Catch Up

Today my plan was to play catch up.  Catch up on LOAD, catch up on working out, catch up on Project Life.

I got up this morning and got a workout in - 2 miles.  I then decided to clean out and organize our dresser drawers and clostet.  Then I did dishes, laundry and made chocolate chip cookies.

Spent a lot of time on Pinterest today, finding Project Life ideas.  One of these days I will have amassed enough ideas and actually begin!

Day 11 of 19
Miles this Month: 25

Exhausted

I got drafted to sub for our Girl Scout leader who's daughter was ill.  I drove 5 girls over, along with another leader & the 6 girls in her car, to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle for an Ultimate Science Camp In.  There were about 200 Girl Scouts total there - and it was after the center closed - so we had the place to ourselves.  It was great fun!  We saw a show in the Planetarium, wandered the exhibits, made a balloon powered race car, went through the butterfly exhibit, saw a laser show & an IMAX movie and the girls danced with the Dinos.

Emma & Katelyn playing Checkers with the Chess pieces.

Groovik's Cube

Emma, Katelyn & Lily trying to recapture their childhood ;)

Dancing with Dino's

This 44 year old body does not like sleeping on a concrete floor.  Note to self - next time TAKE the camping pad even if it is a pain to carry.  We also had the joy of sleeping next to the Mold-O-Rama, a toy mold maker that has a compressor that went off about every 30 minutes.  So sleep was not restful.

By the time we got home around noon - I was totally wiped out.  I unloaded the truck, took a warm shower and vegged for the rest of day.  Mitch & Brett attended a Blue & Gold dinner for Scouts, and Emma and I vegged.  So no workout or LOAD for me today.

Day 10 of 18
Miles this Month: 23

LOAD Day 10

Ahh, double digits - 10 down, 19 to go.  Today's prompt was a childhood memory.  I have a terrible memory when it comes to anything to do with my early childhood years, so I chose a more recent memory, having to do with my brother Vern's visit to Guam.  Coincidentally I talked with him today :)

Day 7 of 10
Miles this Month: 16.5

LOAD Day 9

Day 9 prompt was about your home.  I wrote about my scrap area.  The layout isn't such a baby poop green in real life!

No workout today, I came home and read for a bit and then made Chili for dinner and by the time all that was done and I got my layout finished - it was too late to workout.

Day  6 of 9

Miles this Month: 14

Busy day

Today's prompt was I always thought.  Lots of ways to interpret that on, I ended up with a what was I thinking type layout because by the time we got home from Scouts at 9pm, this is the best I could whip out.  Not super happy with it - but it is done.

I missed out on working out today.  Was a super busy day with work, errands, making home made mac n cheese for the first time and Scouts.  I've been pretty good about keeping up with my commitments/goals so far this month and I'm taking on another.  Tomorrow I will be doing A Day in the Life along with Ali Edwards and her blog followers.  Stay tuned for all the photos :)

Day 5 of 7
Miles this month: 10

Hello Monday!

Busy, busy day is Monday!  Have the day off from my regular job, but that usually means I am working on my other jobs, scheduler, cook, maid, accountant, volunteer etc.  This Monday was no different.  I volunteered in Emma's classroom, tanned, came home and cleaned and did laundry, organized chore charts, meal plans, did Braeden's taxes, paid bills, balanced the checkbook and did our taxes.  Then I worked out, got dinner ready and was finally able to work on my layout for LOAD212.

Now I am off to watch some episodes of Shameless with the hubby and say goodnight to this oh so very busy but productive day!

Day 5 of 6

Miles this Month: 10

Superbowl Sunday

We aren't a huge football family.  My husband doesn't spend time watching sports.  My oldest son is getting more into it, watching the games and playing a lot of Madden 2012.  My youngest son plays football at the middle school.  But, we always watch the Superbowl.

Emma spent a lot of time planning her snack choices for the game.  In the end it came down to a couple of stand by favorites.  French Bread loaf w/ savory dip and a snack plate of summer sausage, cheese and Ritz crackers.  We also had some left over pizza and Emma baked some cupcakes.

