One Hero's Son

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of meeting a 9 year old boy whose father is deployed to Iraq. As many of you may know military families are near and dear to my heart (growing up in one and raising one right now) - and as far as I am concerned every man or woman serving in our military is a hero in my eyes. It goes without saying that it takes a little something special to be a military family, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This amazing young man walked into a house full of almost 40 people that he had never met in his life and fit right in like he was one of the gang. My daughter's Brownie Troop finished their Quest Badge by "adopting" a military family with a deployed parent. Her leader invited the young man and his mother to her home to meet the girls and some friends. The girls and their families embraced this "adoption" and showered him with gifts including movie passes, gift certificates to local restaurants and movie stores, a beautiful quilt, a stuffed lion appropriately named Hero, and many other fun items. The girls even drew a larger picture which was laminated and cut into puzzle pieces, which were put into envelopes to be sent over to Dad with a note each week.

Last night just happened to be this father's birthday so we had a birthday cake to celebrate and wouldn't you know...he called! Yep, it was some insane hour overseas, but he called and we all sang Happy Birthday...now that is some treat! I feel so proud to have taken part in this man's celebration and this little boy's life!

I had the pleasure of creating some cards for him to send to his Dad as our contribution to the pile of goodies. This is one of the ones that I made up. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a pic of the other design before I packaged them all up! {All the deets are listed below my signature.}

I made a bunch of these - alternating different ribbons! They were quick and easy but I love how they came out.

On another note (but related because I got a chance to create) - I have finally finished the office/craft room and had the pleasure of spending the afternoon there on Friday! I think my mojo was lost under the mountains of crud and chaos that piled up when I was stuffed in the dining room corner. Now that I am painted, moved and organized, my mojo has reappeared and ready to take control. I am now free to create in a space dedicated to me and off limits to the kids...they have their own table now so there is no reason to be messing with mine. I can't wait to spend late nights creating...I have so many cards to make and so many pages to fill.

Have a great day!

Tracy

Here are the deets on the card:
The ribbon is American Crafts...everything else is CTMH.
Stamps - Moments in Time (Jan '09 Stamp of the Month), Say it in Style
Paper - Dessert Sand, Vanilla Cream, Cranberry
Ink - Chocolate, Cranberry

Not so Thin Thursday

Not really in the mood to post this week about my triumphs with weight loss, because well, I wasn't triumphant at all this past weigh in...I went up, again..1.8 lbs. But, this is a journey and lose or gain, I find it therapeutic to actually share my journey with everyone here - almost gives me that push that I need to get back on track.

So, what happened? Honestly I don't know. It was a busy week, picnics, Bob's birthday dinner and hectic during the day so I didn't make all the best choices, plus when I have had a particularly stressful day (lots of those) I indulge in my fav red wine...and that 4 oz, sometimes turns into 8, 12, 16.....how much is a whole bottle? I did run, but not as much as I would have liked...or actually needed to because it has been so rainy here lately.

I have been better this week but I don't know what to expect on Saturday as I have made some less than stellar decisions when it comes to my food intake this week, and only I am to blame. I need to break so many cycles, so many patterns and dealing with one at a time doesn't stop me from eating because of the others. When I am stressed...I eat, bored...I eat, sad....I eat, overwhelmed...I eat, procrastinating...I eat - so you get the picture. I am working on the stress and trying to conquer the feeling of being overwhelmed - all the time, that might help the fact that I want to eat...all the time, hungry or not.

That is the update from the very, very long journey that I have been on. I am finishing out this week strong and on the right track, and Saturday starts a new week, a new beginning, one that I hope will bring the light at the end of the tunnel a little closer.

Tracy

P.S. For all you crafty people...don't forget to check out the CTMH Deal a Day HERE! or the Unity Stamp Co. weekly blog hop HERE!

The meanest mom in the world....

