My opinion of Saints Bountygate

Of all the NFL teams I am amazed the NFL is choosing the Saints to set their example. The Saints? Really?! Couldn't they have picked a stronger defensive team to go after? It's not like the Saints are known for having an intimidating defense. Don't get me wrong, I love the Saints, but this is not the famous Dome Patrol defense of the 80s/90s. Actually, I wonder if anyone on the Saints defense has ever even cashed out on this bounty, but so what if anyone did. This is honest to goodness hard hitting FOOTBALL people. I know I'm just a girl, but isn't the point of the defense to sack the quarterback and hopefully force a fumble, or to tackle the offensive player with the ball? Hasn't the NFL even cashed in themselves making money from DVDs like "The NFL's Greatest Hits","The Best of Thunder and Destruction - NFL's Hardest Hits","Crush Course", "Extreme Hits", and the like? So, is the lesson here that it's okay for the NFL to make money, but not the players putting themselves on the line?

Come on, NFL, you are the National Football League, not Powder Puff football. These players make damn good money to play football and we the people pay damn good money to watch it. Let them play! They all know what they signed up for. Yes, it's a hard hitting game and I think most players wouldn't have it any other way. It's football for Pete's sake. Kurt Warner and Brett Favre are 2 quarterbacks the Saints defense put the most pressure on and both have spoke out on the Saints behalf. Yes, the Saints put aggressive pressure on them, but this is football. This bounty program offered incentives for good legal hard hits. I thought that was what football was all about and if anyone needed an incentive program it was the Saints. I fail to see what the problem is with the bounty. Don't most lines of work offer incentives and/or bonus programs? Why not football? As long as the hits are legal and not done out of malice or hostile disrespect, let them play.

Maybe the Saints and their fans should take it as a compliment. The Saints have come such a long way from being mockingly referred to as The Aints. No one ever thought the Saints would ever win a Super Bowl, but it happened. The days of the Aints are gone and we actually have a strong team with respectable coaches. Seems like the NFL doesn't like that the Saints are finally getting some respect. Bounties are nothing new to football and it's certainly not unique to the Saints. It's been said that all teams do it and it's pretty common practice among all teams, so why choose the Saints to make an example of? Personally, I think it's because the Saints are the Aints no more. I think it's because the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans this year and the NFL doesn't want the Saints in it. But, you know what, and this is of no disrespect to Coach Payton at all, I am naive enough to think we still have a chance. When Coach Payton hurt his knee last season they continued to win games. I think a big part of that is due to Drew Brees' leadership, and to that cute baby faced Carmichael guy (hey, I like Saints football, but I never claimed to be an expert). Come on Saints, you got this. We may have lost our head coach for the season, but we still have our Defensive and Offensive coaches. The Saints have risen up in time of adversity in the past and they can do it again. Just Believe.

7 months

I can not believe it's been 7 months since I've blogged. Where has the time gone?! So many good intentioned New Years resolutions never even started. The same ones I make every year. Write more, create more, get healthy and take better care of myself, and just plain ole do more things that make me happy. Simply put, improve my overall well being. Well... Better late than never, right? Let's see what I can think of what has happened over the last 7 months.
1) I became an aunt again, and a great aunt a couple of times.
2) Both Benjamin and Samantha made principals list at school. WooHoo!!
3) Ben placed 1st in his den at the Cub Scout pinewood derby car race.
4) His den went golfing yesterday to receive their golf belt loop.
5) Last night was Ben's first night sleeping at someones home who wasn't a relative. When I made that comment Benjamin informed me that he was with family, he was with his scout family. He spent the night at his den leaders house with the rest of the den.
6) I've been in such a lazy funk. A horrible case of the don't wants. I definitely haven't been taking care of myself. I've been eating whatever I want. Things like that Burgers and fried okra shown here from Burgersmith, accompanied by a nice refreshing Coca-Cola. Yummm. Seems like with all the restaurants in the Lafayette area we would have at least 1 that served gluten free/vegan/organic type foods. Not just bakery items, but a full out restaurant. I keep saying I have to get back on my "diet" and stop eating all those foods causing me inflammation. But, before I stop, maybe I can have one more go at Burgersmith before going wheat free again.