Emma also chose her favorite team carefully, and even picked out an outfit to wear in her chosen teams colors. Emma chose to root for the Patriots. Just before the game, she asked me who I was rooting for, and I told her that I guessed that I would root for the Giants, and my only reason - I don't really care for Tom Brady.  This upset Emma greatly and she was put out with me for the rest of the game - especially since my team won!

The half time show was pretty good - I liked the older Madonna songs - but didn't care for the new one at all.  I think you are officially retirement age (or past)  when you are asked to headline a Super Bowl Half Time show. The commercials weren't too great this year, my favorite was the one with the kid in the pool, and the M&M one.  The absolute best was the promo for The Voice.

After the game, we watched The Voice.   We enjoyed the premise, but all agreed that we do not care at all for Christina Aguilera - she comes off as so fake and insincere.  When Emma found out that there was no age restrictions, she was very excited to think that she could audition. She said she  would love to go up there and sing and surprise them when she turned around and they saw that she was only eleven. I love that she has big dreams.

My layout for day 5 of LOAD.  The prompt was about things that stay the same.  My papers are from the Clementine pack from Project Life, Tiny Alpha by adorn it, and Thickers alphabet. Excuse the terrible photo, it was getting late and I was in a rush and didn't change my white balance to account for the lighting.

Day 4 of 5

Miles this Month: 8

LOAD Day 4

Today I scraplifted a layout from my friend Jen .  I didn't follow the prompt for today, as I was getting down to the wire to finish the layout for today and I hadn't found a photo to suit the prompt yet.




Today was the final day of Merit Badge clinic, I am sure that Brett and Mitch both are glad it is over.  Emma and I went and got our nails done and pedicures and then took the car to be washed.  After that, it was time for Brett and I to head to Wal-Mart for our 2 hour shift selling See's candy bars to raise money for the band trip to Disneyland.  He sold 84 bars and got $44.22 in donations - so $128.22 will go towards his trip.  So far he has raised over $350 and we turned in over $400 in change that we had saved up.  So his trip is paid for, time to get mine paid for ;)

Day 3 of 4

Miles this Month: 6

January Roundup!

What reading/learning did I do this month? 

I began an A to Z reading challenge this month and I have finished  A Farewell to Arms and am part way through Brave New World .  I also read just for enjoyment and finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, A Lady Never Surrenders and Spirit Bound .  I took several classes at Big Picture Scrapbooking, including the Roundup class, Cathy Z's Move More & Eat Well, and Ali Edwards One Word.  I also joined Scrap Happy and Simple Scrappers.

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? 

We had some extra time on our hands with the snow storm this month, so Mitch & I discovered the Showtime series Homeland.  We watched it On Demand and loved every episode and are eagerly awaiting Season 2.  Streaming Netflix on my iPad has been a real life saver for me as I put in my 6 days a week of excercising.  I watched Season 1 of Downton Abbey and then discovered the PBS app and am watching the current season via that.  It sure makes the time ego by quicker.  On the the movie front, Mitch and I watched the Swedish versions of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest.  Great films!  We also took the kids to see War Horse, and Mitch took the boys to see The Grey.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Mitch and I had our 24th wedding anniversary and we had a great date day.  We went to the Port Gamble Cafe and I had their Clam Chowder with a Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich.  Mitch ordered the Meatloaf Sandwich and I was sceptical, but it was DELICIOUS.  It had roasted peppers and onions and a chipolte mayo. So good.  Ruth & I went out for a girls night, we had Tapas at the Paella Bar.  We ordered the Paprika rubbed Tenderloin on crustini's, The Smoked Trout, The Chicken Flautas and The Green Chile Enchilada.  Such great food, and so nice to get just a small amount of each and be able to try so many different dishes.  We also had a wonderful Key Lime Tart and Brioche Apricot rPudding in Rum sauce.  After dinner we went to the Jewelbox Theater and watched the local production of The Fourth Wall.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

Mitch gave me 2 King Size candy bars along with a card for my anniversary.  I immediately re-gifted those things to the kids, since my goal this month was to workout 6 days a week - I didn't need to have to work those off too!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Mitch and I made the decision to trade in our 2006 Toyota 4Runner for a 2012 Kia Optima.  Mitch was worried because the 4Runner was going to need $$ put into it, was getting ready to go over 100K miles and he wanted something that would get better gas mileage.  This is my first brand new car in 20 years and it has all the bells and whistles I wanted :) at a price that Mitch wanted.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

I had a UTI this month, so was on antibiotics for a week.  It cleared up quickly thank goodness.

