Just a minute of my time...

Checking in...

Well, here we are almost 1/4 of the way through 2010.  How are you doing with your goals and resolutions?

Here is a recap of my goals...

My goals for a better 2010
Read 50 books 
while I read whenever I get the chance, I haven't gotten to far with this goal
Photo project for year 
I chose the Project Life to track my photos for the year and so far I'm happy to say I'm keeping up!

Run 500 miles 
I've ran over 200 miles already this year!

Reuse, Recycle, Reduce waste
using recyclable bags or paper (doing pretty good with this one)

Reduce debt
ugh, this is a slow and steady race...
Eat healthier
something I'm always learning and changing
Donate my time
would like to do more, but trying with Hospice and Compassionate friends
Word for 2010 - Simplify
It's a work in progress...

Work in Progress April Kit

I really enjoyed playing with the April kit and with the memories of the Mom's day at Mount Union still fresh in my memory I thought it would be great to record in a mini.

Using the file folder from the kit I created this mini

 

you can find the directions here

 

I just got that butterfly punch at Michael's after using Trish's at the last crop! My new favorite, besides for the border punch that I picked up!

Here's a mini book using 4 X 6 pictures

 
 
  

and this layout with funny pictures from Chelsea and her dad on their date night.

there's that butterfly punch again!

Perfectly Charming for Easter?

I swore I was just going to stop in, browse the store and leave...

But any of you that have ever been to Perfectly Charming know that is next to impossible to do! The entire store looked adorable and I actually had to put things back and believe it or not, I really did behave myself!

 
I Love em'! 

 

Puzzles

Relaxing or distracting???

I've always loved doing puzzles and starting putting one together on my kitchen counter... However it turned more frustrating and less relaxing than I thought it would since once I started I found there were several other things that I really needed to use the counter for.

but yet I hated to be halfway through the puzzle and not finish... so I worked at it and enlisted help from both Zach and Joel.  Zach was a willing participant, Joel however, would try and make pieces fit where they didn't belong and insist that they did belong there! :)

But alas I finally did finish the puzzle and took a picture so now I can tear it down and use my counter again!

 

 I told Zach the next puzzle wasn't going to be quite as complicated!

Friday Fill ins

 

And...here we go! 

1. The right word speaks volumes.
2. Come on in and shut the door quietly, please. 
3. Up is a wonderful movie.
4. In my scrap room is where you'll find me. 
5. Ooh! What is that you're having for lunch?
6. Date night is a good idea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Date night with the hubs, tomorrow my plans include a day of cleaning, organizing and scrapping and Sunday, I want to get our taxes done!

You can find more Friday Fill ins here

Reading....

I love reading and try and find as much time as I can to fit it in.  Sometimes I'll even read several books at the same time, depending on their type.

Recently I picked up A million miles in a thousand years by Donald Miller and was hooked from the first page!  There were so many life lessons throughout this book that I had to go back through and highlight some of my favorites.

I then found him on FACEBOOK and his blog

So I thought I would list some of them here and there on my blog.  Something to make you think and maybe even stir some change into your life.

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers.  You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen.  The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back.  Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful.  The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either.  Here's what I mean by that: (to be continued)

Stamp Club

Last night I got back to my stamp club meeting.  I missed Monday night with all the running I had to do with the kids.  Tuesday nights group is a lot smaller and that can be nice when doing several projects.

We made these fun projects

 

the little pocket was made out of a 6 X 6 piece of paper and just folding no adhesive.

Directions are HERE from another time I made one and used a bigger sheet of paper

 

Chocolate covered popcorn

Saturday I had the pleasure of spending my day at Mount Union with 80 of Chelsea's sorority sisters and their mothers to celebrate mom's day.

When I first got the invitation I quickly emailed and asked if I could bring some favors for everyone and then found out the count.  I decided the easiest and economical thing to make was chocolate covered popcorn.

 

So began the assembly line with popping popcorn and melting 3 different colors of chocolate for a spring look.

 

and after popping popcorn and melting chocolates I began filling bags and tying them with a ribbon

  It was a wonderful day filled with laughter and tears!  

 

Today I will complete

the 7-day detox as recommended by the nutritionist Chelsea and I met with a week ago Friday.

And let me just say it was quite a change to my diet and made me pay attention to things that I ate, sometimes out of pure habit, kinda like smoking used to be!

We met with Josh last week Friday mostly for Chelsea, or so I thought... see she is quite involved in her health and taking care of her body, and its also what she is majoring in (exercise science) and she wants to minor in nutrition. She lost some weight starting at the age of 17, for her 18th birthday we got her a personal trainer... something I would highly recommend to mom's of teenage girls.  Her trainer (my cousin Stephanie) taught her about diet and exercise and set her on the right course for continued weight loss.  I didn't want her following what I did growing up by starving myself or going into any of those other directions teens can so easily fall into and it worked!  She is all about health and fitness! Including giving up tanning, which was something she loved!  Can you tell I'm so proud of  her...

 

So back to the detox...

It seems I started that the same time I decided to also do a 48 hour media detox and watch no television or have any computer access for two days. I teased my husband as I read the warning on the side of the Zep cleaner at work and said that's me... Causes irritation, keep out of reach of children, contents under pressure.

Apparently the point of the detox is to cleanse your body so that it can absorb nutrients better... along with other reasons which we discussed with Josh.  For Chelsea it wasn't much of a change to her current diet and while my diet wasn't horrible, I did notice when I had to stick to specific foods for a week, I found myself going to grab for something more out of habit than anything else!

Some days were more difficult than others!  Especially while cooking meals for Joel and Zach that I couldn't eat, or even when I went to mom's day at Chelsea's sorority... the only thing I could eat there was the salad!

I must say that I felt good almost everyday, in fact there was only one night that I didn't feel so great, but otherwise I was like wow, no stomach ache... and for me I apparently have a weak stomach which feels sick quite often.  Now as I begin this week adding things back to my diet, it may help me narrow down problem areas of which I should avoid all together?

Easter decorating

Well I finally got a few things decorated for Easter...

Here's that bunny I fell in love with at AI Root

   

I really enjoyed getting out the spring/Easter stuff this year!  As much as I really don't mind our winters, this one seemed especially long!

 Oh and this cute little container I found during a recent visit to Williams Sonoma!

 Just loving this spring time weather we are having too!