Days 4, 5 & 6...

Day 4 - The activity wasn't necessarily sweat inducing, however, it was activity. :) I ran errands with my mom on Saturday that resulted in a lot of walking...probably about 1.5 hours of slow walking.

Day 5 - Between sewing sessions (a separate post on those projects later) I squeezed in a half hour of hooping. I have to say that this is becoming one of my favorite things to do. It works my core without having to do crunches...how I loathe crunches!

Day 6 (today) - Not only did I get activity in, I also managed to track my food/WW point intake all day! That is a HUGE step in the right direction for me! After work today the pups and their pudgy mom (me) went on a 1.55 mile walk around the neighborhood. The pups are tuckered out, but I feel great! The walk resulted in me earning 2 points :)...if I keep this up, I'll earn a dessert (don't worry it's a WW ice cream bar). ;)

Day 3...

As much as I would like to say today was a great success, I can only say I did complete the challenge. I didn't do as well as I would have liked with my intake of food and beverages, however, I DID get activity in. Last night while at the grocery store I rented a movie using Redbox which meant I had to return it today. So I rode my bike again to the store to return the movie.  Tomorrow I'm meal planning and tracking points as well as getting in activity. At least those are my goals for the day...until then.

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

Day two didn't go quite as originally planned for my activity, however,  I still managed to get in some exercise. I thought for sure I could start going back to the gym in the morning after four months of not getting up before 5:30 am, but yet again I overestimated my willpower!  I did, however, go to a Weight Watchers meeting for the first time in eight weeks. Although the number on the scale was grotesque, it felt good to be back in the company of those who know what it's like to go through this process, both with the struggles and successes. So after WW, I came home, got down my bike (which had at least a year's worth of dust collected), found the bike lock, filled the tires and went to the grocery store. The main goal was to get activity in while also picking up a healthy dinner choice.  Now the store isn't terribly far away, but I definitely got my heart rate up. Granted a lot of that was due to frustration with the preparation...retrieving the bike from its suspended state in the garage without the help of my 6'-2" husband, finding the bike lock with corresponding combo, and filling the tires only to have to do it again because the weight of my body (much heavier than it'd  should be) was not accounted for in the first place. Needless to say it was a lot of work for a relatively short ride, but on the upside, no matter how frustrated I was with the prep, I still did it!! And an even bigger item to my credit...I purchased a salad for dinner while at the store!

I was thinking that maybe my thirty day challenge should include me trying a new type of activity everyday. But I think its best if I stick to one goal at a time in order not to find excuses to get off track again. Maybe next month...

Back on track...

Ok, I'm going to be honest here...mainly because I have very few readers but also because I need to start being honest with myself...I need to lose weight!!! As many know, I've been on Weight Watchers since August of 2010. Since that time I got about 30 lbs lighter, which is great but then I got complacent and lazy. Granted, there were some health issues and injuries that came up between now and November of last year, but I have definitely taken the easy way out in recent months. After seeing some recent pictures and standing on the scale, I realized that my laziness has led to a bit of a backslide into bad habits and weight gain. So I've made a decision...I MUST GET SERIOUS ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS!!! I mean I really wanted to be at my goal in a little less than four months...by my big 3-0 birthday...so that means I have to get off my tush and get to the gym! So I'm offering up a challenge to myself via the blog, after all if I publish it, I'll feel like an even larger ass if I don't follow through...I challenge myself to exercising (someway / somehow) every day for the next thirty days. Hopefully by the end of my challenge exercising will be a habit to stay.

So today, Day One of my challenge I started by trying my new hula hoop. Yes, I know, a hula hoop?!? But it is entertaining and manages to get your heart rate up while working your core.  Today I watched the video to learn the basic moves with the hula hoop. And while I'm definitely not a pro yet, I was able to get the basics down and hooped for an hour!!! The hoop is pretty large so it is a good thing our living room is large enough to accommodate the swirling and twirling. The pups are not too thrilled about the new exercise option, but I haven't hit them with hoop yet and with as much as the hoop falls, that's pretty good!!

