Alert! Blog Detour Ahead

Hi everyone!

I know, I've not been consistent with blogging and I've finally come to a realization.  I have let my health and weight issues get too far out of control and it is affecting all parts of my life.  I have no energy, no motivation, just want to sit on my bottom when I am not at work.

I know, I've been out of shape for years but a couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I walked the Cotton Row 5K here in Huntsville, and I came in nearly last and it seriously felt like I was dying.  Apparently, this was the brickwall I had to hit to drive home how urgent it was to make some life changes.

So, that being said, this past Saturday, I embarked on a new way of eating and am trying to add in at least 30 minutes of exercise a minimum of 3 times a week.  I'm not doing any special diet - I've done weight watchers and low carb plans in the past.  This time, I'm just tracking every morsel I put into my mouth and trying to make healthier choices.

Since Saturday, I am down 6.4 pounds.  I have  A LONG way to go - but I will take it one pound at a time.

So, going forward, this blog will have a lot of weight loss related posts - maybe some of the recipes and information will help someone else out.  And, as I make progress, hopefully I will start papercrafting again and have things to share on that front.

The first thing I want to share is the website/app that I am using.  I had purchased a similar software years ago but it could only be used on one computer and I just kind of let it go.  Now I am using My Fitness Pal - I use the website on my computer and the app on my cell phone.  I love the convenience of being able to track while on the go - and with the cell phone app, you can even scan bar codes to enter your foods!  Check it out here: My Fitness Pal

That's it for tonight - will have more tomorrow!  Thanks for your continued support!

Have you seen these?

Working in the frame shop at Michael's, I don't always see the neat new products - so I have no clue how long we've had these - they might be old news!  But, I found this product a couple of weeks ago and just had to have one to display some of my scrapbook layouts.  This stand holds 20 - 12x12 scrapbook pages and sells for only $19.99 - use a 40% coupon and bring it home for just $12!  This also comes in an 8x8 size - not sure of price on that one.


The page showing is an old one I made in a workshop I took with Crystal Jeffrey Rieger, author of "Cut Loose" - one of the few scrapbook "how-to" books that I own. (please forgive the shadows and glare - I really need to construct a lightbox for my scraproom)

YAY! I made a Card!

 It's been forever since I've done any type of paper crafting - had to relearn how to use my cutter!

I made a card yesterday for a friend - I used the SEI dill blossom paper collection, chestnut ink from colorbox,  some ribbon, flowers and a pearl from my stash and a little "thinking of you" stamp set (from the dollar bin either at Joann's or Michael's - not sure which).

I used the Iris Fold Card Kit from svgcuts.com as well as a couple of their freebie files:

• Free SVG File – Sure Cuts A Lot – 04.25.11 – Liesl’s Lacey Oval
• Free SVG File – Sure Cuts A Lot – 05.05.11 – Jade Accent Design Element

If you've ever done Iris Folding before, you'll appreciate how easy this kit makes it to achieve the desired results!  Thanks Mary!

Family Portraits

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we had family portraits taken.....thought I would share the link to our photographer's blog post in case anyone would like to see them.  I am so excited with the great shots Lauren was able to get - just having a hard time choosing which ones to print because there are so many.


Washburn/Harning Family Portrait Session

I'm off work on Saturday and hoping to maybe be able to do some crafting.  I've got so many projects that need attention that I don't know how I'll ever get them all done - it's overwhelming and makes it hard to even get started.

Anyone have any tips on how you stay focused so that you don't get overwhelmed when you have multiple projects that need your attention?  

Thanks for stopping by.

Please Forgive my Extended Absence

WOW - been gone too long - the look of Blogger has REALLY changed.  Let's see if I can muddle my way through a post!

I apologize for my lengthy absence - no good reason except that life has just been hectic and I haven't time to create and therefore didn't have anything artsy/craftsy to post.  I'm hoping to get back to creating in the near future....but in the meantime, I wanted to check in and let everyone know I am still kickin' - and THANK YOU for your continued support!

We just enjoyed a 9 day visit from our daughter Jennifer and her family.  They came down the weekend before Easter and went back home the Monday after the holiday.  We had a busy week while they were here - we had family portraits taken on Sunday (photos were taken by a wonderful local photographer, Lauren Sanderson -  if you live in the Huntsville area and want a great family photo session, check out her blog here.)   This is just one of my favorite candids from this session.

 On Tuesday, we drove to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium; Jenn had a consult with an oral surgeon on Weds; and of course, we did lots of crafty things with the kids throughout the week.  On Saturday, we all got up bright and early to drive to Lynchburg, TN.  Jennifer ran the Oak Barrel Half - 13.1 miles of grueling up and down the hilly terrain.  After her run, she and I walked up to the Jack Daniels visitor's center and had her medal signed by the master distiller and purchased a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels and had them laser engraved to commemorate the event.  Next up was lunch at the BBQ Caboose Cafe.

 We concluded our day in Lynchburg with a walking tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery.

