Page 2....

How can one make every day great? I watched a news story this morning with Anderson Cooper about meditation and about living in the moment.  He said what he was very skeptical going into this research project but came out with a new understanding.  It is all about living for every moment and being present in that moment.  I think this is how we make each day great.

Making a day great isn't necessarily about accomplishing some grand feat, it is about enjoying that day and making the most of all your time. Noticing what is going on around you and not just pushing through.  This morning I have taken the time to observe what is going on around me and it has been beautiful.  It is snowing outside and it is so peaceful to watch it fall and appreciate where I live.  I took the time to watch my daughters play together this morning, their laughs and giggles warm my heart.  I love the fact that with them being five years apart (7 years old and almost 2 years old) they still enjoy playing together.

Since I seem to be examining things around me I have been thinking about the journey I have been on with my fitness.  Since July when I started this journey I have lost a total of 16 pounds and several inches in a few places.  I couldn't be more proud of myself.  By doing this I have also discovered a lot about myself.  It is also nice to feel more self confidence.  I don't feel bad about myself and I don't talk bad about myself to other people like I used to.  I have learned to accept a compliment from people instead of brushing it off and seeming ungrateful.  Since starting this journey I have also learned to deal with my stresses a little better.  It is amazing what one workout can do for you!  I not only feel good, I'm in a good mood, I'm not stressed any more and in a strange way I feel more fit each day (I know that it doesn't really happen that quickly but I feel like I could conquer the world when I get a work out done).

I know that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to and just sitting and being in the moment has helped put some more clarity to my goals and focus on what is important in my life. As I look at my day now I know that page 2 is going to be successful and great.  I'm going to enjoy every moment of it and pay attention to my surroundings because I don't want to miss anything.

Tell me what you are looking forward to in your day by commenting below!

And it begins....

"Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book, make it a good one" - Unknown

I am not quite sure who wrote the quote above.  I have seen it a lot lately, none the less, it is a GREAT quote.  If you treat each day as a page in a book and you want to make your book worth reading when it is over, you have to make it a great day every day.

In my previous post I stated I wasn't making any resolutions.  I think that resolutions are made to be broken honestly.  As my husband said last night as we were talking about it he said that they are never kept past February.  Good point!  I am making a REALsolution.  I know, I'm falling into this trendy word that has started but it makes complete sense.

My page today is going to be great.  I'm going to make every day from here on out great!  This last year was pretty good but next year I want to say that 2015 was GREAT!

How exactly am I going to accomplish this? Well I have plenty of things that I always say I'm going to do but never do.  I want to read more...it will be done!  I want to do more crocheting....it will be done! I'm going to spend more time with my kiddos doing crafts, teaching my oldest how to cook, getting both of my kiddos to be more active (not that basketball and swimming don't keep my oldest busy enough) and overall see them more happy....it will be done!  I want my businesses to take off and be successful....it will be done!

I am the worst about scheduling myself, I have always been a procrastinator and a last minute planner.  I am working on changing this for the better.  I'm making a schedule for myself and putting things in a place to be done at a specific time.  If I write it down it will get accomplished! I have always been good when it comes to my job (always early and most of the time last one to leave) so I need to put that work ethic to use in my home life.  I know I can do it!

One of the best ways to make sure I can schedule myself well and accomplish things is to be more organized.  I am the one that will do laundry but not put it away even when it has been folded for days.  I am the one that will take a pile of papers and just move it from spot to spot when it is in the way.  Not going to happen!  Things are going to be put away!

To accomplish wanting to read more I have a list of books that are on my wish list to read.  My first book is going to be one that I started a long time ago but never finished...A Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.  I loved the book just never finished it.  My next book I plan on being Gone Girl.  I have a list of more but in no particular order from there.

My crocheting will be done at night, I want to get part way through a current project each night until done then start a new one.  I'm currently working on a braided infinity scarf.  It is a beautiful gray and green color combination.  I'm very excited about it.  I have so many patterns saved up of what I want to do.  It is almost becoming an obsession.  Below is a picture of a scarf I finished as a gift recently.  It was a difficult pattern but I did it and I'm very proud of it.

I am totally infatuated with my kiddos. Above I stated I wanted to make more time with them.  Don't get me wrong I spend a lot of time with them but I have always idolized those parents that seem to be the perfect housewives and can pull off the arts and crafts with their kids, take them on play dates or something like that.  I do not feel like I'm failing by any means but I want to do better at this.  My girls are my world and I couldn't ask for anything better.

Since this is the end of they day by the time I am getting to publish this...I have written a pretty good first page of my 365 page book.  Christmas decorations and tree is down, laundry is almost completely done and put away, played some games with my oldest, did some work on my businesses and had a little time to myself.

