Weight Watchers week 2 weigh-in

So I lost 1.4 lbs this past week which is better than I expected but not as much as I had hoped! We took a weekend trip to California and had to eat out a lot and although I made healthier choices at the restaurants, they still weren't the best choices and when we got home Wii Fit scale said I gained 3.3 lbs so I worked my butt off the rest of the week and ended up losing all of that and the additional 1.4 so not too shabby I guess! I hate feeling like a slave to the scale because it gets me feeling down when I don't see the weight dropping as quickly as I want it to. Granted, I know 2 lbs a week is the "healthy" way to lose weight but goodness gracious, it's not the fun and exciting way to lose weight! LOL So in two weeks I've lost 5 lbs and I'm only 8 lbs away from my 5% goal which I'm hoping to get by the end of week 4 but we'll see. When I'm home I do really good with my Points and I workout everyday so hopefully this will be a good week for me. I don't have any out of town plans until the 8th and that's just a day trip over to pick up my stepson for a weekend visit. Hopefully his mom will meet me closer than usual but I'm not getting my hopes up. Will most likely be a 10-hour day in the car...oh joy! The things we do for our kiddos, huh? LOL I'll just have to be sure to pack our lunch and snacks so we don't eat at McDonalds like we usually do! Anyways, so that's my news. I was mega bad last night at the fair and ate 3/4 of a scone with butter & honey on it which I'm sure ate up my 35 allowance points! LOL I figure one splurge a week is pretty good and I have the rest of the week to burn it off with my workouts! So 5 pounds down and 105 to go! YIKES! LOL I like to look at my short term goal of 8 lbs way more than that 105!!
Happy Friday everyone!!!

A little somethin

Last night I decided to make some boxes for my son. We have mailboxes in the house for each of us and every so often we'll leave notes or candy or treats of some kind in them for each other as a little surprise. I thought I could make one of these boxes and put some candy in it as a special treat for my son when he got home from VBS today and I ended up making 5 of them, figuring I could use them later down the road.

Here's a picture of our mailboxes. We used stickers to decorate them and I just used a sharpie to write the names on the front.


With the scrap papers I made 3 little 3x3 cards for my hubby. I like to stick notes or cards in his wallet or laptop bag or underwear drawer or wherever he might stumble across them throughout his day so these are just the perfect size for that!










I made these 3x3 cards with some of the left over papers I had from the Scrapbook Expo we had at the mall on the 18th. I figure I can use them as thank you cards to my customers when they order stuff.



Alright, now I'm off to workout although I'm super tired and super sore...weigh-in is tomorrow so I gotta do it! :) Happy Wednesday everyone!

PS Giveaway

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Where o' where did my mojo go???

I've been so busy lately that it's been like 2 weeks since I've done any form of crafting and I was going batty!! I sat down last night even though I was totally wiped out because I just felt the need to make some cards or something and low and behold...my mojo was missing!!! I made three cards which were plain and boring and I started looking for inspiration on blogs but was pretty much falling asleep at my desk and gave up. I even left my mess out all over the floor and my table which I NEVER do and went and crawled into bed. I watched a bit of Gilmore Girls and within 10 minutes I was OUT! On the bright side I've been having massive bursts of energy the past two mornings and I've gotten some killer workouts in, including today! Yesterday I worked out for 45 minutes on Wii Fit doing various things from the Yoga, Aerobic and Strength Training sections and then finished with 45 minutes of working out with weights. Then I walked 3 miles. Today I jogged for 30 minutes on my treadmill and finished with the awful and dreadful sit-ups! I hate sit-ups with a passion but I wanna get rid of this tummy chub so I gotta do it! At noon I'm gonna go for the 3 mile walk again. I walk down to my grandma's church to pick up my son and cousin from VBS and then walk back home. Praise the Lord it's been really nice outside so it's a great walk! Now that I'm all cooled off from my morning workout I'm gonna hop in the shower! I pray everyone is having a FABULOUS day!!! Happy Tuesday!

