Fit Friday

***Warning....long, long, long post***

In search for a witty title I figured Friday would be a great place to start documenting my fitness journey.  I don't want to say weight loss, because as that is a definite bonus, my real goal here is to get fit and healthy.

Before I start, I must put in a disclaimer.  I am NOT a nutritionist or a personal trainer.  This post is meant as a personal record for myself, however, if I can help out one person in their journey as well, then great.  This is my plan, what I am trying, be it right or wrong.  If you are here to judge, please keep moving; however, if you have suggestions for exercises I can try or recipes I might like, then by all means I would love to hear them.

The Beginning:
A little background.  I am 41 years young, 5'7" and have always carried around extra weight. I was athletic growing up so I was able to keep my weight in check, but that changed during college and my early 20s.  I joined Weight Watchers in the late 90s and lost quite a bit of my college weight.  I was also in the Air National Guard so I needed to maintain my weight but I was always pushing the max limit.  My exercise was pretty limited to my yearly run.

In 1998 I was at my thinnest of my adult life when I got married.  I was able to maintain that weight and then became pregnant with my first child.  I gained 86 pounds with her (yes, 86) because well, I was eating for 2.  I think I lost about 20 pounds between my first and second child.  I only gained 13 with my son, but still....I was severely overweight. I tried fad diets and rejoined Weight Watchers.  I exercised occasionally.  I was on WW for about 4 years and lost and gained the same 10 pounds....not their fault, mine, I had no will power, no control over what I put in my mouth.  Every time I cheated I would eat out of control for the rest of the day and try again the next...it was a viscous cycle.  At my heaviest I weighed somewhere around 225 pounds, that was in 2011.  I was miserable and needed to take control. 

On April , 2011 I walked into the Key Hypnosis for my first session.  That decision changed my life.  I haven't stepped on the scale since but what I can tell you is that I went from a tight 18 to a 10 by just changing the way I ate.  I started exercising more and the changes in my body (not only the weight loss but the way it looked and felt) became noticeable.

Fast Forward to November 2013:
I was still in a size 10 and felt great.  I was working out, ran my first 5K in March of 2013 and was loving being 40.  I hadn't been off the Key program and got a bit too confident and started taking liberties in the way I ate.  Which is fine, the Key program is designed for you to be able to eat on maintenance, it isn't a diet but a lifestyle change.  (In short weight loss is meat and veggies, you start to add foods in during maintenance); however, I took too many liberties and started going back to the way I was eating pre Key....bad idea.  I was able to quickly squash that but since I started working full time I had a hard time managing everything at home and exercising, so while I was still a 10...I started to become a tight 10 and frankly felt like a stuffed sausage. 

When summer rolled around I no longer fit in my shorts from last summer....ok, back on the exercise train...I had come this far, there was no going back.  I had pretty much lost my endurance for running and needed to start building that back up.  I started running each morning and going back to the gym 3-4 times a week.  I also started eating right again.  (I won't go into the Key program in too much detail because there is a lot of reasoning and background to it.  It is very close to Paleo though.  I will share recipes and plan on posting my menu on Mondays).

Where I am Today & Fit Friday:
Things have started getting busy around here prepping for back to school and with football, fall ball and field hockey starting up.  My morning runs are continuing but I had to get creative in my workout schedule, which is what brought me to Fit Friday in the first place.  I made a 30 day calendar of daily workouts (with Sundays off).  I plan on incorporating challenges found on Pinterest, my runs and other things.  I need this to be doable for my time constraints and the fact that I probably won't be able to get to the gym all that often so I need to be able to work out in my home with minimal equipment.  I also need this to be something that I will do and that I can increase each month.

My plan is to post a recap of the week on Fridays with the workout for the following week.  My weekly workouts will consist of a run (that I try to do Mon-Sat), a few challenges (following the challenge schedule) and a HIIT workout 3x/week (I will post the ones that I did that week on Friday).  Please remember, this is just what I am doing (and hope will work).  Sunday will be a rest day.  Obviously weight loss is an added benefit but I don't weigh myself.  I go by how my clothes feel and how I look.  I am taking measurements and will post those once a month as well. If you are on your own journey, I would love for you to join in on Fridays and let me know how your week went as well.

