See the wonderful help I had today cleaning Eythan's room? Savannah loves to help me clean with Chlorox wipes so I asked her to wipe the doors. Her friends came over (we were babysitting) and they all wanted to help! We are using his room as our office temporarily until he gets back home. I spent almost a whole day cleaning it out before we could move our stuff in. It was a DISTASTER, worse than most 15 year old boys' rooms. But it's done and hopefully will never be that bad again. I'm hoping that when he grows up a little (from being at the ranch) he'll come home at least a tiny bit neater. :) Nothing wrong with hoping! We also bought a Futon to put in the office too and my mom will be the first one to use it next month. We will pick it up this Friday. Yea! Finally a guest room (sort of)!

I started working with my husband yesterday. So far so good. :) He works in Dallas on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I am not actually working WITH him on those days but am still doing stuff for him. We are working on an iPhone application. Right now I am trying to put together a presentation for prospective clients that we want to work with. It's pretty exciting! And I'm learning some new software that I've never used.

I went to a Chiropractor yesterday for the first time because my right hip (actually it's where my femur and hip meet...in that socket) has been bothering me and is getting worse. He said my right leg is shorter than my left, which I don't think is too uncommon. He took an x-ray of my hip to see if there's any other reason for my pain and I go back tomorrow to find out the results. He did some adjustments on my back too which was a weird experience! But it felt good too. He told me that low serotonin can cause or lead to (not sure which) IBS. I don't think I have IBS, but it got me thinking about all my recent stomach problems and I think it's possible that going off my Zoloft almost a year ago might be the reason this all started. Mine seems to be an acid problem and having gone off my Zoloft after 16 years of being on it, I'm probably creating more acid than I used to (from stress). Just something I'm pondering...

I haven't managed to lose any weight yet but I haven't tried very hard yet. The chiropractor said I shouldn't start exercising this week so hopefully I'll be motivated to do it next week. :)

Tim and I celebrate our 9th anniversary tomorrow (the 15th...tax day...how romantic). We are driving to San Antonio this weekend and will celebrate in a beautiful bed & breakfast while Savannah goes to my brother's for the weekend. So excited!

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and loving this beautiful weather (if you're in Texas)!

Happy April!

I can't believe it's already April. Every year time seems to go faster. I don't like it because that means my kids are getting older.

I have one week left at work and am anxious to be done! I'm just ready to move on since I've already given my notice. Patience is not one of my strengths.

My sister-in-law had rotator cuff (shoulder) surgery this week and is in tremendous pain. I had no idea that kind of surgery was so painful. She fell while running in a softball game about 2 weeks ago. The way she landed must have jammed her shoulder upwards and she tore it in 3 places. Ouch!

I have always been interested in photography but am starting to really have an interest in learning as much as I can about our new Nikon D90 camera. There is so much to it and it seems like such a waste if I don't learn it. So that's my current project. I've also started reading "Restoring Your Digestive Health" and it's a great educational read! I'm learning so much about how my body works and nutrition.

That's really all I have to say tonight because I'm really tired and cold. I am anxious to climb into my warm, snuggly bed. Good night!

Not to worry

Today I was finally feeling better because my cold is going away, so my body decided it was time to do something else. I had another pretty bad headache and tonight I've been sick to my stomach again. I ate a small lunch and no dinner. I'm feeling okay right now but am about to pass out from my nausea medicine (it makes me sleepy). So this will be short. :)

This week of unfortunate and sudden deaths of friends has given me a lot to think about. I am more convinced than ever that I need to be healthier. I understand and was reminded by my husband about the verse in Matthew 6 stating, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" So while I will try not to "worry", I will take control of my health. I have been eating much better than I used to but have still not added exercise back into my life. Mostly because I've been sick for 3 solid months. I do think it's time to get back to it now before I regret not doing it sooner. So, slowly I will add a little at a time. It helps that the weather has been absolutely wonderful and gets me motivated. Good night all.

Sick of being sick!

I need to complain for a minute. I am SO SICK of being SICK! After having an upset stomach for 3 straight months, I am ready to be well. But this week my body decided to get what I thought was a little head cold. But it has now turned into a full blown sickness...body aches, headache, sore throat, sneezing, ear aches, etc. I'm just miserable. Won't be able to take Savannah to her Girl Scout event today and won't be going to Keno tonight. That's a bummer because I really only go to spend time with my MIL and 2 SILs. :(

What do you think about my new header? I am wondering if I should have it titled "Gretchen's Ramblings" vs. "The Tripp Troop". Any thoughts? I'm so proud of my clan and I like showing them off. :) But this blog is not about them; it's my own personal place to vent and "ramble". :)

I am thinking about buying some AdvoCare products. Are you familiar with their products or have any experience with them? I have heard really good things about them so I would like to give them a try. Particularly their Well and Trim products. My weight is holding steady right now, which is good. But soon I need to focus on LOSING. If I can lose 10-15 pounds I'll be happy.