In an effort to keep myself accountable, I'll be posting my journey back to weight loss and fitness but this blog won't be all about that I promise!! I have too many hobbies for that anyway!

A Whole New Room

My hubby loves me so much and he displayed his adoration for me before his latest trip for work. He executed my vision for a new interior design scheme in the master bedroom. Paul's never too excited about my latest and greatest design visions around the house. In my mind they're not going to be that involved, but according to Paul, I grossly underestimate the time, effort and funds required to accomplish these tasks. Not to mention that the projects don't always turn out as envisioned and then I get upset. For the last project we completed, we picked out a light green for a couple of the walls in the living room, however, it's darker than I imagined. This time though, the project in the master bedroom is EXACTLY how I imagined...it's amazing!!! And it's all thanks to my husband and his patience and skill with a laser level, blue tape and a paint brush. :)

I wanted a cozier feel in our bedroom and I was REALLY sick of looking at beige (slightly pinkish beige at that). So, we went with gray and it's lovely! The walls were painted in a matte gray and then were painted with three equally spaced and sized stripes of the same color but with a gloss finish. The result is a subtle, modern and cozy room that I ADORE! Here's a little taste of the finish:

I'll post pictures of the complete project once the rest of the room is finished, you know...cornices over the drapes, a new light fixture, mounted tv (still a dream at this point), custom jewelry display, new throw pillows preferably with some chevron prints....you get the idea. The room needs some final touches, but with this fantastic new paint job, it's well on its way to the most finished (and possibly favorite) room in the house!

A New Nephew...Atrayu

We were recently blessed with the addition of another nephew...Atrayu. He's the son of Paul's brother Josh and his wife Yan. He's a gorgeous boy and we can't wait to meet him in the flesh in October, but until then, we've tried our best to shower him with love and affection from afar. Yet again, however, I managed not to finish a handmade gift on time. Since Atrayu is half Chinese, and it's year of the dragon, I thought it would be appropriate to make a plush dragon for him. I had every intention of getting this gift to his parents prior to his arrival, specifically by their baby shower, but I was a few weeks late! (shocking, I know) I think the little guy was well received though and I'm sure Atrayu will grow to love him as he grows up. (The bow is just for wrapping)

To give the credit where it is due...the pattern for the dragon was purchased on Etsy.com from DIYFluffies. She's got lots of cute stuff through her shop...check it out! http://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYFluffies

Finally Another Finished Quilt

Our good friend Shelley's daughter Haeli turned two in January and although I had started putting together her gift long before her birthday,  the quilt didn't get done on time, as with many other gifts slated for completion. I was quilting it the day I planned on having it finished, however, there was A LOT of gathering. Now I had been told various times by quite a few people that I needed to get a walking foot to do my quilting. After this bad experience of having to rip out all of the disastrous quilting, I finally broke down and purchased one. Of course after the purchase, it still took me over a month to put it on my sewing machine and give it a go. The results were AMAZING! As I told Leah, my friend who is also a quilter (a very talented one at that), I don't know what I was thinking by quilting without it! It was seriously the best $30 I've spent since starting this new hobby!

                                Here's the finished project:

                                             Back:                                                                             

                                             Front:

With my  new gadget, I can't wait to start the rest of my quilting projects for the year...maybe now I'll even start getting them done on time! Here's hoping anyway! :) 

Valentine's Day Projects

So I couldn't resist making a little something for my nieces and nephew for Valentine's Day this year. I made individually designed onsies for each of them and they are CUTE if I do say so myself. :)
For the twins, I found these little heart pants to go with each of the onsies I made that spell out "LOVE"...here's a picture of the onsies with the pants:

Better yet, here's a picture of the outfits as worn by the cutest twins I've ever laid eyes on!

Emma is on the left and Adalee is on the right.

Here's the onsie I made for our oldest niece, Karly:

And finally, the one made for our nephew, Owen:

As worn by the cutie here...



It's 2012...Where'd the time go...more importantly where did the posts go?

