Carmella is back!

Here I go talking in 3rd person. Oh well... :D) I am excited... So, since February 22, 2009 I started a new lifestyle based on the Dept of Health and Human Services guidelines. I have lost 6.1 lbs as of today! Yeah. That is at a bit higher weight loss than I should have lost but with the breakup I have not been hungry at all. I had people making fun of how little I would eat. But, I was nervous that I would throw it up (Gross, I know, but true). Today, it is official that my appetite is back. My stomach actually growled. LOL.

The picture to the right inspires me daily.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we limit fat in our diets to about 30% of our daily calories. This amounts to 40 grams of fat in a 1200-calorie diet, 47 grams in a 1400-calorie diet, 53 grams of fat in a 1600-calorie diet, 60 grams of fat in an 1800-calorie diet, and 67 grams of fat in a 2000-calorie diet. (1,600-1,800 is what my goal calorie intake.)

I have also added exercise into my weekly routine. I love CSI and it comes on at night when I can watch it and exercise after Sydney has gone to sleep. Then, I take my shower making me ready for the next day.

Have been very cautious of sharing this with my blog but when I heard my stomach growl it was exciting to me, plus I have made some great progress. What is important here is that it is not a hype diet it is a form of eating that has been researched deeply and one that my Aunt preaches. This lifestyle is so that I can live like this forever. There will be setbacks but I have some plans for them also. Another great tip is checkout www.fitday.com because it is what i use to track everything... my food intake, my exercise and my weight. Can't say how helpful it is. Check it out. I don't like to plan to eat but I can plan to watch calorie intake and know what I have left for the day.

Work FL

Spent the last day in Tampa, FL learning my new area. A place where I have never liked to visit but knew it would help with my new position. So, I visited it today and it was not bad. Meaning that I liked the area. What my Manager was thinking that if I wanted to move, I could move to Tampa and still be around a metro area. Being down here would put me closer to singles that believe in what I believe. It would put me closer to the beach (YEAH!). So, moving to Tampa, FL could be an option down the line one day. Not immediately but something that I could lean toward and work toward in the next five years.


Its a big area to have but I can make it work and get the numbers that I need to get into bonus status. Yes! Great place for me to be and I feel blessed.

(See the blue line.)

All you need is already within you!

"All you need is already within you, only you must approach your self with reverence and love. Self-condemnation and self-distrust are grievous errors. Your constant flight from pain and search for pleasure is a sign of love you bear for your self, all I plead with you is this: make love of your self perfect. Deny yourself nothing -- glue your self infinity and eternity and discover that you do not need them; you are beyond". Nisargadatta Maharaj

Received this quote today from a great friend! It gives me strength and I wanted to share! I posted it because I needed this inspiration. I am beyond and can pull from deep down. This past week, Mauricio and I broke up. It is the best for me but that does not make it any easier. Now, it has made me more powerful in my belief that I HAVE to date members of the church.

Snow is Columbus, GA

There was snow this weekend in Columbus, GA. Mom took pictures and texted them to me. Snow in March!

2937 Mc Neese Drive, Columbus, GA

(The ole home place as we would call it.) It looks beautiful!Mom's current home in Columbus, GA on Walton Street.
(Was Aaron and Carrie's house at one time)

Mom's backyard through a screen. Guess she was too cold to take it outside.

Interstate 185 near the airport.

This one is kinda scary because my mom actually was driving and taking a picture with her camera phone. Which it was not until after she went photo happy sending them to me on her phone that I told her it cost money to send the pictures. She had fun!

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

(from google)

A great author! Dr Seuss wrote many tremendous books for our children. In 2005, while in Austin, TX for an Affiniscape conference there was a private showing of Dr. Seuss' work. Frank Amos and I went. He had some great skills of getting into places that other people couldn't without being invited. (Another time we skipped a huge line for a dance club in Las Vegas) Anyway, it was a great exhibit about his life and work. One fact that I still remember was he made himself a Doctor title.

So, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Sydney loves Dr. Seuss and for one of her projects in school they had to dress up like there favorite character for a project. She picked "The Cat in the Hat" to dress up like. She really looked like him too.

England... I will live there!

I so want to live in England.... One day... I want to live in England for a while. I just love the England people. I love their culture... I love there traditions ... Even if I just live there for a year. I want to be there one day... I will be there one day!

I think that men with accents are the sexiest guys out there. If they can speak another language that makes it even better.

I think that children are amazing. They can endure so much and understand so much! This is especially in 2009.

