A new obsession? Um, yeah....I think so! lol I've been wanting to try my hand at a mixed media canvas for a while now. I tried a few years back I think and it was a DISASTER! lol Turned out NOTHING like I had imagined! And thankfully, I do not have a picture of it! lol In my defense, I just jumped into it. I bought a canvas and a few paints and just went at it. This time, I watched a TON of videos on You Tube because as everyone knows, you can learn how to do ANYTHING by watching You Tube vids. After all, that's also how I learned to cut my side swept bangs ;) lol So, I watched a bunch of vids....alot of them being by Christy Tomlinson....just LOVE her stuff and style and the way she just "goes with it". Or at least that's the way she makes it seem. This time, I was a bit more informed, had a better idea of what I wanted to do, what I wanted it to look like. I'd already gotten a few ideas from watching the vids, knew a little more about what products are used for. Anyway, this is what I came up with and I just LOVE the way it turned out! Not too shabby for my first canvas if I do say so myself! lol So, yep....I already have an idea for my second one which I plan to try to work on later today. I've been watching even more videos and making a long list of stuff I just NEED to get! lol Good thing my birthday is coming up in about two weeks. I can ask hubby for some art "shtuff". I'm dying for some more gelatos and some Pitt pens. I want more acrylic paints, want to try some of those Claudine Helmuth transparent paints, oh and molding paste....want to try that...oh, so much crafting, SOOO little time....and energy! Okay, sometimes I'm just plain lazy! lol So, that is my new obsession. I hope it lasts longer than my card making phase which only left with me with a bunch of sentiment stamp sets I hardly used! lol Good thing I was able to unload them on the Scrap Yard! Last Friday, both kids had Flex day which just basically meant they didn't have school, so Lij stayed home and Mikey and I hung out at Chon's (my sis) and we scrapped (and shopped) they day away. I got four more LOs done which brings my grand total to 83 for the year! I'm pretty sure I'll make my goal of 100 and might even pass it up a bit. I'll try to get those pages up later today, but no promises :)

Tap...tap....is this thing on?

Does anyone still read my blog anymore? lol I have seriously negelected my poor blog! Honestly, it just started to feel like a chore, so maybe it was good to take a little break from it. Even though I am a stay at home mom and don't work outside the house, there are just never enough hours in the day to do everything that I need/want to do. Especially during the Summer. Summer was busier than I thought it'd be. Not that we were running here and there or anything like that, but just having the kids home ALL. DAY. LONG! Mikey is bored VERY easily so that was a challenge in itself just to keep him occupied and entertained. Elijah is no problem at all. He'd stay in his room most of the day playing his guitar or keyboard or on his laptop recording, editing or uploading his music and videos. And eating...ohmygosh! Can these boys eat?! I felt like I was always in the kitchen either fixing them something or cleaning up in there! It was NUTS!! But now they are back on school and we are back on somewhat of a schedule/routine and I have a bit more time during the day to blog or scrap or do whatever I want to do.
On the exercising front, I have fallen off the wagon....again! Summer was not a good time for going to the gym with the kids here and I stopped going. I swore to myself that I was back at it when the kids went back, but I haven't kept that promise. I went TWO days with Miguel who has started going, but we were waking up at 5 a.m. and going while the kids were still in bed (the gym is just right across the street) and coming back in time to wake them up and get them ready for school, but honestly, that was just NOT working for me. I mean, 1.) I liked that I was going with Miguel and I figured it would be good for motivation. To have someone to push me and hold me accountabel. 2.) I liked that I was getting it done and out of the way early and had the rest of the day to finish up my chores and do whatever I wanted. But anyone who knows me, knows that I DO. NOT. LIKE. WAKING. UP. EARLY. I HHHHHAAAAATTTE it!! lol And when I am tired, I am GRUMPY!! lol Those first two days, I felt like a zombie all day long! I was DRAGGING! I seriously felt like I was drunk or in a daze or something and just literally just fall asleep wherever I was standing! I couldn't make myself go to bed early because that's usually my quiet time, when the kids are in bed at night, I can just relax and watch tv or scrap or surf the net..whatever. So I was probably going on about 5 or 6 hours sleep, which might be okay for some people (like Miguel), but NOT ME!! So, I stopped going. And for whatever reason, I just can't get myself motivated to go. Thankfully, I don't think I've put on too much of the weight I originally lost when I started earlier this year, but I'm sad that I probably undid all the progress I had made with my running. Well, I know I did because those two days when I went with Miguel, I could barely run a minute without stopping. I was already up to running a mile, sometimes a mile and half continuously and it's all gone now! :( :( I do want to get back there...to the gym I mean, just don't know when that's going to be.
I've been working on some scrappy stuff as well. I haven't really been uploading my projects there anymore or anywhere for that matter. I used to upload all my pages to my scrapbook.com gallery, but that started to feel like a chore too. Maybe I'm just lazy?! lol It's possible ;) I have been scrapping whenever I get the chance. I've also been working on my Project Life Daily Journals. Don't know if I ever touched on that subject before, but basically, I got the idea from my friend Mari who was using these small 8x7ish address book binders we had found at M's for .50 to do her version of Project Life. She was just taking a pic a day and making little "pages" in the books and I thought it was such a cool idea! I started this back in February ( missed January and didn't want to go backwards and try to remember details and gather pics and stuff) and I've kept it up this far. I really love doing it and because I'm using up alot of my old stash in making these little journals. I got a bit behind on my You Tube videos during the Summer, but I've been playing catch up and recording and uploading them these past few weeks. Here's a link to my channel if anyone wants to check those out :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/mrslaura6615?feature=mhee
I've also starting working on mixed media kind of stuff I guess. I was browing different sites earlier this week and came across the Whim So Doodle site and saw them advertising a class they were having at their store with some woman whose name I can't remember at the moment, but they had some pics of her work posted and I thought it was SO cool and it kind of inspired me to try some ideas out that I had floating around in my head. It was so awesome because after a couple of fails, my project turned out just as I had envisioned it! They were some little altered tags that I inked and doodled on and adhered some cool paper pieced child/fairy type images. I'm really having fun making those and playing with things like my TH distress inks which I hardly ever use. I am debating on investing in some Gelatos becaues Emily (omgitsemily074) on You Tube uses them on her mixed media stuff and I really love the way you can work with them and get like a water color effect. I know she's used them on shipping tags which is what I've been using as my base and she's used them on a canvas which is what I would love to try next. Everywhere I've looked online though, they are kind of pricey. I know they have assorted packs at M's and J's I think and I can always aquire a good variety slowly by buying them with coupons when these stores have them, but I'm so impatient and want them all NOW! lol Maybe I'll ask Miguel for that for my upcoming birthday :) Can't think of anything else worth mentioning, so until next time...which hopefully won't be months from now, here's some of my latest projects to look at :)

