A decision has been made

... and this time we mean it! We have decided on building a house. The realitor has been called to sell our current home, the land surveyor has been hired to get the land ready, the contractor has been solicited and is just waiting on the plans that have been ordered! We are moving in Fast Forward and the exterior of the home should be ready before Christmas. Then we will take our time and do the interior over the course of the winter. I am giddy with excitement!!

Now, I should say that it is not the same house (mansion) that we chose last year. Actually, with my diagnosis of Lupus and my inability to limit the flare-ups despite all the meds I am on, we have decided to go with a bungalow. This will be a great deal smaller than the large two storey but we will be finishing the basement as well with another large bathroom for the girls and two large bedrooms with walk in closets (also for the girls). We are also going to be adding a family room and a weight room. It will be wonderful and our family will make it a great home!

So here is a picture of the home... with some modifications it will look close to this but not quite the same. We are making it larger, making the garage larger and the colors will not be the same... but you will get an idea of what it will look like!

Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez and the cast of Camp Rock

Do you all remember my little nephew ZMan? Remember when I introduced him in this post? Well, I think that it is due time that I update everyone on my darling nephew's progress.

My awesome nephew had a few opportunities to show some big-time producers and talent searchers the power and talet of a natural actor. Our family is blessed to have many young, talented actors and actresses ... we always just say, "It is a McRae thing". At the school concerts they are always the stars of the show... not just one of them but rather ALL the McRae children. In any case, ZMan is showing those Ontario head hunters a thing or two about what it is to be part McRae.

Since the last announcement Zman has had a role in the film, "Stray" and did a GREAT job. He is also on page 837 of the Sears Wish Book this season. He has modeled for Canadian Tire and most recently he has been recruited to film alongside of the Jonas Brothers in their film "Coin Flip". After investigating on line it seems that the name Coin Flip is simply an alias for Camp Rock 2!!!!! My sweet ZMan is going to be gracing our tv screen as soon as the film is out on DVD - that I can assure you.

In the meantime I have asked my little sister to take pics of ZMan and all the celebrities tonight while he is on set so I can share them here with you!

I am so proud of you Zman... all my love and hugs!

Aunt Marge


Updated to add a few pics from the shoot:

To build, to buy or to stay put?

Why does being a grown-up, well the age of a grown-up anyway, have to include making really hard decisions? I wish that someone could tell me what to do sometimes because then if it is the wrong decision I could blame it on the decision maker, right?!

Awww… to build, buy or stay – what is the answer?

Truth be told I am a little bit scared. Scared that we will take on too much… scared that it will affect our current standard of living, scared that I could lose my job – then what, scared that things will not go smoothly… awww… I am a scaredy cat!

I am not looking for answers it just feels good to write it down.

Make it a great day friends!

2 week total body turnaround

Have you heard of this program? Well, I have jumped in with both feet and have decided that this will be the next book that I read and follow. I am no longer interested in dieting… I want to change the way I eat and what I serve my family. I want to exercise and gain more energy so that I may play more with my family and heck, I want to look and feel good in a bathing suit so I don’t mind getting my picture taken while we are vacationing in Disney this March.

So, this program includes a workout DVD and a hard cover book to read and follow. Tonight is the night that I am going all for it and will start the program. Who starts programs on a Monday or a Sunday??? I mean why wait… tonight will be as good a night as any, right?

So, my progress on this program will be documented here on my blog. I will let you know how many inches I have lost or gained and how many pounds that I have lost or packed on. I will not tell you current measurements or weight as I am not ready to make that kind of a leap – not yet anyway!

So, stay tuned… I will make it my Wednesday Weigh-In!

Make it a great day friends!

Making progress

Boy, raising a teenage daughter is tough! When little girls are small all they want to do is please you. They want to draw pretty pictures for you, when they get a good mark at school they can’t wait to show you, they want to chat incessantly about everything they did during the day, they can’t wait for a hug and a kiss and would never turn one away… life is so grand when your kids are small – and then something changes…

When you little girl starts talking back, challenging you on everything, deliberately defying you, seems to be completely unreasonable and suddenly you have gone from being their hero to an idiot you might be raising a teenager. Now this does not have to happen at the age of 13… NO! Actually with Bear I would say that it started happening about the age of 10. Now, for the last 3 years my husband and I would “tag team” parent. When he was feeling completely desperate and frustrated I would take over and he would do the same for me. We stood on the same ground and supported each other but we have different approaches so he would take a crack at reasoning with Bear and then I would. We never seemed to be getting through but Aunt Martha told me to keep talking, not to give up, because even though it does not seem like it – she is listening!