Handsome Kai

Sydney had a soccer game at night while Carrie and Gam-Mommy were painting the interior of my house. So, I took Kai to the game. It was COLD, to say the least. He was bundled up really good. It was not too cold when we started but got colder and colder as the sun went down. He is my handsome Kai all bundled up....

How we finised looking all bundled up warm.

Two Beautiful people
The start of being cold.

Sydney all bundled warm running on the field. It doesn't take much for Sydney to be warm. She can wear shorts and not be cold when it is 50 degrees outside.

Annie Oakley Project

So we had a project to get done for school... I recorded it because Sydney did do the work. She decided to make a picture book for her assignment. It was interesting to learn about this women of the west. Here is the project:

Annie get your gun. Can you see the outline of the gun?

The cover.... Can you tell she is shooting something? You can see it better in the top picture.

Working on the project.

Part of the beginning of the project.

When I brought the gun out for Sydney to trace, her mouth dropped open. This is the gun we use on Thanksgiving days when we shoot clay pigeons in the field.

Cool Website, Sydney Comments

Got turned onto this really awesome website for when people need meals brought to their home. It is very easy to use, try it out at http://takethemameal.com/.

In ten minutes, it is amazing what a beautiful girl will tell her mom.
1) Mom you are skinny. I like it when you wear shirts like that, I can give you a hug and feel your flat stomach.
2) Mom, set my alarm for 5:00am in the morning so that I can come and lay down with you for some huggie time before getting up in the morning.
3) She did not tell me this but acted it out. We have family prayer each night and it is usually in her bed with me kneeling next to the bed and Sydney kneeling in her bed. Tonight, she asked for her Raggedy Anne (RA) doll before prayer that she had left in my room. When I returned and was getting ready for prayer, she started doing something with RA. What are you doing with her, I asked. Sydney responded, she is kneeling for prayer. (How sweet and cool is that.)

Sydney's Birthday with Family

We had a great quick birthday for Sydney this year because she had a soccer party at the park with her dad. Below are pictures of both parties.

Sydney's Birthday Cake.... We researched ideas on the internet and found this one that she liked. I cooked the cupcakes. She and Aylyn a friend of hers decorated it all! They did an awesome job!

A flower on fire!!!

Soccer Party

Sydney and he grandparents with brother (David) on the seasaw at the park during her party.
Sydney and Brianna on the seasaw. It is awesome to have them down here living in Tallahassee, FL verses in Seattle, WA.

Homemade Fortune Cookies

Sydney came home and said that we could not give candy out at school for V-Day. We were both okay with this idea. So, we made our cards. They came from an idea off of MarthaStewart.com...

Valentine Cards for School

Compared to theres at MS...

Two planes and two different outcomes

My mind is just reflecting this morning about all the families and friends of those lost in the Boston plane crash last night. My heart is in pain for these people. It amazes me that all were killed on the plane. This makes me think, wow for those that landed in the Hudson River a few weeks back. All is in God's hands and I am just struck with pain and sorrow for those people on the commuter plane today but for joy of those from the Hudson River. Those in the Hudson were saved for something that they needed to do. For them, I just know they are really reflecting how grateful they they are for landing safely in the Hudson. Man oh man... May God comfort those family and friends at this time for those of the Boston plane crash.

The Zabriskie's Farewell

We had a couple missionaries come and stay in Quincy, FL for two years. When it was time for their farewell, I was in charge of it. They are very special people to me, The Zabriskie's, and I didn't know what to do for them that would mean so much. We were having a nice meal after church but from there, I had no idea what to give that would have meaning. Finally it came to my mind to get message board and use my creative memories paper with lines. On these sheets, members of the congregation were to write them a message. Something that they would remember us in the ward. How they impacted members lives or a story they remembered in their personal handwriting. When it started, I was not sure how it would go. After everyone had put their messages on the board it was overwhelming how much this worked. We love "the Z's" as we called them.

Another event that we did was, I asked a few people to get up and say a few words about how they impacted their life. WOW!! Oh my goodness... There were some wet faces and happy souls after members got up. This was a bit nerve racking for me because what if people didn't get up. However they got up! I had asked for two people a few weeks ago so they could prepare. It was spiritually strong throughout this ten minutes that turned into twenty-five minutes. Since we have turned into a Branch, we have translators. Words are hard to express how to know what these speechless members have to say because they were never speechless but they never had a voice to express their words because of the language barrier. To hear them explain the impact they had on their lives was so touching to my heart! People didn't leave the room.

They made an impact on our ward! I will be forever grateful for what they did for me. Sister Zabriskie was single mom for 13 years before she found her sweetie. So, I told them that I didn't meet that special guy for me in the eighteen months they were here, but I know it will happen in the next eighteen years. I have faith and knowledge that there is someone out there for me because of Sister Zabriskie!