Week 1 on Weight Watchers

Today was weigh-in day and....*drum roll please*...I lost 3.6 lbs this week! Not the 5 lbs my scale told me yesterday but still not too shabby! That's what I get for ordering pizza yesterday and it doesn't help being a girl and having a particular week during the month when you get all bloated and what not (if you know what I mean) but whatev...I'll take the 3.6 lbs and do a happy dance! LOL Now 10 more lbs and I've hit my 5% mark!! WOO HOO!

I bought the Complete Food Companion book from WW and the Dining Out Companion so that's what I'll be looking at tonight! We're going on a road trip this weekend so I'm gonna try very hard to stick to healthy eating and these books will help me when I don't know what to do!

Alright, I'm off to visit with my hubby and work on some crafts!!!!

Weigh-in Tomorrow

I'm so anxious to weigh-in tomorrow at Weight Watchers. I've been camping since Monday afternoon and have done pretty darn good all week with sticking to my daily points. Monday night our friends made bacon cheeseburgers for dinner and I fudged a little and ate two of them (they weren't huge or anything) but managed to only go 6 points over that whole day which still leaves me 29 allowance points for the week (which ends tomorrow night). I made a point to take lots of walks while camping to get some activity points and I'm SORE today! I did all the packing and unpacking for the camping trip so lots of lifting and moving around and now I'm working on 500 loads of laundry! LOL Ok, so it will end up only being like 8 loads but it feels like 500! I was curious to see if I totally botched my weight-loss by eating those burgers and I did eat 2 smores last night and 2 little cupcakes (bad...bad...bad) but to my surprise the scale in my bathroom read 260 lbs so that's almost 5 lbs lost in less than a week...not too shabby! :) I can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow at the WW meeting! I also want to say a HUGE thank you to the ladies that left such positive and encouraging comments on my last post about WW! It's so amazing to know I've got people rooting for me and praying for me and joining me in this adventure! It's awesome to hear how WW has helped other people and that obviously they know what they're talking about so I'm gonna stick with it! I'll post tomorrow night with the official results of the weigh-in! Now I'm off to relax between loads of laundry!! HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

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My 1st meeting!

Alright...*deep breath*...my starting out weight is:
264.8 lbs.

I knew it was going to be around that, I half expected it to be 270 because that's what the scale said last time I got on it in my bathroom a week ago. My first mini goal is to lose 5% which works out to be 13 lbs.

According to the book they gave us, for my height (5'9") my healthy weight ranges are:
Minimum joining weight is 140 lbs (this is saying that in order to qualify to join WW you have to need to lose at least 5 lbs so if I weighed 135lbs then I couldn't join)
Minimum weight: 135
Maximum weight: 169

When I was in high school I fluctuated from 170-175 and still felt fat so I'm hoping to be somewhere around 160 but Josh (my hubby) thinks I'll look gross that small. BUT, that's coming from the guy that likes some meat on a girls bones! :O) I honestly could care less what the scale said (except I want desperately to be under 200 lbs) , as long as I like what I see and I feel good.

So there we have it...my starting out point!!! I'm armed with the tools & support I need and I'm ready to get going!
My daily POINTS target is 34 (whoa, that seems like a lot) and I get 35 allowance points a week. I'll update this weekly (at least) to show my progress (or lack of...hope not) and pass on what I'm learning about the program and myself! Thanks for riding along with me! :)
Now I need to go take a "before" picture and someday I'll post it on here....maybe once I've reached my 10% goal so we can do a picture to compare!

Weight Watchers

I've been using my blog for posting my creative stuff but I'm gonna start adding in my newest adventure...weight watchers! I like the accountability that I'll have from publicly having to talk about my progress and it will also be a way for me to pass on what I'm learning to friends and family that are interested but can't make it to meetings or afford the cost of the program.

