Are Your New Years' Resolutions Flying Away?

Don't let your New Year Resolutions go "flying" out the window, it's not to late to regain focus and have some fun at the same time. When setting your New Years' Resolutions or other goals, they say you should put post-it notes or some other type of reminders around your house to keep them front of mine. I've heard of others doing this with quotes and other bits of inspiration but I prefer a less "cluttered" approach. I like to display or have a place for those items to go and I came across this idea that I can't wait to create! Lia from Maya Road's Design Team came up with this idea to display her resolutions which has allowed her to focus on one resolution per month. This is right up my alley and will be my next project although I may make twist so stay tuned. For more information on this project please check out the Maya Road's blog at http://mayaroad.typepad.com/dt/2009/01/2009-monthly-resolutions-frames.html.

Bedding for the Master Bedroom - Which do you like?

Option 1

Option 2 (wouldn't use the print for all of the bedding)

Option 3

Option 4

On the weekends, one of my favorite past times is looking on HGTV's website at all of the rooms that people have decorated. That website always inspires me to cruise the Internet for some ideas on how to make our home even homier. I have been on the hunt for some new bedding and this time I vow to use it longer than 6 - 12 months. I tend to always go the "thrifty" route and with bedding that isn't always the best idea. I tend to always go for solids and this time I want to branch out a bit and go with a print and better quality duvet cover or comforter. I love some of the lighter colors but I'm a bit worried that our little monster Tanner will come running and jump on our bed right after he got done playing outside in the sometimes muddy backyard. I'd love to get your opinions on what you think and I'm always up for recommendations! Also if you have any good websites for me to check out just let me know.

A Stampin Sunday

Card #1
Card #2

Another example of card #1

Brooke and Allison - proud of their creations

Lacey - dreaming about Edward from "Twilight"

Julie - just smiling and shopping away

My mom - just happy to create

Helen - oh so proud of her work and having a ball

The gang all creating.

P.S. Michelle - your picture didn't turn out but I see you down there....

It was a Super Fun Sunday of Stampin and I really enjoyed sharing with others one of the many hobbies that I love. In the world of technology, there still is a place for making a homemade card and sending it to a friend or family member. I keep every single card that someone makes for me including the funny attempt that David made in creating a Valentine's Day card for me. It's the little things in life that people appreciate and it's a creative outlet for those of us that sometimes just need to step outside of reality for a bit. I know everyone was so proud of their creations and I challenge all of them to not keep a hold of the cards but write a heartfelt note inside of it and drop it in the mail - it's sure to bring a smile to the receivers face. And remember - giving and receiving are circular - the more blessings you give, the more that you receive.

P.S.S. Can you tell I've been reading Deepak Chopra for book club?!?!

It's A New Day - What A Gift

Today is a new day and it was oh so welcome. Nothing spectacular, exciting, or out of the ordinary occurred but I started thinking about the fact that having a new day in front of you is a gift in and of itself. I worked from home today and there's something about being in your home while working away with a little loving from Tanner ever now and then that brightened my day. At lunchtime we took a 10 minute walk around the block and it was really refreshing. The sun was shining bright, Tanner was skipping with joy, and I was feeling a little pep in my step as well. Working in your pj's really helped too! Here's to today and all that tomorrow brings as well.

Riding Out the Storm

Battling the storm of life, wind gust by wind gust,

feeling like hibernating from the world until it passes.

Is my life crumbling all around me?

Is it getting harder and harder to keep my chin up

and my head above water?

My confidence is waffling,

my ego has been bruised,

and maybe my pride is a little crushed.

Maybe I'm over-reacting but wait these are still my feelings.

A 2 hour and 15 minute commute to work,

tapping the brakes and praying that I won't slide into the car in front of me.

Playing catch up all day along and getting hit on the head by another whammy.

Gosh I'm glad the day is coming to a close

and oh so very hopeful that tomorrow will be a new day

and hopefully full of sun, love, and a little TLC.

What Kind of Birthday Smile is That?

My nephew Andrew turned 11 last Thursday and we celebrated on Saturday with a family birthday party. Despite a really cool homemade card and gift from his favorite aunt and uncle - I still couldn't get a smile out of him. Now that he's a year older and is quickly growing up into a nice young man, I'm just not able to get the same excitement that I used to get from him on his birthday. I tried everything to get a nice smile out of him and decided that he just wasn't in the mood. Maybe it was the early morning basketball game that he played earlier in the day. I must say however, even when he's not in the greatest of moods, he's still such a polite grump. Happy Birthday Andrew!

