Cookies or Cake?

I suggested the kids make cake mix cookies while I wrestled with spread sheets for our United co-op. These were Bre's favorite to make with them. I had purchased some cake mixes when our local health food store went out of business JUST to make these cookies.
We got out the ingredients. I left these two to supervise.

Somehow I confused them. I gave them a recipe for cookies, but they don't remember cooking with cake mixes and so they made a cake. ::snort::

I'm tired. We had two doctor's appointments, a lunch engagement, a gym appointment, United Co-op to figure out, school, bills to pay, speech, drugs to research - it was a full day.
ALL are OFF due to the time change!!! Zander and I seem to have the most difficult time with the changes. I'll have to post the blog tour review and giveaway tomorrow.

Doctors!!!

I saw another doctor today. "My" doctor is at Officer Training School of some sort. I was glad to see another doctor, a female doctor, who listened and understood my qualms about taking a Cat X drug. She agreed that this is not a drug to be taking at my age and with the possibility of further pregnancies. My other doc kept saying "my job is to treat symptoms as they present. I don't treat possibilities." Shew. THIS doc understood that possibilities ARE important to look at when asking someone to take a drug that could wreak havoc for years.
The good news is that my total cholesterol has dropped 90 points. I'm well below 200. My doc had said when it was below 200 I could go off the meds and try to maintain with lifestyle IF I'd have labs once a month. This doc was shocked he agreed to that - and that led to me telling her the WHOLE story about being Quiver Full and not wanting to take Cat X blah, blah, blah. She understood. She went to look for a drug that may help and that I could take if I was pregnant and wouldn't harm a baby. NO, I'm NOT pregnant....but I don't want to be taking nasty drugs.
She said the fact that my numbers didn't respond to diet and lifestyle change for 3 years and then drastically dropped after 4 weeks of Zocor shows that this is genetics. My other labs showed that I'm low on protein and calcium so she KNEW I'd not been eating a lot of red meat and whole milk. ::snort:: She believes if I do go off the drugs altogether, I will see my number rise to "dangerously high" levels again.
Her plan was for me to take a Cat C drug until I'm 50 and then go back on the Zocor. Evidently the Statin drugs, Zocor, really is the best for me to be taking....BUT she understood why I didn't want to take it with the possibility of pregnancy. I came home and researched and discovered that the side effects of gemfibrozil sound AWFUL. I guess I can try it for a month and see. I mean my liver didn't explode on Zocor. I learned to deal with the aches in my legs. I guess I'll be trying this new one for a month and seeing what happens (gallstones, nausea, dizzines, weight loss). I do NOT want to take the Niacin - she said it's like having perpetual hot flashes and from watching friends endure THOSE, I know I don't want that drug. LOL That would be JUST what a person dreams of...morning sickness AND hot flashes...the best of both worlds right there. ::snort::
I went to the gym and got in 45 minutes of cardio before I came home.

Weekly Fitness Goals

Weekly Goal - 240 Minutes (40 minutes most days)
Totaly Weekly Minutes - 273 minutes!!!!!
Annual Goal - 11,700 minutes (2900 by end of March)
Minutes to Date - 1,998 minutes

Monday - Nada

Tuesday - 75 minutes
45 minutes recumbent bike
30 elliptical machine

Wednesday - 75 Minutes
33 minutes - elliptical machine
42 minutes - recumbent bike

THURSDAY - 45 Minutes (recumbent bike)

FRIDAY - 78 Minutes
65 minutes - recumbent bike
13 minutes - elliptical machine
To see who else has participated this week, click HERE. For more info about the challenge, click the icon at the top of this post.
Motivation: I suspect I should write a whole entry on the subject of motivation.....as my thoughts on this have changed a lot in the past two months. The biggest motivating help, at this point, is Mike. He simply won't let me miss too many days. Mike has NEVER nagged me to work out or look fit and trim, but he takes very seriously the dire warnings of raising our wonderful family without me by his side, and so, he keeps prodding me to "make at least 40 minutes a day a priority," and he even watches kids on his day off so that I can make it to the gym. I've conquered my fear of the fit students at the gym...oh well...when they are MY age we'll see what they look like. ::snort:: The challenge now is to....um....actually do the minutes in chunks of 40 minutes a day instead of 3 really long work out days. ::snort:: I also need to find time to work in strength training, too.

SUPER SATURDAY

After the event with Jim Weiss, we walked across the street to enjoy one of the city's parks. I'm consciously choosing to go on "family outings" even if 4 of the children are big and grown. LOL
Stacia tells Jared she wants to catch "ducky duck."

She sneaks up on him...


He always got away!

We ran to the commissary and picked up milk and a few items for a picnic at the base's Lake Rec Camp.

While Mike and Jared loaded boats, I made lunch and picked up the house.
We're off.....loaded for fun. Canoe on top, kayak inside...life jackets, bocce and food!

