Fast Food friends, pt 1

Dieting update!

Well, the Willingham's are still on the "less crap, more veggies, gotta get our act together because we are getting old" diet. It's not easy and the last two weeks have proven it. With Chris working crazy ministry hours, and Me on summer "whatever" time, food becomes a last thought, which usually means eating out. And since I'm not paying $7 for $1 worth of wilted rabbit food I hate eating anyway, I don't make great choices on the fast food menus. So I thought I'd start a list of some of my "fast food friends" that I can keep around the house.



1. Turkey bacon.. microwaves in a minute and is a great addition to any salad or BLT type sandwich



2. Fresh fruit.. filling, no cooking needed, and can count as 1/3 of a dinner plan



3. ground turkey.... easy to brown and freeze, so it's ready to just defrost and be added to, well, anything.. salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, anything



4. carrots .. to munch on while cooking.. if it's running into a late night, they can keep the "let's just run out and get something" disease from taking over.



5. cereal.. a great "dinner? oops, I knew I forgot something" filler.. the kids don't mind and the hubby is so kind, he just is happy for food.

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for:

** paychecks, 2 of them, hitting the account simultaneously,it's been a long time coming

** McDonald's hashbrowns.. because it made my morning happy

** good friends

** a church who seeks to spread the good news of Christ locally and internationally.. Check out the blog of our current mission in Mexico and Costa Rica here.

** coffee, because it is God's gift to tired people

** boys who are growing up into fine young men

** cut off shorts

** sandals

** lazy summer schedules

** clean clothes

** cheesecake

** wireless internet connections

** working appliances

Thank you, God, for the gifts you give above and beyond what we need. Thank you for a life of abundance. And may I share that abundance with people around me for your glory and honor.

Not Me Monday

Alright, my blog friend from back in high school has started doing this and it makes me laugh! So, I'll give it a try... It's a tongue in cheek report of what's going on.. because I would Never do these things.. nope.. NOT ME! (ok, maybe a little, but I hope you get the point)

Today I did NOT take the easy way out at lunch and feed the kids Chef Barf from a can because they begged for it.. nope, NOT ME.

And I certainly did NOT force my precious darlings to work in their room and sort out their toys into "keeping" "trashing" and "going on vacation" piles.... because that would be wrong to let them think they had options about the future of their junky toys. nope, not me, I'd never do that.

And I most definately did NOT speak kindly to the lady at the AC company at 8 am this morning after being up most of the night too hot to sleep to suck up to her so she would send out her tech to re-fix my AC that hasn't been cooling well all weekend after they cleaned the evap coils and unplugged the drain line. not me.. I wouldn't ever exhibit such gracious and kind behavior to the lady who has nothing to do with fixing the ac. And I most certainly will not send brownines home with the tech if he fixes it with no additional charge. Nope, not me!

I did NOT watch too many Harry Potter movies this weekend to get me all excited about the new movie opening on Wed. Nope I would NEVER postpone things like dinner and family time so I could finish watching a movie I've already seen.

Nope, not me.. I wouldn't ever do any of these things!

Some more vacation pictures

The boys got to sit with a bear. They were really good sports.



Here is the outside of the lodge. Some pretty imposing wolves kept watch.


And the boys with the stuffed fake bear outside of Buccee's. A fitting end to a great weekend.

Great Wolf Lodge

We had a great July 4th weekend. We traveled to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. It was a hit! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Here is a little firepower!


This is the boys playing MagiQuest. The whole lodge had "enchanted" items that would light up when they pointed their wands at it. They were trying to collect certain items. Just some good old fantasy fun!



This is everyone on the night of the 4th.. waiting in the parking lot to see some fireworks.. Seems that Ronald's truck is just the right height to balance a camera on.



Here's the fam in the obligatory picture in front of the lobby fireplace.


And finally, we picked up a hitchhiker.. Buccee has a new home in Madisonville and he was tired of the crowds, so he snuck a ride with us. The crowds were so big that the feeder road on the opposite side of the freeway was backed up.. Only in Texas will tourists pile in to a roadside store because it boasts clean bathrooms. But, they really are clean and it is a lot of fun to stop there!





Super big thanks to Cheryl and Ronald for a restful and fun weekend. We all had a blast!

Upcoming..

I can't wait to share our vacation pics and stories.. We had a blast..But I'm too tired to share now. Come back later.. it'll be here eventually.

Thankful Thursday

Thought I'd make Thursday my day of thanks-sharing. You know, because it starts with TH

I am thankful for...

**living in a country that allows me freedoms
**children who are well adjusted
**desserts, especially since I'm not eating as many these days
**coffee
**Wii, so I can workout in the peace of my own home
**Air Conditioning
**non leaky plumbing in one spot in my house
**free public libraries
**authors who take the time to write fiction that is not laced with sexual innuendo and crass humor
**parents who love me unconditionally
**family that loves each other
**the ability to work
**hair bands that don't pull out my hair when I take them out
**neon colors that don't occur naturally
*whoever invented the oscillating fan

Happy Thursday, ya'll!

Busy Wednesday

So much to do, so little time. My summer list isn't shrinking as much as I want it to. But I have had some great fun with my niece this week. So today, we've got Girls Bible Study in the morning, then lunch, then a drive to Columbus to pick up the boys. When I get home, I get to start washing clothes for Friday's trip to Dallas.

So, I just wonder, When do I get my pajama day??? I almost made it last week, but then I had to go out to the store or something. Maybe next week I'll get to it.

But, I am so looking forward to this weekend's VACATION! Yep, the whole extended Willingham clan is going to Great Wolf Lodge near Dallas. Waterpark, arcade, Pacific Northwest themed resort of fun. I sure hope it lives up to it's expectations. Even if not, it'll be nice to just get away for a bit.

Chris will work a long day today. I'll probably be picking him up around 10 pm tonight. This one car business since his is not doing well at all is just no fun. Just a little while longer and we'll have some new to us wheels. That's the plan anyway. And a plan I hope we keep.