"Photographer 2 Be" Scrapbook Layout

I must say that I am quite proud of this scrapbooking layout that I completed of my niece Katie. She is at the age where she loves to imitate adults and I was no exception. I was shooting pictures of her from the backseat because the light was just perfect for snapping pictures. She was very observant and decided that she wanted to take pictures too. Well luckily I had a disposable camera in my purse from my trip to San Diego so I passed it to her. Notice that she still keeps her eye on me while also trying to look through the viewfinder.

In creating this layout, I decided to bring out the red, pink, and purple that was in her sweater and notice all of the cute hearts too. I decided to use her sweater as my inspiration and I think that is what really makes this layout pop. Most of you know how much I love scrapbooking using neutral or fall colors so when I stretch my creativity I think I go all out. I'm thinking about possibly submitting this layout for publication in one of the many scrapbooking magazines so if you have any constructive criticism to make it better before doing so please let me know.

My Best and Worst Valentine's Day

I have very mixed emotions when it comes to Valentine's Day. I have experienced both a spectacular and horrific Valentine's Day so I'm not sure if I should love it or hate it. I'm going to go ahead and tell you about the worst Valentine's Day I ever had. I was 16 years old and had just started dating this guy named Sean. I was head over heels excited about him asking me out and we were planning on going to "Night Lights" for some dancing. That day I was excited about our upcoming date especially when I received a bouquet of flowers and some balloons that were delivered to my house. I could hardly hold back my anticipation because the flowers were so unexpected. A short while later he called to tell me that there was a change of plans. He said he no longer wanted to take me out on a date that night because "he had found someone else". Wow, just an hour earlier I got these gorgeous flowers and now I'm getting dumped! A few days later I found out that he was dating another girl who actually had my same name!!! Oh the irony. I got over it but that sure is a blow to the 16 year ego.

Little did I know that 8 years later, Valentine's Day would be a day I would never forget but this time because it was one of the most special days of my life. David and I, along with my family, headed down to Daytona, FL to see the Daytona 500. We arrived at our hotel and had a great dinner and then we decided to take a walk on the beach. David was extremely jittery and wouldn't take his hands out of his pocket - you can probably guess what was next. He proposed and it was one of the exciting moments for us.

Now I should probably confess and let everyone know that the engagement wasn't a total surprise unfortunately due to the jeweler. David picked out the ring but it wasn't going to be ready right away so he gave them very clear directions on how to contact him once it's done since we lived together at the time. There was a mix-up at the jeweler's and a postcard was sent to our apartment stating "your special order is ready". Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant. Typically David always got home before me but on this night I got home first and got the mail. I contemplated for a few hours about what I was going to do. There was only 2 choices: tell him or not tell him and keep it a secret forever. I knew I couldn't do that and didn't want to start out on the next phase of our relationship on a lie. I ended up telling him and boy was he upset!

It's been 8 years since our engagement and 16 years since my heart was broken on V day but as I sit here on the eve of another V Day, I know that no matter what, my honey loves me unconditionally. Happy V Day Everyone.

Little Bundle of Joy Card

I thought I would share my latest "bundle of joy" card with everyone. I like the simplicity and colors of this card and I can't wait to give it to little baby Giuliana. I'm having a Stampin Up workshop at my house on Sunday and I'm trying to come up with some creative projects to work on. Surfing the Internet and at http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ is bound to inspire me.

Who Needs Facebook?

I have probably been asked about 10 times in the last month if I am on "Facebook" and I always respond very quickly with an enthusiastic, "NO!" I just don't get it but I tell everyone they can friend my hubby since I think ALL of my friends are on his. David gives me the daily update on what's going on in everyone's world and shows me the cool pictures too.

Anyways I was reading my blogger friend - Brooke's blog today and she recommended writing a post on my blog about 25 random things. I thought - hmmm- I think my thoughts are already pretty random so this shouldn't be too hard. So here I go giving it a whirl.