Life and Death

I've lost 2 relatives this year. First, my mom's brother died on Memorial Day. Then my grandfather passed away this week. My Uncle Wilson was 85 years old, and my grandfather would have been 99 in December. My husband's great aunt also passed away this week. She was also 98 years old. I'm so thankful that each of them lived such long full lives, but it's got me thinking. Why is it some people live such long lives, while others are taken from us far too soon? Life is definitely a mystery that way. No one knows how much time we have here on earth. You hear songs about live like you're dying and sayings like live each day as if it were your last, but how many of us really live that way? If I knew today was my last day would I really be typing this entry right now? Maybe. I probably would post something for my family to remember me by. I'd thank the people who loved me and stood by me. I'd tell the people I loved that I loved them. Maybe even throw in a few stories for people to remember. That's brings me to something else I've been thinking. If I died right now, exactly how would people remember me? Would I be remembered as a brat, or an even worse b-word? Would people remember me as sweet and quiet, or rude and loud? I think there are so many sides to people and maybe we only share certain sides to certain people. But doesn't everyone deserve your best side all the time? Wouldn't it be horrible to be nasty to someone then that is the last time they see you and ultimately how they remember you? So, not only should you live each day as if it were your last, but you should also live your life the way you want to be remembered for. I guess there's nothing like death to put life in prospective. Off to make each day count and 1) live today like it's my last and 2) live the life I want to be remembered for. By the way, if you're reading this post then chances are we know each other and hopefully like each other, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say "I love you, and I appreciate you for taking the time to read this post".

Photo: taken 12/19/2010. 4 generations of LeBlanc men. My grandfather is 2nd from left. It was his 98th birthday, and my nephew Luke's 2nd birthday.

July 25th is...

one of my favorite days of the year. It's the day John and I got married. Wow, hard to imagine it's been 19 years already. As I was looking through my photos I realized John and I don't have very many photos of just us together. I've got photos with him and the kids, me and the kids, but not many of just John and I. What's up with that? Samantha and Benjamin both have cameras, plus they are always wanting to snap pictures with my camera. I think the new rule is gonna be if they want to use my camera they're gonna have to take a pictures of John and I first. We need more photos together. The photo here is the last photo I could find of us together. The date? 12/31/2009. How sad is that? Surely it hasn't been 1.5 years since the 2 of us have had a picture taken of just the 2 of us? Well, that's just not acceptable. We're gonna have to change that and I think we'll start tonight. We're planning on going out to supper to celebrate our anniversary and I think it's time John and I start sitting on the same side of the dinner table and the kids can snap a photo of us. Maybe that can be a new tradition. At least that way we're guaranteed at least 1 photo of us together each year. Yep, I like the sound of that.

What are YOU good at?

I can't help but think of Fiona Apple's song "Criminal" because I've been a bad, bad girl and I'm looking for a good defense. I can't believe it's been almost 5 months since I've blogged. Bad blogger, bad. I have been so lazy lately. I haven't been blogging, or doing anything creative lately, and I really do miss it. I have to get out of this creative funk I'm in. I need to stop thinking so much and just do it. Recently I picked up my treadmill habit and as I was walking and listening to Abra Moore I was thinking... "Man, I wish I could sing, I wish I could play guitar" and the wishing continued. I wished I was good at a sport, any sport. I wished I could draw and paint. I wished I could cook and bake. And I continued to wish I could do various things. Then I realized what I was really thinking was I wished I was good at something. I wished I was good at anything. It really got me thinking and the only thing I could think of that I was really good at was my job. It was kinda depressing. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy I'm good at my job and that I have an amazing work ethic (thanks Dad!) but is it so wrong to wish I was good at something fun? Something creative. Aren't most people good at their hobbies? I've got so many hobbies and I don't think I'm good at any of them. I enjoy them, but they don't come easy. I'd like to think that's why I enjoy them, because I really have to work at them, but I'm not sure that's the case. I'll have to give this topic a bit more consideration. In the mean time, I'll be looking for something that comes easy to me, and something that I enjoy that I'm really good at. Maybe I just haven't found what I'm good at yet?