This month I am doing a squat and plank challenge and throwing in some push ups and dips to help build my upper body strength.

Week 1 - Walk/Run (1/4w, 1/4r, 1/4w, 1/2r, 1/4w, 1/4r, 1/4w)

Monday - 15 squats, 20 second plank
Tuesday - 25 squats, 20 second plank
Wednesday - 40 squats, 30 second plank
Thursday - 30 squats, 30 second plank, 10 push ups, 5 dips
Friday - 40 second plank
Saturday - 30 squats, 45 second plank, 12 push ups, 7 dips

This is the week I am in and I feel great.  I have accomplished everything so far with the exception of the run on Thursday as I went to a Red Sox game Wed night and getting home at 2 am does not make a productive morning.

Here is the plan for next week:

Week 2 - Walk/Run ((1/4w, 1/4r, 1/4w, 3/4r, 1/4w, 1/4r, 1/4w)

Monday - 45 squats, 45 second plank, 14 pushups x2, 9 dips x2
Tuesday - 25 squats, 1 minute plank, 10 pushups x2, 5 dips x2
Wednesday - 25 squats, 1 minute plank, 16 pushups x2, 11 dips x2
Thursday - 1 minute plank
Friday - 60 squats, 1 1/2 minute plank, 18 push upsx2, 13 dips x2
Saturday - 20 squats, 1 1/2 minute plank, 10 push ups x2, 5 dips x2

HIIT 3x/week

I used the 30 day plank challenge from www.shrinkingjeans.net (the one from 12/2013 but sadly can't find the original post) and cut the number of squats in 1/2 (I know my own body....I'm on Friday of week 1 and sore). 

I apparently deleted the plank challenge from my photo stream so I apologize that I can't give credit where it is due.

For accountability my measurements at the beginning: 

Waist 40"
Hips 43 1/2"
Bust 41 1/2"
Arm 11 1/2"
Thigh 21 1/2"

Would love to hear your thoughts and any links to great challenges or at home workouts I can try.

Tracy





 

   

hello, hello...

hello, hello...is this thing on?  is there anybody there? 

I won't apologize for being a bad blogger because, well I never was a good one in the first place.  I haven't been around my little home on the web in 9 months (wow!), because well, life has been super busy. Super, duper busy...

I haven't been scrapbooking : (  I haven't been keeping up with Project Life : ( and well, I haven't tackled any of the 50,000 items on my To Do list.  : ( : (

I have however taken my state licensing exam and became a certified teacher.  I  was lucky enough to have my own classroom as a long term sub from January - June, and will be starting as an 8th grade ELA teacher in just a few short weeks.  Honestly this is my dream job.  Between studying, working and spending time with my family there really wasn't room for much else.

I do miss blogging (and don't worry I have carved out enough time during the week to read my fav blogs!)  It gave me a chance to write and to share, if only for my personal record (and my family members who check in from time to time). 

I have some grand plans (don't I always) and one of them is to start blogging again, if only once a month instead of once a year!  I want this to be a record of my journey as a first year teacher, and I still plan to share other things as well...part of my grand plan is also to restart Project Life and get a few projects done around the house (the master bedroom has had the paint samples narrowed down from 20 to 2!) I also want to start documenting my journey to getting fit (to hold me accountable).  So stay tuned....there are great things to come...promise.

If you are still following along...I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Tracy

Menu Plan Monday

Am I the only one or do you ever get burnt out to the point where you detest the whole menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking routine?  I think I am at that point, which is sad because I really do love to cook.  I think it is mostly because I have SO many recipes (and am indecisive by nature) and they are not organized so when it comes to figuring out what to make for the week, I stare at a blank page for hours (seriously) completely overwhelmed.  I have to take in dietary issues, picky eaters, busy schedules and different tastes...makes for a not so loved chore.

