So Very Thoughtful Paige Marie

I've inspired another friend to try scrapbooking and it's so much fun to see their work. My dear friend Paige that lives in Idaho made this card for me for my birthday. Yes I know it was a month ago but I always know that she'll be a tad bit late......:) But it was worth the wait she put her scrapbooking goodies to work and made me this adorable card. Thanks so much Paige, I love it!!!

When it's Cold Outside - Decorate!

Today I attended another decorating class at Pottery Barn and I must say, those are the best classes for decorating and they are free! The ladies that teach them have backgrounds in interior design and they are not pushy about buying only PB stuff - they truly want to help you create a beautiful home. Since getting back from the class today, I've been moving out all of my winter decor and moving in some spring stuff that I got today. I know it's not spring yet but hey, if you have the winter blues like David and I you would understand that any little thing you can do to bring spring here faster is worth it. I'm still not completely done with the spring stuff so I won't post those pics yet since I want it to be complete.

My favorite channel on tv is by far HGTV and I can't get enough of all of those decorating shows. I get so many great ideas that I have created a sketchbook where I draw things that I like by hitting the pause button on the DVR - that is truly the best invention ever. Over the holiday break I also discovered the HGTV website and I'm addicted to "Rate Your Space". Today I decided to be brave and post 2 of our rooms and I knew I would definitely get some honest feedback on this site. If you have a few minutes please feel free to check it out, the links to our family room (recently finished - or at least I thought until I got the feedback) and then our upstairs bathroom are below. If your so inclined feel free to vote as well. :)

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Living-Rooms/Contemporary-Family-Room-in-Ba/detail.esi?oid=5978701

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Bathrooms/Small-ContemporaryModern-Bathr/detail.esi?oid=5980296

I Fell Off the Wagon Once Again

I know that I normally write about upbeat and happy things but today I need to take a break from that and vent. I feel like a failure because once again I have managed to gain back the weight that I worked so hard to lose. I knew this was happening in the back of my mind but I honestly convinced myself otherwise. This morning was my rock bottom when I couldn't find a pair of pants that fit! My comfortable and roomy pants were all dirty and headed off to the dry cleaners and I never thought I would end up in a situation where nothing fits. I suffered all day long in a pair of dress pants that were so tight that I thought I was going to pop a button and bust a lung with each breath. It's OK, you can laugh because I did this to myself. Why do I keep sabotaging my own weight loss success? Why did it take so long for me to realize what was happening and to do something about it?!?!

After realizing that I was in deep trouble, I did something I had been dreading for quite some time. I stepped on the scale..............what a big mistake! I still don't believe it and am trying to convince myself that it must be wrong. I mean honestly how could those numbers be right, some of clothes fit? Well my scale has never lied to me before so I only let myself sulk for a while until I decided that this was the swift kick in the you know what to do something about it. Vacation and the holidays are over and it's time to stop this for once and for all.

As a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, I decided that I was going to sign up for the program online and I must admit that it's really handy. You can track everything online include your food intake, activity points, and weight loss. I've done the program so many times that I don't even need to attend the meetings but I'm thinking I am going to need some sort of support system to keep this up - for the long haul! That's where you come in - any advice or tips would be much appreciated. Or if you just want to provide words of encouragement I'll take that too.

The Saddest Movie Ever - Marley & Me

Everyone knows how much I love dogs especially how enfatuated I am in with our dog Tanner. Therefore I couldn't wait to see the movie, "Marley & Me" but let me tell you - I should have listened to all of the warnings about how sad the movie was. Honestly I can't remember the last time I cried....oh I mean sobbed during a movie like this. There should be a WARNING at the beginning of the movie that encourages young children, hormonal women, or anyone else that loves dogs to get up and leave the movie immediately. Don't get me wrong, the movie was excellent and told the story of how precious dogs are to us but could they have made the end of the movie any sadder?!?! If you are thinking about watching the movie, please take my warning and bring a box of Kleenex - yes a full box and make sure you are emotionally in a very happy place. I kept thinking about how lucky we are to have Tanner and the reality is that someday his time will come but I just can't imagine going through that. Now I'm sure there are some skeptics out there that wouldn't agree with me but I don't know how you can't cry in that movie. I've often heard people say, "it's just a dog" and nothing makes me angrier than hearing an ignorant and insensitive comment like that. What does it mean anyways - "just a dog"? I am just grateful that those that make those comments aren't dog owners because I would feel sorry for that dog. Wait better yet, I wish those people would get a dog so that they can witness and experience first hand the unconditional love that they provide to us. Dogs are truly full of love and I just don't know what we would do without them.

Happy Birthday Melissa - oh I mean Sue!

My friend and colleague at work Susan is turning 39 on Monday and this is the card that I make for her. We actually started on the same day at work and became fast friends. Since we started on the same day at work, we went through our orientation and training together and since then everyone gets us confused. Tons of people call her Melissa and everyone else calls me Sue. I keep telling her that it's my stunning beauty, glowing personality, and intelligence that is creating all of the confusion but she thinks it's my sarcasm. What's even funnier is that people that started after us get us confused so I'll forever be called Sue and her Melissa at work.

