Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Baked Ziti
Tuesday - Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday - Subs
Thursday - Meatloaf
Friday - PIZZA NIGHT for Nate & Ana (Aiva & I are going to camp)
Saturday - Blueberry Pancakes
Sunday - Chicken in the crock pot

Miserable

OK...miserable doesn't begin to express how I feel right now. The above picture is what I feel like. Mind you, it's not what I look like, but I certainly what I feel like it. A gal in my Thursday group mentioned an idea to help us get into your skinny jeans. She said that if we can get into our skinny jeans without busting the zipper or busting the seam, then what's holding us back? By being in jeans that are uncomfortable, it will help keep us accountable everything that we put in our mouth. It will help us see that with just a little more hard work and dedication, these jeans will fit and feel great. My thoughts on the issue:

I should have never put these jeans on this morning

I think the feelings that I have right now might be enough to keep my mouth shut so I don't put anything inside. Heck, I've passed up lunch altogether because I can't get up! LOL Granted, I am in the next size down and it feels pretty good when I get up and move but when I sit down...no words can describe. My thought was to blog about my menu plan after this post but to think of food at the current moment with the feelings I'm having just wouldn't be a great idea :) On that note, I think I will unbutton my pants and take a full breath :) LOL One more hour til I get to go home and get into my comfy PJ's!

Improvements (part 2)

Last night I had an "AAHA" moment...somewhat of an epiphany. The whole day I had been struggling a little with being hungry but I wanted to wait and hold my self over til Nate and I were on our date night. My goal was to skip lunch and just do fruits. We were going to leave our house at 4PMish to have the kids over to my parents by 5ish. Around 2, I couldn't take it any longer and Nate was hungry. I settled for a sub, halfway defeated and halfway very thankful. We decided to go out after the movie since we had a late lunch so I had plenty of time to think about what I could have. I knew that we were going to Red Robin since Nate had a gift card. I had studied all the menu items earlier that day and narrowed my selections down to just a hand full. Walking in, I felt confident while at the same time a little excited. How could you blame me? It's like a walking in a candy store with a child. All of these types of food that I could have but am choosing NOT to have. I felt the internal debate brewing. The angel on one shoulder, the little devil on the other. Back and forth...I felt it...I heard it.

I saw the drinks that they have and singled in on the one that I had preplanned to order: Minute Maid Light Lemonade (0 points). While lingering in the drinks section I saw my dear old friend Dr. Pepper and said a little good bye as my eyes drifted to the salad section. I had preplanned to order the tortilla soup and a side salad. It was quick and easy. As the internal debate lingered on, my thoughts drifted to maybe selecting the crispy chicken salad. Back and forth I felt it...it was so strong and I wanted to close the menu and just be done with it. That's when I saw it all happen right in front of my eyes.

A husband and a wife came in and were seated right behind Nate. The girl was a big girl and she looked at her husband (who was tall and stick skinny) and told him that she couldn't fit in the booth. They motioned over to the waitress and asked if they could sit at the table next to us. You could almost see the pain in her eyes. You could feel that she didn't want to look the way she did...didn't want to feel the way she did. I knew she was embarrassed. I know I would be. Being the supportive husband that he was, he moved like noting really was happening and they got settled into their spot. Then it dawned on me...that could be me if I don't make improvements. That could be me if I don't make lifestyle changes. That could be me who is embarrassed while another girl is watching in who could quite possibly blog about my situation. YIKES!

I heard them order and I just wanted to go over to that poor girl and help her make another selection. She's feeding her paid...trying to cover it up...trying to hide it. The same thing that I have done. Our waitress came over to get our order and instead of the crispy chicken salad I got the grilled chicken salad. I made a better selections...a better step in the right direction. Half of me was really looking forward to eating that foccia bread that came with my salad though. Truth be known, when it came, I took a small nibble and realized that it wasn't worth eating.

Through our meal, I kept glancing over to the girl and willed myself to take in the moment. I needed to realize that this was a person who I didn't want to become. I almost wish that I had a computer on hand because I really wanted to get all this on the blog. I wanted to get out my feelings! Even though the weight that I have to lose is nothing compared to what she's up against, it's still weight and it's still hard. My take home for the night was that if I'm not careful, that could be me. If I don't make improvements, that could be me. If I don't do something now, that could be me. I don't want to be that girl and I pray she doesn't either. I pray for the both of us that we take steps in the right direction and start making improveents instead of downstream damage control. It's not to late to start...do it TODAY!

