Scrap Marathon....

It was a fun emotional weekend full of scrapbooking. It started out as a Friday night crop to say our final farewells to the greatest scrapbook store ever. We were not saying goodbye to each other because well it just can't be goodbye. The store within the walls will close but our friendships are lasting and we will scrap together again! The last lady finally left the store about 9p.m. on Sunday night. She was determined to stick it out till the end. Love ya bunches Patsy!

Here are the layouts I did this weekend. You can't really tell because it doesn't show up but I discovered STICKLES (glitter glue) and I went nuts. Its on anything that stood still long enough to get stickled.

Brainwashed & Sky High...

(I stole my title from the title of the sermon at church last night.)

So, did you realize that God created brainwashing. He talks about our minds being renewed and washed with the Word of God. I want my mind to be washed and made clean. An example given was that of reworking antique furniture. First you have to get all of the gunk off, clean it up and get back to natural clean wood. Then you can put on a fresh new coat of stain/paint and it has been restored. Our minds are the same. The old addage garbage in, garbage out is a great example. But it can work the other way, take the time to get the garbage out, clean out your mind and use the word of God to put in things that are true, holy and pure. Think on those things. Put on the mind of Christ. He said it over and over again and I don't guess you can say it to many times, the WORD is how you renew your mind, it is how you overcome your circumstances. When a situation comes at you, go to the word, find God's answer for your situation and get it in you. Use a concordance, ask other people, be led by the Holy Spirit whatever it takes at that moment, find out what God says about your situation and then stand on it. When you do that you faith is inspired and you are able to fly SKY HIGH above the problem, you can get over it and it not get you down. The Word says: "He always causes us to triumph in Christ", "He has made us overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony", "We are more than conquerors"! There is VICTORY in Jesus so why walk in defeat?

This statement said it all......

You know when you have been brainwashed by God (and His Word) when a situation presents itself and your FIRST thought is....what does God say about this.....

This message could not have been more timely, I have a testimony that has presented itself even as I type this message. Truly in this area I have been brainwashed.....

Rocky just called and my car is getting fixed and will drive fabulously and I did not panic at the total it will cost to get it that way!! This comes from years of having my faith inspired by the word in this area and knowing that the word is true. We live daily knowing that "My God shall supply all of my need according to His riches in Glory" and "Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom". God has always been faithful to show us this is true in our life. Not to mention that the word of our testimony in areas of what could have been financial devestation have always proven us to be OVERCOMERS! This one will too. My first thought was truly that God would supply the need and praise God my car is getting fixed and I'll feel safe driving it!

I hope this made sense because I certainly did not speak nearly as well or clearly as it was spoken to us as a congregation last night, but it sure did speak to my heart. Thank You Lord always being right on time.

Saying goodbye....

...when you really don't want to sucks.

I just read news that makes me very sad and I feel kind of lost like part of me is being torn away and I want to keep it. The greatest scrapbook store in the universe is having to close its doors, I understand 100% the reasons why and completely respect the owner and woman I consider a dear friend for chosing her family and putting herself first.

The store will never be forgotten, I know some may read this and think she's lost her mind, how can a store be that important. What you don't know is that the store is not just a building with 4 walls, it is a place where you feel like you are home when you walk in the door. Even the first time I went through those doors and was met by Jo, Pam and Polly, I knew it was different, it was special, the spirit was of love and acceptance. In the 4 years that ASF has been opened I have grown in confidence and self esteem and felt like for the first time in my life that there was a "click" that I belonged in. It will always be a place that changed my life and my idea of scrapbooking. Many friendships have grown from friday night crops. I will surely miss the times that we won't have there but also will cherish the ones that we did.

Jo, if you read this...I love you and thank you for making a place available that made a difference in my life.

Good News

I was happy to get on the scale this morning, it was a good result. I lost 6 pounds this week and went a whole week with no sweets. I am even wondering if that in itself did not make it that much easier to stay focused. Almost as if without the sweets I was not constantly craving something. When I did crave something sweet I went for a banana or a small bowl of cereal with a packet of splenda. It was a nice week and I exercised 4 times in that week. I feel strong and confident and look forward to watching Biggest Loser tonight and seeing how their week went.

Now onto week 2! I'm considering sticking to no sweets since I managed to get thru without them just fine.

Nothing to exciting planned for this day, although I need to make a walmart run at lunch for a few items they just didn't have at Walgreens. I know exactly what I need so I can get in and out with no problem.

I am wishing I had a 3 day weekend coming up...maybe I should just create one....hhhhmm. I'm trying to get some vacation time stored up but it is like money in my pocket, its burns a hole in it. I've got it why not use it...okay, must focus.