Feb 18th, I HATE YOU!

I hate Feb 18th. Yes, I know hate is a strong word, and it might sound strange to hate a date, but not if it's a day a loved one died. This date will be a constant reminder that my Mom is gone. 7 years ago, Feb 18th took someone very special away from me. I will never again be able to hug and kiss, or ask my mom for advice.

I was 35 years old and 7 months pregnant for Benjamin. My mom was 35 when she had me. She was 69 when she died and I was born in 1969. It was 6 months before her 70th birthday and 8 months after celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary.
I know I should be thankful I had her for 35 years. There's a lot of people who lose their mothers at a much younger age, but not having a mom SUCKS. I miss her and think of her often. It just doesn't seem fair that people have to die. It's hard sometimes to look at the bigger picture. Life is not about the here and now, it's about the here after. It's not about this life, it's about preparing for the afterlife. I know this, and it does give me a sense of peace, but I still miss her dearly.

SMASH video

This looks amazing. I can't wait to start smashing...

Welcome 2011

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe I haven't posted since Aug. Sorry about that. Well, it's a new year so you know what that means. It means another chance to say you're going to do something you should have already been doing anyway. LOL. So many people (myself included) say they are going to lose weight, start exercising, eat right, etc. We do know we can start doing that any time, right? There's not some written rule that says we have to wait until the New Year, right?! Another one of my NYRs is to give my lonely little blog some much needed attention. If I'm not mistaken that was one of my NYRs last year, too. Geesh, get with it woman. Sorry for the rambling post, but I really don't have anything to write about at this time, but I find that the more I blog the more I want to blog. Hopefully this post will be the kick in the pants I'm hoping it will be to get my creative juices flowing. I haven't created anything in forever. I had a very unproductive 20101. Guess it's time to turn off the TV and wean myself from Facebook, my 2 time thieves. Gonna try to be more creative in 2011. Here's to a happier, healthier, more creative 2011.

Photo: Taken 12/29/2010; Audubon Zoo; New Orleans, LA

Toxic Food Syndrome

Back in April I had my annual checkup and my doctor and I discussed the usual (my being tired all the time, having no energy, and still experiencing headaches on a near daily basis). She ordered some blood work and my cholesterol was 217 and I was calcium deficient. Oh-Oh. Time to get serious and start exercising and taking vitamins. I decided I was sick and tired of being down and out all the time and decided that life was too short to be miserable. Time to get fit and get happy. I started walking and taking a multi vitamin and a calcium supplement. After a month I still wasn't feeling much better. In fact, I was feeling pretty crappy. I had developed a crick in my neck that wasn't going away. I had never been to a chiropractor before and swore I'd never go to one (for fear of them breaking my neck and leaving me paralyzed). Anyway, enough was enough. After all, I had just pledged my new found desire for health and happiness, right? So in May I had my initial visit with a chiropractor. As he was examining me he mentioned that my body was full of inflammation. Every place he touched/tapped me left serious red marks. He said it looked like I had been attacked by an octopus. The appt went okay and I was to see him 3 times that week. I finally gained some mobility in my neck, and with each visit he mentioned how much inflammation I had in my body. I finally asked what that meant? Why did I and what did he think was causing it. He said it was probably food allergies. I told him I did not have allergies and he smiled and said most people were allergic to 1) wheat 2) dairy and/or 3) nuts and don't even realize it. I asked if that could make me feel run down all the time and have headaches and he said absolutely. After a couple more visits (and a couple more mentions about inflammation) I asked the question. "How do I find out if I have food allergies?" He said I could take a blood test to find out. He had a blood kit that I could bring to any lab and they would draw the blood and mail it off to "Immuno Bloodprint" that specializes in food allergies. I decided to find out if something I was eating had been making me feel like crap for about the last decade. They tested 155 most common food allergy items and I was allergic (sensitive) to 21 foods. I had no idea. When people have food allergies they know it. Their tongue can swell and it can get hard to breathe, etc. But what about people who have sensitivities? Well, anywhere from a couple of hours after eating to a couple of days after eating they can get headaches, fatigue, joint pain, mental problems, (depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, confusion), sinusitis, insomnia, or excessive sleepiness. Wow! That's pretty much me in a nutshell. Now, about these 21 food items. Most I eat on a daily basis, some I eat at nearly every meal. Among the foods I'm sensitive to are wheat, brewers yeast, tomatoes, pineapple, mushrooms, yellow squash, cabbage, cauliflower, kidney beans, pinto beans, lobster, oysters, perch, scallops, tuna, snapper, pork, and a few other items I rarely (if ever) eat. There is a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner "Butternut Squash Ravioli" that I absolutely loved and ate about 3 times a week. What's in it? wheat, squash, mushrooms. Wow. Something I eat at least 3 times a week that has 3 items in it I shouldn't be eating at all. This whole process has been such a learning experience. Example: when I first saw "wheat" on my list I wasn't that upset. Heck, I don't really like wheat bread anyway. I do like wheat thins (especially with cream cheese and hot pepper jelly) but I could live without eating wheat bread. YEAH RIGHT. Did you know that basically anything fried, baked and/or bread-like are most likely made with wheat? I sure didn't. Breads, pizza, croutons, crackers, cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, pasta, pretzels, waffles, pancakes, poptarts... WHAT? I had no idea. Also, anything thickened such as soups, gravy, sauces, and gumbo. WHAT? I started looking through my pantry checking out the ingredients and noticed how at the very end of the list of ingredients are those dreadful words in all caps and in bold print "CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS". Check it out. I kid you not. Wheat is in EVERYTHING! This is about the time I started to cry. What was I supposed to eat? All I could thing about was what I couldn't eat. No more Pizza (wheat/tomato/mushroom). No more Mexican. How can I possible eat Mexican food without tomatoes, especially salsa? No more sandwiches, burgers, or delicious Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli.

