Sun Kissed Freshness

ARGH!!!!!

I came home last night to find out that my clothes dryer is dead. This is not the time to have another expense.

I guess it's a clothesline and the laundrymat for awhile.

Hope your life is going a bit better today.

I'm In Love

If you are anything like me you hate to go to the gym. The hot humid sweaty air and the occasional person who is a firm believer in the benefits of garlic can add to the desire to just go home and veg instead of to the gym. That was the first 30 minutes of my workout last night. I scored the elliptical that I like, found the TV channel that I wanted to watch (I listen to an iPod) and started the 30 minutes of dreaded sweating. Not 5 minutes into my workout and I had a neighbor at the machine on my right. To say that the odor of garlic was strong was an understatement. Luckily for me this individual only did 20 minutes and my last minutes were garlic free. Since I had my heart pumping pretty good and didn't want to stop the cardio calorie burn but had enough of the elliptical I ventured to the back of the room and found the recumbent bikes. I AM IN LOVE!!!! If I could afford one of these puppies I would have one in my house right now. These bikes are AWESOME! The handlebars adjust forward and back. The seat had ARM RESTS! There was a fan, a book holder and a TV!! Despite all of this luxury I was able to keep my heart rate between 108 and 110. Not the great burn of the elliptical (118-126) but none the less I was still burning calories while watching tv and jamming to some tunes. This piece will definitely be added to my regular routine. So, 45 minutes of cardio, some weight lifting and then on home. I hope to soon have enough workout clothes to allow me to go 7 days a week and not have to worry about doing laundry in between. I will NOT be fat when I turn 50!




This isn't the exact machine but it is the best picture that I could find. The ones at the gym have the TV screen attached to the top of the machine readout display seen in the picture, this is the best visual that I could find.

Bright Birthday

Here is a card made from one of the images that I stamped and slowly but surely am coloring with my colored pencils. The backround image was run through my Cuttlebug.



The weather here today is expected to get into the 80's. It is very hard to concentrate on my work as I have so much that I would like to do at home in my garden. Tomorrow I have a hair and nail appointment and I must pack for my trip. Next week at this time I will be in sunny Florida at Disney World beginning 9 days of rest and relaxation.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

A Rose is Just a Rose

Made it to the health club last night. Last Thursday night and on Saturday I opted to just walking with intermittent jogging and I discovered that I was doing something to my hip flexors that made me experience extreme pain. I always felt better on a day of "rest" but that doesn't help me much in my goal to get fit and firm. So, last night at the club I decided to fore go the treadmill and did my 30 minutes on the elliptical. I then went and did my machines and I must admit that the soreness I feel today is just that, soreness not pain. Clearly until I take off some poundage the less impact machines are the way to go.

Here is another card that I made with one of the images that I colored.

One Out of Two

One of the days this weekend was just perfect and gorgeous.
I ran a couple of errands in the morning and one of my stops was Home Depot. I got some bargains on some perennials. I got a carnation plant, a gerber daisy and another flowering plant that I know I don't have but can't remember the name. I also got two tomato plants, one regular size and one cherry size. I got everything planted but the tomatoes. The regular size tomato plant is made for a container. My goal this year with regards to the garden is not to buy anything that I cannot plant within a couple of days.

I only got two cards done. I worked on a baby afghan during most of my crafting time this weekend.

I sent out an application to be in a two day outdoor craft fair on August 1st & 2nd. I also sent in my payment for a craft fair at the local college that I was in last year that will be held in September.

Yesterday it was rainy and miserable and a good day to be in the house. So, we had one good day and one bad day this weekend. Hopefully this coming weekend we will have two good weather days.

Same Thing, Different Day

Nothing new to report in my world. I have been "coloring" some stamped images to be used in future cards. Unfortunately, I am trying to get all the preparation done first and then will put them all together and have something to show after the weekend.

Spring has arrived and the sun is out, the temps should go up to the 60's or 70's today.

Took Gidget for a walk last night and for those of you who know me well will know how much effort it took for me to pick up the poopers that she decided to make on someone's lawn, walk with it to the park where I was able to toss it into a trash can. Thank goodness she is not a big dog, LOL!!!

Still waiting on my refinance to go through which is the only way to make my new budget work. Hopefully it will be soon.

On another note, my nephew started his new job last week as an on-air reporter down in Indiana. Here is the link to his first story.
Con Man

I look forward to a great career for him and hope to one day be able to watch him on a daily basis.

Have a great weekend and do something that brings you joy!

Is It Wrong?

