catching up, right now and moving on

The catching up part...

I made these layouts two weeks ago. Two weeks ago. SIGH Life got busy and I forgot to upload.

This layout...I borrowed these pictures from a friend's Facebook page. Since she tagged me, it was fair game. The pictures were from CES' Christmas party...the family I left to move on to greener pastures.
Supplies: Studio Calico Metropolitan kit & add-ons, smile stamp, Mister Huey's in schoolhouse, applejack and calico white; Martha Stewart double loops border punch; EK Success real estate sign punch; Crafter's Workshop cosmic bubble template; and versamark ink . There's that coveted SC notes stamp!

This next layout I did with the picture I took on Christmas Eve. Gotta love that camera remote. The tips and techniques that I learned Karen Russell's Photographer's Workshop last year really paid off here.
Supplies: Studio Calico Metropolitan kit & add-ons and Mister Huey's in applejack; Martha Stewart starburst punch; and EK Success large circle border punch.

The right now part...
In the last two days, I have scrapped two layouts. One of them took a LONG time, but I had fun doing it. I did them for the Studio Calico CHA challenges.

This first one, I channeled my inner KP for Steph's style swap challenge as well as Sasha's February DT gallery lift.
Supplies: Studio Calico Who's Who kit & add-ons and photo label stamps; EK Success photo label punch; Marvy Uchida scallop circle punch; Cricut Expression, Gypsy and Mini Monograms cartridge; DMC floss; and JBS ink in lemon drops and spice tin.

This next one...took a LONG time. All that stitching, but once I started I couldn't stop! This one was for Kimberly's stitch on a photograph challenge.
Supplies: Studio Calico Who's Who kit & add ons, woodgrain, pinked circle and tweets stamps; Martha Stewart double loops and large monarch butterfly punches; Fiskars L and XL cloud punches; DMC floss; JBS ink in lemon drops; Stampin' Up ink in brown.

As for Move More, Eat Less... I'm starting to get it, in the "why nothing's happening" department. I ate better most days, but only made it to the gym 2 days. I was attempting another day on Wednesday, but a co-worker was having a medical emergency and I couldn't leave her behind. Today marks the beginning of another week. I'll try to do much better.

The moving on part...

Last June, Auntie Margaret bought a new car...2010 Toyota RAV 4. I joke that I own the engine of the car so that if anyone thinks they want to borrow it, they can only if they can figure out how to drive the car WITHOUT the engine. Total deterrent to borrowing. Yes, I'm really the boss in this house, NOT Auntie Margaret. Since August, I've been switching cars every other day. Sometimes it's hard to remember which car I drove last. The Cooper-Nerds (not their real last name, but that's what we call them) haven't had a reliable car since...well, since they bought their brand new Land Rover Freelander in 2002. Total lemon since they bought it. Two kids later, everyone worries when they're on the road.

Now, I've always been one to start window shopping for my next car right after I buy the current one. I always need to know the new makes and models...it may come in handy one day if I'm ever an eyewitness. That's my excuse.

When the 2010 Toyota 4Runners rolled out last year, I fell in love. Not many people like it, but I do. But, that's not why I'm saying good bye to my 2007 baby. Suffice it to say, I'm really a softie on the inside. I feel sorry for my "sister" having to coax her Freelander to life day in, day out and having to borrow someone else's car when said Freelander decides it needs a terribly long nap at the most inopportune times. I'd feel so much better knowing that my baby will keep them safe, get them to work and school on time and maybe let other people take a ride with them every once in a while. The boys are so excited. They love sitting in the third row and have already made deals with their parents to only ride back there on weekends. And, hey, now my mom and I can take a ride with them and not the other way around.
For now, I'll drive the RAV4. We'll see how long I last in that itty bitty car. Auntie Margaret won't be home for good till July. By then, I will have already placed my order on a 2011 4Runner in salsa red pearl or black.

Someone's holding my money hostage

I really really really shouldn't be surprised.

Seriously. Shouldn't. Be. Surprised.