Tears Happen: Endure, grieve and move on...

The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.

LIVE while you are alive.

Remember! Lost time can never be found.

Do it NOW!

*****************
A friend, Connie Rudd, sent me a sweet email about staying young and from the email I found these two phrases very powerful.

Tears do happen... Wow that is so true. So many people have something happen to them and they continue to live in the past and don't move on which hurts them in the end. By dwelling in the past we can't move forward. This phrase is so true. We need to enjoy our life and learn from our experiences. If it was wasn't hard, it wouldn't be worth it. Is a phrase that I have heard for years. Plus we can't take back time, it is always going by. It is our responsibility to fill our lives with importance. On my blog, I have the following inspirational thought:

If you try and fail, you won’t feel as bad as you think. You’ll gain experience, education, contacts, and self-confidence

People need to be alive while they are ALIVE!

Fasing and Fast Offerings

I was responsible for teaching the lesson today in Relief Society. It was a bit nerve racking because I was in front of women that knew there gospel topic. Other than one other time, this was my first time teaching. Teaching about the Fast Offering was a great experience for me. It made me remember principles that you just do and forget why. It made me real feel better about fasting and it not be about food but about gaining more spirituality plus helping others. Below are a few excerpts from my lesson.

I believe in Visual Aids and they should be used in 5 out of 6 lessons. It touches another way in which people learn, me is one that learns from them.

I bought a clear bow, 7 white golf balls, and 7 pink (breast cancer) golf balls. I got two volunteers and asked them to get all of the white balls below the rime of the bowl. The volunteers took out the pink golf balls bringing the white balls below the rime of the bowl. So after all the pink cancer balls were gone, it was like when we fast we are taking the bad out of our body. Like the cancer we take it out and we are healthy again.

Summary:
Sincere fasting be one way to “empty” ourselves of unrighteousness so we can be filled with the Holy Ghost
1.They read and mark Alma 22:15 together. It says:And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit crooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
Explained that this verse contains the words of a king who repented for rebelling against the Lord. The king offered to give up his kingdom and all his possessions in order to receive the Spirit of God (the Holy Ghost).

What did the king really need to give up to feel the Spirit? (See Alma 22:18.)
Just as the pink balls needed to come out of the bowl before the bowl could be filled with white ball, the wickedness in the king needed to leave before the king could be filled with the Holy Ghost.

What do we need to do to be filled with the Holy Ghost? (We need to rid ourselves of unrighteous thoughts and actions.
2.How can sincere fasting be one way to "empty" ourselves of unrighteousness so we can be filled with the Holy Ghost?
Even though our stomachs are empty when we fast, we can be filled with the Holy Ghost. Being hungry for food when we fast is not wrong, especially if it reminds us to “hunger and thirst after righteousness, [so we can] be filled with the Holy Ghost?(3 Nephi 12:6 - And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.)
--From - Lesson 10: Fasting--Hungry or Full, Preparing for Exaltation: Teacher's Manual--

********************************

Next My favorite quote that we read was from Elder L.Tom Perry

"We Give Out of Love"

“It is our understanding of the principle of love that encourages us to give generously to the fast offerings, a wonderful, revealed system in which on the first Sunday of each month, we voluntarily refrain from eating two meals and contribute the cost of those meals to our bishop. He then has the resources to help him help those in need. The system is mostly painless, and it raises our appreciation for those who are without and provides a means to satisfy their daily requirements. May the Lord continue to bless us with the desire to love one another and give generously based on the principle of the fast.” Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Building a Community of Saints,” Ensign, May 2001, 36.

*************************

WOW.... I had not thought of the Fast Offering as giving love. That makes me give the fast more meaning to me and that bit of resistance to hold back some is gone.

Super Bowl Eyebrows....

So, I went to my brother's house, Aaron, to watch the Super Bowl. Carrie and I got bored in the 4th Quarter so we massacred my eyebrows. We had fun but now my eyebrow need at least, at least, a week to grow out. I have to use a eyebrow pencil to fix. It is kinda funny. While we were doing this, Kai came in to the bathroom. He kept saying eye and was handing a band-aid to Carrie. We thought he was hurt, but that was not the case. He wanted it to be put on my eye. Hence, the Diego band-aid on my right eyebrow. :D) Thanks Kai Kai!!!

BTW... We did watch the last part of the game. Heart wrenching...

Callaway Gardens

I recieved an email from my beautiful mom and thought this needed to be shared. Callaway has so many great memories to me. We would go and swim there or watch the butterflies or go to the gardens. Here are some pictures that we took in 2003 of our day there.

