Craaaaazy

Happy Halloween!

splish splash

I did it.. 

yes not a pretty picture I know

and realised the minute I got in the water - how much I had missed it - and how much I love to swim!!  

Started yesterday - have been every day since!

Saving my pennies

because the way Miss Rach is kicking my green kiwi ass - I will be biggest loser because I will not be the biggest loser.   Confused??   My dear friend Rachel has embarked on a journey - one she knows I have been on.. and off and on for a while.   She has inspired me to get back on the horse so to speak - and try harder.   

The loser (although we are both winners for the journey) has to fly to the winners city!     She is screaming ahead of me at the moment and I am so so proud of her - I just know she is already feeling amazing and looking amazing.

Here is my ticker which I will post off and on.    

While this looks great - most of this weight loss was achieved earlier in the year. I am proud of the fact I had kept most of it off - but that is only through sheer willpower and trying to eat sort of right. I had gained a little but since I restarted with Rach - I have lost 2.4 pounds.  My weigh in is Wednesdays - this week is not looking too good... hoping for a miracle by Wednesday morning!!

Maybe I should do another ticker- actually yes I will - and here it is... the backgroun is a swimming lane - to remind me to start swimming laps again which I love to do!!

In other news I may be a little underground the next couple of days dealing with the IRS *bleech*.   Mike and I spent ALLLL day - 12 plus hours - yesterday sorting through a years worth of receipts from 2007 to give them copies to PROVE I really did have certain expenses.   *sigh*    Today I will hopefully finish it off.

Monthly Crop - tonight!

with our Meetup Group.   We have had so much fun this year - and sadly just have one more crop before the end of the year!   Tonight I am hoping to make Christmas tags for my christmas presents.   That is the plan anyway.   I hope creative mojo is on my side.  

In my head they look fantastic - and I have fantastic *ingredients* that I have been sneaking from the Christmas Shoppe at Scrapgrlz  - as you can see - along with assorted papers, paints and ribbons!!

         

         

l hopefully will be posting some FANTABULOUS examples tomorrow!!  Wish me luck!

26 years today!

Happy Anniversary Mike

Love you!

Nutmeg PLUS Nook and Pantry - new in the Store

brought to you today by the letter N     New goodies are arriving every day - click on any pic to take you to the Newness and goodness!  Don't forget to stock up on adhesive while you are there and check out clearance to pick up a bargain.

Nook and Pantry by Basic Grey

... first up the adorable Nook and Pantry is finally here!   The Do me a Favor kits are perfect for those last minute gift giving ideas.  I am already thinking of goodies to pop inside.

.. next the Greeting Card kit.   I adore these kits from BG and use them all the time.   This set will be perfect to attach to homemade gifts!

Nutmeg by Cosmo Cricket

Cosmo has done it again with this limited release.   Some of the items are in short supply and once gone from the warehouse - gone for good!    I just know this will be like Early Bird and I won't be able to keep it in stock.

 

The Nutmeg line is perfect for Fall/Autumn and Thanksgiving photos but I think I will save some of it for some Easter layouts and cards too!

 

 

Jill Kills!!

  

    YES I am finally back to exercising

    BUT

  for my birthday LAST JUNE!!!... I asked for this DVD along with another Jillian Michaels DVD.  

  So finally - on Friday I put it in and I did the first workout - Level 1.

  I was PATHETIC.  

  Each routine is made up of 3 lots of 6 minute routines totalling a 20 minute workout.

3 minutes cardio

2 minutes strength

1 minute abs

Rinse and repeat

The first 6 minutes... not so great

The second 6 minutes ... well if I am honest... I probably reasonably did 4-ish

The third 6 minutes ... does lying on the floor whimpering count????

Oh yes... and over the weekend NADA - I could not MOOOOVE - well we did all work outside on Saturday tidying the yard and putting everything away for winter but no exercise routine to speak of.

So today... finally... my thighs are ALMOST mobile so I will be doing level 1, workout 1 again - and hopefully I can improve - if only slightly.

I think my 30 day shred might take a tad longer - but at least I have my exercise MOJO back on!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!!

Yes I can hear the gasps of horror from you all *lol* - but I am SUPER DUPER excited.   Because we are going home this Christmas!!!  

WOO HOOO - for the first time in FOREVER - a  proper SUMMER christmas with all our family in New Zealand!    Going to be so much fun seeing all our aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

The last time we were all together was 2000 - much much too long.   Yes we had a big bunch of us together in 2006 when they came here - but my brother Mike and his kids could not make it that time - and although we had everyone else here which was fantastic - it still was not all of us.

This could well be the last time we can even do this - as we all get older.   All the kids are getting to the ages now where they are going to university, getting jobs, moving on and out.   So not that easy to all get together - not even counting the fact that we live in the US, my nephew is in Australia, and the rest are in NZ.

The getting there and back this time is a little wonky - all over the place really - because of the kids university schedules - and trying to get a somewhat decent airfare without totally being bent over and @#@$%#$ on price.  

I am flying over first, then Hannah - then Mike and Cait.    Hannah is back first because she is going to New York this year for NY Eve in Times Square.   Then Mike, Cait and I are all coming back together in January. 

I will even be in NZ for my Dad's birthday!!    Because of that - I am going to be gone a LONG time.   5 -nearly 6 weeks in fact as I leave the Monday after Thanksgiving. 

I am gone all of December!!!  and do not get back until the end of the first week of January.

But there is no bah humbug going on here cos..... 

Finally!!!... I am so excited

after years of living with the crappiest nastiest most 70'iest bathroom on the planet we have taken the first step into redoing it!!   Look what we have bought... and yes the whole shebang.

Slipper bath

Clawfeet

Floor mounted telephone faucet

 

I have officially died and gone to heaven!!

Savouring Saturday

I am absolutely in love with Muse's new album "The Resistance".    Right now it is the soundtrack of my life!!... as in I play it over and over....it inspires me!

My absolute favourite song is Exogensis: symphony Part 1.   Not the usual title of a song you would expect to see on an alternative rock album is it??     This song is just beautiful.    There is no video out yet - but I found this on Youtube - that some clever person had made to go with the song.

Enjoy!