I hope your book is going to be just as good!  Happy New Year everyone!

I'm not making a New Year's Resolution.....

Think about all the New Year's Resolutions you have made.  How many of them have you kept and accomplished?  I have decided that the practice of making a New Year's Resolution should be nixed!  I know, it sounds like I am giving up on myself but I have come up with a substitution.  I am making a life's resolution.  I have decided that thinking in a one year time span is not good enough.  I have to look at the big picture and take control.  In fact, I didn't wait until the beginning of a new year to take control.

My big decision was made back in July when I signed up to become a Beachbody Coach.  It has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life.  The big picture has been my health and not succumbing to diabetes (which runs in my family from both sides) or other such diseases that are common with being over weight.  I can't just think in one year at a time when it comes to my health.  Yes, I take one day at a time when it comes to doing my workouts and eating properly but if I don't make those decisions the big picture will never be realized.

So far this year I have already lost 16 pounds.  For me this is an incredible accomplishment because I have not been under 200 pounds since before I had my oldest daughter (and she just turned seven at the end of November).  I feel great and know that I am working on improving my life.  The fact that I can keep up with my children and not feel tired half way through the day is fantastic.  The fact that I don't feel bloated and squishy (sorry, I could not find a better word for what I'm trying to express) is an incredible feeling.  I think the best part of all, my self confidence is growing.  I'm no longer shy about what I wear, I don't have to wear a big sweatshirt to hide what I have been embarrassed about.  The best part is, I no longer look in the mirror and tell myself I'm ugly. This picture below is when I lost about 11 pounds, I have not taken any follow up pictures since this but have lost 5 more pounds.

My other motivation to be a Beachbody Coach is to inspire and be there for others.  I know that if I can do this that I can help others take control of their health too!  It is important for people to be healthy, it really isn't about being skinny and look like a stick.  Being strong and fit is about you!  I want to be someones support because if it wasn't for the family and friends I have I don't know if I would be able to accomplish anything.  Support in any endeavor is important!

On top of taking control of my health I am also trying to take control of my financial health.  I have taken on a few online, at home businesses.  I have become an affiliate with Keeley Kendall Designs, they sell beautiful wrap bracelets which you can customize with metal decorative plates and different combinations of glass beads.  The other company I have started with is Buskins Leggings (pronounced Boo-skins).  They have incredibly soft, durable and high quality patterned leggings at very reasonable prices.  Although, none of these have taken off and exploded for me I am able to bring in a little bit.

I know I have said this before about wanting to blog more but I think that I want to make a goal of this too.  Sometimes getting my thoughts down and letting people in the internet world read it is helpful.  I am going to make this from everything about me and my family and my endeavors in my health and fitness.  Determination and motivation are my key words for my life!

The New Adventure has Begun!!!

We are finally here in Idaho!  I'm so happy to finally start this new chapter.  The last few weeks I have felt very stuck; I do NOT like that feeling at all!!

Today is Sunday and we drove here on Wednesday!  Thank you to my Mom for being gracious enough to bring a truck and trailer over to help us move to avoid the high cost of Uhaul or the like.  Driving from Portland to Sandpoint is a long drive when you have two young children, a dog and a cat along for the ride.  We made it with no major catastrophes or anything so I am very thankful for that.

The trailer is still sitting out in front of the house...packed!  Alec won't be here for another day and there is no way that my Mom and I can unload the furniture on our own.  We are all fine though.  Jetta has her own room and it has her bed in it already...she gets a bunk bed!!  Just wait for the posts about me complaining about the broken bones from her jumping off the top bunk.  I'm sleeping on a hide away bed and Brielle is sleeping in her oh so comfy little recliner chair...sometimes she gets to sleep with Mommy (it just depends on how hot it has been at night).

My Mom and I stopped at the Country Mercantile just north of Pasco and picked up a bunch of fruit so we can start our canning and storing food adventure.  The last two days we have spent canning peaches, freezing berries, making jams and we even got a cherry cobbler made in the midst of all this!

Although, we are not sure if we canned the peaches properly.  We followed instructions we found on several different websites but we are just not sure they are sealed properly.  We are going to wait and find out.  They smelled so good while putting it all together though!

The other news is that Jetta has lost her first tooth!  She was so excited that it was wiggly as she called it.  It became so loose that I ended up just pulling it instead of risking Jetta swallowing it because yet again she isn't paying attention to what she is doing.  Here is a picture shortly after we pulled the tooth:

The Tooth Fairy visited that night and gave her almost two dollars in change!  You have to realize Jetta loves change, she has a big glass jar that she gets to fill with her change that eventually goes into her savings account.  I love that this kid is excited about saving her money!

