A Whiny post...

Be forewarned this is a whiny, self absorbed post! So if you choose to keep reading, it means you agree to deal with it.

Besides we are allowed one whiny post every once in awhile!

In an effort to loss some weight, I consulted a doctor who put me on Phentramine, a appetite suppressant pill. It works great! So far I have lost nearly 30 lbs! The DR also did some blood work to make sure there were no underlying causes. Well, turns out there is an underlying cause. My insulin levels are VERY high. He called them pre-diabetic high. There is a history of type 2 diabetes on both sides of my family, so this a bit scary. The DR says if I can lose all the weight and with some medication (metformin) then the insulin levels should correct themselves. But he says this is what more than likely causes me to gain weight so easily and have a hard time taking it off.

Now to the whiny, self absorbed part. After the phone call set in the "unfairs"! I am not a big soda drinker and not a big sweet eater. So how could I be pre-diabetic!

After some research and visiting with the DR. I realize it is more an issue of carbohydrates. I love my carbohydrates! Pasta, breads, rice...heart them! But with some simple switches to whole wheat pastas and breads, DR says I should feel a lot better and lose weight quicker.

And he says take the Med. So here is the why on posting all this. The meds make me so nauseous and tummy cramps! Plus I am suppose to take them with food, which does not help. Any suggestions on how to tame this from any one out there? And any suggestions on good diet switches?

Cory (and a few others) say I am way to obsessed with it all. But the only reason I am obsessed with it is because I know it is important to get it under control while I am young (shut up I am too!) and before it get out of hand.

Any tips are appreciated!

School Daze

Hopefully the grocery bill will go down now!


Gunner not feeling so happy about going back to school and waking up so early.


I hope his poor teacher knows what she is in for!!


A little nervous, but putting on a brave face.



The Cool 5th graders.


They are saying "Stop with the pictures!!"



I think she honestly wanted to cry at this point, but she did great!


Seriously, his poor teacher...I hope she doesn't retire after this year.

Happy Late B-day Lyndsy La-rue!!

I am few days late, but I wanted to tell Lyndsy, my sister in law happy birthday!! I hope you had a great day and I still want to steal your camera!



27 facts and reasons we love you!

1. You are so good with a camera. I love having a photographer in the family.
2. Lyndsy makes the best guacamole ever!!
3. She loves Saturday Night Live and The Office.
4. She is a sweet mommy.
5. Three babies under 3 and she still has patience.
6. She introduced me to digital scrapbooking.
7. I got to do the flowers for her and Levi's wedding.
8. She is a Twilight fan.
9. She is currently serving as a cub scout leader in her ward.
10. She has a ton of brothers, and no sisters.
11. Her dad is Canadian.
12. She is a coupon a holic and proud of it!
13. She designed my families Christmas card last year.
14. We finally got her to see the wisdom from starting in the center of a pan of fudge jumbles.
15. She is a craft junky, just like the rest of us girls.
16. I think her eyes are one of her best features, they are SO pretty!
17. She will drink a glass of water over anything else.
18. She is not much of a carnavore,
19. but she does love dads london broil.
20. Her middle name is Jean
21. If you want to get your butt wooped at Texas Hold 'em, she'll do it for ya!
22. She was a cheerleader in high school
23. She meet Levi when they were still teenagers, but he dosen't remember, and she wasn't impressed.
24. I get to be an aunt to her three beautiful little girls.
25. She can be a bit scary when playing pit.
26. She loves calla lilies.
27. She makes the cutest bows, signs and bow holders.

Happy Birthday Lyndsy! I feel so blessed to have you as a sister! Thanks for all that you do!

A camping we wil go!

It's august, time for the annual boys trip to Rob's. Only this year us girls decided to crash! But rather than stay up the mountain, we decided to stay at otter Creek Reservoir and just go up the mountain for the day. I was thinking it had been about 3 years since I have been there. But after talking to my BIL, Johnny, I realize it is more like 6 years.
I remember very specifically why I stopped going. I had the two babies, Gunner and Gavin, was expecting Taya. It rained the ENTIRE time we were there. So between the fussy babies, sore back and freezing cold all cramped in a tent. I swore I was done going. But I missed it and Taya kept asking to go, so off we all went.
On the ride there.

This is what Gavin wrote during the car ride.

I took some really great pictures, but I don't have many to show. I knew I needed to take pictures of Levi and Bella for Lyndsy. Plus my own. But when Teisha and Johnny got there, they had the nicest camera. So I pretty much took over there camera, much like a two year old steals the shiniest toy from her playmate! And just took a whole bunch of pictures with their camera. So now I am waiting to get a CD in the mail from Teisha with all the nice pictures! In the meantime, here are a few I took with my camera.



I forgot how beautiful and peaceful it is at Rob's. I really enjoyed just sitting on a chair watching the lake and listening to the trees.



Cory and the boys rode a 4 wheeler up. Levi and Bella rode one up too. Taya was going to ride with them. She got about a 100 yards and then FREAKED out! She hated riding on it. So she ended up riding in the truck with dad, Johnny and I.



Levi caught a couple of really nice sized fish. Dad caught a few. Johnny and Gunner mainly just got teased by the fish. And Cory lost interest in fishing after abut 45 minutes. But the best was Gavin! He got a fish on his line and just like a true fishermen, he reeled it in all by himself! The fish probably was a little on the small side and should have gone back in, but there was no way he was going to put it back!!

