Repeat Adventure

"Here I go again, down the only road I've ever known....." Whitesnake sings this one and has a beautiful girl in a white dress on a hot car ;) Yep definitely an 80s child. That is about how long I've been on this back and forth adventure. I've been dieting....including crash diets, pills, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, you name it for the past 20some years. I've used the pregnancy excuse for too long...then again after 6 of them I honestly don't think I will ever get my boot camp body back. So here it is July 2012 and I'm almost....a few pounds shy of being twice the girl I was when I got married....literally. This isn't something I talk about much, but somewhere in the past month I've had a "time to get started" moment. I joined a gym way back in October of last year, then all Hades broke loose around here. I went off an on, but not regularly. I started in Feb. with a trainer, and then again still didn't go regularly. So March came around and we had our 20th wedding anniversary and then it hit me....so I started going to the gym yet again. I still am not going as many times as I should, but I'm doing better. I'm working twice a week with a trainer and have been since April. I've managed to lose 2 whole pounds. Talk about not being a motivating factor. Yes a few inches here and there, but nothing like I wanted to see happen. May rolled around and I turned 40. I was more depressed turning 30 than 40, but I can't stand who I am right now. I have no energy to keep up with my kids....al 6 of them. I've been outgrowing my clothes...and refuse to buy bigger ones. Yet I still haven't made that commitment to change....bringing me to today. It's July already. We had went camping for a weekend and I had come back with more weight than what I had lost. I'm so tired of having to worry about everything I eat and yet I know that if I don't start making changes that will be how it will be the rest of my life. I know me well enough to know that I have to make small changes, a little at a time in order to make them stick....after all I've done this before and a few of those changes from the past are still here. So this morning I've decided to make that commitment. I have decided that I will write about this journery/adventure/change for a few reasons. Accountability is one. If I write about it, and can read it...and share it then I will be more likely to stick a little stronger. Motivation, this will keep me going when I don't want to. It's harder to say I don't want to, or to completely go the other direction when I will be writing about it as well. As a reminder, I can reread posts and see what I've been doing, what has been working, and when I feel like I'm not getting anywhere to see the progress. I hope that this works for me the way that I see it in my head. Maybe along the way I can be an inspiration to some, or some can help inspire me. I don't have an actual number or size goal...I do have a general one and that is I would like to be around 125-135 lbs again. At this point in my life it seems that it will be impossible to ever see those numbers again. That is around 90lbs overall. That is an overwhelming number to me. So I'm going to break it down to 10lbs at a time. I will be constantly losing those last 10 lbs ;). Some of the changes that I have made already are: I've stopped drinking soda daily. I don't tell myself that I can't have it because then I will want it. If I do get one it's now a diet Mt. Dew (because that is the only diet one I like.) I've started making myself drink at LEAST 64 oz of water a day. I've been to the gym at LEAST 3 times per week....and I want that to be 5 by the time I am finished...if not more. Some of my goals are: I want to be able to jump rope, and play with my kids on the trampoline without worrying about going thru it. I want to be able to run again...even though I hated running I want to be able to do it. I want to be able to shop in the Misses department, instead of the plus size departments of clothing stores. I just keep telling myself over and over that it will all be worth it. I can do this I've done it before. I've got to learn to eat differently...that will be my biggest challenge. I am a carbatarian...and I don't like veggies. I don't care for meat that much either....so those changes are going to be harder probably then going to the gym. So please if you read this and have any to die for recipes for veggies or meats please share them with me. As well as any other tips....I will need the help along the way. Change isn't easy, but it can be an adventure. I don't want to have to keep repeating this one over and over. I would like for it to become a way of life, a constant. Not just for my health, but for my family as well. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I will be rambling more often.

Normal or not?