Improvements

As we went out to eat for our weekly pizza night, the thought of my last post came to mind as I was ordering. The word that kept ringing in my ears was "improvements". How can I make improvements to what I order and how I eat? I had a split second to order my drink...which I should have told the waitress to give us just a minute or two. I ended up ordering a Diet Pepsi because I knew it was zero points. Nate looked at me weird and said "Diet Pepsi...are you sure?". In front of the waitress. of course, we're having this debate. She probably thought I'd lost my mind, considering she practically knows us by name and KNOWS I ALWAYS order a Wild Cherry Pepsi. "Yes, honey...Diet Pepsi." After thinking, and explaining to Nate my reasoning in getting a Diet Pepsi, he and I both came to the conclusion that I should have just gotten water. I can easily throw down a Dr. Pepper 10 now but Diet Pepsi is still new territory and since I'm making wise decisions about eating, I might as well make wise decisions to finances and not spend the $2.50 for a drink that I don't like.

After just now calculating what I ate, I see that I could have made some definite improvements. Per piece it's 8 points. I should have had one piece (which I normally eat) and more salad. I ended up eating 2 pieces, one breadstick with a little marinara, and a salad with ranch. I could have still had a little more salad (minus the cheese) and saved my self that last piece and been 8 points less. I ended up eating my full days worth of points just for dinner.

What am I going to do next time?
Eat more fruits and veggies during the day instead of my normal lunch.
Drink more water to make me feel filled.
Eat one piece of pizza.
Skip the breadstick.
Order water and bring along a Crystal Light lemonade packet.

It's all about making improvements! Getting used to "points" is going to take some time but day by day I can see me making improvements. Here's to another day!

Just Do It!

I read a devotional this morning and it set me straight. Here's the link to it if you want to check it out. Here are two of the points that I took out of the article:

The hardest part of almost any task or challenge we face is getting started.

JUST DO IT. You can always improve on it once you have started.

How true are these? Everyone has experienced the want to...the need to but very few really follow thru. This the the very thing that I want to stay away from this time around. I'm feeling great. I made great decisions yesterday in my eating and I had a fabulous zumba workout. This morning I'm feeling really great.

I read something on a friends blog that I'm going to adopt. It's kind of like a moto...focus...way of thinking. Call it what you will but it's something good to have on the forefront of your mind. Here it is...

• Eat clean (reduce sugar & pop, eat more fruits and veggies, drink 80-100 oz water daily)
• Move more (go to zumba once a week, park farther away, play Wii twice weekly)
• Refresh daily (devotions, purposeful prayer daily, Bible study)

Each week, I'll give you an update as to how I'm doing and things I've discovered, need to work on, or something that I'm learning about myself. Stay tuned and hope you can join me to eat clean, move more, and refresh daily!

Weekly Thoughts

I get the Weight Watcher Weekly books from my super great friend, Aubre, and last night I sat down and ready thru all of them. I read them as she gives them to me but I needed a big dose of encouragement last night so I read them all. If you get these books, I strongly recommend that you hang on to these and save them for nights like these when you're down, frustrated, or just need a different take on things. One thing that I pulled out is this:

Next time you're debating whether or not to lace up your sneakers, remember that you CAN make the right choice!

I didn't really want to step last night during The Bachelor but I did and after I was done, I was so thankful that I did it. I made the right choice! It helps me next time in knowing that I made the right choice then...I can make the right choice NOW!

Thoughts

Don't you hate it when you try to get to sleep at night and you have all these thoughts circling around in your head. That was me last night. I just had these thoughts floating aimlessly for like an hour and I wanted to get up and blog about them but I couldn't. Not sure why I felt like I couldn't at the time. Maybe it had something to do with thinking that the more I laid there, the better chance I would fall off to sleep. I did eventually but I did one important thing to get me there. I prayed. Not sure if my prayer was so boring that I put myself to sleep of if God filled me with the peace that I needed. Whichever one came first, it totally knocked me out. I'm pretty sure it was the Holy Spirit reassuring me that He had it covered and there was no need to worry. Don't you love that!?!