Sunday was Easter - the kids received lots of goodies from the Easter Bunny and enjoyed hunting for eggs in Grandma & Grandpa's front yard. 

It was a wonderful visit and I am looking forward to their return in May (Jennifer is coming down then to have her wisdom teeth removed - they do not have a local doc who participates in their dental plan so she is going to the one Melissa used a couple of years ago who does.)

If you are still with me, I'd like to share one last bit of news.  Those of you who follow my blog will recall that about 18 months ago, Jennifer embarked on a weight loss journey.  With dieting and exercise she has lost over 125 lbs.  She ran her first 5K about 5 months into her journey and has since completed many 5Ks and next weekend will run her 5th half marathon. 

This week, Jennifer made a HUGE commitment - she signed up to run her first FULL marathon - yes, you read that right - she is going to run 26.2 miles!  She chose St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital as the charity to run and raise money for.  She has commited to raising $2500 for this wonderful cause with a personal goal of $2620 - $100 dollars for each mile she will be running.

To help Jennifer achieve her fundraising goal, I have decided that I will be offering some giveaways on my blog over the next couple of months.  The prizes may be scrapbook related, they may be handmade items, there will be a variety!  Anyone who is a follower of my blog who donates during the "live dates" of the giveaways will be entered for a chance to win.  I hope to have the first giveaway posted before the end of the month so be sure to check back.  

Jennifer is also running a giveaway on her blog - Running for my Life

Here is the link to Jennifer's St. Jude fundraising page - please visit and read her story!  

Thanks so much for stopping by - I've really missed hearing from all of you!

Another food post - homemade granola bars!

Today I decided to attempt to make homemade granola bars - in an effort to make something that does not contain sugar alcohols and various chemicals. 

I've seen many recipes on-line for granola bars but the one that most interested me was one for chewy granola bars - (like the Quaker brand ones).  Here's the link to the blog where I found the recipe: http://backtothecuttingboard.com/dessert/no-bake-chewy-granola-bars/

I'm obviously not a food blogger but thought I would share pics of the bars I made - they look almost like bars you would buy!  I made 3 batches but only photographed two of them.  The first batch I made used some purchased Raspberry Vanilla flavored granola.  I simply used 2 cups of that, 1 cup of rice krispies, and the brown sugar, butter, honey syrup.   They turned out great so I was encouraged to go one step further - I made my own granola for the next two batches.  I used the recipe from the link above.  Once the granola was finished, I made a batch of s'more bars - following the directions exactly.

The last batch I made was a peanut butter bar with peanut butter and chocolate chips.  To create this bar, I wanted to add peanut butter to the peanut butter/chocolate recipe on the blog listed above.  I made the following modifications and it seemed to work out perfect:  increase the brown sugar to 3/8 cup and once the syrup has cooked for the 2 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. 

All 3 flavors are YUMMY and a hit with the family.  Going to check out the granola selection at Earth Fare next time I go in - see what other flavors I can create!

Let me know if you try this recipe - I was so excited at how they turned out.

Happy New Year!

First, an apology for being a bad blogger.  It's been a typical holiday season for me - custom framing gets a bit crazy during the holiday season and entails lots of long hours and abnormal shifts.  Once that kicks in, I have a hard time just getting through the days and doing the things that have to be done - so the blog suffers yet again.

On a totally unrelated note, I took the tree down this morning.  And, spent a couple of hours photographing and inventorying all of the ornaments. I typed the inventory sheets into spreadsheets on google docs and will be uploading my photos to an online storage site.  After the 2011 tornados that barely missed us, I have thought quite a bit about the fact that we have no detailed list of our belongings.  And, a list won't do you much good if it is blown away by a tornado, burnt by a fire, etc  - so online storage of the list and photo documentation seems a good way to go.

Of course, a couple of boxes of Christmas stuff is only a tiny drop in the bucket, but there's a reason I started there.  This year, when we went to put up the tree, Harvey went to the attic and brought down a tree and ornaments - but not the ones I wanted.  See, we have two trees and two completely different sets of ornaments.  One tree is huge and the ornaments that go on it are ones we have collected in our 30+ years of married life together - we call it the MEMORY tree.  The other tree is one of the slim trees and the ornaments that decorate it are color themed to coordinate with our home.  To make a long story short - Harvey spent an hour going through every storage container in the attic TWICE to find the box I was looking for.  I vowed then and there that I would get the stuff up there sorted and inventoried, labeled with numbers that correspond to inventory spreadsheets.  Next year I can just tell him which box numbers to bring down.

So, 2 boxes of ornaments and one tree down - the rest is going to wait until we have a nice day and Harvey can bring it all down to the garage.

My questions today are - how many of you have a COMPLETE household inventory?  What format have you used - written lists, computer software, online storage, photos?  And, how thorough have you been - do you itemize book and movie titles, etc?  Or just  count 30 paperbacks, 20 dvds, etc? 

And, last but not least, have you inventoried your craft room?  (I don't want to know how much money sits in this room, LOL)