So we started this blog a couple of months after we got married. Now of course, the term "started" is used loosely since it really only meant the blog was setup, no actual posts were made until now...February 2012. I realize this is a little ridiculous, however, once you see all we've been up to between intial setup and my first post, perhaps all will be understood. This post will serve as a brief synopsis of our life and endeavors since initial blog start and now thereby allowing us to get our feet wet with blog posting and move forward with more frequent posts. Here's a breakdown of our activities by month:

September 2011

About this time of year, my wheels start spinning as to what gifts need to be made and since we were going up to Washington to celebrate with Paul's family, there were a lot of plans put into motion. But before I got too deep into various projects, we had a little get together for Labor Day.

Paul & I outside enjoying our friends and family as we play dad's game of choice...ManJinga.

 A couple of my favorite guys...Josh & Paul. ;)

James concentrating very hard to make the right move...

October 2011

In an effort to continue our quest toward fitness,  Paul and I decided to attempt our very first 5K. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was an Oktoberfest run which was promptly followed by free beer. This activity definitely sparked an interest in running for me, if not both of us.

 Paul's ready...

 ...and so am I! Let's run! Ok, at least, let's jog...it was our first one after all. We definitely didn't make any speed records, but hey we finished and we weren't last...that's a start right?

Lookin' pretty good after our first 5K!

My FAVORITE holiday is Halloween, so it's no surprise that we held our 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving / Chili Feed party this year. It was a BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) affair that included our favorite Weight Watchers inspired chili.

 Paul's focused on making a very successful jack-o-lantern...don't interrupt his concentration for photos!

Celebrating Autumn would not be complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch and this year we had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with our family and very good friends.

We also attended our neighbor's annual Halloween party in some pretty awesome costumes, if I do say so myself. ;)

And Halloween would not be complete without dressing up the pups...

November 2011

November brought the full swing of many, many crafts since Christmas with the family was right around the corner.

But most importantly, Thanksgiving...a time that it's ok to stuff your face

...and nap through the entire day...well at least that's how my brother Josh does it.

Also, my very good friend Shelley was expecting her second baby girl which meant I got to make a fabulous quilt and a very fun diaper cake. Here are my creations for the fun day...

Me and the proud mom to be...I love being an auntie to her girls!

December 2011

We had a VERY busy December which included my third annual cookie exchange, finalizing homemade holiday gifts for the nieces and nephew and traveling to Washington for the holidays with Paul's family.

Yummy...look at all the goodies!

 I made five of these little guys for various recipients...this one is for Karly, our niece who just turned one in January.

Here's a little snapshot of Carl holding the elephant I made for his little guy Owen for Christmas. I also made two for our lovely little twin nieces.

Since my brother and his wife celebrated their one year anniversary in July 2011, I painted them three pictures (on paper...the official 1st anniversary gift) based on three of their wedding photos. I'm proud to say they had them framed and are now displayed beautifully in their home.

While in Washington for the holidays, we had the pleasure of spending time with our siblings, parents and nieces and nephew. It was a great time!

Paul holding one of our twin nieces. It was love at first sight...they're so precious!

 Me & Paul's Dad.

 Paul and I enjoying some much needed cuddle time with the twins.

 Best looking Seahawk fans...Paul & our niece Karly Marie.

 Good looking family here...Paul's sister Amber, her husband Fil and their twin girls Emma & Adalee.

 My brother Brandon, his wife Meggan & their pup Bella (and me of course).

 Paul's mom and Adalee.

 Me & Karly at her birthday celebration

Josh enjoying his new Christmas hat.

New Year's was celebrated with our good friends, the Ranney's (including their brand new baby girl Kallie) and Pam & James. It's always a good time with them!

 Paul is a glutton for baby cuddle time...and who can resist a 10 day old?!

Me & Haeli-bug

January 2012

January brought an interesting challenge for me...my first HALF MARATHON! Yes, I said half marathon. Now, it was a rough journey since I had a pretty nasty blister start at mile 5 of the total 13.1 miles. But, I limped my way through and now am hoping to continue my training to get an even better time next time.  I nursed my wounds the rest of January while Paul was working away from home.

February will have a lot to live up to as we've been VERY busy over the last few months. And hopefully I'll remember to keep up the blog instead of doing a massive post at the end of six months. :) Until next time...