lots of random stuff........

ok so first of all I wanted to talk a little more about the altered post it holder. I made some more last night and forgot to mention that since the cardstocks will have the folds on it that your pattern paper will come off just a tad short. I don't care about this cause it will be the inside flap anyways so it wouldn't show up in the front BUT if you are finicky about it, just make the length of your pattern paper 1/4" longer than the cardstock base and trim to fit. ok. :)

Oh and here's a picture of the one ones I made last night, all packed up and ready to be given away. I decided to not add the candy cane with this batch since most of the people I'm giving this one too are staying away from sweets.



So yesterday we had preschool and one of the craft projects was to build "Santa's Workshop" with stickers and writing a letter to him. Marcus was very excited about this project, it was the first station he wanted to go to. He did the workshop all by himself and I helped him write his letter. I wrote while he dictated and I just had to share what he wanted to say. I thought it was sooo cute. This is all his own words.



the funniest part is I dont think Santa's gonna be bringing the motorcycle and horse this year. LOL. Oh and what's up with the clock? I guess he feels that Mom doesn't have a good handle with time.

And finally I've been thinking of the coming year and have been comteplating on the goals that I wanna make for myself. With this thought I came across a page I made last year which documents my struggles with weight and how my treadmill, which I thought was a foe at first, became my trusty friend and alli (sp?). Journaling is after the page.



Before I was able to fit in a single digit dress size, before all the toned muscle and before I can hike a mile without feeling faint- I was fat. I was overweight for half my life and only about two years ago did I change. I’ve gone through many “fad” diets in high school and college but none really stuck with me. After getting married I settled in with my number at the scale and never really thought of changing anymore. Until finally, after being impressed at how some of my friends lost their baby weight, I decided to try the weight loss “game” again. I submitted to a popular program focusing on counting calories and integrating physical activities to your lifestyle. It was hard at the beginning. Up to this time, I never paid attention to my food portions, let alone write everything that I put in my mouth down on paper. I was shocked to find out how much mindless eating I’ve been doing. I almost gave up but after loosing a couple of pounds that first week, I was determined to stay on the path and see where this journey leads me.
My dear husband, who has supported me all the way, suggested we should get a treadmill for Christmas. I was a little annoyed by this because I always thought I was never the treadmill kinda girl. I felt that we were making this big purchase just for him. My point of view was that if it’s not fun for me, I’m not gonna do it, and I thought running in place facing the wall was absolutely BORING! I gave a little childish fit for a couple of days until finally I gave in. I tried the “boring” running machine and to my surprise, I actually liked it. The first few days were extremely difficult for me to finish laps at a low speed seeing I was very out of shape. But I like taking on challenges, and this one was something I wanted to overcome.
And now we fast forward two years to today. We still have our treadmill and we’ve used and abused it and it’s still hanging on. I’m proud to say I’ve met my goal on the pounds lost and running has been a favorite part of my day. I enjoy taking 30 minutes out of my day to be alone with my thoughts while burning calories. I never realized how much I was able to accomplish by just “running in place”. I love my treadmill and the symbol it has created in my life. It taught me that I CAN do anything I want if I just put my mind into it and to stop making up excuses; I learned not to be afraid of new things because I might actually like it; and that taking time out to better myself is not selfish or self centered because in the long run, if I’m healthy I can be there for my family longer.
My passion for living a healthier lifestyle does not end here though; now that I’m in a much better shape I’ve actually contemplated running a marathon and hiking strenuous trails. My mind never even dared thinking about these things before and now they are actually in my “list of things I wanna do before I die”. Who would’ve thought?!

All about sharing today. Have a great weekend.

Grace