I am in the process of organizing and purging my cookbooks, magazines and ripped out recipes and in the meantime I am going to try out "theme nights" to help narrow down my decisions (and to help organize the thousands of recipes I have).  I have tried these before but I think they were just too specific and I couldn't stick with it so I did a google search to see what other people do and came up with the ones listed below. 

Fall sports are ending and although basketball starts up on Monday, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel as far as getting back to some sort of normalcy in our dinnertime routine is concerned.

Here is what is on our menu this week:

Sunday|Family Dinner:  Rotisserie Chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese

Monday|Soup &/or Sandwich Night:  Paleo Chicken Tortilla(less) Soup served w/ Tortilla Chips

Tuesday|International Night: Chicken Marsala with roasted red potatoes and smoky haricot vertes with mushrooms and bacon

Wednesday|Pasta Night:  Spaghetti with homemade sauce and meatballs

Thursday|Mix it up or try something new:  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, kabocha squash

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - YOYO (your own your own) or leftovers

linking up to orgjunkie.com

Purging the Stash - Embellishments, Albums & Everything Else

I have spent the better part of a week purging my craft room.  I am not done, but things are beginning to be manageable (I can see the floor...lol!)  Items will most likely be added to this list but I will use this page to list the embellishments, albums and everything else that isn't a stamp. 

If you are interested in stamps:
 CTMH Stamps can be found here & Studio Calico Stamps can be found here.

The details - All prices include shipping to continental US.  I will ship internationally for an additional charge.  I will combine shipping if purchasing multiple items.  All items come from a smoke free/ 1 dog home.  Items are posted on mulitiple sites.  I will update this post as items are added/sold.  If you are interested in anything, please leave a comment below.  (Comments are sent to my email so I will respond to your email).

Thank you for looking -

KaiserCraft Resin Flower Blossoms - $6

My Mind's Eye Pins & Buttons from Miss Caroline Collection - $6

Pebbles Crystal Candy Dots - $6

My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Collection Twine - $5

(includes 20 yards)

Amy Tangerine Mini marks Dream Rub ons - $5 

(from SC Neverland Kit)  SOLD

simple Stories Urban Traveler Chipboard Stickers - $6

Studio Calico Die Cut Shapes - $6

hambly Screen Prints Mini Overlays - $4

Canvas Butterflies - $5 7/23 Sold pending payment

17 pieces; from SC So Cal Newport add on kit

CTMH Dark Blue My Legacy 6x6 Album  - $18

post bound; includes 10 page protectors

CTMH Metal Frames - $3 7/23 Sold pending payment

Paintable Metal Frames.  New, but have a few scratches from storage.

CTMH White 6x6 My Legacy Album - $18

includes 12 page protectors; post bound

Cosmo Cricket Ready Set Chipboard Tick Tock Alphas - $4

Purging the Stash - Studio Calico Stamps

I adore my Studio Calico Stamps, but there are some that I know I just will never use.  They are listed below. 

Prices include shipping to continental US.  I will ship internationally for an additional charge.  Stamps come from a smoke free / 1 dog home.  If you are interested please leave a comment below.

I will update this post as items are added / sold.

Thanks for looking -

Banner Mini Stamp from SC Neverland Kit (March 2103 Main) - $5 
SOLD

SC/Hero Arts Smile Stamp - $8

SC/Hero Arts Your are Fabulous -$8 

From SC So Cal kit Newport add on
SOLD



SC/Hero Arts Frame stamp - $5 shipped

To view all of my items for sale, click on the Items for Sale Tab at the top of my page or click here.

Menu Plan Monday

Hello,

Thought I would jump on board this week for Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.  I have been meal planning for quite some time now as it takes the guess out of whats for dinner and with a hectic life and picky eaters it is a blessing.  I must confess though...it can take me quite some time as I have way too many recipes and always want to try something new...some weeks, I would just like to serve cereal for dinner every night (is that a bad thing?)