Tonight will be the first weigh-in and meeting I go to and I'm SOOOOOO beyond excited about it. I did WW 3 years ago online and lost 30lbs. I quit the program because I got pregnant and they didn't have a plan that was designed for pregnancy. Sadly I lost that baby and went on to lose another baby and then PRAISE THE LORD, I had my 2nd successful pregnancy and now have my daughter, Tatym who is a year old (July 2nd). It's time for me to get serious about changing my eating habits and make a point to have a workout schedule and stick with it. I want to have a healthy and long life (or at least until the rapture) and I want to be able to run and play with my kids and ride on fair rides and do all the fun stuff that in-shape parents do with their kids! I want to feel good about how I look and be able to wear cute clothes that weren't designed to just cover up the fat! LOL

So, I'll blog tonight about my first meeting and keep my blog up-to-date with my weightloss progress! I'm hoping to eventually lose around 110-120 lbs so I know this isn't going to happen over night (although I wish it could LOL)!

As ashamed as I am about how heavy I am, to be open and honest about what I'm going through I'll even post my weight on here. I'll start with my 'starting off weight' tonight after the first weigh-in! *gulp*

Alright...this day is going by soooooo slowly....c'mon 6pm!!! LOL

****Oh yay...just figured out how to change my font and colors and stuff...now this is even more fun!!!

What's in the bag?

I was blog surfing a bit ago and ran across a blog where a girl at one point has posted a blog about what was in her bag and I thought it was pretty fun so decided to do it myself! I have a HUGE purse obsession that really, I should seek help for but I don't want to be saved from it so I'll stay away from the meetings! LOL I've toned it down a bit because of husbands dislike of my addiction but I still can't help but feel them calling to me when I'm in a store! LOL Anyways, so here's a shot looking into my purse from the top:







This is what's inside---Wallet, checkbook, too many pens & pencils, lots & lots of loose change that I've been meaning to put in my kids' piggy banks, a bundle of bobby pins...been wondering where all my bobby pins have disappeared to...a hair tie, kleenex, wet wipes (my son has an obsession with making sure he's clean after he poos so when we're in public I HAVE to have these on hand), lotion, lip gloss, hand sanitizer which I don't ever even use because I think it's of the devil LOL, 3 packs of gum...who needs 3 packs of gum in their purse????...2 gold coins that I took to church for a Sunday school lesson I was teaching, the square thing with a moon on it is a little flashlight...I've never used it for the purpose I put it in my purse for, ya know, being out at night and not being able to find the keyhole in the van door but it comes in handy when my son is bored LOL! What else??? A mini purple notebook, directions to a friends house, a spare binky, two baby hair bows, a $5 bill and a check that I need to cash and my glasses in their case. This was a good opportunity for me to clean out my purse and I'm feeling the need to use a different purse. Before, when I was done using a purse I would just give it away but since my hubby didn't like me buying new ones all the time I decided to start holding onto them and yes, I'd still buy a purse here and there but now I've gotten good at reusing some of the older ones!

So now I'm curious...what's in your bag???

Swap cards

I signed up for a CTMH consultant card swap and had to make 3 sets of 10 cards (3 different designs) so last night I watched Harpers Island episodes and did the last 2 sets I needed to do. Harpers Island was a bit too much for me in the murder area but I got sucked in and just HAD to know who the killer was. Also, I'm a bit of a fraidy-cat and once I started watching an episode late in the night I had to finish to get my closure so I could sleep without the nightmares! LOL Yeah, no kiddin, I'm the kind of girl that when I'm freaked out by a scary movie has to turn every light on in the house as I'm walking through it and when I'm done in a room I flip the light off and RUN to the next room because my mind thinks that 'something' could jump out and grab me! LOL I try to logically think that I know there isn't anything in the house that is going to "get me" but the chicken part of my brain thinks maybe something slipped in! LOL So yeah, that's a peak into how my brain works! I try not to watch scary movies/shows but sometimes I let one slip by! :)

Anyways, here is one of the cards I made for the swap (1 of 10):


Now the 3rd set of 10 cards I made didn't go as planned. When I was cutting the papers I didn't even think about how they would layout on the paper. So although the cards are all supposed to look the same in each set this set didn't turn out that way. They're still cute but most of them look a little different!



We have a scrapbook expo coming up this weekend and my upline & I are manning a booth to show off CTMH products. I cut out enough papers to do 70 make-n'-take cards for people to test out the products. Connie (my upline) has also done 50 different cards so hopefully that will be enough for the day. Here is the card I made as a sample for the people to get an idea of how they might make their card.