Dragonfly real life artwork

Sydney next to a Hugh Ladybug

Holding a snake. Sydney was not scared. We even got her a Cottonmouth Rattlesnake stuffed animal with this trips.

Cool Special... >>>>>>

Beginning January 1 through February 28, 2009, Callaway Gardens is inviting everyone to "Be Our Guest." Admission is complimentary for these two months providing guests with the opportunity to enjoy time with their friends and family reconnecting in nature. Just show up - no ticket necessary to enter the Gardens.

Warm up those chilly nights with an escape to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia! Experience the wonders of our resort that blends the tradition of nature-inspired luxury and superior service with a new era of indulgence and dramatic rejuvenation. The comfort and elegance of this magical Georgia retreat is surpassed only by the mesmerizing beauty of its expansive natural surroundings.

Juggling Elephants at Inauguration

I read this book back in 2005, called "Juggling Elephants" by Jones Loflin and really like the concept of the book and how to manage my life. I get newsletters and they remind me and help me refocus. The below is an excerpt from today's newsletter. I am blogging about this because I liked how they phrased it is our responsibility to make a difference. It is the person in the mirror who is responsible.

Juggling Elephants Comment At The Inauguration

The title wasn't mentioned, but concepts that are strongly promoted in the book were highlighted by President Barack Obama. Consider these words from his inauguration address:

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.-President Barack Obama

In short...Be The Ringmaster of your circus and act based on your purpose. These are difficult times, and if we are to survive and achieve any level of success professionally, personally and as a nation, we must take full control of our actions-and align them with our purpose. Expecting our situation to magically change solely because of the actions of others or an organization is like putting up a tent and hoping a circus will come by...it just won't happen.

Take what you want and apply.... to YOU!

To learn more about Juggling Elephants at http://www.jugglingelephants.com/.

Dave Ramsey vs. Marvin J. Ashton

The computer screen says, "Tax Shelters of the Rich & Famous."

AKA, Swiss Bank Account...

My personal goal is to have one of these eventually.

How awesome would that be?

Pretty Awesome!

**********************************************

With the Economy as it is, there is much discussion on the ways to become self reliant and be ready for anything. So, in the recent days, my mind has been on how to apply money so that it works for me. Here are two plans that are what I will be applying into my life.

Dave Ramsey's Money Make over (He calls his steps, "Baby Steps".)

Step 1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund.
Step 2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball.
Step 3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings.
Step 4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement.

Step 5 - College funding for children.
Step 6 - Pay off home early.
Step 7 - Build wealth and give! (Invest in mutual funds and real estate).

As I wrapped my mine on these steps from Dave, it brought back another Money Guru. That would be Elder Marvin J. Ashton. The LDS church publishes a pamphlet that was once green but now it has been updated and is gold, which is called "One for the Money: Guide to family finance."

1.) Pay an Honest Tithing (10%)

2.) Learn to mange money before it manges you

3.) Learn self-discipline and self-restraint in money matters (Debt-Elimination Calendar)

4.) Use a budget

5.) Teach family members early the importance of working and learning

6.) Teach children to make money decisions in keeping with their capacities to comprehend

7.) Teach each family member to contribute to the total family welfare

8.) Make education a continuing process

9.) Work toward home ownership

10.) Appropriately involve yourself in an insurance program

11.) Understand the influence of external forces on family finances and investments

12.) Appropriately involve yourself in a food storage and emergency preparedness program.

******************************

Personally, I think Ramsey wins!!! But both of these ideas should be implemented for the well rounded and self-reliant person. Going to work on the Baby Step Program with Dave and teach Sydney at the same time. She will think it fun. She likes to see money grow!

Two Pretty Gals, oh to the shed

As I was looking at my blog today, it came to my mind that this is for Sydney and me. So, the header was changed to reflect both of us. To involve Sydney, I asked her what the theme should be and she came up with, "Two Pretty Girls" which I changed the "Girls" to "Gals" and we have been created!

Still we are "The Magnolia Cafe" which has never been explained on this blog. But, the name comes from the street we live on in Quincy, FL. But most importantly, it is from Sydney's shed she has used in the back as a playhouse and mini diner. She had a table/chairs, kitchen, bathroom and TV plus a full length mirror and bar for ballet practice. She was helped by Gam-Mommy to set it up. But as time went by she stopped playing in it and she claimed it was because of the tiny lizards who came to visit. Well, we just cleaned out this shed and have sold it to a neighbor. We won't be playing in it any longer. As a reminder, I took a picture of the sign we has posted on the door.