......living off the land;)

5 pounds

I stepped on the scale monday and am down 5 pounds for the first week......I was hoping to be down 20!!! lol

Last night was bad cuz we went to the dakota county fair and I ate some no-no's wasn't that bad but still not great but hey the fair is so hard to not eat at when everyone is stuffin' their faces on greasy and chocolate. I am back at it today and will continue the strict low carb until monday and access the progress. I haven't been doing any cardio which is slowing the process but it is HOT and I hate sweating and our air went out and it is close to 90 degrees!!! I am NOT a fan of the heat. I feel really bad for my bunnies they look miserable. I have been misting them down and put some frozen water bags in their cages. It looks like just 3 more days of this heat and then back down to high 70's  The only good about our air being out is our electric bill isn't going to be so high. Ewww I just took a sip of lemonade after brushing my teeth....yuck!!!! I have to work tonight and I hope my clients don't melt in my chair without our air working. It is a split level home so the basement feels about 10 degrees cooler so that is good. Greg is working on the unit so hopefully he can get it going before calling a "pro".  Oh the neighbor just came over and got it running!!! Yeah!!!!

Atkins

Yet another attempt to lose this fat!! I have tried it once before (maybe twice) and it worked well when I was on it I just only did it for a couple 2...3 weeks and then went back to full on carbs. What I love about atkins is it is stuff I love to eat, meat and cheese and eggs. I have been doing the atkins bars and shakes too they are easy and quick when I need to put something in my belly. The choc coconut bars are sooo good just like a candy bar.  I started monday and yesterday I hit a nasty wall of something?? I think it was sugar detox!!! I got so sick I felt like puking and so tired I had to sleep most the day then last night I was all better and today I have so much energy and it is a nice constant energy. I have been cleaning non stop all day. I think my problem was I always was carb chasing and I get so shaky and crabby if I don't eat all the time. I think with more protein I don't have to ups and downs and I really do feel content most the day not like I need to eat my arm off with most diets. So I am committing to this for 6 weeks and then see what to do at that point. If you think about this it is a healthy way to lose weight. Lean meats like fish and chicken and green veggies and olive oils...also don't forget about the great cheese and beef that this girl loves!!! I think I can do this....wait I know I can do this for 6 weeks!!! 6 weeks goes so fast!!!

attack of the ants

Saturday I spent weeding some more and I guess I was sitting on an ant hill and all of a sudden I felt bites all over me and realized I was being attacked by tiny ants. Man they hurt and now I have welts and they itch SO badly!!! I want to scrape my skin off. It even woke me up in the middle of the night and the more I scratch the more it itches. I had to get up and try putting different things on to make it stop so I could fall back to sleep.  I put a good dent in the weed situation but I don't think I will get it under control this summer...maybe next year Greg will help, he is boycotting the yard this year.  I had the house to myself yesterday and I laid in bed and watched old movies all day!!! I loved it and really miss those little luxuries. Greg took Presley to Red wing and they had a parade so she came home all sugared up again. I swear we are allowing her way too much sweets!!! And this is coming from a mom who said " I am not letting my kid eat any candy!" UMM yeah that seems to be her main staple lately. This kid doesn't need any sugar to fuel her energy either. At least she doesn't get any more candy for going potty since she is completely trained now. It has been a few weeks with no accidents she even stays dry all night and gets up and pees in the morning by herself.  All I have to do is wipe her butt after pooping. She will come out of the bathroom and say "presley pooped" and bends over with her butt in the air for me to wipe. It is funny though she will not use a porta-potty. Greg had to bring her to a store yesterday at the parade cuz she wouldn't use the nasty porta-potty....I don't blame her I hold it for as long as I can before I finally break down and have to use those stinky things. She sees the nasty poop sitting in them and refuses to use it. Man they are nasty!!! So I just realized I turn 37 in 6 weeks and I HAVE to try to get back on the weight loss/exercise kick. I need to be down 10 pounds by sept. 15th!! I don't want to be my weight on my birthday, I need to crack down and get serious!!!! Why can't I find self control lately?? I never had a problem with losing weight I would get on a diet and a few weeks later lose 10 pounds without that much effort. Since being preggo I just can't seem to get it together. So frustrating!!!

more of the same

Another monday that I spent cleaning and doing laundry. Tomorrow we are most likely going to the zoo as long as there is no rain. The only thing that is on my list to do this week is to weed which is totally out of control!!! In a way I am looking forward to snow just so everyone can't see all my weeds. There is just not enough presley-free hours in the day for me to spend 3-4 hours straight on weeding. I guess I could spend 2 hours in the beds while she is sleeping but I hate getting into a project to be interrupted when I'm in the groove. Presley still is having fun on the tramp but she doesn't like to bounce by herself so one of us bounces with her. Oh well I didn't plan on it being a babysitter but it would have been nice....zip her in there and come back out in a few hours......yeah that would be great!!!! 

Trampoline

Greg bought Presley a trampoline. I am calling it her very early b-day present! It is fun but man are they an eye-sore in the yard. We are running out of room in this yard we really need a few acres. We have been bouncing non-stop for the last couple days. It is such a great workout though. I put my heart rate monitor on to see and I was able to keep my HR up without too much bouncing. Just got those arms a-flappin' and that is all it took. So I was doing jumping jacks at 7:30am this morning while she was bouncing along. It is a good way to start the day it gets the adrenaline flowing. It also keeps the core engaged at all times and my core needs lots of help! I am so excited for the upcoming rabbit show this weekend!! It is only an hour away from me so I don't have to be up at 2:30am this time. I can sleep till 5:45. I am hoping to find a good looking doe for Opie. I am hoping she will be about 5 months old or if not at least she can be proven and a little older. Opie won't be ready to breed for another 5 months or so. Either way I will probably wait till the cold winter starts warming up. I think maybe about March unless I bring the lops in the garage too. I would really love to find a pair of american fuzzy lops but I think Greg would kill me if I went with 3 different breeds. They are all so cute....I need to relax!