So here it goes...we are trying out some new pinterest recipes this week:

Family Dinners

Sunday:  Chicken Bruschetta Paninis with waffle fries / bruschetta salad (this is a regular on our menu...yummy!)

Monday:  Burgers & Chips / carrot sticks

Tuesday:  Grilled Chicken with lemon, capers & oregano with baked potatoes / cucumber and olive salad (new to us)

Wednesday:  Homemade pizza / stuffed portabellas

Thursday:  Bacon Wrapped Smoke Gouda Stuffed Chicken with rice pilaf and Smoky Haricot Verts (green beans) and mushrooms (the chicken is new to us...the green beans are delicious)

Friday:  Free for all / leftovers....mom's night off

Saturday:  Fireworks picnic at the lake...not too sure what I am bringing yet.

Side Note:  For the most part, my family (with the exception of my daughter) claims they are allergic to vegetables, and I don't eat carbs or sugar...just meat and veggies, so I get a bit creative with dinners sometimes.  I won't cook 2 meals at dinner EVER...I cook it, you eat it...but I do tend to cook meals that everyone will/can eat (they are getting better about a little bit of veggies) and I just make a veggie for myself (and little tweaks like leaving out sugar and flour).  If you see anything with bread, I tweak the recipe for me.  On Pizza night, I either make mine on a chicken crust or usually stuff a portabella with my toppings.  I also plan my breakfasts and lunches which makes it easier for me to eat right and frankly remember to eat at all sometimes.  I like to mix up my food so I plan 3 lunches and 3 breakfasts and just repeat on or two that week.  My husband takes a lunch to work (sandwich or leftovers) and the kids are old enough to make their own breakfast/lunch during the summer.

Breakfast:

Baked Tomato & Egg with bacon
Paleo Breakfast Burrito
Breakfast Salad (with Spinach)

Lunch:

Egg Salad with green olives, onions & dijon (no pita) with ham rolls
Lettuce Wraps and carrot sticks
Chopped Chicken Salad

I am working on a post about my weight loss / getting healthy journey if you are interested in learning more about how and why I eat the way I do.

Enjoy - Tracy

Project Life Tuesday

Hello -

I'm back again with another installment of Project Life Tuesday.  This past weekend was cold and rainy (45 deg on Saturday and we are looking at 90 deg by Thursday....yikes!)  I had hoped to spend Saturday & Sunday holed up in my craft room catching up on Project Life & the past 3 episodes of Secret Life of the American Teenagers (such a bad show but I can't stop watching it) and a few good movies, but my plans were foiled (although I did have a good weekend anyway!)  So instead of sharing my next installment of 2013 PL I am sharing weeks 18 & 19 of 2012.  Still doing fine with the fact that I am behind a few weeks months in 2013 but I do hope to share some 2013 with you next week.

2012 Weeks 18 & 19 (April 28 - May 11)

Left Closeup

Right Closeup

This was a very busy 2 weeks with lots of activities and fun stuff.  We had a:

• birthday celebration
• a good look at Bob's "freedom 'stache"
• camping with the Boy Scouts (which re-affirmed the fact that I don't like to camp)
• my sorority's 50th anniversary and time spent with long lost friends & sisters

Thanks for stopping by!  Are you behind?  All caught up?  I would love to hear what you are working on...

Tracy

BTW...did you see my new For Sale tab up above (underneath my picture)?  I am cleaning out my stash (making room for more ?) and have alot of items up for sale.  I would love if you took a peek...new items will be added every week. 

Linking up again this week with the Mom Creative...check it out for some great PL inspiration every Tuesday!



Purging the Stash Sale #2 - CTMH Stamps

7/20 - Prices dropped

Still cleaning - and still adding things up for sale.

Warning!  This post is photo heavy!

If you are interested in purchasing any of the items listed, please comment or contact me (oleksak5 at comcast dot net).  These items are offered for sale on other sites also so I will be using a time stamp indicator to offer to first come first serve.

All items come from a smoke free home (I do have a dog).