Do you know that feeling when you have held your tongue about things and it has just boiled up? That is me at the moment....and I'm ready to start screaming. I know that we are not a typical family, afterall we have been married for 20 years. (To the same person.) We have 6 kids, not the average 2.5...still don't know how you have 1/2 a kid. I am a stay at home mom, not a 2 income family, and we homeschool. We have all of that going against us, and then we decided to build a farm. Who in their right mind does these things, anymore? We have made these choices all for different reasons and at different times in our lives. We chose daily to stay in love with each other.....that is why we are still together. We have chosen a large family....mainly because of me and my love of my children. As for a stay at home, being a military family for so many years it was the stability for the kids. (I'm very thankful that I have been able to do that.) As for homeschooling there are many different reasons, one being that I had my children to raise them, not for someone else too. The farm well that one is new and different. We want to be able to raise the majority of our food. We want to have a healthier lifestyle that is more active, which is required on a farm....and well it is fun to have the livestock, relaxing to work in the garden, and it gives us a sense of accomplishment when our dinner doesn't come from a store. This isn't a life for everyone that's for sure. That doesn't make it wrong. We struggle like everyone else in this world, but our life is what we have made it. We don't regret our choices. We may seem backwards, out of touch with reality, or that we have our priorities mixed up....but before anyone judges us maybe they should look at the bigger picture. It is frustrating to me that if we were both working, kids in schools, and struggling to stay together, keep up, and so on it wouldn't be given a second thought. I know that not everyone feels that way. I know not everyone who has a 2 income family is struggling with their marriage or children....it all comes down to the choices we make in our lives. Our choices have always been based on what is right for our family. If I need to work outside of the house I do, and will. If the farm for some reason doesn't work for us in the long run, then at least we have tried. I would rather have tried and failed, then to have never tried at all. Anyhow I'm just getting this all out so that I can let it go. I try not to judge others, and when I'm told how wrong that I am I wish that they would take a step back and look at themselves first. On a bright side, we've gained the last of our ewes to build our flock. Our chickens and turkeys are exploring our yard. I have a garden growing, and we've had some very beautiful days. The kids have finished school for the year and we are enjoying our summer. I hope that the rest of you are too...and thanks for listening to me rant.

Lollipop Love

Hey again....how's your summer going? Ours is just starting here in Alaska. This week at sweetsassydiva we are celebrating National Candy Month....for me that's 12 months out of the year. (Must be why I'm so sweet ;)) I have the perfect idea in mind for this week as soon as it came out. It took me a while to make it...and for it to come together in my brain...too much sugar I guess... but I finished it. My Mama sends her grandbabies these huge lollipops...that we were never allowed to have as kids...must be a grandma thing. My girls love it when they get a box in the mail from her because they know that they have all flavors of lollipops. So I decided a layout would be good to do with this one. I even had help putting this one together....starting them early ;) So here is the layout we came up with.... The paper is from DCWV pastel stack and sweet stack...and Colorblok textured cardstock. I used the plantin schoolbook cartridge for the letters. I welded thhe "I'm a SUCKER 4 a" on my gypsy. I found a lollipop cut on my Mickey and Friends however I wanted something a bit more so I decided to make my lollipops. I used dmc thread, 2 or 3 colors and twisted them together...and then wound them onto just a scrap sheet of paper. I used my glue runner to make a sticky surface...and then cut out around the edges. I cut a toothpick in half, colored it with a white marker....cut out a small square of saran wrap and there you have it...my own handmade lollipop. I cut out 3 (4.25x6.25) rectangles for pictures and a 4.25x4.25 square for either a 4x4 picture or a journal box. I added ribbon corners on each to add a little more color. Now all I need is to add the pictures of my sticky little girls. I hope that you are all enjoying summer!!!! Angie

All About Dad

This week at Sweetsassydiva we are celebrating Dads. I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful man to be the "Dad" of my kids. He is amazing and I literally thank God for him every day. Making cards, layouts, or anything basically with a masculine feel is a challenge for me. It may have something to do with the fact that I have 5 daughters, and 1 poor boy surrounded by us. Pink and flowery just comes more natural. So for this card I started scouring magazines, websites and so on looking for something to scraplift. I mainly lifted the colors more so than anything. I chose blues, and stripes. They seemed "manly" enough ;) I layed everything out with my gypsy and got it all cut at one time. I used the calligraphy collection cartridge for my tags and for the "Happy Father's Day" and I used George and Basic Shapes for the "DAD" I used DCWV neutral stack (gray) for the card base, and the smaller tags (1 1/2 in), Latte stack for the striped frame,and white and black misc. scraps for the larger tag (1 3/4 in) I inked all edges of the base, striped paper and tags in dark blue. I layered my tags and centered the letters on them. I used small brads at the top for some extra color. (I don't have a paper piercing tool so I used my cricut tools...they work great) I used foam dots to raise the tags just a bit for added dimension. Then to finish the card I added my greeting on the inside. and the finished project looks like............. Thanks for stopping by. Make sure that you give all of the "Dad's" in your life a huge hug. They deserve them!

Busy Bee

This week at Sweetsassydiva we were given a wild card week. I chose to do a layout. I really need to work on my scrapbooking and this gives me a reason to do so. My inspiration was my 2 little girls who have been non stop all day everyday since they were born. My busy little bees....

As always I have one idea in mind, and then end up with something completely different. I started with using George and Basic shapes cutting out 3 in octogons. I cut them in a tannish and white cardstock. I really don't like such stark colors so I used my Ranger Ink (antique ivory) and distressed them just a bit.

I then used Create-a-Critter to make the cutest little bumblebees and bee hive. I cut them at 2.5 in.