Relaxin'

So, today is a chill day for me...somewhat. Got my chores done early and got some laundry going, but other than that...not much that I HAVE to do today. I skipped the gym because I have really bad cramps, but it usually only lasts for a day. I should...SHOULD...be good to go for tomorrow. I did make it to the gym yesterday. As it turns out, I had kind of been going by the plan all wrong. I honestyly hadn't looked at it since Kim first gave it to me. And somewhere along the line, I just assumed that moving up to the next level was adding a minute to my running time AND adding a minute to my walking time, but I was wrong! I should have been adding a minute to my running time, but keeping my running time at one minute. Anyway, I had already moved up to running3mins/walking3mins, but I didn't think I'd be ready to catch my breath with just one minute of walking between. I remembered seeing another running plan online and looked that one over and decided that at this point, that one would probably suit me better. Soooo, yesterday I ran3mins/walked2mins, ran5mins/walked3mins X 2 and then added (2)run3/walk2 at the end. So I ran a total of 22 mins which makes me really happy. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, BUT I think it had alot to do with my pace. I think I was trying to run too fast and I was getting too out of breath. So I dropped my speed down from 5.1/5.2 to 4.8 and that made ALL. THE. DIFFERENCE. What I'm really going for right now is endurance I guess not time or speed. I want to be able to, say...run for like 30 minutes non stop....eventually of course. And to be able to do it on a regular basis and not just every now and then. So, then I guess what I need to be working on is building up my running time and not my speed. Anyway, so that is how that is going. And I'm still seeing a big difference in my body and the way my clothes is fitting. I had set aside some cargo type pants a few weeks back that were my next goal to fit into. I haven't worn these pants since we were living at our old house which was about FOUR years ago!! I know!! Well, I tried them on last week and they fit!! They are still a TEENY bit snug on my waist, but I'm sure that in the next couple of weeks, I WILL be wearing these pants!! YAY ME!! lol
On the scrapping side, I have been scrapping...here and there. I'm just not uploading my pages here nor on any online galleries anymore. Not sure why.....laziness maybe. Either way, I'm up to 16 pages for this year. I also started a kind of Project Life mini album using a cute little ring binder that I got at Michaels. It's actually a little address book, but they are super cute and awesome to use for mini books because of the rings inside. I also have a little ongoing album that I made a couple of months back to keep all of our GNO pics with our cousins in. I used those new Amy Tangerine Daybooks as inspiration and if you ask me, mine turned out just like them if not better :) I also made some for our cousins and I made one to give away as a prize on a scrapbook group that I have on Facebook.
Well, that's pretty much it for now. Just wanted to update to keep track of my LOs and gym stuff :)

Random thoughts....