Items are as pictured...some are new...some are used.  All items are in their original packaging. 
Prices include shipping HOWEVER I will adjust the price to combine shipping if multiple items are purchased.  Shipping to continental US only.

Once you comment I will invoice you within 24 hours, please kindly pay within 48 hours or receipt.  After 48 hours I will offer the item back up for sale.  Paypal only.  All sales final.

Shipping - Shipping is included in the price listed.  Unless noted items will be shipped in a bubble mailer by USPS.  I will ship within 2 business days of  payment clearing my account. 

 CTMH B1192 Snap, Crackle, Pop $5 

2 images used once or twice

 CTMH B1155 Uptown Girl $5 - SOLD

1 image (first) used once.  Stamps are yellowed from age but are in perfect working order

CTMH C1244 Glistening Snow $7

2 images used in set

CTMH D1421 Cherish the Moment $9

new, never been inked

CTMH D1245 In My Heart $9 

2 images used once

CTMH D1310 September Word Puzzle $9

only 2 stamps in the set were used (see stained stamps)

CTMH D1218 Summertime $9

New, never inked 

Thanks for looking - Tracy

To view all of my items for sale, please click on the Items for Sale tab under my header photo or click here.

Purging the Stash - Sale!

Update 7/20 - All items are Sold!  Thank you!


I am currently in the process of cleaning off my desk and clearing out my supplies so that I can actually create in my space.  I must confess...I have too much stuff!  I love my supplies but I don't use half of what I have and I want my poor neglected supplies to go to a home where they will be loved.  Most of my items for sale will be stamp sets but I will be adding things here and there. I will post all For Sale items under the For Sale page (see link up top)

To start I have 6 Small Flat Rate boxes filled with assorted Unity Stamps.  These are all unmounted red rubber.  Most of them are new/never been used.  Some have been used once or twice.  Most have the original paper backing on them, however, some are missing that as I removed them from their carrier sheets and stuck them in a binder.  There are more than 30 stamps in each box.  Most of the stamps are images, there are a few sentiments in each box. 

Prices include shipping.  Paypal only.  You cannot choose which stamps you inlcude in the box (they are already packaged) what you get is what you get, no refunds or exchanges...sorry.  I did my best to mix the stamps up to ensure you get a good variety, although I did keep pieces of sets together.

If you are interested, please send me an email at Oleksak5 (at) comcast (dot) net and I will send you a paypal invoice.  I will ship the day after payment clears. All sales are final.


Box #1 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20 (includes flat rate priority shipping)  SOLD   
Box #2 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20 (includes flat rate priority shipping) SOLD

Box #3 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20 $15 (includes flat rate priority shipping)  

Box #4 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20  $15 (includes flat rate priority shipping)  

Box #5 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20  $15 (includes flat rate priority shipping)  

Box #6 - Unity Stamp Co. assorted (30+) stamps - $20 $15 (includes flat rate priority shipping)  

Updated to include pictures of the remaining boxes.  If you are interested in a box, please comment or email the letter of the box you are interested in.  Please note that this is just a sampling of the stamps in each box, each box contains over 30 stamps.

Have a great one -   Tracy

Project Life Tuesday: weeks 2 & 3

Still behind.

Still catching up.

Still loving Project Life.

For some reason I was lacking in the photo department despite it being the beginning of the new year and my renewed vow to be better about taking more photos.  As I am planning my current PL spreads that seems to be the norm, not sure why but I am working on fixing that.  No worries though I was able to do a one page spread for both weeks 2 & 3. 

2013 Weeks 2 & 3 Full Spread

 2013 Week 2

 2013 Week 3

Waiting for a reprint for the bottom pocket, I mistakenly printed a 4x6 instead of an instagram.

So glad I have taken a shot of Kelsey's different colored bands every month. Love the consistency and looking back each month.

Week 3 title is a download from September Blue.

Still trying to determine the best time/spot to take photos...I can't avoid the glare.