Zander practices his style


It was VERY windy today; the boating didn't go exactly as planned. I've had a grand time recounting the story to Bre and Krista but have decided not to recount it here. It appears that I have the "gift of exaggeration" and um....I'm studying Eph 4 this week - I must remember that exaggerating is akin to falsehood. ::snort::

I will say that Mike says there are a few "design faults" in the kayak. Mainly, THIS one is not meant for a 6'3" man. ::snort:: I'm still sold on canoes...that kayak didn't look comfortable, and I know for sure you get WETTER. ::snort::
I read from "The Next Level," Jared and Mike played Bocce, the younger ones played on the playground...great day at the lake.

I got to talk to both girls today. They've had a bit of a rough week - ah the joys of being young leaders. Bre said she'd like to have my discernment - and I told her when she is my age she'll have it. ::snort:: She's doing fine now, but you know how it is...you always question if you've made the right choices as a leader. Do pray for the girls as you think of it. Bre is planning on staying as staff at Master's Commission. Krista is praying through a few options.

Jim Weiss - Story Teller Extraordinaire

The storyteller, Jim Weiss, has been in town this week. In the past, we have had several of his GA Henty audio books, and the children wanted to go hear him. I was a bit skeptical as I didn't think he would hold the attention of the younger ones. WOW. He is GREAT. He won my gratitude when he autographed our copy of "Wulf the Saxon" before the event.

We were able to hear him TELL THREE STORIES as opposed to reading a book; he is entertaining, hilarious, and fun. If you get a chance to hear him, go. Mike stayed home and studied for ACSC, the older two boys went to work, and the younger 5 and I went to hear the story teller.

We bought a few more CD's (on sale): Jewish Holiday Stories, Mystery for Children, (Edgar Allan Poe, Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes), Uncle Wiggly's Storybook, A Treasury of Wisdom, Come on Seabiscuit (by Ralph Moody), and Beric the Briton (GA Henty)....

I plan to REMEMBER these and pull them into our TOG as we go..... He had some great ones on Greek Myths, but we just finished 3 weeks of reading Greek myths. I'll plan ahead next year.

We NEED more audio books because it appears the girls took our GA HENTY books when they left home.....::snort:: I put the younger ones on notice today "these are FAMILY gifts" - they stay when you leave. ::snort:: (The other GA Henty books were gifts for Krista.)

*Crime Scene Jerusalem* by Alton Gansky

 I really enjoyed Finder's Fee, another book by this author that I have previously reviewed. I saw this book week's ago as I was out looking for Lent resources. I snatched it up.
The premise of this book intrigued me. "What if a forensic detective could investigate the evidence surrounding the death of Jesus...and His resurrection?"
A chapter into this book I was thinking "ho hum". Slowly, I began to learn little cultural things that I'd not learned before about 1st Century Israel. It ties in so well with my Bible Reading; I did check his resources. Interesting tidbits that I began to learn and a question about Maxwell Odom kept me reading. Last night I reached a description of a Roman crucifixion. I almost didn't finish the chapter....but I decided to face the ugliness and push through. The the tomb, the upper room....oh it was good.
I had planned to finish this and send it to the girls before Easter...but I think the boys may want to read it now too. LOL
From the back of the book: "Crime Scene Jerusalem is the kind of novel that lingers in your soul, long after you put it down. Alton Gansky did a masterful job of portraying this modern crime-scene investigator who fins himself thrust into a time he knows nothing about - and learns how his own tragic life intersects with those who walked with Jesus. Besides holding me captive with his surprising, page-turning story, Gansky taught me things I didn't know. I wish everyone would read this book" Terri Blackstock, bestselling author of Last Light
My friend Liz tells me that she has not enjoyed the mystery series she found by this author. I've not hunted them up yet...but I did enjoy this book. Who would guess Sunday School would collide with CSI in such an interesting manner?
This is another 2008 Winter Reading Challenge book.

A Miscellaneous Kind of Day

 We finished another week with our new pace.  1.5 weeks per week till we find some place (like China) where we want to camp out. One, maybe two, more weeks like this and we should catch Jamin and Jared. ::snort::

We spent some time checking out the Iditaod racers, times, and such. Of course, we're rooting for DeeDee and Rohn Buser (Martin's son). Most of you haven't a clue what I'm talking about; do you? ::snort::

I did some looking on the PWOC website....free Bible Studies there for PWOC groups to download....hmmm...maybe.

I ran the boys to the ministry where they volunteer. THEN Nolan, Stacia, Zander, and I headed to the gym. I had hoped for a 40 minute workout and then home to shower in time to pick up boys and head back to base for CAP. WELLLL......sure enough at 36 minutes, Stacia realized the play area in the Family Fitness Room is a cleverly disguised playpen. ::snort:: I didn't want to stop. I was reading the end of my book and wanted to finish. I made it to 45 minutes before balls were flying around the room. Just as we left the gym I got a call. The boys' club at a local school was cancelled due to weather (high 36* today). I was so glad I had that extra 5 minutes at the gym so I could simply go get them and wasn't on the highway heading home. LOL

Mike and Jared will be out late. I played around with a new template...but I'm hopeless. I'll probably go read a new book I'm starting. LOL