So, I am at the health club last night and doing my thing on the treadmill and eliptical while watching the Cubs home opener. If you are like me you don't really like the commercials. So, even though I am listening to my iPod my eyes tend to wander while the commercials are on.

So......is it wrong to like to watch the cute, firm and muscular young 25+ males as they walk around or workout?

I don't have lustful visions, I just enjoy the browsing of the room and the quick rest on a very fit individual working out. It's mostly the personal trainers as they work out or stand around during a session with a client.

I'm bad, I know it!

The Gym Day 3 and Weekend Crafting

As you can see from the picture below my crafting assistants really didn't help me this weekend. I am still trying to use up the gazillion embellishments that I have purchased over the years.

I made it to the gym on Friday after work and managed to do 30 minutes on the treadmill and 10 minutes on the eliptical. I then went and did the five machines that I did on Wednesday and added one more. I wish I had the dedication to do this 7 days a week!

I hope that everyone had a good visit from the Easter Bunny.

I Love Books

Yesterday I finished another book. I made the decision after graduation to begin to read the bookshelf full of books behind my bedroom door. Slowly but surely my plan is in place. I want to read those books, pass them on to others to read and gain that extra space for other storage. Back in my younger days it was my aspiration to acquire all of these books from various book clubs because one day I was going to live in a large house with a library room. Well, I am fortunate to have a house of my own but it doesn't have that library room and quite frankly, my bedroom is currently the library, the craft room, the music room and the bedroom and I would like to get it down to just a bedroom.

I would like to recommend the book that I just finished. Having a slight obsession to shopping (mostly for shoes & craft related items and not so much for clothes)I thought that the author was very ingenious with her concept of getting people to help her out of a sticky situation. I even sent her money and a care package. It's a serious subject with a very funny and optimistic flair.

"Save Karyn - One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back" by Karyn Bosnak

The original website for Save Karyn

She made a mistake, found a solution and entertains you with her tale. A good read.

Health Club Day 2

Well I made it to the health club after work yesterday. I even did my 35 minutes on the treadmill at a faster speed and higher incline. When I was done I jumped up on the eliptical. To say that this machine as it had in the past kicked my tail-end is an understatement. I did 3 minutes on this machine using the arms and then checked my heart rate. 138! I read online that anything over 134 no longer burns those little ugly fat molecules. So I stopped using the arms for the last 2 minutes and ended my cardio experience on a heart pumping note. To think that a little over a year ago I could do 45 minutes on that machine with no problem gives you an idea of how far I let myself go.

It was then onto the weight machines and I added another two lower body machines to the two that I did on Monday. I also added an upper body machine and after doing the five machines called it a night and went home to eat some dinner.

Hope that you do something healthy for yourself today whether it be physically or mentally.

A Bit of A Funk

I have been a bit of a funk lately. Part of it started after graduation. You would think that I would be estatic that I finished school but I had been working on that goal for so many years that it became of a part of what defined me. I am not married, I am childless, so school and work make a major part of who I am.

The funk intensified when the economy really began to tank. I really thought that when I took my job more than 8 years ago that this would be the company from which I retired. Well I am not so sure about that anymore. There are two contributing factors.
1. Will the company be here more than 15 years into the future?
2. Will I still want to work here for that long?

You see, at the company that I work for and at many others, the mentality is that the sales rep rules the roost. We that don't generate income are at their beck and call. But when you see the books (like me) and see that even those that are not earning their keep are still earning more than me it makes for a bummer attitude. Factor in that the company has proposed to cut wages by 20% and to make us contribute to our health insurance and you have ONE GIANT freak out on my part. I have had to make some very drastic changes to my lifestyle to adjust to my new budget. I am refinancing my home, I have cut out my weekly manicures (this one is the most difficult as I have gotten a manicure every week for 8 years). I am bringing my breakfast (I start work at 7am) and my lunch to work. I am making some of the changes necessary to get me by on this strict budget. The last item contributing to my funk is my weight. One year ago I was 25 pounds lighter and much more toned and in shape. I was by no means at my ideal weight but I was working at it. I am making strides to reverse this bad eating and no work outs attitude. I have cut out pop (Diet Coke) and went to the health club on Monday. I have my clothes to go today after work. I must confess that I NEVER thought that a 45 minute walk on a slightly inclined treadmill would make my body so sore. It wasn't my legs or feet it was my hips. YIKERS, what a wake up call, to have a body that feels 80 when I am less than 50. Not good, so with the awakening of spring I am going to awaken to a new attitude and GET MYSELF OUT OF THIS FUNK!

Weekend Crafting II