Short Weekend

This weekend flew by FAST! I spent most of yesterday at a Special Education Parent Conference. I was just supposed to "check it out." BUT...I ended up staying a few hours. I met up with some friends and we got to see "Just Go With It." I had already seen it two weeks ago, but forgot... it's okay, though, because it was so hilarious that I had my abs working out! win-win.

I woke up feeling yucky...sniffles and a scratchy throat. Sigh... I can't get sick. I can't get sick. I can't get sick. Have to finish writing a progress report for a grant.

I did get to scrap today!

Supplies: Studio Calico "Into the Woods" kit and add-ons and the fabulous Mister's Huey's classic white; Stampin' Up brown ink; Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly border punch; and Marcy Uchida scallop punch.

I got a gift certificate for Christmas for a 50-minute aromatherapy massage from Lucas and Jacob. I finally got to to use it last weekend. BLISS!

Supplies: Studio Calico "Into the Woods" kit and add-ons; baker's twine.

I used the 3/20 Sunday Sketch for inspiration. I picked up my new 2011 Toyota 4Runner on Wednesday! With everything going on in Japan, I was afraid that come summer time, the prices of vehicles made in Japan might skyrocket. It's a few months earlier than I had planned, but it all works out. My boss calls it the red demon. Hee hee

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Seems like all I do is catch up!

It was a good mail week for me! Not only did my March Studio Calico kit come, but so did my Fuji instax pivi printer!! I was so afraid that the earthquake/tsunami aftermath would detour it somewhere else. I've already taken it on a test run. It came with batteries and an A/C power cord. Score! The only bummer is that my blackberry runs bluetooth not infrared technology. I used those test pictures on this layout:

I scored on a sale at Macy's...on coffee for my Keurig and a carousel for the k-cups. I got suckered into getting a Macy's card so I got sale price plus 35% off. Not bad...

This week will be busy. Have to do updates to a progress report for one of the grants I'm under. Fun stuff! Hee! Now to get rid of this stomach ache so I can sleep...karma coming to bite me back for eating vanilla bean ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery and Ruth's red velvet cake. Sigh... that' s what I get for giving up sweets then eating it anyway today. First slip up of the Lenten Season... it won't happen again!

Creating

In all the busy-ness of last weekend and the past week, I forgot to share my layouts! Time to remedy that oversight.


Supplies: Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons;, WRMK sew easy tools, and DMC floss.

I took the picture in this layout using the elevator doors on our floor. That's one of two pictures of me in DC. No time for sightseeing or picture taking. Sigh...the life of a "business" traveler. I *think* my next trip is in May to Hawaii and North Carolina in June. Not too sure yet.


Supplies: Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons, Fiskars L and XL punches, and Martha Stewart border punch.

This layout... I had the picture clipped to my 7Gypsies receipt holder for the better part of a year. The three boys with John...shortly after the shot, he was harassing the boys so it was like being with 4 little boys instead of three. My inspiration for this layout came from Susan Weinroth from the Studio Calico design team. Thanks for the inspo, Susan!

Totally random aside...

I finally pressed buy it now on this printer. It's shipping from Japan. I first heard about it on Amy Tan's blog. It was either the printer or an the instax mini 50s.

Thankful Thought 001

In light of today's devastating earthquake in Japan, my yucky week pales in comparison. I won't go into the details of it since in the grand scheme of things, the one thing that clouded my week was really one of those small things. I allowed one negative thing in a host of positive things to bring me down.

That's something I'm forever working on.

Ali Edwards just posted about Thankful Thoughts. I've already used her freebie overlays for today's post!

So, instead of seeing my glass as half-empty, I'm going to count all the full glasses I've had this week.

• Most of the participants in Tuesday's training (my very first to facilitate with my colleague) were satisfied with the events of the day.
• I had a fabulous time at Fr. Leo's Marriott event on Tuesday night.
• My mom turned another year older.
  
