Cluckingham Palace

My - I ♥ Faces Entry - Pets

Strike a Pose - Hannah and Mischief

Who says cellphones can't take decent photos. 

I add here - this wasn't a clever dick iPhone or somesuch either - this was one of the first cellphones we had that actually took photos back in 2004.

finally.. the downward trend is back!

March was a weirdo month for me - my weight seemed to boomerang a little - mainly because my exercise was not as strict as it had been.   I could make excuses - and there were some, but in all honesty - each day I could have made the time to still do my workouts even when I did not feel like it.

I was so pleased over the last couple of weeks to see the small amount of weight I had gained come off, and for the downward trend to carry on, and I am now lighter.   YAYY.  I even met my WiiFit goal a couple of days early - and WiiFit is worried about me *LOL*

Not sure I will make that goal of mine to have lost 20lbs by the wedding in Italy - I now have to lose 18 pounds by April 27 to make it - but I am going to give it a damn good try.     I have my retreat this weekend so will have to be very careful about what I shove in my gob, especially as I won't be able to exercise!

In other news - the dresses have arrived so I will try them on today and see which one (if either) looks the best!

In other other news - I *won* two spots in the Creative Escape lottery.   But I can't go!!!       Anyone out there want my code?

I'm so excited!!

And I just can't hide it,
I'm about to lose control
And I think I like it.

oh yes...  you can thank me later for having THAT Pointer Sisters song stuck in your head all day.   But on to the point of my excitement!!

Bev and Rach are coming out here to the retreat in August!!!  

YAHOOO     YIPPEE        YEEHAW 

so come on.... who else?????    

Bazzill Bazzill Bazzill

now in the store along with our other new manufacturers that we have added.    I am loving the new stuff that is arriving every day.  It is like Christmas every time the UPS truck pulls up!   I love Bazzill's Swiss Dot range - great as it comes - or try sanding it lightly for a whole different look!

Check our prices - and make sure you sign up for the newsletter for the best deals - and special offers for newsletter subscribers only!

Click the logo to take you straight to the store.

Just Added!! - Scrapgrlz Summer Scrapbook Retreat

I have had several people this year say they really wanted a scrapbook retreat over the summer break.   so I have added one!   If this is the only time of year you can really get away - then now is your chance.

August 7-9  -all the details about the retreat, the location and the sign up form can be found by clicking the logo:

A human pretzel... I ain't!!

Holy crap!   Mike and I did a yoga class yesterday morning at our gym.    I have been doing some of the yoga poses on the Wiifit since January and although I was chronically bad at them at the beginning - I have definitely improved at the ones I had been doing over the last couple of months.

So I thought I was ready to go full on and try a whole class.   Over the years - and especially after 2 back operations - I have lost a lot of flexibility.   Mike came along with me - because he has definite lack of flex in the shoulder area and like most of us as we get older - we lose the whole bendy bendy thing we have going on as kids!

Well it was certainly harder than what I have been doing at home.   Part of that is - at home I do a pose, finish it, and then move on to the next one with a little gap in between.

This was full on - pose to pose to pose.    Some I knew - some I didn't.   I imagine - like on the Wiifit - I will get better as I learn the terms, the proper way of doing them, and as I get more flexibility.    We did a lot of the poses shown on this chart (although I did not look anything like the people on that chart!).

Mike commented at the end - well that wasn't pretty was it.

Some I was really good at.   It is funny - in some ways I have UBER flexibility still - but in other areas - I have about as much as a piece of steel rebar!!    I was however, very good at doing the -Corpse- ... *LOL*
I could not believe at the end of the class that it had only gone for the scheduled 1 hour - cos honestly it felt MUCH MUCH longer!

Our gym has 6 classes a week, so I am going to try to go to all of them.    Mike can make 4, so he is going to come along too - hopefully after a couple of weeks we will both see a big improvement both in our flexibility and our tone!

This is on top of what I am already doing.   I am over my bah humbug sad sack post of the other day.   I just know how my body works - I have to exercise to lose weight - diet alone has never worked for me - and never will.   

I just have to get back on that horse, smile - and carry on!  Thanks for all the good words of encouragement everyone.

Even Facebook thinks I'm Fat !!!

After several great weeks of losing weight steadily, and watching the numbers go down I have had a very frustrating week and a half.   Especially this week.   I have stayed the same and even crept up a little - which has annoyed me to no end.

To add insult to injury - I did one of those *name generator* fun - HA - things on Facebook yesterday and even that thinks I am fat too.   This is what it came up with....

Shell's Mafia Name is Jimmy "The Gut" Costello

Hello?????   How mean is that!

I will admit I have not had a great week on the exercise front.   It has been a week of being very busy and a lot of appointments - but that is no excuse.   I cannot let things like that get in the way of stopping me exercising or doing less than I normally do.

At least my diet has been on track - thank god for small mercies.    But I still feel very frustrated at seeing the scales go in the wrong direction.

Of course, having added a pound - and not losing any at all this week - means I have a snowballs chance in hell of  hitting my target set on the Wii.    Target date is Monday - and short of a miracle - or a box of Exlax - I am not going to make it.

BAH!   I guess I could always try this!!

Italy - we are coming!

and the organisation is getting there.

Rental car - booked!.. yes it would have been nice to have a Ferrari - we are in Italy after all - but the insurance on cars in Italy is a killer!!

including Neverlost!!  *LOL*

Hotel - by the airport in Rome - the night before we leave - booked!   

Our flight back to the US - leaves at the ungodly hour of 7am and goes via Frankfurt - so we thought it better to stay close by.   However - I did find this little gem - it is only 10km from the airport and right by the sea.   Our room has a terrace - so we will spend Saturday afternoon and evening in the town of Ostia at this lovely place!  It looks straight out of 1940's Italy!

The Hotel Belvedere - watch for a while - and the picture changes to show you some of the lovely photos.   One last chance for a stroll along the sea, and a gelato!

Just look at the staircase!

I add here - we have 8 hours in Frankfurt airport - so I was pleased to see there are lots of shops that we can while away the hours at - including of course Dr Muëllers Sexworld!!

Now I just need to find a cool place to stay in the Brindisi/Carovigno area for Tuesday night and Friday night and we are set!

Give me a head with hair!!

ok it's that time again.

Time for me to get my hair cut!    My hairdresser laughs at me cos I am SOOOOO boring.   I am probably her worst customer.   I was trying to look through my old blog posts to see when I last had it cut.   Last year sometime - and probably - easily at least a year ago.

Going to have an inch or so off the bottom to clean it up and straighten it out.

But wait... there is more - shock horror even!!    I am going back ... in a couple of weeks... to get something else done...  maybe even something a little radical .... well different anyway.. for me

No it won't be short - I look YUKKY with short hair because my hair is thick and DEAD straight!!

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