We're hopefully going to be moving in May and I just kept thinking about all the many things that we have to do to actually complete the move. We have no house yet (still working with the realtor), not all of our down payment is ready (almost), no boxes are packed but one thing I do know...when the time is right, things will fall into place. There's no need to worry because the only thing that it does is keep me up at night and creates a long to-do list that I really don't have time to worry about right now.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

Menu Plan

Monday -Chicken & Noodles
Tuesday - Spaghetti
Wednesday - Sausage, Veggies & Rice
Thursday - Enchilladas
Friday - PIZZA
Saturday - Sloppy Joe
Sunday - Eat Out

Fab Ab's Anyone?

As I was skimming thru Pinterest I came across a Pin that I have been thinking about and I've committed to take the plunge. When I was doing crunches/sit ups back in October and November, I saw a huge difference in my abs so it's time to start back up. Who's with me? Here's the pin...let me know what you think! I'd love to know if you are doing it with me. I'm not much of a plank person but I'm 100% committed!

34

On Friday it was my birthday! I turned 34 and I decided to take my birthday off work. My vacation days are specifically planned thru the year so for me to just take the day off was huge! Nate's birthday is the day after mine and we were going to be busy on his birthday so I bit the bullet and took the day off so we could have a fun weekend. I wanted the both of us to enjoy the time and just each other. Before kids we always took our birthdays off work every year but it's been 10 years so I was definitely due! We started the day with Muffins with Mom at Aiva's school. It was so fun to go to her class and talk to her teacher. Takes me back to my elementary school days! After that we went to McDonald's for breakfast. Not my number one choice but we needed something quick before we headed to the movies. I got something light and we were off to Easton. We saw the movie "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon and it was great. I cried and cried some more and it was cleansing in a good kind of way!

Every year, I always go to Spaghetti Warehouse for my birthday and this year was no different. We pulled Aiva out of school early so we could head down town. We sat in the trolley car and dinner was great. To save myself from eating too much, Nate and I split dinner. It was good for both of us! Every year, since I was six, I've always gotten a Shirley Temple and I kept the tradition alive! That night, we went to the Big Walnut homecoming basketball game. I thought this would be fun for Nate so that's what we did. The girls weren't very impressed but Nate and I had a blast. We got to walk down the hall of fame and see all of his family members. His brothers, cousins, and uncles are all on the wall. It was fun to point out to the girls who all the family members were and what they did.

Nate's birthday was pretty much the same. Running around and having a lot of fun. He coached a game and his team won by like 30. He and I were both shocked but so happy! He knew his team was good but THAT good! We ate out for two meals and I tried to make good decisions but I did have a few things that I shouldn't. Cake and ice cream topped the list. It's a birthday...what can I say! Today is a new day and I have to get back up on the horse and make good decisions. I did discover a new pop that I'm going to keep on hand. Dr. Pepper 10...my new best friend. On special occasions, we get cream soda on pizza night. I calculated the points and a glass of cream soda is 5 points! A glass of Dr. Pepper 10 is ZERO! A definite keeper! I'm a Dr. Pepper addict so for me to have the similar taste... better for me than regular pop... is a huge! No...it's not just for MEN despite what the commercials say! I'm proving them wrong!

Changin' It Up

After reading one of my new favorite blogs I got the idea to make a list of the reasons why I want to change my life...myself. If you're a girl, you have a list of things that you want to change about your self. To make your self better...a better mom, a better wife, a better you. Since you know I'm all about numbers, I decided to go with 34 since I just had a birthday. I'm tired of feeling the way that I do. I'm sick of beating myself up after I stumble. I've been doing well but I feel like I need to get these thoughts out and on "paper" so I can remind myself of why I'm doing this. I need to turn to these things on my off days and remind myself why I'm doing the things that I'm doing. Why I'm sacrificing...what my focus is. Here is it:

1. I want to be healthy
2. I want to get rid of the back pain when I sleep
3. I want to lose the spare tire
4. I want to be able to get my wedding rings on and off with ease
5. I want to be able to wear the new ring Nate just got me for Christmas
6. I want my girls to know how to be healthy by what I do and eat
7. I want to lose the dip in my bed from me being over weight
8. I want my top "half" to be smaller from my bottom "half"
9. I want to climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath
10. I want to be able to wear boots that are cute
11. I want to be able to go into a dressing room and have my oldest say that I look good
12. I want to decrease the risk of me getting cancer
13. I want to wear shorts and tank tops in the summer
14. I want to wear a bathing suit without people looking at my skin rather than the suit
15. I want to wear a size that doesn't have an X in it
16. I want my husband to not have to feel "fat" when he puts his arm around my waist
17. I want to put on my seat belt without pulling the whole belt out
18. I want to be able to do jumping jacks without me peeing my pants!!
19. I want to be able to work out without my top "half" going in different directions
20. I want my husband to pick me up and carry me across the thresh hold
21. I want to cross my legs instead of my ankles
22. I want to get out of these size 16 jeans
23. I want to wear that little black dress in my closet that's a large
24. I want to treat myself with other things besides food
25. I want to not be the big person in pictures
26. I want to take a family picture where I feel good about how I look
27. I want to be in pictures with my kids instead of taking the pictures
28. I want my underwear to lay on my stomach instead of under my spare tire when I bend down
29. I want to wear fitted shirts and not be conscientious if flabs are sticking out
30. I want my family to feel proud of me
31. I want to take warm vacations instead of cold vacations
32. I want to be able to dance with Ana
33. I want to wear a coat instead of carry a coat
34. I want to LIVE instead of sit on the sidelines and watch