Today is officially the first day of Summer Vacation in our house! School let out yesterday at noon and today is the first full day the kids are home. We started our new "routine" this morning after I had to interrupt the rules...with rules. We are not even a full morning into summer vacation and already I am mean, unfair and ruining my children's lives...their words, not mine. Boy...that hurt, really but I can not back down on this one. My kids have it real good - they have very little responsibilities around the house, not that I ever intended it to be that way, but the constant "reminding" got old real fast. Sure they have to help out when I ask and a few other set things, but basically, I take care of pretty much everything around here. I figured this would be a good time to change that, for not only my sanity, but to make them responsible young adults. So, each morning, they need to get up, dressed (1st complaint), and do their chores (2nd complaint). I am not talking hours of scrubbing toilets and floors, I am talking 20 minutes tops of little things to help me out...but boy when I told them the first chore...the foot stomping and arm flailing began....and it was only 5 minutes of picking up and putting away all of their stuff lying around the house. After I explained that if the chores were not done completely and happily each morning that they would lose allowance that week and screen time for the day (yeah...limited screen time was complaint #3) the pouting began, but the chores got done.

I have always dreamed of being this super organized, planned person. I live by schedules and lists but right now, my house and life are in a constant state of chaos. If only I could get organized the chaos would be under control and I could actually enjoy myself. I want to enjoy the summer, but even now there is always something to do and I cannot put that nagging little voice to sleep. So...I just sent the kids out the door, to play and I am going to finish this post, to clean...one week, this week is my week to clean this house, organize my stuff and plan a summer full of fun activities...and the not so fun chores for my children to save my sanity.

Will touch base soon with pics of my new crafty space...which is the source of all my chaos right now!

Tracy

P.S. Today's CTMH Deal a Day is up! Today is a wonderful collection of Rub Ons - a $9.95 retail value free with the purchase of a My Acrylix Stamp Set. The Rub Ons include 3 - 6" x 12" sheets, 1 each of Black, Chocolate and White Daisy. For a picture of the product and to grab your deal today....click here!

Deals and Steals from the Stamping & Scrapping World Today!

Ok - so I apologize for the tardiness of this post as the CTMH deal went live at 11:00 am EST, but Blogger and my computer were giving me serious probs today. Good news is that the CTMH deal is good until Friday at 10:00 am EST...and the Unity sale prices are good through Sunday!

First, the CTMH Deal a Day for June is a fabulous 6x6 Memory Showcase for Free (retail $3.95) when you purchase a My Acrylix Stamp.....and shipping is only $3 (which is a deal in itself!). Here is a pic of the 9x9 showcase that I completed...well minus the pics...but it is ready for some!



This accordion album comes in white with 2 sturdy covers and heavy cardstock pages inside...ready for you to alter!

To grab your deal.....CLICK HERE!

And The Unity Stamp Co. is also having a great sale through this weekend. They have great unmounted rubber stamps that you can use your Acrylic blocks with...and some really great images...and prices. Unity is offering 30% off their entire product line this weekend (through Sunday), free stamps for new customers who spend $25 and a 40% off coupon if you are a new customer and were referred by a friend....ummm....yep, that would be me! Just enter my name and email with "I am new" in the comments section at checkout. All the details can be found HERE or HERE...and don't forget to check out all the great artwork the DT has for you by starting HERE...if you have trouble with the blog hop, go HERE to get the list because blogger was having some issues.

Hope you find something inspiring...I have to go do laundry....

Tracy

Today's Deal

Just a quick post to let you know what today's deal is on My CTMH website. This fabulous collection of Designer Ribbon Rounds - Ric Rac can be yours for free when you purchase a My Acrylix Stamp Set - and there are 100s to choose from! Plus shipping is only $3 - can't beat that!

To grab your deal, get all the details, and browse CTMHs very large inventory of stamps....CLICK HERE!

For those of you stopping by to check out Mojo Monday...well, I don't have anything today....I have Mojo...lots of it, but my scrap & stamp corner is buried under mountains of stuff right now. Yes, it is time to clean, but I am also in the process of moving back to my scrap room, which I am in the process of painting. Once that room is done and I am set....I promise you will be overloaded with crafty stuff because my Mojo is ready to explode! I have some great ideas floating around in my head (from all the crafty ladies I blog hop to each day!).

Ohhhh.... I will be giving away some blog candy in the very near future. With the process of moving into the new space and organizing what I have, I realize (just now????) that I have too much stuff and would love to give some of it away to a lucky reader or two. All the deets will be posted as soon as I am organized.