I think I'll go back to resting and watching a movie. See you all next time! :)

This is really scary for our economy.

On a different yet equally depressing note (okay, not really equally) I feel miserable today. I have been having a lot of headaches again, which is very perplexing to me because since having my stomach problems I don't allow myself caffeine anymore. Caffeine has given me headaches since I was in 2nd grade. My headaches have come back but I can't figure out why. I've cut back on carbs and am trying to include more fruits and veggies in my diet...maybe I'm allergic to healthy food?! Just kidding. :) (That would suck and be fun all at the same time!) So yesterday I had the headache from hell...very well could have been a migraine but if my migraines don't start with spotty vision, then I'm not sure the difference between them and a really bad headache. I am not taking Advil anymore because it was the reason my colon was inflamed, so I took Tylenol and it didn't touch it. Finally I woke up this morning feeling better but all stuffed up in my sinuses and head. I was sneezing all morning but didn't feel too bad until about 2pm this afternoon. Ever since then I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I can't get my sinuses to clear and my headache is back (although not quite as bad as yesterday). I'm so ready to feel good for at least a month straight. It's only been a few weeks since I've been able to eat again. So hopefully after this yucky head cold, I'll be good for awhile. :)

Did I tell you about the "Never Say Diet" books by Chantel Hobbs that I'm doing with a small group at church? I'm so excited about it because so far it's an excellent source for weight loss help. Here is a review of it. I guess I can give you a better indication AFTER I reach my goal. :)

Awesome friends and other ramblings

I just love my awesome friends! God sure wired us to be social and need connection, didn't he? Tonight I met with several friends from church at Starbucks and we just had a blast! Here we are (wishing my iPhone took a better picture, but it's better than nothing!):



I also released something new in my store today...it partners my last release, Chipboard Years. These are Chipboard Months...it helps to have both!



Also wondering who knows about V8 Splash? I just learned about it this weekend and LOVE it. I am not a juice drinker because it's usually too sweet for me. But this stuff, although sweet, isn't too sweet and gives me a serving of fruits AND vegetables in one 8 oz. glass. What a deal! For someone who doesn't like many vegetables and always struggles to get them into my diet, this is a wonderful help! We got the Light version because it's (obviously) lower sugar. You should try it if you haven't yet. It tastes NOTHING like tomato juice. :)

I also have fallen in love with a new song entitled "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. It was in the movie Fireproof and has a powerful message. Click here to hear it and see the video.

Cleaning...

Finally I am motivated to clean off my incredibly messy desk. Every time I sit down at my desk to do something, I get completely distracted by the huge piles of "to do's" right in front of me staring me down. I will complete my task today (or tomorrow) by cleaning it off and will love it. However, I know in a few months it will be right back to where it is today. I don't know why I always let things get so messy. You should see my daughter's dresser. We still have her baby dresser which is wide vs. tall because it was a changing table as well as a dresser. So it has a really big surface that is the perfect temptation for someone like me to just "put things on top" of when those things don't go there. Insanity, I tell you. I took pictures of my desk and my daughter's dresser but I am not posting them until I get the "clean" shots to put with them!

So one question I have is this...do you save birthday cards from other people? I tend to save the ones from my good friends and family. But I'm wondering if this is wasteful and part of what makes me such a "cluttery" person. I tend to keep too much, although I've gotten better. I got a card from a good friend with my favorite dog on the front so I think I want to keep it but really, what's the point? I'd love your opinion on this.

Fireproof

Have you seen Fireproof yet? It's on DVD now so rent it if you haven't seen it, or even if you have. My husband and I saw it in the theatres last year and he bought it for me for Valentine's Day and it was an EXCELLENT reminder to see it again. In fact, after we watched it last night, I got online and ordered "The Love Dare" book from the movie. I'm excited to get it and start working on it! Here's a preview:



I'm so impressed with how far Kirk Cameron has come since Growing Pains. For Christmas, I asked for and got his book called "Still Growing" but still have yet to read it. I'm anxious to get started on it because he really interests me. He was an active atheist who asked God one night to show him that He's real. He said that was the night God came into his life and changed him forever. He is married to former model Chelsea Noble (now Cameron) and they have 6 children, 4 of whom were adopted. You can see an interview with him here.