I'm rambling...gotta love me....going now.....be blessed and be a blessing on purpose!

Well crud our network has gone down so I need to ramble a bit longer cause I can't publish this post right now. Hopefully it will come back shortly and I won't end up losing all this mindless rambling I'm doing. Ah , it's back.....bye.....

Is it really Monday already?

Yes, I know the answer to that question, yes it really is Monday...again. Weekends seem to get shorter and shorter every week, not sure why that is, because Monday thru Friday does not have the same effect.

I did really well all weekend. I'm expecting good results on the scale tomorrow. I took Sandy for a walk on Saturday morning and that was nice, it was good for both of us. She is so funny though she has to walk through every puddle she can find. I guess it helps cool her off or she just likes getting in my car with wet feet. Either way it was nice to get some exercise on the weekend. I plan to get my walking in during the day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from this point even if it means going at lunch and using my time for the break, at least until its to cold do walk outside, which doesn't last long here in Mississippi.

Not much planned for this week in fact I do believe other than church on Wednesday night I will be sticking with ABC's motto for the week "National Stay at Home Week".

I want to go to Hobby Lobby today but all of my spending money is in my hubby's pocket, so I guess it will have to wait. This is the great SCRAP SALE week and I am trying to stock up on having cardstock and plenty of stuff for the Crop Connection in January and 50% off sales definitely help in building my stash.

I am pretty much rambling so I guess that's it for today...I hope to have a good report tomorrow!

Have a great day and stive to be a blessing on purpose!

Salads are Sneaky...

I had a Southwest Taco Salad from Wendy's at lunch. Thankfully I only used one packet of the dressing they put in the bags and they forgot the sour cream. I suppose I should have checked the nutritional info before getting and then eating the salad. Anyways, with the tortilla strips and dressing it was 600 calories. I guess it would have been much worse to have a burger and fries, but I was still kind of surprised.

Now I'm trying to figure out what is for dinner. I forgot to get the pork chops out of the freezer, so I'm trying to decide if I can get them thawed out quickly by putting them in some water or if I should just stop at Kroger and buy some more.....that will likely be my best bet cause then they have time to marinate. I know I'm going to roast some squash and then saute some new potatoes and onions in a bit of olive oil...I really am working towards healthy and better choices. The chops will be baked or grilled, unsure yet, depends on what time Rocky actually gets home.

Friday again..finally.

As always I am ready for the weekend. I've had a great week and have not cheated at all, in fact I've not really even had the urge to. It's nice to have healthy food in the house, when I wanted a snack last night I had a banana with a bit of peanut butter on it, it satisfied the need and it wasn't bad for me. I walked again yesterday and discovered that the building on "the hill" that I walked on Tuesday has stairs on the opposite side of the building. It was tough to go up and down them but it wasn't as scary as going down that steep hill and concentrating on every step and fearing that one wrong move and I'd tumble to the bottom of the hill and end up laying in the middle of Jefferson Street. That was quite a picture in my brain.

My boss is back in the hospital after suffering a setback yesterday from the surgery he had a month ago. I won't give any details out of respect for him and his family. Yet, I will say that watching what he's been through has definitely helped me to realize the importance of what I hope will become a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to have problems later in life because of stupid choices I make now. My eyes are opened to the reality of what bad choices will do to your body. I believe completely that Jesus is the Great Physician, but I also feel responsible for taking care of what He gave me. He specifically tells us not to harm the temple of the Holy Spirit and that is our body. He calls us to not only honor Him with our life and words but with our bodies. I am thankful that He is forgiving and when I blow it He isn't judging me for it, because I do know there will be times when I blow it...I mean hello have you been on a cruise ship? I have and there is more food than any one person should consume in a month more less a week. I did gain less this year than last year so hopefully next year I will keep the same momentum going but our cruise is 2 days longer....yikes. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, no need to borrow trouble from tomorrow when today is all I can live in.

Not much going on here today, its quiet and half the staff isn't even in the office and my BFF is not at work today, so I'm quite bored, who knows you might get another post out of me later. For now, this is all I have.....if I don't check in later I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and make a point to be a blessing on purpose!!

It was a success!