It's a classic left-hand-doesn't-know-what-right-hand-is-doing kind of thing. When I resigned from my job with the Department of Education in November, I knew I had money coming to me. I did, after all, work till the end of one pay period. BUT, I also knew I had summer pay coming to me. I opted for the 12-month pay period thing. I've been calling payroll since before December 10 because I knew checks would be coming out that day. I called the week after. The week after that. Gave them some leeway to party during Christmas. More leeway to party before New Year. Called after New Year's.

Sigh. {Bet that was heard in Alaska}

Today I call about my W-2 and ask about my last check yet again. I think I finally spoke to someone with a BRAIN. Yup, my check has been sitting there...dated.... guess?

December 10, 2010.

I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'm so ready to rip someone a new one three ways to Sunday. That is MY money. I worked for it. Someone shouldn't have been giving me the run around. So much for getting names. Empty promises. I tell ya... I am pissed.

Sigh. {Seriously, that was heard in Africa}

Probably a good thing I no longer work for them??

MMEL Week 3

My goal was to update once a week on Sunday on my quest to Move More and Eat Less. Short weekend for me having worked on Saturday. At any rate, I was embarrassed to write how my week went. In short, it was a terrible week for MMEL.

Exercise: 150 minutes total

I ate more and moved less this past week. Lots going on. I had the best of intentions to workout Tuesday through Thursday. I ended up having to work extra hours on Thursday so that foiled my plans to hit the gym.

Sunday...it was a day for EATING. Oh my!

So, today. I start again. The beauty of new days is a fresh start. I've already said no to a piece of birthday cake. It didn't look that great and was certainly NOT red velvet so I don't feel like I've deprived myself. See, I really CAN do this. I packed two snacks and my lunch for today. The tough part about bringing lunch from home is never knowing if someone else will be in the office with me at lunch time. I've never been alone in the office before...afraid of meeting ghosts. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet, grow a backbone and pack holy water as my weapon.

thoughtful thursday

today's weather really made me long for my bed, comforter AND hand-tied fleece throw. it rained buckets intermittently all day. oddly, it would stop when i'd have to get out of my car to walk into the office. hmmm.... but, the rain must have been the reason why several people missed this afternoon's meeting. sigh... one day i'll get the hang of this meeting thing (let's hope it's sooner rather than later).

i got to pick up the boy named johnny (only *I* get to call him that). the best part? seeing an old friend as she picked up her son from the same class! maybe that wasn't the best part. maybe hearing that johnny told my friend her son liked to talk in class. no, that wasn't the best part. Seeing the big smile on johnny's face as he saw me was the best part. non-stop talk all the way home. he's one of those kids who asks questions and expects answers. maybe they're all like that...hmmmm....

just as we were rounding the bend up the road to my house, we have this conversation:

j: nini, did you give lucas back his car?

me: what car?

j: his race car.

me: the one i took away?

j:yeah. the racing car.

me: i gave that to him the last time you were here, remember?

j: oh yeah. he was naughty. that's why you took it away.

oh my.

the race car disaster happened weeks ago...december 30th, to be exact. and this little three-year-old has the memory of a computer. i call it a disaster since it resulted in a massively long tantrum that took quite a lot of people to diffuse. if the boys learned a lesson from that fiasco, it was to NEVER EVER play with your toys while one of the old ladies starts praying. even *I* know better than to try to escape when said praying occurs.

i had a point here... oh yeah... more like a note to self: tell johnny only the things i want him to remember and forget promising him something... he'll always remember.

on another note, i finally got the results of my latest blood draw...hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are back to normal. no more blasted iron pills. {let's party!}

MLK Day

I took advantage of the fact that today was a holiday and slept in. It felt wonderful! I put a lot of clothes away, cleared off the top of my desk, folded my freshly washed winter clothes in preparation for next month's trip for work, talked to my cousin Maria on the phone and shredded a whole stack of paper.

I said I wouldn't beat myself up about the trash eating, so I won't. I ate everything I shouldn't have eaten. I will say that I did take smaller portions of the "bad" food. A plus, right? I was careful with what I ate for breakfast and lunch because I knew the will power would be close to non-existent at that party. Always happens.

The reason for this slight detour? I went to a baby shower for three of my friends...former co-workers who are all due next month. The count is at two girls and one surprise! Lots of hugs. Lots of "I miss yous." Hearing I looked refreshed. Lots of joking and laughing. Hearing that being in the lounge wasn't the same without me. Knowing that I am missed.