What were my accomplishments this month?

This has been a very busy month for me, I took on a lot of new goal/projects and I am doing very well at keeping up with most of them.  I walked 46+ miles this month, and lost 5+ pounds.  I read 2 of the 26 books in my A-Z challenge, I have made 2 scrapbook pages this month and organized my scrap area (again).  Also I went 28 days with no Farmville or Pioneer Trail, which is a huge accomplishment for me, as I was a daily fanatical player. I checked back in on the 29th - but haven't really played much at all.

What were my disappointments this month?

I have not kept up with Project 365+, Project 12 and Take 12.  But I am now starting a new month, with new hope! I also really wanted to take the Get Real project and get my pantry cleared out of processed foods and get us more toward a real foods diet, but that didn't happen.

How did I do on my goals for the month? Anything else noteworthy to include?

I had a lot of new goals this month, as a lot of people do in January.  They were:

• Blog daily - CHECK
• Workout 6 days a week - CHECK (I missed 2 days because of the UTI) 
• Project 365+ - FAIL
• Take 12 - FAIL
• Project 12 - FAIL
• Get Real - FAIL
• Actually do the Big Picture Classes - CHECK

Day 1 of 1

Miles this Month: 2

Bad Mom or Good Mom??

Emma is so into the Hunger Games series, she read the Hunger Games and has already started Catching Fire.  She really wanted to finish reading today, so sucker that I am - I let her stay home from school today and read.  Bad Mom or Good Mom??

Yesterday while we were home, I did some reorganizing and cleaning in my scraproom in order to get ready for LOAD 212. This meant that Emma also had to clean her side of the area.  Mitch had been very critical of the way she was keeping it, so she was told to shape up or ship out LOL.  I'd say she successfully shaped up!

Also in order to get ready - I ordered more adhesive from framingsupplies.com, it had been awhile since my last order and I had forgotten how happy their packaging always makes me and the kids!

Nothing more fun that popping bubble wrap! Inside that big bubble wrap package is a small box of 10 adhesive tape refills :)  Happy scrapping!

Day 24 of 31

Miles this Month: 46.5

Sickies

Both Brett and Emma stayed home sick from school today.  They both had a bit of a stomach ache and spent the day this way:

Brett is relaxing in the recliner with a WarHammer book that he checked out from our awesome local library.

Emma is glued to the iPad, reading Hunger Games via the Kindle app.

I love that the kids love to read.  There is nothing like curling up with a good book and letting it sweep you away to another time and place!

While we had the day off from responsibilities - I tried to make up some of the miles that I missed out on while sick and  put in 4 miles on the treadmill.  It felt really good to knock out that many miles and once and has made me realize that I need to push myself more in my upcoming workouts.

Day 23 of 30

Miles this Month: 44.25

A review of The Grey

Mitch and the boys have been looking forward to going and seeing The Grey for some time now.  They went today, and while they all agreed that it was a great movie - they weren't so thrilled with the ending.  Braeden's comment was "It was the movie equivalent of blue ball."  I tell ya, that kid is witty, crude maybe - witty definitely!

After the boys were done at the movies - we all met up at our local burger joint - The Grub Hut, for some not so good for you, fabulous tasting food.  Brett wasn't feeling well, so he only shared some of our fries.  Braeden also had a stomach ache, but managed to finish off a BBQ Burger, fries and some of my onion rings.  Mitch had a regular cheeseburger and fries and about 1/2 of my Marley Burger( Beef, grilled pineapple and onion, pepper jack cheese, baby spinach,  and jerk mayo) and some of my  beer battered home made onion rings.  Emma had a Bacon Cheeseburger with fries  and a chocolate shake.  It was $34.00 which is probably what the rot gut at McDonalds would have cost us.  So glad we have our own local dive!