I have also started on my weight loss adventure as well.  I am counting my calories, watching what I'm eating and starting to exercise.  My Mom and I have made a pact to work out together and hold each other accountable, which is a nice change.  We went on our first big walk today and was a successful one.  We didn't want to push ourselves to hard since neither of us are in the greatest shape.  We went for a walk along Sandpoint's long bridge.  We took both kids and one of my Mom's dogs.  We didn't make it the whole way because the dog actually got really tired (he is a 5 month old German Shepard) and neither of us were going to try to take on the task of carrying him back to the car if he refused to walk the whole way.

Total we walked a little over 4 miles.  Even though my side was hurting during half of it I felt really good and it was nice to do something with my Mom and my kids.  Next time we are going to go a little earlier in the day so as not to be in the heat as much and we are going to bring more water for not only us but for the dog as well!

So far everything is going well, granted it has only been a few days but if you start out on the correct foot then there is no stopping what you can achieve in the future.  My next goal is to set up some sort of couponing system so that we can save money on our grocery bill since there are a lot of mouths to feed.

I'm hoping that my next blog will be about how I have set up my couponing system/binders.  I have read a few blogs that have inspired me and I believe are great ideas.  I might combine a few things I have seen and see if they work.  If I get permission from those blogs authors I will share their links on my blog as well so that if any of you want to follow them and get inspired you can as well.

I told myself I was going to bed early tonight and here it is 10:15pm and still awake.  Good night for now and hope to keep going.

My First Venture...

Strawberry jam!!!!! Woohoo!!!  I used to help my Grammy with it all the time and I loved the results!  I have not made it on my own at all so it was fun.  I miss having Grammy by my side and us almost eating more strawberries then using for the jam.  I'm hoping this batch sets right and tastes just as good.

I have decided that I am going to try to do more of this and other such homemaker things.  I have found that I have a passion for cooking and that I want to learn all sorts of new tricks.  Granted in the last few years my husband has been doing most of the cooking but now that I'm a SAHM I am going to try to take over.  I want to try something new with what we eat.  I have several cook books, I need to use them.

I think I have decided that I'm going to try to post the new recipe I have tried and my review of the results!  I don't want this to necessarily be a food blog but I can at least have one section like that.

My other project I am going to start is that I want to start a new crocheting project.  I picked it up not to long ago and made a bag and just haven't done anything else.  I need to get back into it.  I am not sure at this point what I'm going to make but I'm sure I have something on my Pinterest board that will be interesting.

I don't want to over reach myself but I'm also going to add on trying to finish one book I'm interested in at least a month.  I can't seem to read very far into a book each night so I think one book in one month is reasonable.

So, between raising my two beautiful girls, cooking, cleaning, crocheting and reading I think I will stay plenty busy!  Plus this blog!  I have found this to be a great outlet.  Why keep a personal diary any more when I can share these thoughts with the world!

So enjoy!

New Beginnings!!

People have said that as one door closes another one will open for you.  I feel that way now since I am about to go through a whole new door in my life.  This year has been full of changes, all of them good, some of them a little nerve wracking but looking forward to everything!

The first big change this year has been the addition of another beautiful little girl to our little family!  Her name is Brielle Leigh-Ann and she came into our lives on April 14, 2013.  She was three weeks early but if she is anything like her older sister she has a mind of her own and will do what she wants when she wants if she can get away with it!  She certainly wanted to join the world earlier then she was meant to!  She was born 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 18 inches long with a full head of dark beautiful brown hair.

Alec and I have always talked about wanting to raise our children in more of a small town/country setting.  I now understand why my parents wanted to get out of the city.  With adding another child to our family we have decided that it is a perfect time to make that change in our life.  Second big change in our lives is that we are moving to Idaho in July.  I have always loved the Sandpoint area, although I haven't always appreciated it, I am looking forward to moving back.

The third change in our lives is I am going to start the new adventure of being a stay at home mom.  I love being a mother to my two girls!  They are my world and I want to do for them what my Mom did for my siblings and me.  As of today I am no longer employed by your standard nine to five job!  My bosses are now Jetta and Brielle!

Don't get me wrong I am truly in charge but I feel like they are the bosses because I have to follow their lead as to what they need in their lives.

As this new chapter in my life begins and I move forward into a great future with my family I am going to try to keep this blog up.  It maybe anything from updates on my family to crafts I may be doing.  I am going to try to do something off my Pinterest boards as much as I can so you may see me blog about that.  Who knows what is to come from this.