Teaching Moments

The Lord has really been teaching me about forgiveness today along with being mindful of the things we say so I took this opportunity to talk to my son about it. I'm sure everyone has done this or at least heard about this but thought I'd share my pics with everyone!

Ephesians 4:29 says Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

I talked to Keegan about how sometimes when we are angry or hurt or just plain grumpy we sometimes say things we really shouldn't. The toothpaste represents the icky things we might say. I then gave him a spoon and told him to put the toothpaste back in the tube. He quickly found out that it's nearly impossible and all-in-all it makes a BIG mess. I told him that our words can make a big mess of things and although we can apologize about what we said we can't take them back and it has a lasting effect on the world around us.

Obviously Keegan had more fun making the mess and playing in the toothpaste but after his dad got home from work he ran right in to show him what he did and told him about what he learned! So...totally worth the tube of toothpaste! :O)

Here's the proud boy & his mess:


Our icky words and the mess it can make:


Trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube:



Not working out so well:

Giving it a try!

I saw this really cute card, called a tri-fold shutter card and knew I had to give one a try! I got the instructions here.

Hubby and I were watching Knowing while I worked on this. It's not completed but I wanted to post some pics before I hit the hay. I'm teaching childrens' church in the morning and need to be well rested to keep up with the pre-K & kindergarteners! LOL

What a day!

So on top of the 15 Christmas cards I got made up yesterday I was able to finish 5 other cards. Granted, I was up til 2am working on cards (and watching Gilmore Girls) but hey, I got 20 cards done in one day...not too shabby!

Here is a card I made for my friend Julia's birthday (in August). I wanted it to look like a present and I loved the colors of this paper!


I made this card for our friend Anthony and his new fiance, Amy. They recently got engaged and my hubby & I are beyond excited for them! They'll be getting married on our son's 7th birthday (Nov. 7th) so it's now going to be an even more special day!

The rest of the cards I made just for fun to keep on hand for moments that I need a card and don't have the time to make one right then!

Had a few extra minutes...

I'm wasting the last few more minutes before we have to head to dinner so I'll post the rest of the Christmas cards I did this afternoon. Now keep in mind that some of them are not totally finished. I left spaces for when I buy Christmas stamps to add to them. I wanted to at least get a base done so all I had to do was stamp or add embellishments!

Here they are:

I'm on a roll today!!

This afternoon my son went to a birthday party at the local bowling alley so while he was doing that my daughter and I went cruising around the mall which kept her awake longer than normal. After we picked up my son and came home Tatym napped for 2 hours (my hubby just woke her up since we have dinner plans with friends) so I worked on Christmas cards again! I was able to bust out 10 more so now I've got something like 15 done! HOORAY!! I better slow down because I know I'm gonna buy some CTMH Christmas papers and stamps when the new Idea Book comes out and I don't want all my cards already done before I get to use my new stuff!

Here are 5 of the cards I just finished. I'll post the other 5 after we get home from dinner.

Please pray for Tammy & her family!

I was doing my usual blog-surfing and came across Tammy's blog and her post today (here).

Her daughter was killed in a car accident this past week and if that isn't bad enough, 9 months ago her son was also killed in a car accident! I cannot even imagine the horror and pain that would come from losing a child and then to lose both of them within such a short amount of time...my heart just breaks for her and her family! PLEASE keep them in your prayers!!!!!

Christmas Cards In July

Every year I mail out about 50-60 cards for Christmas and this is the first year that I'm going to make my own cards so I've decided to start now so I'm not scrambling later on! I got 5 made this morning while my daughter napped. WOO HOO! Some of them aren't quite finished because I don't have any Christmas stamps just yet. I can't wait for the Fall/Winter CTMH Idea Book to come out so I can order some and then I'll go back and finish up the cards that need a little more pizazz! This is so much fun because no one will get the same card as someone else!!

Here they are:

Pretty day but I love being inside!

