Sportsmanship Award

It is soccer tournament week-end here. My son's team is pretty much out of the running for placing in the top three but they have their eye on the sportsmanship award. They have been sticking around cheering on their friends who are playing on other teams. Its kinda cool to watch them and to see how much they are just enjoying the game even when they're not winning. A good life lesson I think.

Lucky for me the tournament is in our town so I am still getting some time to get other things done between games. I was even able to squeeze in yesterday's speed scrap at My Life and Scrap. Here is my layout:

Credits:
Doggy Tales by Thao Cosgrove
Suddenly by Totally D
I Got a Date Vol 2 by Sir Scrapalot
Kicking up the Leaves by Gina Huff
Tulipping by RebeccaPSP

Today's Freebie

Created with Sweet Halloween at MLAS

Busy weekend ahead for me. My son will be playing soccer in the Iowa games this week-end. I just have to point out a major draw back for indoor soccer - the lighting is terrible for picture taking. This means I will spend my entire week-end at soccer and probably not have any decent pictures to scrap with at the end of it.

If your weekend isn't quite so busy be sure to stop by the speed scraps going on at My Life and Scrap.

Today's Freebie

Created with kits by Samceline at My Life and Scrap

Lunges are Evil

I did it! I completed a 30 day work out challenge and survived (but my knees really hurt - jump lunges are evil)! I'm pretty proud of myself and will now be tackling the High Intensity Challenge. Wish my knees luck.

I am also getting caught up on last year's scrapping. This layout is the perfect example of why I scrap. The pictures are from early last year and I already can't remember the story behind the pictures. I still felt the need to create a layout for them because I worry that my boys will remember the fights they have with each other but forget the simple ordinary times when they truly enjoyed being brothers.

Everything from SAS Design's Happy Times Kit at My Life and Scrap.

Today's Freebie

Created with Crazy Christmas Collab at My Life and Scrap

Another 2 pounds down but I don't deserve it.

Only 2 days left to my 30 Day Workout Challenge and it is questionable as to if I will make it. I was so bad last week. On Tuesday I called an end to my diet and had a Pepsi and candy bar for breakfast. I was kinda good on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday I totally blew it, I think I had a week's worth of calories for one meal (think lots of appetizers, salmon -did good there, garlic potatoes swimming in butter, and the best grasshopper frozen pie that I ever tasted).

So today is the day that I weigh myself each week. I prepared myself to be totally bummed, knowing I slid backwards. I squinted at the scale and saw that I LOST 2 pounds. Are you kidding me. I starved myself the week before and was happy because I lost 1 pound. This week I eat whatever I wanted and then some and I lost 2 pounds. I may have to reward my poor effort with another candy bar.

Seriously, over all I'm very proud with the changes I've made. I exercise 4-5 times a week and I am talking real exercise where I need a shower afterwards. This is big for me! I am trying to make life changes to my eating habits (sounds even more depressing than a diet to me - we're talking forever with life changes). This has been a bit harder for me. I have gotten rid of most of the junk food but I struggle to work in enough fruits and vegetables. Ah, we are all work in progress.

I did get some scrapping done. First I had fun at the Speed Scrap at My Life and Scrap. Michelle always has a funny story to tell with the directions. The layout is of my son and his friend at a Chicago Fire Soccer game.

Everything is from RebeccaPSP's Decadence kit.

The 2nd layout is from some catching up I am trying to do from last year. The star is my beautiful niece. It was nominated for layout of the week at My Life and Scrap. The nominee with the most comments wins. Stop by and leave me some love. (click here to leave a comment).

I used Week 3 template and Grunged Masks by Dogs Day Designs

All of the papers and elements are from Hopes, Dreams, Fears by Tempus Fugit

Today's Freebie

Created with Crazy Christmas Collab at My Life and Scrap

Slowing Down Today

Life seems to be especially busy lately but a child sick with the flu is suddenly slowing things down. Instead of doing all kinds of running and getting some errands done, we will be home all day. Hopefully that means I can bring back some calmness to by chaotic home. Oh course, I am hoping to jump in on the Speed Scrap going on at My Life and Scrap today. I hope to see you there.

Today's Freebie

Created with the Crazy Christmas Colab at My Life and Scrap

A Typical Day

This week's My Life IN Scrap challenge was to scrap about a typical day. I don't think my days are ever typical but I am happy with the life that all of my non-typical days add up to. Life seems to constantly be changing and just when I think I have things under control, a new challenge comes along.

Typical Day

Created using Curvy Squares Template by Dogs Day Designs

and Hope, Dreams, Fears by Tempus Fugit

Today's Freebie

Created with Quiet Nature Collab at My Life and Scrap

My Life and Scrap Speed Scraps

My oldest son and our "baby"

Created with the Happy Times kit by Sas Designs.

SAS Designs are 50% off as part of her grand opening sale.

This is my layout from today's Speed Scrap. I laughed when I saw the first layout posted. I obviously have issues with following directions. The photos were supposed to be centered and lined up vertically or horizontally. Oops! It may have been due to the constant interruptions I was getting to read the Pokemon powers on Cody's cards. Oh, well I had fun and for me to put a layout together in an hour is pretty amazing. There is always next week. MLAS is now having speed scraps every Friday at 9pm EST and Saturday at 2pm EST. Not only do you end up with a great layout but there are participation prizes too. Too Cool!