Products used: Becky Higgins Clementine Core Kit (retired), Studio Calico So Cal kit Santa Monica Add On, CTMH Notice the Details and Comments Stamp Sets. Tabs, stickers, alphas, etc are from all different Studio Calico Kits...I combine them all once I receive the kit and dig through to find what I like...I only keep the papers together. Snow flakes are from CTMH...really old...love PL for using up my stash.

and.....

I had 2 inserts this week!  Actually they were 2 8 1/2 x 11 layouts I created and just slipped right into my PL binder.  I have decided that I am housing everything together in one album as PL seems to be my main scrapbooking outlet these days.

Pretty much killed whatever was left from my Studio Calico County Fair Kit on this.

This was a play JT was in and I wanted to highlight it a bit from my weekly pages.

Need to place a page protector order for uniformity, until then the Avery page protector will do just fine.

The second insert was all about the teenage girl's shoe of choice.  I was going to just put it in a pocket but since I had a B side to fill I thought I would document the UGG obsession in a little more detail.

and...

that is week 2 & 3.

This week:

I have plans to work on the catching up process.  I will be posting 2013 spreads on Tuesdays and 2012 on Thursday or Friday each week.

I'm linking up with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.

For more information on Project Life...check out this site.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Project Life - slowly but surely

Hello again Mr. Blog, it has been a long time and I thought it was about time I dusted off the cobwebs and started paying a little more attention to you.  I do miss sharing my PL pages, muffin recipes and little tid bits with you...but life has been so crazy lately; good, busy crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

It seems so many things that I love to do have fallen by the wayside while managing 2 kids in sports, a husband recovering from shoulder surgery, studying for my teacher licensing exams and just daily life.  I am still finding a little time for creating but I did fall behind and I am trying so very hard to catch up on not only 2013 but 2012 as well.

So where am I?  thankfully a bit farther than this post will have you think.  I am complete through week 29 of 2012 and planned and ready to print the rest of the year.  I am currently working on week 5 of 2013 but planned and ready to print up to last week.  But I am ok with that.  I work slow and I am lucky if can carve out a few hours a week to scrapbook.  My current goal is to complete 2 spreads a week -  one for each year.  If I can squeeze in a bit of extra time then I will add another 2013 spread in.  I will get there...slowly but surely.  The key is that I am completing my spreads and documenting our life, I'm not stressing about it and I am doing what I love.  And while I am living our life, I am throwing all my PL rules (because the beauty of PL is there are no rules) out the window...there are weeks that I have taken 1 picture...I am combining weeks, I am doing 1 page per week or 2 pages, adding inserts...whatever feels right, whatever works.  And to simplify the process I am using my Studio Calico kits.  I just grab a kit and work with those papers and the embellishments out on my table....it seems to be working for me, and that is a good thing. The added bonus is I am using up my stash and killing kits...something that has been eating at me for awhile. 

While I don't plan on sharing every page I have completed, I would like to share a few times a week.  So today, I have week 1 of 2013 and week 14 of 2012.

Week 1 2013 full

week 1 2013 left

week 1 2013 right

Week 1 didn't see as many pictures as I had hoped despite making a commitment to myself to try and take a photo a day.  Kelsey pulled the picture of the ball dropping in Times Square off the internet and since the pictures I was attempting to take of my tv didn't come out too great we used that one.  We spent alot of time on the slopes over the holiday week with the kids.  The papers used are from Studio Calico's Story Hour main kit and Encyclopedia Add on and Becky Higgin's Clemetine Core Kit. I pull my embellishments & alphas out of the kits as I get them and mix them all together so I can't tell you where those come from (sorry).

week 14 2012 full

week 14 2012 Left

week 14 2012 right

Week 14 (2012) was a busy week and thankfully I was able to record most of it in pictures.  This is one of my favorite weeks (although you will notice I will start saying that alot with my 2012 pages).  Week 14 brought a North vs South (our 2 city middle schools) Spirit Night basketball game with Kelsey playing in the pep band, both kids having their artwork displayed at the district's "Into the Arts" festival, Kelsey purchasing her own iPad and a deployment.  I used the Clementine Core Kit and Studio Calico's Elmwood Park.  The cute little house stamp is from Unity Stamp Co.

