Success!

First of all, let me share an adorable picture - When I come home for lunch during the week, I let the dogs out and let them sun themselves by the front door. They LOVE it!! And today, they all piled up by the front door and cuddled. SOO CUTE!!!

And...I've already had success on my resolutions!!

So far, I've already changed my blog design from the "Fall" theme to something far more relevant to me - sparkles!

And, I've already done my allotted "one page a month" of scrapbooking!! I have taken a picture for proof:

Not my best work, but I've been out of practice for a while. Whew...that really took it out of me!

Lack of motivation

I’ve decided that while I’m still struggling with motivation to work out, that I can at least mentally work out. I have a large stack of books that I have been clinging to, in hopes that I will read through them. While I never read them, I continue to add to the list whenever an interesting book comes along.

A while back, I made a plan to alternate a fictional book with a non-fiction book with the idea that I would get through them faster by not focusing on one genre and feeling bogged down. That plan may have worked – if I had picked up 1 book to begin in the first place.

I just prefer after being at work all day to come home and unwind or “veg out” from the day by hanging out on the couch and playing with Bailey. But…I also do chores, like laundry, the dishes, cook dinner, etc. So when I’m done with what I NEED to do, I’m even more tired than before and am just not motivated to do what I WANT to do – read a book, exercise, scrapbook, etc.

But last week in my Weight Watchers meeting, we discussed being “empowered” and doing something you didn’t think you could do or have been putting off for a while and the feeling you get after you’ve finally accomplished that task. My goal before the next meeting was to scrapbook, and I did a page on Sunday while at my mom’s house!! It was just one page, and I still have many more pictures piled up to do, but it did still feel pretty good.

So my goal for this week (From tonight until Saturday) is to spend at least 30 minutes a night doing something I WANT to do. I want to feel like I can accomplish carving out 30 minutes to do something for ME. And it can be any of the tasks mentioned earlier – I just want to get into that habit. Then maybe I could make one night a week a particular task and then it will become a part of my life. But – if I can make it through at least 30 minutes a night, I can finally believe in the fact that I can really do whatever I put my mind to.

*Disclaimer: While I realize the last sentence of that last paragraph is the world’s oldest (and maybe cheesiest) adage, I think finally at 26 I’m realizing what that could really mean for me.

New Years Resolutions

I have a few things I would like to see myself do in this new year:

1. Save money!!!
2. Read 1 book a month.
3. Catch up on my scrapbooking.
4. Lose some stinkin' weight! I want to be back to my "I just moved to Colorado" weight, which means 30 lbs by the end of the year!
5. Try to eat healthier and branch out into trying new recipes!

And on a side note, I'm really enjoying logging in and seeing that I have comments!! So thank you, and keep them coming!

New idea...

Since I only had 2 comments on my last post, and only 1 new follower, I shouldn't be indulging my new idea (because I said I needed at least 5 comments!) but I had a great idea as to what my one "theme day" could be...

I scrapbook, but not as much as I'd like. I was working on one page the other night, and brought one completed album to work to show other "dog moms". I thought - hey I really enjoy scrapbooking and I also enjoy sharing this with other people! I'm definitely no expert, and I'm limited budget-wise, so I have to get creative, but I have a great time doing it, and I least I feel that I'm doing a good job! (So don't burst my bubble! :o)

So, my idea was to pick one day (probably Saturday or Sunday) to update with photos of the progress of pages I'm currently working on, or something I've completed. Or, share some photos and ideas on how I'd like to add it to my never-ending album.

Here are some pictures of pages I've made so far:

I also started thinking, if people liked this, and I got a little better, I might be able to make some money doing something I love. People are always telling me that they used to scrapbook, or wish they could, or bought all the materials but then never got around to it. I would love to help them put it together, and I wouldn't charge much. Then they would be happy that they had a nice scrapbook of their memories put together for them!

Now, how to get started on that without peddling myself or feeling like I'm asking people to just give me money out of the blue. Maybe I'm not meant to start my own business!

But, is the idea worth it? Would you read it? Any scrapbookers out there that would start following or sharing ideas/comments? Should I start "Scrapbooking Saturday"? Help!