Day 22 of 29

Miles this Month: 40.25

Local theater

Do you have a local theater near you?  If you do, a very enjoyable evening can be had by going and watching a production there. Tonight I took my dear neighbor/friend Ruth out to dinner and a night at the theater.  We enjoyed some wonderful Tapas at the Paella Bar and then on to Jewelbox Theater for The Fourth Wall.  It is a very intimate theater - and you can tell that some of the people there are regulars and really put their all into viewing the performance.  It was my first taste of a local production - and it is one that I will repeat as soon as possible!

Today was the second week of Merit Badge clinic and then Brett went with his friend Victor to Sky High Sports.  They have trampoline floors and walls.  The event was put on my the Boy Scouts for scouts that sold over $1500 in popcorn and a friend (Brett was the friend).  There were over 100 boys there - so it was chaotic.  Brett really enjoyed it and wants to go again, and again, and again!

Day 22 of 28

Miles this Month: 40.25

Family favorite card game

This is a card game that Mitch and I were introduced to when we lived in Guam, waaay back in 1995 (yikes).  We have had many decks of this game, have introduced many new players to this game, and spent many an evening in friendly *snort* competition.

We have also introduced our children to this game, and I love it when Braeden is home and asks if we want to play.  We played several games recently while Braeden was home on leave - and the brat won almost all of them - LOL.  That is probably why he asks to play!

Braeden was home tonight to enjoy some left-over Lasagna, play Phase 10 and watch Real Steel with Dad and I while Brett played games and Emma was at Leadership Journey overnight for Girl Scouts.  It is always great to have him home, even for just a short while.

Day 21 of 27

Miles this Month: 38

Yumm.....Lasagna

I made this yummy Lasagna for dinner tonight.  And my picky eater Brett said "Now I know why this is  Garfield's favorite dish!".  High praise indeed.  Recipe is from Pioneer Woman.

Day 21 of 26

Miles this Month: 38

Nothing better than a warm tushie

Went and picked up the car today, it had been in having the heated seats installed.  There was no way I was going to have a car with leather seats and not have them heated.  I know, spoiled much?  But seriously, there is nothing better than a warm tushie on a cold morning ;)

Day 20 of 25

Miles this Month: 36

Layout #2 for 2012

I put the finishing  touches on layout #2 for 2012 today.  Not sure I'm loving it, but it is done and I am loving that!

Took the Kia in today to get heated seats installed.  When we bought the car it had leather seats, but they weren't heated.  I've been spoiled because the 4Runner did have that, so no way was I going without :)  We had it worked into the deal to have them installed.  I got a rental car and it wasn't shabby at all - it was a 2012 Toyota Camry with only 900 miles on it!  And since I used to own a Camry - it was like visiting with an old friend.

I've also decided that my new most favorite app for my iPad is :

I used it today to get some recipes off of The Pioneer Woman blog and then I made some absolutely tasty homemade chicken noodle soup.

I even used a whole fryer chicken for the first time ever!  It cooked up great and as you can see from the picture below - the meat was just falling off the bone!

 

I might turn into a cook yet!

Day 20 of 23

Miles this Month: 36

The Millennium Trilogy

Mitch and I spent the last few nights watching the Swedish movies of these books.   They were very good movies, if a bit graphic at times.  We really enjoyed them and were sorry to finish with the third one and know that we were done.  Well not really done - we can go see the English version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo if we wanted to, but not so sure that we do!

Day 19 of 22

Miles this Month: 34.5

Merit Badge Clinic

Today was the 1st day of Boy Scout Merit Badge Clinic.  Brett is taking Chemistry, Electricity and Citizenship and the World.  Mitch and I took the adult leadership class that is offered during the clinic.  Mitch is contemplating being Scoutmaster for Brett's troop, he is going to take the training and see if it is something he could/wants to do and also is going to see how Brett would feel being the Scoutmaster's son.

Day 18 of 21

Miles this Month: 33.00