No promises, but I hope to be posting PL updates again this week (I am shooting for Tuesdays & Fridays).  If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you.

- Tracy

~ I will be linking up today with The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday

~ Project Life is a scrapbooking system created by Becky Higgins. There are no rules and it can be anything you want it to be. For me, PL made me fall back in love with scrapbooking. For more information, go to Becky's blog here.

40 while 40

I'm a few months past my 40th birthday and right on track with my 40 things to do while 40 list.  I thought I would list them here to keep track...I will cross them off as I complete them.  Looking back on it I think I really needed to get the organization / de cluttering out of the way in order to start thinking of ways I can really enjoy myself.  Those things really bog me down...it is just the way my mind works.  My list is a bit of personal plans/goals and things that really do need to get done (they have been left undone for far to long).  I have lofty goals but I know I can do (most of) it!   I have to say I love being 40 and if these few months is any indication...the best is yet to come!

Here are my 40 things to do while 40 ( in no particular order):

1. Run a 5K
2. purge my magazine hoard
3. organize recipe craziness
4. re-do master bedroom
5. take & pass my MTELs
6. Finish Kelsey's room
7. Finish Dining Room
8. Decorate sun room
9. learn to knit
10. paint upstairs hallway
11. re-design blog & blog more
12. set up monthly "dates" with the kids
13. submit to a DT
14. submit to a publication
15. build a stash of cards (and send them...just because)
16. hang pics in stairs/hallway
17. paint nails and condition cuticles 2x.week
18. go camping for weekend with family * friends
19. start training for a 1/2 marathon
20. become physically fit (muscle definition and start to see abs...they are in there somewhere)
21. learn how to use my camera/take better photos
22. declutter house
23. organize house
24. purge & organize office / scrap room
25. sell extra supplies on ebay / 2 peas
26. read at least 12 books
27. devise a system to upload/edit photos weekly
28. edit, back up & print photos (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
29. revamp pinterest boards
30. create 10 pinterest crafts
31. make 26 ( 1 every 2 weeks) pinterest goodies (treats)
32. update wardrobe
33. scrapbook more
34. finish PL 2011 & 2012 (stay current with 2013)
35. go to New Hampshire (or is is VT) pumpkin fesitval
36. go to Salem MA in the Fall
37. learn how to use sewing machine
38. go on a wine tasting or beer tasting date with Bob
39. Complete 26 random acts of kindness
40. attend a tanglewood concert with Bob

Project Life: on getting behind and catching up (part 2)

Last week I wrote about how I was several weeks behind on Project Life (you can read that post here) and the reasons why I wasn't about to let myself give up and how I was committed to catching up.  I have slowly but surely been doing just that.  Today I wanted to touch briefly on that process and share some of my caught up pages.  In a way I am a bit happy that I fell behind and needed to catch up as it got me into a great groove and helped me form a process by which I can get my pages done weekly in no time at all.

My week:
My week runs Saturday to Friday.  I started the year going Monday - Sunday because I really wanted to keep my weekends together.  Halfway through the process I realized that if I had any chance of keeping up with this project for the long term (and after this epic catch up I love PL even more so that answer was yes) I had to change my week to accomodate when I scrap.  Truth be told, I scrap mostly on the weekends and sometimes manage to sneak a few hours in during the week.  I decided to end my week on a Friday so that I could upload the pics Friday night or Saturday morning and send them to print locally to have for Saturday afternoon/Sunday.  That way I can get them in the pockets, start to work on them over the weekend and finish it during the week.  This still allowed me to keep my weekends together which was my original goal.  I plan on keeping this format for 2013 as well.

My process:
I created a folder for each of my weeks on my computer.  This way when I upload my pics from my camera or phone I can just scan through those pics by date and pop the ones I want to use in PL into the correct weekly photo.