25 Random Things about me:

1) Yes I know, I'm 32 years old and don't have any children yet. People are constantly asking and I must say that it's a major turn-off to ask that question. Well let me take that back - you can say "are you planning on having children?" but don't say "when or why don't you have children". David and I are thinking about adopting so there's everyone's answer.
2) I absolutely ADORE my baby Tanner - honestly he is the cutest puppy in the ENTIRE world. He will be 5 years old in 2 months so I guess he's not a puppy anymore but when your 10 pounds you are always a puppy.
3) My husband and I are opposites in may ways but we both agree that opposites attract - he is the one person in the world that grounds me and loves me unconditionally.
4) I have one brother and when we were little we fight constantly but if anyone picked on him they had to deal with me which wasn't a good thing. I would stick up for him and do anything for him even though we fought all the time. What can I say, it was sibling rivalry at it's best.
5) I have thought alot lately about moving somewhere different. The two places I've been thinking about include Ft Collins, Co or San Diego. However I just looked into refinancing our mortgage and it looks like we aren't selling anytime soon.
6) I love traveling for work. It's so fun to get a change of pace and I usually get to go to awesome places. My trips are generally short and I get to eat at great restaurants and stay in cool hotels. Did I mention that I love trendy hotel rooms!?!?
7) I worked in London the summer of 2000 and had the time of my life. This is were I became the independent woman that I am today because there's nothing like being thrown into a foreign country by yourself and having to find your way around.
8) One of my biggest fears is drowning. I'm not a strong swimmer but I'm much more confident than I was as a child. My parents signed me up for swimming lessons and I cried, kicked, and screamed because I hated it so much.
9) I'm loyal to a fault sometimes. My history speaks for itself in this category.
10) I love being creative by scrapbooking, making cards, and other projects around the house. However it's hard for me to come up with original ideas on my own so I look at lots of idea books and online for my inspiration.
11) I'm a magazine reading junky! Right now I currently get in the mail the following magazines and read every single one from cover to cover. Real Simple, Redbook, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks Etc, Taste of Home, and Better Homes and Gardens.
12) I loved my 4 years of college at Augie. This is the place where I really grew up and I secretly hope that at least one of my nieces or nephew go there for college.
13) I'm a worry-wart especially when it comes to my parents. They are getting older and have had a tough couple of years and thinking about them keeps me up late at night.
14) I'm allergic to everything - seriously! I've been through 3 rounds of allergy shots and through every allergy medicine sold and I finally found the best stuff ever. I'm even allergic to dogs but you know Tanner isn't going anywhere. Can you imagine what I told my allergy doctor when he said Tanner had to sleep in another room!
15) I'm not a morning person and it takes me a good 2-3 hours to be operating on all cylinders in the morning, thank goodness for caffeine.
16) My favorite drink in the world is Diet Dr. Pepper and I couldn't live without it.
17) I'm a cryer. I cry at the drop of a hat and I wish I could control it better. If there is a sad movie, tv show, commercial, book, song, or just about anything it will make me cry. Oh and let me just say that the worst thing you can say to a cryer is "why are you crying?". Just don't say it, it only makes it worst.
18) I honestly don't go to funerals (see above). I have been to 5 funerals my entire life and I only go if absolutely necessary. My first funeral experience has scarred me for life.
19) I love to surf the internet looking at scrapbooking and design idea websites. I can't get enough of HGTV and DIY too.
20) I've always want to drive up to a really wealthy neighborhood and knock on the front doors to ask what they do for a living. Don't you wonder what those 20,000 sq feet homes look like and what they did to earn it?
21) I've only bought 2 cars in my life and I've been driving for 16 years. I definitely earned that new car of mine.
22) My newest obsession (and I have many of them) includes decorating our house. The problem is I'm so indecisive. I've bought and returned so many items lately that I think it's driving David crazy. It looks great in the store but in our house it looks totally different.
23) I'm struggling with all of my new years resolutions. I think a big part of it is this cold weather, it's stopping me from doing many of the things that I wanted to do.
24) I love spending time going into the city. Chicago is so close and I only wish we did it more often. In March we get to stay in the new Trump towers for a work event. David and I can't wait, the rooms look gorgeous.
25) I hate Sunday nights - they are actually pretty depressing because I realize all of the stuff I didn't get done over the weekend and also the anticipation of a new work week ahead. On that note I better get moving - I have laundry to fold and need to jump in the shower.

"Wii" are having some friendly competition now!

This is me - makeup and all!
And this is David with no hair!

David and I got the Wii and the Wii Fit and I must say, "I'm officially addicted to a video game." But let me tell you, the Wii Fit is truly a workout and it'll have you out of breath in no time flat. Every time you get on it, it tracks your weight, BMI, and also your balance. Then it comes up with your "wii age" and let me tell you - it thinks I'm older than I am and that's not good! You also get to select a fitness trainer and they will not let you slack at all, it's like they are your conscience, constantly reminding you of how much harder you need to work to get results. So far I'm really good at step aerobics, kickboxing, and some of the balance games. David is trying to catch up with me and what can I say, there is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition in the house, especially if it helps you to get in shape. This game is so much fun so if you want to try it, stop on by, we'd love to have you join us!

P.S. I lost 8 pounds my first week and I'm hoping this helps me lose it even faster.