***why is it still so hard to run 2 mins? At about a minute and a half...I'm TIRED! lol Today was my 2nd day this week doing the run2mins/walk2mins. I did it, but my ankle was hurting as well as my right knee. Think I'll do this for another week before I try to move on to whatever is next. I did level 1 (run1/walk1) for two weeks as well. We shall see.
**I remember one day before going to the gym, I kissed Mikey and he asked me if I had lipstick on because he felt it on his cheek I guess. I said "no", that it was Chapstick. And he asked why I was wearing it. Miguel said it was "because Mommy wanted to look good at the gym." It's CHAPSTICK not LIPSTICK! lol Besides, anyone who has seen me while or after I have worked out knows that there is nothing GOOD looking about me! I am sweaty, my hair is a mess and my face is RED!
***those green cargo type pants that were my next goal to try to fit into.....FIT! The last time I tried them on, they barely came up on my hips and I couldn't close them. Well, they close, but still a bit tight on my waist....soon, soon :)
***still on the whole exercising thing...I feel GOOD. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. I try to talk myself out of going to the gym (yes, STILL...lol), but after I go, I am so glad that I did and I feel SO much better. I have to admit that I feel guilty on the days that I don't go, but I am going at least 4 days a week, no less than 3 with the exception on last week, I only did 2...monthly woman issues :( But my body feels awesome.....I don't feel blah or gross...lol and that's a GOOD thing :)
***I got the idea off of Stephanie Howell's blog to make these "things" lol for Valentine's Day for the kids and Miguel. She used jars that she decorated to put little slips of paper with things she loves about each person and each day up until Valentine's Day, they pick out a slip of paper and read it. I thought it was such an awesome idea! So I made my own version of them. Since I didn't have jars, I made some hanging pocket type things that I decorated with scrappy goodness and a pic of me w/either Lij, Mikey or Miguel. The look on the kids faces after they read their little slip of paper each morning is priceless! <3 I guess Miguel likes it too....I hope! :)
***I've been doing some scrapping here and there whenever I have time and the mojo strikes. I'm up to 12 layouts this year so far. Last year, I didn't reach my 100 layout goal, but that's okay. December was kind of rough with my Grandma passing and just life in general.
***Elijah auditioned and made Glee again. He is getting better and better with his music and his confidence. I love that music is pushing him to come out of his shell more. He amazes me with how fast he can pick up and learn to play a song. I think he needs a little more work on learning how to make the most of his voice, but he does have a voice for singing....just needs more work. I am so super proud of him :)
Well, this morning as I was thinking about this post, I had more things in mind that I wanted to make note of, but they seem to escape me at the moment! I just wanted to make note of a few things going on right now for my own benefit. If anyone reads it....BONUS! :)
***

For The Record....

It doesn't seem like I have too many people reading my blog...lol, or at least commenting, but I still want to keep track of certain things for my own benefit. Today was day #7 at the gym....last week, I went M-Thurs., skipped Friday, went Saturday and rested Sunday. This week, I skipped Monday because my allergies were KILLING me! I was SUPER stuffy AND runny at the same time....don't know how that happens, but I figured I would do no good running if I had to breathe through my mouth. By Tuesday, I was feeling a little better and went because I don't want to skip alot of days and get off track. I went today and God willing, will go tomorrow and Friday and rest for the weekend. I know that's three days off this week, but I don't think I should go 5 consecutive days. Today, not sure why, my knees were hurting while I was running. Maybe because I didn't stretch today? Possibly. Tomorrow, I think I'm going to start off on the Elliptical and do maybe 10 mins on there and then try to do my 20 minutes of running 1/walking1 on the treadmill. So far, that is all I have done at the gym...walking/running on the treadmill. I haven't been able to move up to level 2 yet which is running 2 mins/walking 2 mins. Not sure why...maybe I just need more time. On the up side, I haven't weighed myself since I started eating better and exercising a couple of weeks back, but I have noticed and felt a definite change in my body. My middle doesn't feel so "blah" as I like to call it or bloated I guess....I think I feel "leaner" if that makes any sense. I have a pair of jeans that I had already started fitting into the last time I had gone on a gym kick (back in August when the kids started school up until about mid November). They had been fitting me a TEENY bit snug around the waist back then, but not anymore!! I am just waiting for them to fit baggy on me...can't wait! Oh, and this morning while looking in my drawer for some unmentionables...lol I dared to grab a size 7 which had NOT been fitting me comfortably for a while and they FIT!! YAY!! So, I went down from a size 8 undie to a size 7!! Small steps....I WILL get there. I already have a new pair of pants that I am going to try to fit into....those pants are my GOAL!
Aside from exercising which is kind of sucking all my energy right now. Only because I guess I go so early (and I HATE. HAAATE waking up early!) to get it out of the way. Then I come home and get all my "chores" done and then I feel so physically tired that I don't feel like doing anything creative. But I have created 8 pages so far this new year and worked on some Valentine's Day cards for a swap I'm hosting on my Facebook scrappy group. I have some orders coming in soon so hopefully it will inspire me to create more :)