It's been more than 2 months since I've been avoiding these food sensitive items. I'm still walking and taking my vitamins/calcium and vitamin D supplements, and I try to get out in the sun as much as I can. That was another thing the chiropractor suggested I get tested for. Come to find out most people who are calcium deficient are also Vitamin D deficient, as well as most people with high cholesterol have lower levels of Vitamin D. He was right, I was also Vitamin D deficient. So, lets sum up the last few months for you. Found out my cholesterol was high, my calcium and vitamin D was low, and I've got food sensitivities. I started walking, taking vitamins, getting sun when I can, and avoiding food that have been making me sick. I think I'm finally starting to get back to myself again. I'm definitely not 100% yet. Far from it. I'm still tired and worn out pretty much all the time, but I've gone a couple weeks at a time without a headache. That was unheard of before I started watching my sensitive foods and reading up on Toxic Food Syndrome. I really don't think the improvement had to do with the walking or vitamins because I was doing that for almost 2 months before I was tested for the food allergies and/or before I actually understood what that meant. Wheat bread and wheat thins. Ha! What a maroon? Yep, I'm getting my sense of humor back, too. Gotta love bugs.

I've been a little creative lately...

... and it feels wonderful. I totally skipped posting in March, probably because I've been busy creating. I just realized my February post mentioned 2 of my loves. Scrapbooking and music. Well, I took an on-line class at BigPictureScrapbooking called Life Tunes. It combined those 2 loves. It's one of the few classes I've taken where I actually completed each of the assignments. It felt awesome to complete something. The pages are done, I just need to add photos to some of the pages. I really enjoyed that class. I also recently took another online class at Get it Scrapped called Art Journaling 101 with Dina Wakley. This class is/was way out of my comfort zone, but I'm really enjoying getting my hands dirty with Gesso and Paint. So much so I even went to Books a Million to buy a couple of books on art journaling. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but I'm really liking it.

Oh yeah, one more thing... I also participated in an ATC swap last month. See, I told you I've been busy creating things. And like I said... It feels good.

Photo: a couple pages from my art journal. Backgrounds only. Still needing to collage and add text.