Well, we followed this wise advice and kept talking. She wanted to run and hide in her bedroom or talk on the phone with all those friends who claimed to love her more than us and/or chat on the internet but we would pull her back and have lectures about what we felt was best for her. This went on for a long time and when she reached middle school it nearly spiraled out of control… but it didn’t. One day she woke up and we saw a glimmer of our little girl returning to us. We saw that although Bear tried to bury that beautiful little princess that we nearly forgot… she didn’t. She was waking up inside her once again.

Now, we are still struggling with erratic mood swings but having the chance to see the Bear that we missed so much reappear makes the psychotic behavior bearable. I know that we have a long road yet but I dare to say that we are making progress and we are going to conquer this (just in time to do it again with Squeals). I can see now that Bear is going to be a beautiful woman – inside and out!!

So if you are raising an young lady and are feeling frustrated and wondering what happened to your sweet, darling daughter… do not fear, she is buried in there somewhere and as long as you keep talking and making her listen she will reappear soon enough. Stay strong!!

My Sister’s Keeper

So, last week my hubby was out of town and I took the liberty of reading a novel. I can only do this when hubs is out of town because he likes my attention when he is around. Anyway, the book I chose to read was, “My Sister’s Keeper”. Have you read the book? Well… it was quite an interesting read.

When I started reading the book it was a little hard to get into. I mean you had to learn who the characters were and develop a relationship with them. Once you got through the first few chapters you don’t want to put it down. You think that you are reading about a young girls struggle with entering adolescence and trying to discover who she is, but… there is an interesting twist near the end of the book and an even MORE alarming turn of events at the end of the book!

This book had me in tears; literally… they were streaming down my face and into my neck, for the last three chapters and even before that! It was well worth the read and I say if you haven’t read it you should!

I have come to realize that this is a long post!!

So, I have stolen this from a fellow blogger and I thought that it might be a great way to spark some blog-worthy feelings and get me back into the blogging world.

1. I've come to realize that my chest...was the perfect size to offer nutrition to my beautiful children – too bad I wasted my teenage years worrying about my cup size.
2. I've come to realize that my job...is a just means to earn enough money to enjoy my life with my family.

3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving...I think that I am a rock star…” nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah”!

4. I've come to realize that I need....a vacation.

5. I've come to realize that I have lost... less than I have earned.

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...people act like idiots.

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk... I would be off my meds… no drinking allowed for me!!

8. I've come to realize that money...is not the be-all, end-all but I like it a lot!

9. I've come to realize that certain people...suck.

10. I've come to realize that I'll always... strive for perfection even though I know that it does not exist.

11. I've come to realize that my siblings... were a pain in the a$$ when I was a kid but the payoff was worth all the teasing!

12. I've come to realize that my mom... is a symbol of strength in my life.

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...is a pain in the butt; I would rather keep it shut off most of the time.

14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...that we are in the 10th month of the year – time is slipping away!!

15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep...I am a lucky lady! I have healthy and active children and the best hubby in the world.

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking... this is taking longer than I expected!

17. I've come to realize that my dad... has gifted me with his passion for politics… we are both running for town council again next month.

18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook... I haven’t been on Facebook for about 1 ½ years… too much crap and drama for this chick!

19. I've come to realize that today... is Thursday

20. I've come to realize that tonight... I have a town council meeting... and it may be my last if I do not get re-elected.

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow... may never come.

22. I've come to realize that I really want to... find a job that I feel secure in.

23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is... NO ONE… but that is ok.

24. I've come to realize that life... is a journey.

25. I've come to realize that this weekend... we have to cord wood.

26. I've come to realize that marriage...is one of the hardest jobs I ever signed up for – but it also has the best pay.

27. I've come to realize that my friends... are few but grand.

28. I've come to realize that this year... I have made many changes and feel much more content than I have in years.

29. I've come to realize that my ex is...I've only had one & that was in Jr. high school, I married my boyfriend from 9th grade...

30. I've come to realize that maybe I should... just let things be.

31. I've come to realize that I love... spending quiet times doing absolutely nothing but being with my family.

32. I've come to realize that I don't understand... how I have messed up so many times in life and still managed to have a life better than I could have imagined!

33. I've come to realize my past... was just a path to lead me to today.

34. I've come to realize that parties... are not for me… I hate them! I would rather have a bath and read a book.

35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified...of my children making the same mistakes that I have.