Today's Freebie

A quick page freebie created with the Crazy Christmas Collab at My Life and Scrap

Yeah! I am so excited.

Oh my gosh. I am so honored. @Jacquie passed along the Gorgeous Blog Award to me. Now of course it would be an honor no matter what but to have a lady as talented as @Jacquie give this to me means so much. I have been a fan of her blog and her word art for a long time and not long ago she became a designer at my favorite Scraping Web Site, My Life and Scrap. Am I clearly getting across how much I am on cloud nine about this? Part of the fun is I now get to pass it along and I am passing it onto Michelle. She is a very funny lady and is willing to share her life with us without editing out the less than pretty parts.

Another talented lady recently joined My Life and Scrap, SAS Designs. To celebrate she is having a 50% off sale.

Today's Freebie

A template freebie from Kate. Did you know you can get a free template twice a month just for joining the template challenge?

Does My Life Still Suck?

A big thank you to Tempus Fugit at My Life and Scrap for first creating such wonderful kits and secondly being so kind as to allow me to use her newest kit I Heart You to jazz up my blog. It may need just a little tweaking but at least it isn't Christmas any more. The great kit I used will be on sale for a limited time, I highly suggest you go grab it right away.

My exercise saga continues.... Today I was talking to some friends who were saying how much better they feel mentally when they exercise. Well I just completed day 17 and I don't think it makes me feel any better. But than I got to thinking, I have been in a better mood for the last week or two. I thought it was because my life wasn't sucking quite so much. What if I am wrong? Maybe my life does still suck and it is only the exercise that is making me feel better?

Today's Freebie

Yes, seriously a nice sized kit as a freebie. It is Old Treasures by Tempus Fugit. I'm telling you, while you are grabbing the freebie you really should also pick up the I Heart You kit.

Lost 3 pounds last week - not looking to get them back

This morning I was exercising (yep - my mid-point of my 30 day challenge) and my 6 year old wanders out of bed to lay on the couch and watch me. He asked if I was exercising to get skinnier (I liked the "er" part - suggests that I'm already skinny) and strong (no "er" on that one). I told him I was and asked if he thought it was working. He said he thought so and then in the middle of my 100th lunge he came and gave me a hug around my waist. He then reported that yes, I am getting skinnier. That boy is such an angel when he isn't being a monster.

Have you completed your January challenges yet at My Life and Scrap?

Font Challenge

Gourmet Scrapping Challenge

Mystery Lift Challenge

Scrap Mix

Scrap Lift Challenge

Template Challenge

Lyrics Challenge

Desktop Challenge

Today's Freebie

Created with the Elegant Christmas Collab at My Life and Scrap

Half way Point

Tomorrow will be the half way point of my 30 day fitness challenge. I can't believe I am still doing it. I have always been cynical of the "eventually you will miss working out if you don't do it for a day" train of thought. But I think I may be getting there. One day I exercised twice in the same day! No, I can't say I enjoy it or that I would miss it. BUT, I don't mind it (I know, amazing!!).

My Life and Scrap now has a store at Cafe Press. Stop by to see the goodies available in the store.

Today's Freebie

A quick page freebie created with the Crazy Christmas Collab at MLAS.

2 hours to exercise for 30 minutes

My poor blog is being ignored but for good reason. I just finished day 10 of a 30 day workout challenge. It is seriously hard to work in a half hour of exercise especially when you work out to the level of breaking a sweat (a new thing for me). Because that than leads needing a shower, which of course since no one else is taking a shower at 9 at night and using up all the hot water, I might as well take a long shower. Then out of the shower and what to do with my wet hair. Ugh! I braid it to keep from scaring my son when he calls for me in the middle of the night - wild bed head mom does calm bad dreams well. Now hey, I got all my hair pulled back and out of my face, I might as well give myself a facial. See! It took me almost two hours to work out for 30 minutes and I still have a face mask to go take off. That is sure to lead to shaping up my eyebrows.

There are some really wonderful ladies at My Life and Scrap who are inspiring me to keep at this healthy thing with My Life and Scrap's Biggest Loser. They are scrapping about their weight loss. How cool is that! They have no idea what an inspiration they are. Come check it out and maybe make your own commitment to be healthier in twenty-ten.

Today's Freebie

A big thank you to Rucola Designs for these great Feelin' Frosty Labels. Perfect to go along with her Feelin' Frosty kit.

New Scraping Challenges

There are some great new Project 52 Challenges going on at My Life and Scrap. One is Project 52 - Photos and the other is My Life in Scrap. They both sound like fun and will get me to scrap a little bit out of my comfort zone. They both give you a prompt for the week. For this week one is "Lessons learned in 2009" and the other is focused on "something new". I am struggling because I know realistically, I only have time to fully commit to one and I so want to do both.

Of course I am still busy scraping my photos from Christmas and need to complete all of my 2009 layouts. Every year I get all of my pages from the year printed in a hard bound book. It gets me super focused this time of year as I can't wait to add my newest book to our family library.

I didn't realize it until after he opened all of his gifts that the majority of Layne's gifts were orange. I again used Delights of December, Taste of Christmas, And One More X-mas kit all by Samceline. To make help this go together super fast I used Kate Design's, Brandi Template.

Today's Freebie

A Freebie mini kit from One of a Kind Design Studio.

It isn't too late to take advantage of One of A Kind's Grand Opening sale.