Scrappin' and Rockin' Valentine's Day 2010

Hope everyone is having as wonderful of a Valentine's Day as I am. John gave me these 2 gorgeous buckets filled with scrapbooking goodness. They were only $10 at Sam's Club. He said the album was worth that, even if I didn't want all the stuff inside. I told him it was. The bucket they were in was well worth the $10, too. Besides, what's not to love about the flowers, buttons, and ribbons inside. Plus chipboard letters, stamps, an ink pad, fibers, etc. I love them. I probably wouldn't have bought them myself, but it's nice that John thought enough about me to buy them for me.

Oh... and to top it off. He also got me and Samantha tickets to go see Flyleaf, Three Days Grace, and Breaking Benjamin. Woo Hoo!! Now is that a Rockin' Valentine's Day, or what?! Two of my greatest loves. Scrapbooking and Music. Does my hubby know what I like, or what?

So long January

Where did January go? It's already February and I haven't even started my new year resolutions yet. I didn't really make any, it's just same ones I make every year. You know the ones... exercise, get fit, drink more water, no more sodas, take my vitamins, go to church regularly, etc. This year I decided I needed to add some creative resolutions as well. Not big ones, just baby ones. I was hoping to start blogging more and scrapbooking more. So I added... update my blog at least once a month, and create at least 1 scrapbook layout a month. I came to the realization that I spend entirely too much time on Facebook. Last week I decided Facebook would need to become a reward. No Facebook until after I walk and/or create something. It actually worked. At least for a couple of days. I think I had 3 consecutive days of walking/water/vitamins prior to logging onto Facebook.

Well, consider this a belated January post. And since I hate to post without a photo. Here's a picture of me on my 41st birthday. John got me a King Cake for my birthday this year. I loved it. Don't know why we hadn't thought of it before. I think I want to make this a tradition and have John pick up a King Cake for my birthday every year.

RIP James (The Rev) Sullivan

The drummer of Avenged Sevenfold, Jimmy (The Rev) Sullivan died today. He was only 28 and I think one of the best drummers. Normally when I listen to music I might beat the steering wheel with my thumb along with the bass guitar. Sometimes my fingers might dance along with the guitar melodies. Reliving my teen (and not so teen) dream of playing guitar and/or bass guitar. I can't recall ever wanting to play drums, unless I was listening to A7X. The Rev demanded my attention. There's just something about this band. They compliment each other so well, but I must admit, I'm usually drawn to the drums when I'm listening the them. I had the pleasure of seeing them at BuzzFest at The Woodlands, TX back in Oct 2006 (see photo). They were beyond amazing and by far my favorite band of the entire day/night. Rest In Peace, Jimmy. I know it's not your time, but bye bye baby, bye bye. For those of you who may not know Avenged Sevenfold, I'll add a couple of their songs in my playlist. I hope you enjoy it.

Simply Inspired

What an amazing weekend I had. I attended the Simply Inspired event in Lafayette. I had the amazing opportunity to meet some wonderfully talented ladies in the scrapbooking industry and take some awesome classes. In this photo: Jenni Bowlin of Jenni Bowlin Studios, Rebecca Cross of Pink Paislee, Margie Romney-Aslett, Debby Schuh, Layle Koncar, and Simply Scrappin store owner Elizabeth Avchin. Not shown in this photo was Teri Davis, who teaches classes at Simply Scrappin and also taught a class at the event. The weekend was amazing, exhausting, but as promised... I was completely Inspired.

The word "tender" will never be the same...

If you've watched Kung Fu Panda you probably remember the part when Po hurts his "tenders". Well, a couple weekends ago when out shopping for back to school shoes we went eat at Pete's on Johnston. Looking over the kids menu I asked Benjamin if he wanted Chicken Tenders. He started cracking up and said "You said tenders". That got the whole table laughing. Now fast forward to this morning. The kids are watching Shrek and they have always loved the part when Donkey is telling Shrek he has to wait for the part to interrupt the wedding and starts singing "You've Gotta Gotta Try a Little Tenderness". Well, that gets Benjamin going again... "He said Tenderness". Somehow I think the word "tender" will never be used again without bringing back memories of Kung Fu Panda and Po hurting his tenders. Ahhh, the joys of a 5 year old boy.