I miss them.

I miss the camaraderie. I miss the laughter. I miss the jokes, the stories, the anecdotes of the kids' antics. But, this new job is so what I need right now. I'm less stressed. Less moody. I love knowing that I am still a part of their "family." Knowing that, even though I more or less defected, they still love me and care about what's happening in my life.

For that, I'll always love them.

MMEL Week 2

Still haven't found the lock I need for my mouth. But, I think the word I've been searching for is self-control. I did semi-well with the eating...till Thursday hit. I ended up at Wendy's for lunch. That in itself would have been okay if I had chosen a salad or one of the go-wraps. Nope. I went for the chicken sandwich kid's meal. Then, we hit Yogurtland. I did, however, skip my afternoon snack and ate a sandwich and salad for dinner.

I won't ruminate about the wedding reception we went to last night...where I paid $3 for valet parking after circling the parking lot and the parking garage and ending up leaving before we ate because not a table or chair was in sight for 4 of us to sit...or about how I wanted to vomit yesterday morning's breakfast at the sheer number of people milling about said reception...or about how we ended up at Tairyo Sushi and left $89 poorer (but oh what awesomely good sushi it was)...or about how I ate a scoop of perfect green tea ice cream at said dinner... we'll just move on.

I exercised 6 out of 7 days. {cheer}
Wii fit 30 minutes
Body Combat 100 minutes
treadmill 100 minutes

On Saturday, I did my 2nd ever 5k. If I wasn't so lazy, I would find the layout I did of my first 5k to check my time. I think it bordered on 1 hour. This 5k I finished in 51 minutes...that was just walking. One of these days I might feel brave enough to run some of it. Okay, I did run across the street when the light was changing at one intersection. The simple fact that I woke at 5-ish in the MORNING...before the sun woke up...should have counted for something in the move more department.

I've already blown the eating department today with lunch. We went out to celebrate Mark and Liz's 10th anniversary. I could have done without the 3 pieces of karaage chicken (they were bite-sized)and the bacon wrapped around the shrimp (3 of them). It wasn't ALL bad; just more than I should have. I will say that I brought home the other half of my lunch...the salmon part...for a meal on another day. So, I'll skip the snacks and pray I have some will power (aka self-control) at Obi's first birthday party this evening.

I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

Tomorrow is another day...

Gosh, darn it!

I think I need a lock on my mouth or something. Here's the run down for the week:

• I worked out 4 out of 7 days.
  
• I wrote down everything I ate (yes, even the candy I ate during the last-minute Friday afternoon meeting).
• I totally pigged out at dinner last night and paid for it this morning.
  

If I compare last week to the week before that one, I actually did better. I WENT to the gym. BUT... there's the but... I wasn't so great with the eating part. Here's to trying a little harder this week.

Moving on...

My first layout of the year! My word for 2011:



A canvas I did for the Studio Calico 1/3/11 challenge:


A close up:
Supplies: (for the layout and the canvas) Studio Calico Metropolitan, Park Bench, Busy Sidewalks and Mass Transit, SC stamps: weekday, months, butterflies, and coffee stain, Ultra Thick Emobssing Enamel (UTEE), JBS inks in cough syrup and spiced tin, punches: EK Success large circle border, real estate sign and star chain edger; Martha Stewart: double loops and classic butterfly and Claudine Helmuth Sable Brown paint.

The embossing ink was tinted PINK and it didn't vanish. OY! I could have done one more layer of UTEE, but I was tired.

Last, but definitely not least, a layout of our girls' plus one boy night out:

It's a New Year!

A few days late posting my new year's greeting.

I'm taking part in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class with Big Picture Classes. I've been choosing a word every year since 2007. My words have been resolve, hope, embrace, and optimism. This year my word is possibilities. I've done a layout for it. It's already hanging on my wall opposite my bed. I'll post here later.

I'm also doing Cathy Zielske's Move More, Eat Less journal project. I know it's going to take a while to get back on track and writing things down will definitely help me stay honest. There's nothing like seeing IN BLACK AND WHITE the things I put in my body. Sigh...

Time to start working!