It's been quite a week!!!!

So, a lot has happened in the last week! I don't know where to begin. Things are pretty exciting in my little weightloss, exercising, getting out there world. Last week, I was told by my school principal that I was to go with the grades 5, 6, & 7's for their ski trip. Me??!! I don't ski, I told him. I have never even been to a ski hill. I WILL NOT ski! I will just be there for supervision. OK, fine, so I knew I was going. No biggie. Right! Until I got up last Friday. I started thinking about it. It might be nice for the kids who have never skied to have someone with them. "If OLD Mrs. Harris can do it surely I can!" I could see them thinking. So, I got ready for school and packed my stuff for skiing. Totally scared to death. Who do I think I am? I am no spring chicken. I am at least a late summer chicken. Ok, so we got to the hill and I got my skis. I took the 1 hour class just like the rest of the kids and I did really good. It's funny that I kind of forgot that I was an adult surrounded by all those kids learning something new, totally out of my element. Until, someone would say, "Way to go Mrs. Harris, you're doing great!" So, I did it. I skied!!! I almost cried when I got to the bottom of the bunny hill the first time. I had this overwhelming sense of accomplishment! I was so amazed that I made it down the hill, and all my bones were in one piece. I will definitely be skiing next year with Adam. That is exciting thing #1.

Exciting thing #2: I went boxing last night. I have been talking about this for about a month now and I finally went. It was different than I thought it would be. There is a lot to learn about how to stand and punch and move. I thought it would be more intense, but I will have to work up to that. You gotta do it right. I can't wait to just wail on that bag. The guy who runs it is really nice and he has a lot to teach. I think I will be buying my own hand wraps and gloves though. They were pretty 'ranky-stanky'! I feel pretty good today. Not really sore or anything. I think I might actually be getting in shape. I am sure after all this new activity, I would be bed ridden if I hadn't been so active for the last few months. I will probably go back tonight and get some more training in.

Exciting thing #3: I have now lost 22 pounds and I have had to buy some new SMALLER clothes! I went down a size and it feels great. I have been trying to get dressed for school these days and nothing fits, in a good way. Everything is huge and baggy and I hate it. I went through my closet the other day and filled up a garbage bag of clothes that are too big! a few others are lingering in there that are just about too big and hopefully I will get a chance to wear them again before they are destined for the garbage bag.

So, in my world, this has been a pretty great week! I thought I would include something I made quite a while ago. I made something similar to it at my weekly stamping club at least a year ago and this is what I did with it. I took some envelopes and stapled them down the center and cut off the ends so that both ends were open. Once that was done, I made sort of an outer shell for them with a flap and a velcro closure. For each section (there are 12) I inserted a card, each with one of the 12 months on it and made a little tab. So, here I have made a little birthday/anniversary organizer. So, when I am making cards, I can pull out any month's card and see who's birthday or anniversary it is. Hope you enjoy it!

Can't wait to see what this next week has in store for me!

Adrienne

Take that 20 pounds!!!!

I have made it! I am now the proud 'loser' of 20 pounds!!! It has been a long hard haul, but not that long and not really that hard. I think 'this' time, I am actually ready for it. I found that exercising really gets me excited and I feel a bit blue if I don't partake in some kind of physical activity. Is that weird? I know that years ago I LOVED working out. Heading to the gym as I stepped off the skytrain. Getting on the stairmaster, and pumping iron. When Chris and I first met, I worked out 5 days a week. Now, 15 years later, I can say the same thing. I love working out and feeling more energized. It's totally true that the more you exercise, the more energy you have to burn. BURN BABY BURN!! Oh, ya... dun dun da da... volleyball tonight!!! Very excited!

Ok, now that's all said and done, here are a few more cards I have made. I have been dying to try this technique I learned about layering stamps and I must say I think I have mastered it. Ya, I kinda got a big head here (gotta compensate for the 20 pounds!). I thought they would make nice Mother's Day cards or anything for that matter. So, I hope you enjoy them.

Take care, have a great week!

Adrienne

Let the creative juices flow!

OK. I made this card rather reluctantly because of the materials used. I purchased this amazing hymn book from Value Village a couple of weeks ago. As my cohort and I perused it, we realized that it was almost 100 years old. My friend Teri, being an English teacher, wanted to buy it just to save it because it was so old. I, on the other hand, not having read a book in I'd rather not say how long, didn't really care how old it was. It's only a book. Right?

