Where did January go??

This month just flew by. I'm sticking to my goals for the year so far. I took an honest look at why I've been unable to drop those 10 lbs for the past 10 years and the answer may not have been what I wanted to hear--but it's working. Finally. Jeff and I have made a pact to go to the gym every. day. of. the. week. I've increased my cardio to 50 minutes and fallen in love with a new machine that's part elliptical part stair-stepper. It's an @ss-kicker. Of course, I don't ever feel my workout's complete unless I've run. This year makes 20 straight years of running. I hope I get 20 more out of my knees. Doubtful, but a girl can dream. I've also recently cut caffeine out of my life and we're both calorie-counting. Not cuckoo-crazy calorie counting, but just being much more aware of what's going in. I'm down 6 lbs in 3 weeks. Woohoo!

As for the time management--it's slowly starting to happen. I've scrapbooked a few times this month. I've spent more time purging my supplies of old stuff I just don't think I'll ever use. My niece is getting a fun surprise donation in a few weeks! I can finally take stock of what I have and get excited again about using it.

I've also made another honest observation after seeing all the new MS punches coming out this spring--- a girl does not have to own EVERY SINGLE PUNCH. I love them, I really do, but I'm running out of space to store them. I think I'm also getting a little overwhelmed with the choices I currently have so I don't want to keep adding to it. I'm vowing to enjoy the plethora of punches I already own and STOP BUYING MORE. ( there are a TON of new border/corner ones coming out--at least 30 that I saw, not to enable or anything)

Here's a layout I did this week in the spirit of Valentine's (of course). Just wanted to do at least one using the MME LoveNest stack. I have some Valentine's projects/gifts I hope to finish this week using this paper and then I might just donate the rest. That's the problem with stacks sometimes. I get sick of creating with it after awhile. Note to self: STOP BUYING STACKS.

Other supplies used on this:
QK Gazebo
MS lattice heart
MS eyelet lace heart
MS scroll heart
QK label
MS doily heart lace
MS loopy hearts
Bazzill In-stitches
Cuttlebug embossing folders

I hope to post in a few days with some V-day cards. Enjoy your upcoming week!

My Martha addiction continues...

I can't help it. I LOVE Martha Stewart border punches. I went into Michael's yesterday just looking for ONE corner punch to go with one of the borders I bought a few weeks ago and BAM!--right there in front of me was the border/corner punch snowflake set from the holiday release ON CLEARANCE. Yep, that's right. It was the LAST one on the shelf and it was $4.99. There was NO way I was passing that deal by. I didn't want these punches at Christmas time. Really had no interest. But for $4.99--I think they'll be making their way onto a few cards and layouts this winter ;)

Speaking of Martha punches--here's a little birthday card I gave my mom a few weeks ago using the deep edge lattice punch. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I kinda forgot about making her a card until the last minute. These BG papers saved the day. I just used some Nesties and a couple punches (and of course some QK) and voila! It was done.AND on time.

I'm working away on a BUNCH of projects this week. I've got a layout in the works, some cute Valentines gifts and cards, and a MAJOR reorganization of my digital pics. Along with regular organizing of my scrap room, I'm making picture organization and backup a priority this year.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend! Tomorrow's my birthday so I'm looking forward to a pampered LONG holiday weekend and some ME time!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve last night. Jeff and I spent the night watching hours of DVR'd shows to free up space and we were both crashed on the sofa before midnight. Guess you could say we must be getting old :).

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but I woke up this morning with a renewed sense of purpose and direction for this next year. No big changes planned--just more focus on the things that matter most in my life. I intend to make those daily workouts at the gym really count. No more "oh, I'll just do 30 minutes today, I have a lot of things to take care of and can't really spend the time this morning". No more "I have plenty of time next weekend to work on that layout or that mini-album, but right now I have to vacuum". That means-- I have to work on better time management. Who doesn't, right? I think that's where my focus will be this year. Make the most of my time. You don't get it back. You don't get a do-over.

2009 was a turning point in our life. Jeff and I said goodbye to the Army when he retired in November after 20 years and one month of service. It was a stressful year. The transition from military life to the civilian world was a rough ride. It was a risky decision in a poor economy with so many unemployed. Thankfully, he has a new job working for a great bunch of people and we're finally starting to live the life we've dreamed about for so long. One with no fear of deployments, no fear of moving(at least not with just 30 days notice), and no lost time together.

I'm excited for what this new year holds for us. I'm gonna make every second count.

Here's hoping everyone embraces a new fresh start in 2010 and may you all have a productive, prosperous and happy year!