Biggest Loser

I've got to admit...I love the Biggest Loser. I'm addicted...can't go a show without watching it LIVE when it comes on. Bob Harper (yes I know his full name) truly excites me and even though he said that working out with him is no fun (my words, not his) I would love to have a trainer like him. Plus... he's quite handsome (I'll refrain from saying HOT!). Then you've got Dolvette Quince (again, I know his full name). He's a screamer/yeller but I'd still love to work with him. Both he and Bob give out great encouragement on Faceboook. If you love Biggest Loser you have to look them up on Facebook. I just can't get enough of them. Every time I watch Biggest Loser, I always think that I need to make a CD/MP3 or something of Bob's "encouragement". I might work on that soon. I need Bob yelling and screaming sweet nothing's in my ear to get off my butt and do it again, go harder and "I don't think so!".

Enough about that, tomorrow is weigh in day and I'm looking forward to it. I'm on my monthly you know what so I'm not sure if I'll lose anything but at least I can be around some great encouragement and and be around ladies who are in my shoes. Quick update...I got into my skinny jeans so something is working, even on my monthly you know what! Not too far from my 14's! Watch out jeans...here I come. I've been stepping during the week for an hour and do zumba on Wednesdays. Anything is better than sitting on the couch doing nothing! I'm feeling good that I'm back at it. I'm not going totally crazy but making little changes at a time. One day at a time right??!! Here's to tomorrow! I'll let you know what happens!

Bible School

At the beginning of January, I started doing something with my girls that they just love. I found tons of activity and color pages, thanks to Google, that I can use for teaching them stories from the Bible. I've organized them so that I can teach the same lesson to both of them and Ana has a color page and Aiva has an activity page that's harder for her level. When I get home, I put my stuff down and head to the kitchen where I start to get things ready for dinner. I call both girls in and tell them to get their art kits and I give them each a page. While I cook, I tell them the story. I'll have Aiva look up the verses in the Bible and have her read the kids version just to catch anything that I miss. I've even given her just the "address" for the verse and I'll have her write down the verse. It helps her get into the word and get excited about it because there are actual stories in there! I have to share what happened last night though. The lesson last night was on creation and what God created and when. Aiva just jumps at the opportunity to do anything that resembles homework so this was right up her alley. I printed out a sheet for her that had "Day 1-7" and the verses that corresponded to what God created for those days. She dove right into the Bible and wrote out what God created anon those days. She later asked if she could draw pictures of the things that He created and I of course told her to go for it. She loved it! It's really been a lot of fun to get this started and going. It's great for me because I don't have to hear them fighting when I get home. It's good for them becasue they're hearing the Word and getting into it. Plus, it's good for Nate because he gets a much needed 30-45 minute break before dinner. Here are a couple picks of what we've been doing:

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Potato Soup
Tuesday - Taco's
Wednesday - Homemade Mac N Cheese
Thursday - Baked Ziti
Friday - PIZZA
Saturday - TBD (Nate's birthday)
Sunday lunch- Tortilla Soup
Sunday dinner - Meatloaf

Something BIG is about to happen!

Today was the first day of my bible study, Made to Crave. This is the second time I'm doing it so hopefully something will click...something will change...something big will happen (maybe I should say something small will happen). I'm done with being big but I'm not done with God doing big things! Praying he does amazing things through this study. I pray that I would crave Him instead of other things. I pray that I would turn to Him instead of food. I pray that I would trust in him instead of trust in the feeling of how I hope food will make me feel.