For my birthday at work, my team all signed a birthday card for me and one of my co-workers wrote "Sue, Happy Birthday, you don't look a day older" and it wasn't a joke! My name was written all of the card and she still accidentally called me Sue.

David and I went out with her last night for dinner and an evening out and had a blast. Sue is such a special friend and her husband Kris is awesome too. So here's to Sue and another great year! Sue will be forever 39 and I 29 years old.....and "that's all we're saying"! (inside joke)

Thinking Outside the Box - or in the Box?

I have to admit that my friend Paige's birthday was over a month ago and I got her card in the mail a bit late last month. December was a VERY busy month and since Paige is such a special friend, I knew I really needed to do something very special to make up for my tardiness.

This card is actually a box with a lid and when you open it, you notice that there are 3 layers within it. All of the sides are decorated with stamps, patterned paper and other embellishments. Now you are probably thinking, "wow, that is really a creative idea you came up with" but I must admit that it wasn't my idea. A colleague at work received a similar box for her birthday that her mother had made and knowing how much I love crafty projects, she let me borrow hers so I could duplicate this awesome card.

This was so much fun to make and I look forward to making many more. So next time you think about sending a friend or family member a birthday card, just remember that sometimes all you need to do is to think outside of the box!

The Paper Doll House - Here we Come!

The beautiful house above is where I am heading off to for the weekend to scrapbook. Yes, we actually do scrapbook all weekend long and I will be up very late into the night working on my next masterpiece. This will be our 3rd year going to this Bed & Breakfast that caters to just us crafty folks. I am looking forward to working on some projects and catching up with some friends and sneak in a massage on Saturday as well. Dave gets to be a bachelor all weekend long but I'm sure he'll still miss me, especially since the Wii we ordered didn't arrive this week as planned. I'm sure he'll manage to find something to do without me.

For more information on this Victorian Home or the B&B visit their website:
http://www.thepaperdollhouse.com/

A Gift Made With Love and Oh So Sweet!

I made this cupcake shaped mini album for my SIL and Niece for Christmas. Katie turned 1 in March and the theme of her party was cupcakes - my favorite! I had a blast scrapbooking her birthday but decided that it would be nice to make an album for my SIL to have as well as a keepsake. I had a lot of fun making it for them since my niece is the "sweetest" niece ever. What will the them for her birthday be this year??? Hmm....maybe I should make a few recommendations?!?! I also will have another niece or nephew arriving in May and while I don't know the sex yet, I know I'll have a blast scrapbooking for that child as well.

As you can see on Katie's bib - She Loves her Auntie!!! Alright don't laugh I did buy the bib for her and didn't realize that these types of bibs are only for little babies, my response was that well the new arrival can wear it beginning at birth. I always have a solution and have alot to learn!

Bring It On 2009!

It's now time to put my new years resolution down in writing so that I can commit. I rarely stick to them so I'm not sure why I even try but I think it's a good thing to try and do. Last year one of my resolutions was to read more and to meet new people. I actually accomplished that and stuck to it all year long. I read 26 books and was able to accomplish both resolutions by joining a book club. Considering that the year before I may have read only 2 books this was a huge success. While I am very goal-oriented and I love to "compete" with myself (yes I'm very competitive I know) I actually got so much out of setting these goals than I ever imagined.

So what am I going to strive to accomplish this year? Well I decided that there are many things that I want to work towards and so I decided to pick one word that would encompass all of my goals. My word for this year is BALANCE. This word ties into my goals both personally and professionally. Below are just a few of the things that I want to strive for in 2009.

1) Keep my work at work, and let it all go when I get home. Be present where I am. This will probably be my biggest challenge which is why I've listed it first.
2) Make time to cook more at home. I HATE grocery shopping so if I can get Dave to shop, I would be happy to cook. To go along with this I want to eat healthier and bring exercise back into my life. Yes I know, the almighty goal of losing weight and KEEPING it off, which is the hardest part. Please note that I am titling this goal differently than just "lose weight" because it's not about that. I have been on a 17 day vacation from work and I have been sick twice during this time off. What is going on???? Am I allergic to rest and relaxation? I haven't been sick all year.
3) Go somewhere different with my hubby once a month. After being together for 10 years you can get a little complacent and we want to explore the city that is so close by more often. This would always us to spend "quality" time together outside of the normal day to day.
4) Submit scrapbooking layouts and cards to magazines for publishing. I know this is a huge stretch but I'll never get published if I don't try! If anything it will force me to continue to create and stay on top of all of my scrapbooking. To go along with this goal, send more handmade cards to family and friends. I'm off to a good start with this goal since I made 6 cards last night while sitting at home on New Year's Eve while coughing and blowing my nose.
5) Take a photography class. I really want to get better at taking pictures and would like to take a class online or through a local school. Not sure what will work with my crazy work schedule.

I'd love to hear from you what your "word" for 2009 will be. When I asked David he said "Happiness" but I really want him to find a more specific word because I think this is a bit generic but what do I know?

Cheers to a Fantastic 2009!!!