Again I decided to distress a bit on the beehive.

I cut out the title using Plantin schoolhouse at 1.75 in. Then it was assembly time. I think it took me longer to play with how I wanted it to come together then it did to cut out all of the pieces. The one that stayed the same is the part that says "BEE"

I cut out 4 (4.5x6.5) mats for photographs. Or can be divided for a smaller picture and a journaling box. This will be cute filled with pictures of my busy bees. It was really simple to make and turned out better than my first thoughts. I hope you enjoy.

*recipe*
cardstock...black, white, tan, black, yellow, blues
cricut cartridges....george, create a critter, plantin schoolbook
markers, ink
(a napping baby is good as well)

Feeling Beachy

This week for the Sweetsassydiva design team we were given a sketch to follow for our design. I'm usually not very good following sketches but this one I really liked and had an idea right away....and then it changed.

I chose colors that reminded me of the beach. (I'm homesick for warmth.) I made the base a 4 1/2 x 6 1/4 card out of a light green cardstock. I then cut another rectangle out of "sandy" beige that was 4 1/4 x 6. On top of that I layered a "sky" blue strip. A small yellowish strip, and a green strip that can be my beach towel.

I inked all of the edges in a blue to make them stand out just a bit.

Using the cricut and my gypsy I cut out a scallop cicle at 3 1/4 in (gypsy wanderings) a 3 in circle (also gypsy wanderings) 2 rounded rectangles to form the tag one at 3 in the other at 2 3/4 (from george and basic shapes) a 1 1/2 in flower (paisley) and "leaves" which were paisleys at 1 in (also from paisley)

I inked the edges of the "sun" in orange and the flower in orange as well. I stamped the happy birthday and beach ball on the tag. I colored in the beach ball using le plume markers. I then stamped the umbrellas on the beach towel/ribbon strip and colored them in. I affixed them all into place and added a center self stick dot to the flower...and called it beachy!!

I hope that this finds you with a warm and sunny week ahead.

*recipe*
green, yellows, beige, and blues...misc. cardstock
cricut cartridges: gypsy wanderings, paisely, george and basic shapes
blue ink pad
le plume markers
self stick gem
stamps: beach ball, umbrellas, happy birthday

Kissin' Kate

We have yet another new addition. We have the cutest little girl here now. Kissin' Kate has come to live with us. She is a 2 day old Shetland ewe lamb. Her mama had never had twins and refused to have anything to do with her. I haven't had a bottle fed baby in a few months....my youngest is 16 months already.

Today we get to spend the day making a better home for our little goat. He has been living in what is our normal brooder house, but we have chickens and turkeys coming in this week. So he gets a room of his own...as soon as we can figure out where to put it. He is the sweetest animal. I've been very blessed with the tempermant of the livestock I've acquired the past few months. We get a lot of funny looks walking the goat down the road on a lead rope for him to get his exercise.

We've also had the "neighbors" visiting us more often now. (Neighbors being a mama moose with her baby) They like to come to eat and usually run afterwards. This morning I woke up to them bedded down under the trees in the backyard. The kids went out to tend to the animals and they never budged. I'm wondering if they were waiting to be served as well. Living in the area that I do you never know what is going to be visiting. We have more wildlife visit our farm then we do people.

I can definitely say that living in Alaska is a very different experience. It is one of the most beautiful states I've lived in...if not the most beautiful. The wildlife is everywhere. I love never knowing what you are going to see. I love having my farm in the middle of it. I need to learn more about how to really garden here. If I can master that I would have my complete farm....well maybe not complete, but a lot closer. I still plan on bees, pigs, and possibly a dairy cow. I would love to have a meat cow and a few more goats as well. After this season I only need 2 more ewes to have my complete flock. Oh and my 11 year old has informed us she wants a pony...since the other 2 girls have horses.

It's crazy how time flies and plans change. We had just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. When we were first married I never would have dreamed we would be in Alaska, have 6 children, or have a farm. I'm a very different lady then I was. I hope that I'm a better person than I was then as well. This year has really started on bumpy ground and spring is bringing hope that we haven't had in a while. We have definitely learned to be grateful for all that we have, because things can change so quickly. We were very blessed to have had an aneurysm found before it burst. Having to go through the surgery...not me but hubby....and the recovery has been very difficult. We are definitely thankful for all that we have, always have been, but now more aware.

I've learned that I'm one that tries to run from problems. I try to run from difficult times. I've got the flight instead of fight tendancy. I've been forced to stop and stand ground which has been something very new to me. I have high hopes that there will be great things in our future for sticking it out....and with the blessings that have already started to roll in...I believe it to be so.

This is one season I'm looking forward to....spring is just part of it.