I went to zumba last night and it felt great but I sure didn't like the person who I saw in the mirror. The last time I was at zumba I looked great. I was 20 lbs lighter and my stomach was flatter. Long story short, I'm done with being big and I'm leaving the rest up to God!

Today I weighed in and it was the first time that I stepped on the scale since November. It was a scary thing but I did it. It was one of those quick step on, exhale/say a quick prayer, look, and then step off (like the action didn't happen). The number I saw was one I wasn't proud of but happy that it wasn't bigger. The number was 215.4. I'm in a size 16...it's time for a change! This is the last time I'm going to be this weight. The last time I will feel this way. It's time for me to do something big...with God's help, I know I can do it!

Start Afresh

Today is one of those days that I have to start afresh. On Monday in my small group, good ole' Beth Moore said that God can change my mood. I'm praying that he can do just that right now. With the power of the Holy Spirit, I really can Live Beyond Myself. Here are some things that I have to remember:

My purpose is beyond me...my seasonal circumstances are beyond me...my unrelenting daily demands are beyond me.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit I can...

do things I couldn't...feel things I didn't...know things I wouldn't.

We had a rough night with Ana. She had a bad asthma attack last night and we were in urgent care getting breathing treatments and steroids. We have to do this every so often and it really takes a hit on me. This is on top of an already stressful and mentally challenging day. I had to deal with someone that was just plain mean and not very grateful. God had all this up his sleeve when I heard that whole thing on Monday about God changing my attitude. He was preparing my heart for what was about to lie ahead.

To be honest, I really don't want to be at work right now. I don't want to be nice right now. I don't want to do anything now except be at home with my little girl. Instead I'm clinging to Isaiah 43:18-19:

18 "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.19 Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.

I'm praying that something good comes out of today...that it's brand new and it's bursting out. God...I need you to show up today and be big...really big!

MPM

I know it's Tuesday but it's never too late to start menu planning! I actually started this weekend but didn't get to post until just now. Here it is for the week:

Monday - Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti
Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas
Wednesday - Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot
Thursday - Meatloaf
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Breakfast Burritos
Sunday - BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Hopefully by going this route, I will only have soda on Friday. Last weekend, we did really well! We only went out to eat on Friday, for pizza, and then out to dinner with my parents after church. Here's to a healthier me :)

2012

So every year I always do my goals for the year in January (colossal ideas, I know). I normally do the same amount of goals for how old I am, therefore, this year, I'm doing 34! Once I list my goals for this year, I'll update you on what all happened from last year. Here goes nothing:

#1 - MOVE...so excited to get into a house! It's been 5 long years!
#2 - Build our savings
#3 - Do more craft stuff
#4 - Make more jewelry
#5 - Make more jewelry for others
#6 - Make another quilt
#7 - Do a garden
#8 - Send more cards
#9 - Bless others more
#10 - Spend less time on the computer when at home
#11 - East out less on weekends
#12 - Be consistent with menu planning thru the week
#13 - Work with my kids more on reading the bible
#14 - Do a date night with each of my girls by themselves
#15 - Pamper myself more
#16 - Call my dad more
#17 - Organize my paperwork
#18 - Get rid of old jammies
#19 - Go to bed earlier
#20 - Take a lunch more often
#21 - Get my pictures organized
#22 - Go on a family vacation to Chicago
#23 - Having to buy all new clothes because they're too big (ok, maybe more of a dream :) )
#24 - Have no warning lights shining on our car
#25 - Have a table at a craft show
#27 - Be on time to work
#28 - Have a set quiet time
#29 - Read thru the Bible
#30 - Working with the girls on allowance
#31 - Teach the girls how to save and tithe
#32 - Be patient with my kids
#33 - Drink less caffeine
#34 - Be patient with Nate

From 2011...what is green is something I've accomplished or I'm working on and what's in red are items that I didn't do:

#1 Since I'm turning 33, the same age that Jesus was when he was crucified, I want to live more like Christ.
#2 To be 33 pounds lighter (I'm giving it another go)
#3 To pay off our car
#4 To make three new friends
#5 To learn to make my own laundry detergent - thanks Nicole for getting me excited
#6 To pray more for my brother
#7 To drink more water than Dr. Pepper :)
#8 To eat more at home instead of eating out
#9 To build our savings account
#10 To make something special for my girls this Christmas
#11 To go on a once in a lifetime trip on 11/11/11 in Montana
#12 To start making jewelry with Ana & Aiva
#13 To learn how to better communicate with Aiva
#14 To show Nate more affection
#15 To encourage my dad
#16 To visit my Nana & Grandpa more
#17 To give blood once this year (I'm scared to death)
#18 To eat a star fruit
#19 To make something for someone
#20 To get to bed at a decent time
#21 To work out
#22 To play with the girls instead of having something else entertain them
#23 To make more time for Nate
#24 To make more time for myself
#25 To read more to the girls
#26 To take time out for Ana and spending time with just her
#27 Try to eat more vegetables (yuck)
#28 To appreciate the things we have instead of what we don't
#29 To think outside the box more
#30 To enjoy the girls laughter instead of telling them to be quiet
#31 To be a friend to someone who needs one
#32 To be quiet and listen to God
#33 Take more pictures to capture life

Financial Updates

Baby Step #1 - Save $1000 in an emergency savings plan

USED IT ALL TO PAY FOR AIVA'S TONSILS

Baby Step #2 - Get out of debt with the debt snowball

AGAIN...AIVA'S TONSILS

Baby Step #3 - Start saving 3-6 months of expenses in savings

STARTING Hopefully in the summer

Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% in a Roth IRA

CURRENTLY DOING 8% IN MY ROTH

Baby Step #5 - Future funding for kids

SAVING $100 PER CHILD PER MONTH

Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early

Baby Step #7 - Build wealth & give

Christmas Projects & Rings

As I blogged before, there were a lot of projects that I was working on and needless to say, I didn't take pictures of a lot of them. That's one thing I want to change in 2012. Projects that I make need to be photographed. I think it helps a person see that they've accomplished something! Plus, it's fun to see people's comments and helps give my readers some inspiration to try something new :) OK, so I think I've shown you a few of the things that I made so here are a couple of the others:

This one was definitely one of my most favorites. This was the project that I had worked so hard on for many months. I made it for my mom. She bought me a sewing machine and it sat in my bedroom for two years before I had the courage to use it. Not saying it to brag...well, yea I am...I hand stiched just about the whole things. Guess I really didn't need the machine after all! I used the machine sewing the squares together and doing the binding but n the actual quilting my sewing machine kept bird's nesting and it was easier to actually hand stitched than get frustrated and quite. I wanted tears out of my mom but got nothin! At least my dad cried when I gave him a sneak peak the week before Christmas. At least one of my parents is sensitive like how I am! All in all, this was a hard project and one that I will keep reminding my mom of! I told my co-workers that she better have this thing attached to her hip at all time because of the time that was spent on it! Of course I'm joking...kind of! LOL

This was another fun gift that I made! This is my sister in law, Amy, and she's fun and crafty like I am. When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I immediately thought of her. I have fallen in love with buttons recently and knew I wanted to do this project for her. It was actually a piece of cake. I printed out the letter S at work on card stock in black ink. Used glue dots to attach the buttons (color: black, gray and white) and got a frame at Michael's to finish it off. She loved it along with a necklace I made for her. I didn't get a pic of her necklace, earrings, and bracelet but it was one of my favorites that I've made. I love the pendant and again, wanted to keep it for myself but gladly handed off to her.
This is a shirt that I designed for my dad. My dad is a hard one to buy for so when I thought of things that described my dad, this is one of the things that came to mind. My dad owns his own company and he has a few phrases that he ALWAYS says...from the time my brother and I were little to present day, he has always used this phrases. Price, Quality, Time...You can pick two but you can't have all three. When he saw it he let out a big laugh and yes...I think I did see a tear in his eye (MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!). He says it's one of my favorites! It leaves me so proud thinking that all the hard work I put into a meaningful gift was not wasted!

This is my mother in law who got the family gift that I already shared with you. I loved this gift. It was personal and quite easy to make. I think I already shared with you how I made it. Thanks to my friend Aubre for stopping at AAA to pick up the maps for me. You are a gem for helping me when I was in a bind! My MIL loved it! No tears were shed but "family" was passed around and everyone wanted a piece of the goodness!

Recently, I've been making my own jewelry because it's so much cheaper than buying it somewhere. Ever since I was in Nashville at Christmas and saw my sister in laws ring, I've wanted to start making rings of my own. Hers didn't look hard to make so I embarked on the ring making journey. Needless to say, I'm addicted and I'm not sure why I didn't do rings before this. Here are a few of my new creations :

I think that's it for now. Stay tuned for what's coming up in 2012! Can't wait for a brand new year!