My first day went very well. I did not come close to eating all of my calories for the day but I will not make a habit of doing that. It was just one of those days where it worked out that way. After work I went to the grocery store, has anybody else realized how much more expensive it is to eat healthy? Sheesh...anyways, I bought most of my groceries from the perimeter of the store, bought very few things on the aisles. Mostly meat, produce and dairy products. I felt good about my purchases and my future. I had a fabulous salad when I got home and ate it while I watched the Season Premiere of The Biggest Loser. It is promising to be another great season and definitely motivating and inspiring. I think Gillian is going to try and prove she is definitely not the "nice" one. What I think people are interpretting as nice is her compassion and concern for her team. I don't think that makes her nice when she is in trainer mode at all. She is rough, tough, in your face and down right mean, ha. She would like to see that I wrote that I'm sure. Yet, you can tell she is pushing them because they need it and it keeps them from quitting. Oh, how I wish I had 4 months to take off work and could get chosen to be on the Biggest Loser...I'd probably flunk out, not sure my emotions could take the boot camp type pressure, I'm kind of a woos.

So, on to today, my calves were so sore this morning from walking up and down that huge hill yesterday, so I opted to wait and walk again tomorrow. Seemed like the right thing to do, but I am actually looking forward to going again. I'd like to work myself up to the point of being able to do it several times without such drama from my lungs. Hopefully this beautiful fall weather will hold out so I can keep walking during the day, if not it will be back to the ball park for me, which is okay, just not as convenient. I have no excuse during the day to not walk because I do get a lunch break every day.

We are half way to Friday and I love Wednesdays, because it the night of "gathering of the saints together" or as most would say it's CHURCH NIGHT. I love Wednesday night service always have.

I guess that's all...oh yeah, so far I'm well within my calories and have already chosen what I will eat at McAlister's for dinner. Have a great day and be a blessing on purpose.

It's the First Day of...

...the rest of my life....AGAIN. But as I have been told by a very wise person in my life, as long as you never give up you can't fail. This is good advice in my thinking.

The Biggest Loser:Families starts tonight and I am very excited to get going with them. I have fallen hard off the wagon in the past few months and gained back half of what I'd lost this year. Good thing is I didn't wasted so much time that I gained it all back. This is progress.

After spending some time in prayer and asking God for guidance in how to proceed I feel strongly that I am to fast sweets for this first week while I find my footing. I have read in several places that your ideal calorie count should be what your goal weight is and add a zero. So like if you want to weight 150 you should go for 1500 calories. This seems right to me, so I'm going to be working towards staying within the calories that are at that goal and for now I'm not going to share any goals or even what my weight is. I always have in the past and then I'm so ashamed and upset when I fail, so for now my goals are going to be between me and God and I'll let you know when I reach them.

Pretty much my plan is to exercise, make healthy choices and portion control. Thankfully I am already a water drinker so that is not an issue. I drink at least 5 bottles of water everyday (except on the weekends and sometimes I slack a bit because I'm busier and not sitting at a desk).

I really want to get to a place where its a lifestyle and not a diet, but right this minute I have to admit that this is a diet for me, working towards changing my lifestyle, but in the meantime I'm going to try to find what works for me so that it can become a forever change. It has been proven to me time and time again that this is a lifelong issue and its high time I accept it and find a way to overcome it....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I'm trusting Him to be with me as I start on yet another path towards and heatlh and liking what I see in the mirror.

I just walked around the block 2 times (not quite a mile) and up and down the hill on Amite Street that goes to the entrane to the fairgrounds on Jefferson St. I'm whipped but I feel good to have gotten some exercise and spent that time praying also, so I'm working my physical and spiritual muscles. God is faithful and I know He will help me through and that He has already made me more than a conqueror and that includes over food and laziness!!

So......I did it.......

....in real life its a bit blonder with a tinge of strawberry blond . The lighting doesn't give you the real affect, but its a general idea anyways. I like it but its taking some adjusting when I look in the mirror.

New Scrappin' Layouts...

To be Blonde or Not to be Blonde...

Okay, so I am strongly leaning towards going blonde....and since Wendy will be doing the honors I am posting this picture taken in 2006 to get her thoughts on definitely going back blonde...I do believe she is already sold on the idea!! Not to mention loosing another 20 pounds to be back at that weight where my face is not so darn fat....so glad Biggest Loser is coming back next Tuesday...I stay so motivated when it was on at the beginning of the year, I'm determined to get back on track with them and not do to much damage between now and then!!

I'm still here...

....I just didn't take the time to do any posting last week. Hurricane Gustav did no damage in the Jackson Metro area, but we did get a LOT of rain. I also worked close to 60 hours because we didn't know that Gustav would not be coming our direction so in preparation for the possibility we worked. It was a long week, I'm glad it over and now I am believing that IKE will not be a problem either. I do not want to work another weekend, its to much, ugh. I like my weekends to much for hurricanes to mess with them.

Not much else to talk about, I did get 3 layouts done this weekend but have not taken pictures of them yet, but I will likely do that tomorrow night and get them posted on Wednesday.

Have a great day and purpose in your heart to be a blessing on purpose!!