I'm such an addict! LOL It's like 70 degrees outside, bright and shiny and I'm inside working on cards! LOL My son even busted out a card for some friends of his that moved away a few months ago! I love that he has fun making cards with me!

So here is a card I made for my hubby's grandparents wedding anniversary. They're celebrating 70 years of marriage this summer! WOW, that is HUGE! Now-a-days it's a miracle if a marriage lasts 10 years so it's just amazing to be able to celebrate a marriage that has truly stood the test of time! These 2 people are so sweet and loving and have accepted me into their family from day one and I just adore them!



I made this card for a friends birthday:

Wow, a blog giveaway!

Melissa at Creating From The Heart is offering up a Cuttlebug and some extra goodies to a lucky winner of her drawing on July 15th!! Leave her a comment & become a follower for 2 chances to win!

My Scrappin Space

I know I'm always curious to see how other crafters have their space set up and I'm uber jealous of the ladies that have a whole room just for their creative outlet so I thought I'd post pics of my space. I've sort of taken over the dining room area of our 3 bedroom 1 bath duplex. I hated the way a kitchen table seemed to take up all the space in there because the sliding glass door that leads to our backyard is in the dining room along with the door that leads to the garage so our kitchen table is now in the garage being used to hold boxes and what not. I bought a folding craft table from my friend Bonnie at a garage sale for $5 and it's perfect for my space and my needs. I can fold it up when I'm done and stick it in the corner and pull it out when I need it.

So, here is a picture of our dining room (view from our living room) when the table is folded up.

Here's how I set the table up with my comfy computer desk chair.

Here are pics of my computer desk armoire that I got for my birthday from my wonderful hubby (he let me pick out what I wanted). I've converted it to my craft closet. I've stuck it in the corner of the dining room.

This is what the inside looks like:

Very top of the armoire holds my paper bins, latest shipments that I haven't had a chance to sort through yet, photo boxes with envelopes and extra pens and stuff for my home gatherings.

The top shelf is open and I put my CTMH card/scrapbooking layout books, my embellishments, extra stamp sets, jars that hold buttons, glitter, projects that I'm working on for swaps or whatever else.

After you open the doors, in the space that you would normally put a computer monitor, I have a magazine rack for my scrapbook/cardmaking magazines, my scrapbook, extra packs of cardstock, a holder for my pens/markers, glue, other embellishments, my paper cutters, business stuff (calculator, prize box, etc). In this first pic, the keyboard table is pulled out and I use that as an extra shelf for cardstock. The 2nd picture is with the table pushed in.


The bottom section I use for my bins of ribbon, scissors/hole punches, photographs, stickers and misc. inks/stamps (non CTMH).


Since the dining room can't fit all my stuff I've taken over a big portion of the garage as well! I love my hubby for letting me have and store all this stuff! He's so good to me and my addiction! Here is the view from our garage door:


I've got two bookshelves that hold things like templates for paper boxes or other crafts I've made, empty storage jars, a box full of toilet paper rolls for future projects, my Idea Books and other business forms, other things I've found that I want to alter in one way or the other (cookie sheets, picture frames, etc.), I also have some VHS movies that don't fit in the house and a craft bin for my son's stuff.

There's a table that was here when we moved in that I use for storing bins of paper scraps, templates, extra cardstock, blank scrapbooks or other altering projects.

These drawers hold fun stuff I find at scrapbook stores like blank recipe boxes, fun mini albums, blank clock frames, etc. The bottom drawer on the right has paper packs that I've bought from JoAnn's.


So there ya have it...my scrappin space! I dream of one day having my very own room that would have a door on it so I could leave things out and I wouldn't have to worry about little fingers destroying anything! For now I don't mind (too much) having to set things out when I'm ready to craft and then put everything away when I'm done! I'm just thankful to even have a corner to work on my projects! The bonus is that I can still visit with my hubby and any company we have while I'm working on things and I have a plug-in near my table so I can use my hubby's laptop to browse blogs or watch movies as I'm working.

I hope you have had an amazing 4th of July weekend and now I'm off to do something creative in my little corner! :O)