I'm BAAACCKKK.....

with a confession.....GASP!! Yes, I know I've been MIA for quite a while.....stuff going on....nothing going on....just "life" happening. But I'm not going to update or try to remember everything that happened since I last blogged...nope, my brain can't remember that far back. Let's just move on shall we? SOOO, I have once again started going to the gym. Here's my confession......I. HATE. IT. Every single morning, I try to talk myself out of going: I'm too tired, I'm sore, I have SOOO much to do, I just want to relax, I'll go tomorrow, I need a break...ect, ect...you get the picture. I hate everything about it. I hate sweating, I hate the pain (OH, the pain...lol), I hate walking back from the gym (and sometimes to the gym). I lied, there are SOME things that I like about going to the gym, but I think I could do these things just as well in the comfort of my home. I like listening to my music on my Ipod, I like de-stressing and having some "me" alone time where no one is asking me for anything. I like to be alone with my thoughts and clear my head. THAT I do like. BUUUUUT after all the procrastinating and complaining and dragging, once I get there....I'm kind of glad I'm there and when I'm done and walking home, I feel GOOD, I really feel good and I'm glad I went and I wonder why I tried so hard to get out of it. It's only an hour out of my morning and I go early, right after we drop the kids off at school. So I can still come home and get my stuff done and have the rest of the day free to do whatever I want until the kids come home. I've heard people talk about going to the gym and REALLY like it, LOVE it even. I wonder if I'll ever be one of those people.....maybe, but for right now I'm doing it because I NEED to. I need to get back in shape. Not just to fit back into some of my smaller clothes, but to just feel better about myself. Which I do already. I've been cutting back, watching what I eat and drinking TONS of water for two weeks now. This is only my 4th day back at the gym, but already I feel a HUGE difference in my body. I don't feel "yucky" in my middle, my clothes are already starting to fit better. Yesterday while running on the treadmill, I noticed that I had to keep picking up my pants because they were falling down! YAY!! I haven't weighed myself and I don't really want to or plan to because I don't want to be a slave to the numbers. I want to let my body speak for itself. I'll know what progress I've made by the way my clothes fit and the way my body feels and looks and really that matters more to me than a number on the scale. Since I've been back to the gym, I've been using a technique that my friend Kim from church told me about that's used I think for training for a 5K. I'm not planning on running a marathon or anything any time soon, but running is something I've always wanted to be able to do. Don't ask me why, I just do. So I've been doing this thing for 20 mins (some days a bit more) where I run 1 min/walk 1 min. The first day I was able to do 45 mins of that. The next day...not so much...lol I was SUPER sore...so that day I stuck to the 20 mins. Yesterday, I did 35 I think as well as today. It's getting a little easier and I am nowhere near as sore today as I was that first day....thank you God! But I'm not sure if I will be ready to move on to the next level next week which is running 2 mins and walking 1 minute ( I think) for 21 mins. I still kind of have a hard time towards the middle of it all with my breathing or feeling like I didn't catch my breath enough before it's time to start running again. I wonder if my allergies have anything to do with that? Mountain Cedar and other stuff has been blowing around and I've been blowing my nose like crazy! Anyway, I'll be taking the weekend off since the kids will be home and it's harder for me to get to the gym and to let my body rest for a couple of days. God willing, I'll be back at it on Monday. I'll try it out and see if I can handle going to the next level, if not, I might just stick to the first level for another week until I feel more comfortable with increasing the running time. Sooo, that's about it here on my end. Oh, tried brown rice per a friend's recommendation and it is YUMMY.....nice to not have to cut out everything yummy :)