CONFESSIONS OF ...

An addict! Yep, that's me. I'm a food addict. To have an addiction to anything means that you crave that thing; your body screams for that thing; you think about that thing constantly and you will probably do anything to get it! Really? Yes and I can tell you it is not easy being a food addict. My food "thing" is anything sweet and/or savory. Dale's is anything chocolate - not that he's an addict, although I think if he didn't have his Fudgeo cookies, he might go into withdrawal! Ha! I constantly think about something salty, crunchy and oh so tasty. No matter how hard I try. I'm not sure if being a sweet food addict would be any easier, but let me tell you, it is very hard being a "salty/savory" gal. I have a friend in Weight Watchers who is the same as me, so we feel each other's pain. My biggest downfall is potato chips. I just love them. There was a time I could sit and eat a whole bag in one sitting and not be satisfied. I just wanted more. Now, I eat one little 100 calorie bag and I want more and more and more. So, for my own well-being I try not to eat them at all. But, oh, the pain!!! Being in WW has helped me a lot to control the portions of the food I eat. We can have whatever we want, as long as we count it, but for me, this isn't true of potato chips. It is even hard just writing about them, because I can taste the salty goodness and hear and feel the crunch! My addiction is not just for potato chips, but they are the hardest for me to control. We talked about how WW should be like AA "Hi, I'm Robin and I'm a food addict". Well, it isn't like that, but there have been times I've wanted to go to a meeting every night to keep from eating. For those of you skinny minis who can put anything in their mouths and never gain an ounce (Oh, you know who you are!), be thankful for your metabolism. Trust me, it slows down as you get older and it is harder to lose weight and keep it off. It does help to write and talk about my addiction to food. At least while I'm doing that I'm not eating! Hard to eat and type at the same time. I'm thankful I've been able to lose 63 lbs, but I really do want to lose more. So, I do my hobby (card making), go on the computer, read, write, watch a movie (sometimes that is disasterous, as I like to munch while watching) and sometimes take a walk (when my hip and knee cooperate). It also feels good to admit your problem. Well, I really did that a year and a half ago when I joined WW, but sometimes it is good to say it over and over. That way, I won't forget and maybe friends and family will remember, too, and help me. Well, that's my confession. Thanks for listening.

I LOVE BEING A GRANDPARENT!!

Today was a very good day! We have 3 services at our church (8:30, 10 and 11:15) and in the summer they decrease to 2 (9:00 and 11:00). In the summer, we go to the 9:00 service. Jason and Sandra and family and Jodi and Steve and family usually go to the 8:30 service and we go to the 10:00. So, we see the grandkids on their way to Sunday School at 10:00. In the summer, we usually get to sit with them in the service. This morning was just such a time. Lucas had a rough start, as a wasp stung him either before or after he got on the bus, but he was actually being very stoic about it. I was so proud of him. After we had sat down he noticed the communion items on the table in front. He said, "Oh, there's communication today; but I'm not going to take it, I'm going downstairs." So cute. The church provides donuts, fruit and muffings to the hardy souls who come for the early service, so 4 of our 5 grandkids love to sit and eat their goodies. I don't think Xander (almost 3) can function before he has his. He sure can't talk about anything else until the chocolate covered creme-filled donut is in his hands. (by the way, he only eats part of it, but Jason has to diligently keep it for him and put it in their mailbox to be retrieved after the service - it's his little ritual) Bethany was throughly covered with icing sugar and we tried to find something wet to clean her off. She was uncharacteristicly sticking close to me. Usually she won't leave her dad's side. So, I decided to go sit down and she came with me. She wanted to sit on my lap, which thrilled me (she isn't always "touchy-feely"). She asked for a pen and proceeded to show me how she can make a person - she just turned 4 in June - and her little person was so cute. Big head, crooked smile, with 2 eyes, hair, long legs and arms and a tiny little Erin right next to it. This is all being done with the paper sitting on my hand, as we don't have hymnbooks and I couldn't reach my Bible for her to use as a "table". She did pretty well. Then, she wanted me to draw for her. I made a kitty for her (her favorite animal), then a bunny, dog, fish and other stuff. All the time Erin is saying something to me, but I can't hear her. I thought she was saying she wanted to stand up, but she was actually saying she wanted to sit on my lap. I asked Bethany if Erin could have a turn, but she said no. No use starting a fight in the middle of church. It wasn't long before Lucas and Bethany went off to children's church and Erin got the coveted lap. Ha! For some reason, she figured I couldn't draw for her unless I was holding the pen in her hand, so some of the animals were pretty strange-looking. She finally tired of this about halfway through the sermon and got down. She had her beloved "Baa-Baa" with her and during the singing while communion was going on, she was standing with him lovingly held in her arms and rocking him while singing. It was so cute!! I wanted a video of it to remind me how preciously darling these little ones are. Meanwhile, before the service, Dale had latched on to almost 10 month old Evan and had managed to put him to sleep in his arms. So, there we were, Nana and Papa with two of our little grandkids in our laps and so much in our hearts. It's times like these that we love so much. From almost 6 to almost 10 months, each with such a different personality, we are so blessed to have these little darlings in our lives. We have times when we haven't seen them for awhile that we just have to go get our "fix" of them. We love it that our kids welcome us with open arms - and it helps that the kids come running with shouts of "Nana and Papa!!". I had forgotten to get something from Jodi one evening, so told her I'd stop by on my way out. When I got to her house and got out of the car, out ran Lucas with what I needed. I hugged and kissed him and as I turned to go back to the car, I heard, "I want a hug and kiss, too" and out ran Bethany and Erin. So, hugs and kisses all around and then I was allowed to leave. This is what I call living!!! I have a t-shirt (I actually bought 2) that says "My grandkids are cute as buttons" and I proudly wear it!! For those of you who are grandparents you will understand what I'm talking about. For those who aren't, your time, hopefully, will come. It's the greatest thing in the world! (I'll try to get some pics of the kids on here soon.)

Welcome!

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." How many times have you heard those words? How many times have you really thought about it? Well, this is the first day of my "Blog life". I am trying hard to break into a new (to me) information media. I do email, but I wanted more and I didn't want to go on Facebook. When Jen made her blog, I thought it was a neat idea and that I would like to try to make one, too. It's fun, but kind of daunting, too. Hard to describe yourself and think of all the books, music, movies, etc. that you like and want to share with others. But, I will try to put thought to "paper" as often as I can. I hope you enjoy my ramblings and will come often. I also hope you will leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for coming!!!

Why Libertybellenana?

I just want to explain why I chose "libertybellenana" as my email address. Some would probably figure it out, but some may wonder. I wanted to use just "libertybelle", but it was taken - apparently there were a LOT of those. I didn't want some obscure number after it because I would probably never remember it. So, I chose "Nana" because that is what our grandkids call me. The "Libertybelle", of course, is because I was raised in Missouri (for 20 years) and I am very proud to be an American (and a Canadian also). I just wanted to do something different - which Dale will freely admit is nothing new. I dislike sameness and am always up for anything new, different and exciting. I'm hoping this blog will help me express myself a little and get some of my creative juices flowing. And maybe help you to get to know me and my family a little better.