So - I will be back tomorrow with Tasty Tuesday and some yummy stuff to share....until then,

Tracy

TGIF

TGIF! It has been a long week. But I wanted to recap, fill in some blanks, and share today's CTMH Deal a Day.

First off is the CTMH Deal a Day for today (6/11). You can receive a 12 yard spool of White Daisy Ric Rac free with the purchase of any My Acrylix Stamp Set (excluding Stamp of the Month and Custom Stamps). I used the White Daisy Ric Rac on the layout above of my daughter. You can grab your deal a day and all the info HERE! I have all the supplies I used listed at the bottom of this post.

I missed yesterday's Thin Thursday update, but will report that I had minor setback on the scale this past Saturday. I went up 2 tenths of a lb...which I really am not that upset about. I am happier to report that I can almost run an entire mile, I am eating healthy and my clothes fit looser - so we will see how the numbers play out tomorrow.

It has been one hectic week! JT was home 2 days with a stomach bug...although he felt fine, I couldn't send him to school with his "issues". It was rainy and he was bouncing off the walls being couped up all day...oh this was just a sign of how long of a summer it will be...I am already planning out activities.

The kids had school spirit week at school. Monday was PJ Day, Tuesday School Colors Day, Wednesday Wacky Tacky Day, Thursday Crazy Hair Day and today was theme day...I sent a Power Ranger (Disney Character) and a Martian (Outer Space) off to school today. It was days like today that I am so glad I am a paper crafter...all my supplies really cam in handy making alien eyes and planets today. I really wish I had gotten the camera out on Wednesday to snap some pics of Kelsey - she looked so funny in plaids, stripes, argyles and her UGHs (with shorts!) - but I did manage to snap some from yesterday...so I will leave you for this weekend on a CRAZY kind of note!

Supplies (all CTMH unless noted): Paper from Boom-Di-Ada Level 2 My Reflections Kit, Stamps: Cottage Floral; White Daisy Ric Rac, Craft Buttons, Holiday Collection, Color Ready Alphabet Stickers, Hollyhock Ink, Cocoa Ink, Barn Red Ink, Olive Ink; Hemp; Green Ric Rac (from Walmart).

Have a great weekend -

Tracy

Check out this Blog Candy!

Just a quick post to let y'all know about some great blog candy being given away by Melissa over at Creating from the Heart. Check out her blog for some wonderful crafty inspiration and let her know you stopped by to be entered into her giveaway. Hurry - she is drawing the name on Friday afternoon....you have got to check out what she is offering up....HERE!

CTMH Deal a Day for Today 6/10

What a deal! For the next 23 hours only you can grab a box full of CTMH product at 1/2 price. That is right, for just $40 you can get approximately $80 worth of popular CTMH product of your very own. What is inside is a surprise! Shipping is only $6 in the continental US. This offer is good from 11:00 am (EST) 6/10 until 10:00 am (EST) 6/11 - when the deal will change.

Don't let this great deal pass you by....CLICK HERE to grab your Great Goodies Box Today!

Nothing says lovin'.....

If you are looking for the CTMH Deal a Day (and some scrappy goodness) please see the post below this one!

You know the saying...Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven....well, my oven has been runeth over with muffins. I got on this muffin kick recently, maybe because I am so hooked on Desperate Housewives that I have watched Seasons 1-3 over the last 2 weeks (rented them from the library and waiting for season 4 to arrive!), or I have finally started going through all my past Cooking Light issues and found some great recipes, I just don't know.

Anyway I started Muffin Mondays for the my husband and the guys in his shop. He works a funny schedule where they are only in every other Monday, so on his work Mondays - they get fresh baked muffins. So for my Tasty Tuesday entry, I thought I would share the recipe my husband requested from his childhood - his mom used to make these bran muffins for him and they are really good. This recipe makes ALOT of muffins, the best part is...the batter stays good in the fridge for 6 weeks! So mix some up today and bake them up fresh each morning!