Everyone's Doing It

Got this idea from Cathy Zielske, who got it from Ali Edwards.

TODAY

Outside my window... The grass is long and really needs to be cut.

I am thinking... of going in my scrapbook room and creating something. But that would mean I'd have to clean it first and I'm not really digging that idea.

I am thankful for... Friends and Family who care about me. That my family is healthy.

From the kitchen... Left over Salmon salad and crackers.

I am wearing... Comfy grey pull on cropped pants and a pink Pebbles, Inc t-shirt.

I am creating... Not much of anything lately. Taking another on-line scrapbooking class at Big Picture Scrapbooking, so hopefully...

I am going... to do a lot of nothing this weekend. Guess that won't help my previous answer, huh? (heavy sigh)

I am reading... Just finished Janet Evanovich's Finger Lickin' Fifteen. Thinking of starting the Charlaine Harris Dead series or possibly, dare I say it, the Twilight series.

I am hoping... to find my creative mojo again someday. Also that my kids will actually get along one day.

I am hearing... my kids arguing, screaming, and fighting.

Around the house... lots of work (fixing up) that needs to be done. Kids toys everywhere.

One of my favorite things... Eating out. Listening to music. Movies. Scrapbooking. Spending time with family and friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week... It's the weekend, so I plan on relaxing and taking it easy. Then it's back to work on Monday.

Father's Day 2009

For Father's Day the kids decided to let their Dad have the wii control so he could play the wii for a change. We were looking at these celebrity mii's on the "Check mii out channel" that people had designed. One of them was a girl with the initials E.F. and her skill was singing. We looked at each other trying to figure out who E.F could be and he said "Isn't there an Emily Falconbridge?" I started giggling and told him she's a scrapbooker. I keep telling him he needs to start scrapping with me. It's good to know he actually listens to me, even when I talk scrapbooking. For those non scrappers who don't know who Emily Falconbridge is she's listed in my blogroll. Check her out, she's amazing. I took one of her classes from www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com and it was by far the best on-line class I've taken, and I've taken several.

Life is Busy

It's been a very busy couple of months. Between personal time off, holidays, vacation days, and furlough days, I don't think I've had a 40 hour work week in the last 12 weeks. I think it's gonna be very hard getting back to my regular work routine. We've ran tests, tests, and more tests on Samantha to find out what is causing her to have blood and protein in her urine. During a renal ultrasound of her kidneys they found stones in her gallbladder. The stones are totally unrelated to her kidney problem. After meeting with a Nephrologist (kidney specialist) we're still unsure what is causing the blood and protein, so they're running more tests. She had her gallbladder removed a couple days ago. She's doing fantastic. She's my little Rock Star. What a way to spend her summer vacation. I guess it's better to have all this going on now instead of during school.

Culinary Genius

My husband is a culinary genius. Why you might ask? Because who else would think to put Cheesy Popcorn Seasoning on shrimp? Yep, you read right. I know it may sound disgusting, but believe me, it was actually very good. I told him supper was excellent (as usual) and he told me I would never guess what he put on the shrimp. He was right. A little bit of olive oil, some Zatarains, and the surprise ingredient... Reese Cheesy Popcorn Seasoning. The man is amazing. He did it on a whim, and a tasty whim it was.

Jeremy Camp

This morning I thought I would put the radio on 99.9 to listen to the Polyester Power Hour (Disco) since I'm off work today on furlough. I couldn't find the station on John's radio, so I went into Samantha's room and cranked it up so I could hear it in my room. I thought I had found the right station, but after going back into my room to finish getting ready I realized it was on KAJN. This amazing song came on, so I went in her room to listen for the artist name. They said it was Jeremy Camp. They even repeated the name a couple times. (This rarely ever happens to me, when I want them to announce the artist, they never do). Anyway, when I came downstairs I decided to look him up. I clicked on the 1st video I found. It's not the song I heard this morning, but man it's just as good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBAhvI0TRDs - Jeremy Camp - This Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUzDOGzABSM - The song I heard this morning. Jeremy Camp - There will be a day.

Looks like I found the right station after all. Both songs made me cry like a baby. Powerful stuff.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend.

Love,
Therese