Here is Gavin's take on the fishing that he wrote the next morning.



On the way home, dirty and tired, but I know they had fun!

Happy Birthday, Old man Tippetts

Today is my dads birthday. While he might say this is his 30th and we kids might say it is his 60th it is, in all actually, his 54th.

This is going to be such a looong post (ya know, cause he is so old JK dad, love you!)

Okay here is 54 facts, and reasons why we love dad/papa.

1. The day I was married was so hard for him (he never said that, but I knew). When he walked me down the isle and he "gave" me to Cory he whispered to Cory "I'll get my cows later". Cory had never seen John Lingo before and spent the entire ceremony thinking my dad was off his rocker!

2. Dad loves to fish.
3. His favorite fishing hole is Robs Reservoir (no, I can't tell you where it is at, he would kill me!


4. He would much rather have a cinnamon roll over a brownie.
5. Give him a pie not a cake with candles on it, cause cake aint his thing either!
6. Dad served his mission in Arizona.
7. As a child he was "forced" to vacation in the desert because his dad collected rocks and stuff.
8. When I was little he use to play the accordion, not so much now.
9. He is very talented at wood working.
10. We all hope he will draw our name at Christmas cause he usually makes something for that person.

(This is what I got the year he drew my name, he MADE this!)

11. He loves country music, but not this new Fancy stuff, give him the good old stuff! He introduced me to Dolly Parton, who I still love.
12. I think Levi and Gavin look just like him
13. and I think he looks just like my Grandpa Tippetts.
14. When gunner entered his first pinewood Derby, the first thing he said was "Grandpa will help me do it" not his dad (which was fine with Cory!)

15. He is a sucker for his grandkids.

16. He has 5 granddaughters and 3 grandsons.
17. He has 3 daughters and 1 son.
18. Are your arms and legs painted on!
19. On a free weekend, which are far and few between, he likes to throw his stuff in his 5th wheel (including my mom!) and head out camping.
20. He has 7 siblings.
21. He was raised in Lindon.
22. Ask him about his El Camino.
23. He and mom were married in the Provo temple.
24. He is a champion egg decorator. (seriously, that is an egg!)


25. When I was a teenager, on the 4th of July we would go and get Japanese food.
26. He introduced me to sushi.
27. When I was little, he would take me to get a new dress every year on my birthday.
28. Were you raised in a barn.
29. He prefers wranglers.
30. He owned the same pair of church shoes my entire childhood.
31. All that awesome stuff my mom makes at Halloween, yea those don't start awesome and she tries them out on him.
32. He currently works at Lowes but has also worked at Home Depot and Home Base.
33. Dad will eat pretty much anything.
34. When he is in charge of dinner, watch out...he doesn't use recipes and if it is in the fridge, then in it goes.
35. He has a soft spot for Zoe, his grandpuppy who lives with him, but he tries to hide it.
36. He has a big scar on his knee, from knee surgery.
37. When I was about 5 I found a picture of him as a teen on the trampoline doing a back flip, I thought that was the coolest picture!
38. He would take Levi and I to the park every March/April for kite flying. I don't know how he does it, put he can get a kite so far in the air almost like magic!


39. His marriage to mom inspires me.
40. Cory claims him as his dad and most people at his work thought the really were father and son not son in law.
41. Ask him to tell you the Timbuktu joke.
42. He is an amazing carver not just of wood but watermelons also.
43. Don't ever let him make the kool aid.
44. He loves Oatmeal Raisin cookies, which he passed on to Gunner.
45. He is the most easy going guy, unless you are a teenager caught sneaking out.
46. When I was little he worked for a counter top/cabinet place and he always smelled like saw dust, to this day the smell of saw dust makes me miss my dad!
47. He built the house that he and my mom currently live in.
48. He taught me how to garden and about plants.
49. He loves Columbine, I think it reminds him of Robs.
50. About 5 years ago my car broke down on the side of the freeway. It was 1 in the morning. He was who I called to come get me. And he did with out one complaint!
51. He has the best sense of humor.
52. He very rarely gets sick.
53. One of my earliest memories is of a Strawberry shortcake piggy bank that he made for me, I loved that thing!
54. He looks great in a flannel shirt!

Happy Birthday Dad! Thanks for always being there for us, putting up with our stupid stunts and making us laugh! We hope you know how much we love and appreciate you.

What's for Dinner?

My answer to that on Tuesday was "Ask Gunner"


For scouts this week he was suppose to make a menu for the week, shop for the needed ingredients and prepare a meal.


On a normal week we each pick a meal for during the week, then Saturday is either out to eat or something easy like pancakes and Sunday we usually eat at my parents house.

Then I put it on the cute menu board I made with my craft group
and it is a quick reference to what to get out of the freezer and whats for dinner. (Seriously, they never ask any more, they know to just look at the board)

So when Gunner got to plan the meals for the week,(on the menu board is what he picked) it really was a treat and Gavin was mad and said when he became a scout he gets to pick all the meals too!

Then on Tuesday he cooked for us all. Here is what he made.

Chicken Patty sandwiches, baked beans (one of his favorites)and kool aid.

I was not allowed in the kitchen. He very much wanted to do it all on his own! He even dished everyones up for them.

I have to say this meal is not one I am particularly fond of, but that night I ate it all!