Six Week Bran Muffins
Mix in a very large bowl or 8 qt kettle the following:
1 box (15 oz or 8 cups) Raisin Bran
3 cups sugar
5 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour

Add in the following and mix well:
1 qt buttermilk
1 cup oil
4 beaten eggs

Fill cups 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake at 375 for 20 min*. Store remaining batter in fridge for up to 6 weeks. (Note: the recipe calls for 20 min, but mine were done at 15 min. )

Enjoy...they are even better the next day!

Tracy

CTMH Deal-a-Day for Today (6/9) & some crafty fun!

Check out the deal-a-day today! You can get this great packet of Metal Rimmed Tags in a terrific flower shape (a $4.50 retail value) for FREE - when you purchase any My Acrylix Stamp set (custom and stamp of the month excluded). Plus shipping is only $3 - now that is a deal in itself!

You can get your Deal-a-Day - plus more info (all the legal mumbo jumbo) - HERE!

I love using these tags (they come in circles and squares too). They can be stamped on, colored, embellished with small items like brads, rhinestones or stickers. Here is a layout I did awhile ago using the circle tags. I added dimension by adhering them with 3-D Foam Tape. Sorry about the images - it is rainy here today and my lighting is off!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to come by tomorrow to see what the deal a day is!

Deal-a-Day the CTMH Way!

Wow! Two posts in one day...must be a record for me!! But seriously, I couldn't pass up letting y'all know about the promotion CTMH has going this month.

Every day at 11:00 (EST) a new Deal will be posted on consultant websites. The deal will differ every day (get it - deal-a-day) but will be either a huge discount (like 50% or more off) a goodie box of products (with discounted shipping) - or - buy a stamp set, get a free gift (with only $3 shipping). You can only get the deal on a consultant website so if you are interested in checking it out - please visit mine at tracyoleksak.myctmh.com (don't put the www first or you won't get there!) You can click on the image on the home page to see what the deal of the day is....but, I am also going to post the deal each day here (along with my regular posts which will appear below the deal-a-day post).

Deal-a-Day for June 4, 2009 (from 11 am EST 6/4 - 10 am EST 6/5 only):

Grab a Great Goodies Box for $60 (+ tax and $8 s/h). What a steal....for just $60* you can grab a surprise box full of great CTMH product valued at approximately $120. The offer is only avaible for 23 hours (see times above) and only through a CTMH consultant - so if you want to grab your very own Great Goodies Box - please click here now to order! and Thank you!

3.4 Down

I suppose that happy dances are the thing for me to be doing...because I have...all week! I had a tough week last week with my obsession with food. When I am out of my element, I tend to let go of my good intentions and eat...eat like there is no tomorrow. Last week with it being a holiday week - I thought for sure my weight loss plans were going to suffer. We attended 2 picnics had one late night fast food run and a retirement party. I was as good as I could be, ate what I really craved and skipped everything else....well, something I did was right because I am 3.4 lbs lighter for doing so (yep...whoooo! hooo!).

So with that great news, I trudged on and really started working at this. When I got home Saturday from my WW meeting, I put on my running clothes and out I went. I ran...high from the thrill of the great victory at the scale and can run almost 1/8th of a mile...almost...the whole way. I know..it is only 1/8th mile, but to me, that is a victory in itself. It has been a long time (a very very long time) since I last ran and I only did it because I was in Basic Training and had to do it, but now I am at it again...a whole lot older, a whole lot heavier and with all those extra jiggly parts...it hurt...like hell. But, off I went again on Sunday and Monday...took a break on Tuesday, and off again on Wednesday. My short term goal is to work up to run a whole mile....long term is to complete a 5K. But the whole benefit of putting my body through this torture is for health and weight loss...and to loose a few of those extra jiggly parts...you know, the ones that shouldn't jiggle.

So...keep those fingers crossed for me. I have been tracking my points, being honest with myself (I do have to admit that I haven't always been honest on this journey...but I realize it isn't going to work if I am not), eating healthy and yummy foods, and exercising, so I expect my adventure at the scale Saturday morning to be a happy one. Stay tuned for next Thursday's update and I hope to be back with some fun stuff on Mojo Monday.

Take care and stay positive,

Tracy

3.4 down....41.6 to go until the new and improved me!