• I was surprised to find out Fr. Leo would be our guest homilist at our Ash Wednesday Mass...and felt so very blessed to have been in the midst of his presence.
• The people I'm accompanying to World Youth Day Madrid are really awesome young men and women...this past week has proven that we can work together.
• We were blessed to have had dinner with Fr. Leo potluck style at Deacon Louis and Cynthia's house.
  
• We're all safe and sound on higher ground while waiting out the tsunami warning and praying for our neighbors in Japan.
  

Feelin' like a little PB&J

PB&J.

Peanut butter and jelly, right? At least that's what comes to mind when I hear PB&J.

Today was the start of 3 days of events with Fr. Leo Patalinghug. Father who? His last name is quite the mouthful. He's been on EWTN. He's even been on the Food Network! Bobby Flay challenged him to a fajita throwdown and Fr. Leo won.



After missing connections and canceling yesterday's events, Fr. Leo hit a few home runs with me today. Here's where the PB&J comes in. I thought talking about PB&J was fitting for a cooking priest. But, PB&J doesn't mean that sugary sweet goodness I still enjoy eating.

PB&J means patience, balance and JOY. Simple enough, huh? While his talks today were geared towards younger adults and youth, I found myself nodding my head and having some A HA moments. All three have been missing in MY life lately in one form or another.

It's hard to have patience when I've been at work ALL DAY LONG and have been pulled in a million different directions. I don't want to have to deal with the bills, the mail and the messages on the answering machine the minute I walk in the door. My mom and auntie need to see a little more patience on my end.

Balance. I still teeter on the edge sometimes. In the course of one day, I could be working on 3 or 4 different things...that's an easy day. The harder days can have me juggling much more than that. I'm not complaining. I love my job. I love the challenges. But, at the end of those kinds of days, I don't have anything left in me to balance out the craziness. Hence, the turning left instead of going straight I talked about in my last post.

JOY. Jesus, Others, You. In that order. Wow! Seriously? I'm last?!?! The lack of JOY is my problem. I've been putting myself ahead of Jesus and others. Heck, that's why I have a lack of patience and balance. *smacks forehead*



All this...and more...I learned today. In hindsight, I can now see why the possibilities I looked forward to at the beginning of 2011 have fallen by the wayside. So, really, my choice of this Lenten season to begin anew with working out, eating better and making my way toward those elusive possibilities was a good choice. It's fitting for the subject of month 3 in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes.

It's all coming together. I needed a short Filipino priest with wicked break dancing skills and amazing tae kwon do moves to fly across the country to get me to OPEN my eyes.

PB&J...do YOU have it?



I can't wait till Tuesday! Fr. Leo's doing a cooking demonstration!

Feeling very unmotivated

It really is tough to get back in the saddle when you haven't done something in a while. For me, a while can be as short as two weeks. I haven't been motivated to go to the gym and work out.

There.

I said it.

At 5:00pm, I would much rather turn left at the traffic light than head straight and go home. One might suggest earlier rising. Not a very good for an insomniac like me. Getting a good night's rest is catch as catch can for me. Melatonin is my friend, but even it lets me down sometimes.

I'm fully recovered from the jet lag of traveling so there's no risk of me toppling over while doing a capoeira maneuver or pulling a muscle lifting 20 lbs. of bar bell. No risk at all. So I'm thinking, I'm not feeling the Body Combat or the Body Pump. When you do something for so long (over a year), even when they change up the moves every few months, it gets to be a tedious task.

At the same time, the motivation to eat better hasn't quite made the cut either. I know I need to take control. I need to own it. I need... I need... I need... Gosh, I sound selfish.

Next week Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Like the cradle Catholic that I am, I plan on sacrificing...putting the kibosh some self-indulgent behaviors during Lent. It's 40 days. I can do 40 days. I just need to set some goals. In those goals will have to be some removal of certain things and adding in other certain things. Guess I better start eating those eleventeen million gazillion jelly belly jelly beans I bought, huh?!?!? Kidding. I'll save that for Easter Sunday!

Maybe I should crack open that Jillian Michaels wii thing I bought while in DC...