New 52 | Week 4 Scrapbook Page + Template

Boy I am exhausted! Tonight I just realized that Mondays in January have been exhausting for me. I go to work all day. Then I get home and wolf down a dinner. Then I head to swim class at 7:05pm. I get home around 8:10pm and then shower and get ready for bed. Then I blog my layout and template for the week. It has been very tiring, I can't believe I survived it. This is my last swim class...

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He Keeps Us On Our Toes

The other day I got a blog comment from one of my blog friends Christi that made me chuckle.  She said on one of my posts that it was the first time she's seen me be "Debbie Downer".  I was surprised, because I didn't know I was coming across my blog as so happy go lucky.  In my mind, I am "Debbie Downer" quite a bit in real life.  I just didn't realize people don't know that about...

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New 52 | Week 4: Fitness Calendar

This week I created a new fitness calendar in Google Calendar to help me get back to consistent exercising. It's been a long time since I've had a consistent training schedule. Training for what, you ask? Well, nothing as of now. That was my problem. In 2009 I joined West Coast Road Runners and trained for the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon. In 2010 I continued running with WCRR and trained...

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New 52 | Week 3 Scrapbook Page + Template

Credits: New 52: Template #3 by me, Listgirl Designs by Christine Newman; New You by Pixel Gypsy @ The Digi Chick. Here's the template, available for just $1.00 in my personal store, Listgirl Designs. Thank you for those that shared your links to your New 52 Week 3 experiences! I enjoyed reading them very much. ...

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Deviations from Plan

I have the type of personality where I am out of sorts or even upset if things don't go according to what I've planned.  It's very hard for me to not have expectations of how things SHOULD go, or to just go with the flow when things don't go the way I had planned. This weekend was full of plan failures.  At least that's what I saw at first.  Until I saw all of my photos and how blessed...

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Paperclipping Digi Show Ep 032

Well, it must have gone alright last time, because they let me crash the party again on the Paperclipping Digi Show this week! We recorded the episode Monday morning and it is available to listen now. In this episode, we discussed all the ways there are to recolor digital papers and elements. It seemed that everyone had a different method, so we all learned a lot from each other. No wonder the title of the episode is "I'm Learning So Much Today". Hope you enjoy the podcast and learn...

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Dinner with Shannon & Ryan

On Sunday night, Shannon and Ryan came over to our house for dinner for the first time.  Shannon had been to our house before for a party, but not Ryan.  Shannon works with Todd and also is a part of Toastmasters. The menu of the night was Szechuan Spicy Noodles with Carrot Cucumber Relish and Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter. For dessert, we had Skillet Apple Crisp (recipe...

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New52 | Week 3: Weight Watchers

I am not fat.  But I am 10 lbs over my "fighting weight", the weight I feel the most comfortable in.  The weight I feel when my body performs better athletically.  I haven't been this weight since early 2007 when my mom died.  After mom died, I ate to feel better.  It became a bad habit.  I also eat because I do love food, as evidenced by this blog.  I've tried several...

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New 52 | Week 2 Template & Page

Credits: New 52 Template #2 by me, Listgirl Designs (Christine Newman); Creator, Tranquil (collab with Leora Sanford), Storyteller (collab with Paislee Press), and Along These Lines v. 02 by One Little Bird @ Oscraps; Adorned by Paislee Press @ Oscraps; Splash-tastic Alpha (recolored) by Kate Hadfield @ The Lilypad. Here's the template, available for just $1.00 in my personal store, Listgirl Designs. Thank...

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Slowly But Surely

On Friday night there was some much needed end-of-week relaxation. Noodle joined in as well, although he doesn't really have much job-related stress. Saturday morning Todd was eating his standard breakfast of popcorn (whirly popped) and Coke, when Noodle tried to eat popcorn out of Todd's bowl. Todd said, "Noodle, now I know you're really my cat!" Now we know. Like hooman, like kitteh. At...

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Some Inspiration Related to New 52

I came across two articles the past couple of weeks that really touched me and inspired me about my New 52 life project this year. The first is a NYT article written by Oliver Sacks called "This Year, Change Your Mind".  It is astounding to think that no matter what age you are, you can change, rewire, and strengthen your brain.  The last paragraph really spoke to me in regards to why New 52 would be good for me. "Whether it is by learning a new language, traveling to a new...

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New 52 | Week 2: Swim Class

I know how to swim, but I've never been really confident in the water. And I've never swam laps as a form of exercise. Two things in the past year have inspired me to get better at swimming. The first is seeing Todd train for the San Diego Triathlon Classic (Olympic distance). He was so dedicated in getting in swim shape. He swam twice a week in the mornings at the YMCA pool, and he swam in...

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