Well, she decided she did not have to get it and I the opposite. Thoughts of cards danced through my head. Oh, the beauties I could make with this little gem. I could even make flowers and other embellies with it. So, I got it home and couldn't wait to tear into it. Sorry Teri!! I know it hurts, but think of all the beauty that can be made from it.

This second card I made just this afternoon. Again, I had someone in mind when making it. I wish this person had a couple more birthdays so I could give her more cards. Yes, I know, I don't have to wait until some one's birthday to give them a card. I think she is wonderful and beautiful and is obsessed with all things 'Robin's Egg Blue'!! Ya, you know who you are! Yes, I will inevitably give it to you, but it will be when you least expect it!

On a completely separate plane, we bought a new van. We upgraded from a tiny little hatchback to a monstrous Grand Caravan!! We love it. Can't wait to take a trip and really take advantage all the space it has.

Hope you enjoyed my rambling today. Take care and keep creating!

Adrienne

Have you seen my guns? or Do you like to sweat? Can't decide which title to use!

Hell ya! I love to sweat. At this new phase in my life, if I don't sweat, it doesn't count. We went for a walk to BJ, Darren and Hayden today through the trails. It was a pretty good walk, but still too much ice. If it wasn't for the ice, I would have had my SWEAT on! Totally can't wait for the trails to clear up and we can really give them a run for their money. We walked for an hour or more and I felt great afterwards. It was a bit chilly, think we are jumping the gun a bit. Spring is almost here, but we have to be patient a little bit longer. After we came home, I know that I still wanted to exercise. I figured since I keep saying that I have been using my treadmill, I better keep using it. I got on it and started walking. And walking, and walking. Before I knew it, I had walked half an hour. I was watching the Biggest Loser and on the commercials, listening to a CD. I also used my resistance bands for a few sets of arm exercises.





On that note,have you seen my guns? No, Teri, I am not referencing your amazing GUN cabinet!! No, I do not own any guns, nor am I missing any. I am talking about the set of guns I got going' on!! I am driving Chris nuts! I have recently realized that I am able to find my pipes, or pythons, or what ever you call them. I am enjoying calling them my guns! I interject them into every conversation I can, no matter how insane I sound! I thought I would take a picture of them to share with you.



One other interesting piece of information, I am about to break 20 pounds!! I hit 19 on Monday and can't wait to blow 20 out of the water. I am loving myself more and more each day. I enjoy looking down and NOT seeing my belly past my chest. With that said, I have a sad announcement. Chris is in mourning! He is mourning the shrinking of my breasts! He is truly saddened by the shrinkage in that area. I, on the other hand, am ecstatic to see things changing!

So, that's enough for now. Hope you all have a great week!

Adrienne

A new chapter...

Yee (freakin')HAW!!! It is officially Spring Break!! 10 glorious days off school. Nothin' to do but exercise, scrapbook and maybe do a few projects around the house. I have been looking so forward to this. I was giddy driving away from school today. What a sense of total bliss being able to leave those holigans behind!!! Of course, all those holigans will probably, at one point, be at my house to entertain my son, but hey, it's totally different when we aren't at school. I actually enjoy most of Adam's friends!! I have already made plans to walk with my gal pal BJ. We will hit the trails at Muskoseepi and walk 'til we drop. I would really like to do a few different things while we are off. I have been very interested in looking into boxing. I hear there is a boxing gym in the basement of one of the theatres in town and I am going to check it out if it is actually there. Another thing that is pretty exciting is volleyball will definately be continuing until the end of April!!! One other pretty major thing I am going to try to do is ....wait for it.....no not yet..........I am going to try to run a 10k. Starting in April, every Sunday morning, I will meet with a group and we will train to run or walk 10km!!! They start you out pretty easy, and work you up to 10k! I am pretty excited about this. Again, I am being compared to a junkie, even at school. I will try just about anything at this point. I am totally pumped to exercise and look forward to it. So, I will be updating this latest chapter in my weight loss journey.

On a different note, I thought I would post this layout I did about a year ago. We had gone to West Edmonton Mall for our 10th Anniversary. What a great way to spend a day with your family!! It is for a contest on Paper Poppy Kit Co. blog on using old or mismatched chipboard alphas. The alphabet chipboard that I used was from the Dollar Store and they were hideous! Bright bubblegum pink, soft Mint green, ew!!! I painted them and then stamped dots and embossed with clear powder. So, I hope you enjoy. Oh, and by the way, I did not win the Ugliest Page Contest. I guess my ugly isn't all that ugly!!!

Happy crafting and exercising!

Adrienne