Note:  Because I was doing an epic catch up I also created folders for 4x6 prints, instagram pics by size and photoshop prints.  I use photoshop for putting my smaller pictures on a 4x6 canvas so I can print them locally instead of at home.  This way as I was going through a weekly folder I just copied the pics and dropped them into the correct folder.  Once I did all my manipulations in photoshop, I moved all the pics to the 4x6 folder and uploaded them all to Shutterfly to print.

Once I got the pictures into the folder it was time to plan the pages.  I used planning pages very similar to those used by Marcy Penner.  Below each template I listed the type of each photo that I had (4x6, Instagram or 3x4) and then penciled in what was going into each pocket and the size instagram photo I wanted to use.  (this was the point that I moved my photos into the appropriate folder for printing or photoshop...I wouldn't really need to do this if I was caught up and just working one week at a time). 

All along I had also been collecting bits and pieces of everyday life in 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors labeled with the week right in my album.  I was able to pull each of these out and see if I had anything that I wanted to include with that week at that time.  If I did, I just slipped it into the appropriate pocket at this point. 

By planning my pages this way I could tell if I needed to combine more than one week to fill up the pockets.  I do have some weeks that stand alone but I have a few weeks where I just didn't have enough photos so I combined several weeks to tell my story.  I am so glad that I got over my need for perfection and convinced myself that it was ok to combine weeks.  It has made this process so much easier.

Week 10 & 11 (left):

Weeks 10 & 11 Right:

Weeks 10 & 11 were about St. Patrick's Day and the festivities around here, deployment preparation ad everyday life.  Here I used lots of Clementine Core Kit, October Afternoon Woodland Park label stickers, Basic Grey Picadilly Chipboard Sheet (SC County Fair Kit), a homemade quote card and lots of goodies I received in a happy mail package from Jenny G.  And yes, I just realized that my journaling cards in the first photo are switched...just made the change in my album...oops!

One pocket at a time:
Once the photos arrived I took my planning pages and just inserted the photos into the appropriate pockets.  After the photos were in, I went through my weeks one pocket at a time adding journaling cards, mounting pictures to cardstock or 3x4 cards and adding bits and pieces here and there.  I kept it simple using my Clemetine Core Kit and one Studio Calico kit at a time.  This limited my choices which is good as I tend to get overwhelmed with the amount of supplies that I have.  Once the spread was done, I either put the kit away or continued to use it for the next spread. 

I did save my title cards for last.  I found it eaiser to take the stack of title cards from my Clementine Core kit and go through each week to find the card that complemented the colors of that spread the best.  I then lined them all up and added the weeks and any embellishments.  The title cards for weeks 8 through 15 took my about 45 minutes to complete.

Weeks 12 & 13 Left:

 Weeks 12 & 13 Right:

Weeks 12 & 13 saw lots (and lots) of baking, everyday life, the first pedicures of the season, Blue and Gold banquet and a band concert.  I also included the program (not shown) from Kelsey's concert.  I simply put it into a 8 1/2 x 11 page protector, trimmed to size and sealed with washi. Here I used the Clemetine Core kit, more of my SC County Fair Kit (Basic Grey Picadilly Chipboard, SC Wood Veneer Alpha, October Afternoon Mini Market Stickers - Gray), washi tape and the coveted chevron paper from Echo Park (SC Elmwood Park Kit).

Where am I now:
When I started my catch up process the last full completed spread I had was a combined week 6 & 7.  By the end of this week I should be completed up through week 33.  I am waiting for weeks 24 - 44 (up through November 2) to come back from Shutterfly.  I plan on working on those while working on the current week.

This week and next I will share some more of my completed pages and touch on some of my lessons learned in this whole process and my plans for 2013.

If you have any questions about my process...let me know. 

I would love to know...are you behind?  Do you plan on catching up?  Any tips for catching up, keeping up, and not falling behind?  Let me know.

Project Life is a scrapbooking system created by Becky Higgins.  There are no rules and it can be anything you want it to be.  For me, PL made me fall back in love with scrapbooking.  For more information, go to Becky's blog here.

I am linking up with the Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.