21 Day Challenge

Rhonna Farrer is hosting a 21 Day Challenge based on either creating or breaking a habit.....she says that studies have shown that it takes 21 days to change. I just knew that I had to participate when I saw it & the topic I picked is my battle with depression. I titled my journal "21 Days To A New Me". I'm just so tired of being depressed. I've been this way for several years now & I'm determined to break out of this depression & become a happier person! I've tried medications (Prozac & some others), but none of them did anything for me, except make me gain more weight :( But now I have the power to beat this myself! And I will WIN :)

Here are my pages in my journal so far.....my Intro page, Day 1, 2 & 3. I'm using the Heidi Swapp All About Me album kit which was sold on QVC as I never did like making albums exactly how they're meant to be made :)

21 Days to a new Me! Yep, I can do this! I'm printing out all of the quotes that Rhonna posts on her blog each day & adding them to my journal. The first quote really gives me the strength I need to make it through this. On this page, I used some Heidi Swapp chipboard alphabets, American Crafts Alphabet Stickers, KI Memories Alphabet Stickers, Me & My Big Ideas Threads Woven Labels for the number 21 & ribbon from the Heidi Swapp QVC About Me Album.

Day 1: Beating The Blues. Setting goals for ourselves.....this is something that I definitely need to work on! I have no problems setting goals, it's reaching them that I have the problem with. But no more! I took this picture of myself to show how I felt at the beginning of this journey. On this page, I used Making Memories Alphabet Rub-ons, Heidi Swapp ribbon & chipboard words (from the QVC kit.....yes, I crossed out the words on purpose because I refuse to be Sad, Mad & Afraid anymore!). I also "doodled" dots around the quote.

Day 2: Love Yourself! Believe In Yourself! On this page, I used ribbons, tape & a ghost flower, all from the Heidi Swapp QVC kit along with buttons, rhinestones, brads & more doodling. Journaling reads: "Enough is enough! I'm tired of being depressed! I will no longer let depression control me!"

Day 3: This quote really hit home with me! I don't know why.....I guess maybe because it's so true, but yet at the same time, so hard to live by: "Life is never a straight line. It's full of twists & turns. The way to lead a happy life is not to avoid them, but to embrace them, to find happiness in them." My life has definitely had it's share of twists & turns, but finding a way to embrace them has been a difficult thing for me, especially losing my sister & brother-in-law. My journaling, which may be hard to read since it's sideways, reads: "Today's quote really hit home with me. Life isn't perfect! And it never will be. Those people that think they have a perfect life are only fooling themselves! Life is full of lots of twists & turns, but we have to find a way to make the best of them. This is something that I've been struggling with every day for the past year & a half since losing my sister & brother-in-law." For this page, I used more Heidi Swapp items from the QVC kit along with Heidi's Exclamations Chipboard Ornaments, rhinestones & more doodling. I never thought I would enjoy doodling on my scrapbook pages, but this is actually a lot of fun :)

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here today & tomorrow is supposed to be even better with temps in the 60's. Yay, Spring is finally here! And the warmer temps have also been helping me win this fight against depression :)

That's it for now.....off to go watch Jim bowl.
Benita

Wonderful Weekend!

On Saturday, we drove Cassie half way to Traverse City so she can spend a week with her best friend & I miss her already! On the way back home, Jim & I stopped by Hobby Lobby & I found some pottery items to go in my living room to put on our new end tables that I pick up this week....best part, they were 50% off. While I was there, I also had to check out the scrapbooking section....I couldn't pass up that section, now could I? :) I bought the Basic Grey Notch Tool Kit with a 40% off coupon, along with some American Crafts ribbon, some rub-ons & some foam stamps.

Since I only spent a little over an hour in Hobby Lobby (a first for me! lol), we decided to stop by the Birch Run Outlets on the way home. But first, we stopped at a restaurant called Tony's. We've heard a lot of good things about it, so we decided to check it out. Their food is awesome & when you order, you better make sure your stomach is empty! Jim ordered an Omelette, which was huge & I had pancakes & a side of bacon.....or should I say half a pig! Their side of bacon literally consists of a basket loaded with bacon! There must have been 2 lbs. or more of bacon in that basket! Needless to say, there was no way I could eat it all, so we ended up bringing it home.

We then went to one of my favorite outlet stores which carries Lee Jeans. I've been needing some new jeans for a while now & I ended up getting 5 pairs for $55.00 total.....can't beat that! Then we went to the Nike store & Jim got a pair of sneakers for $40.00. Shortly after we got home, Shawn arrived with a nice surprise for us:

My granddaughter :) I couldn't believe it! Toni actually let him keep her for the night. It's been exactly 3 months since the last time I saw her (Christmas Day), so needless to say, I was extremely happy! She's talking up a storm now & is just as cute as ever!

On Sunday, Jim & I just stayed at home, relaxed, did laundry & watched the Nascar race. Perfect end to a beautiful weekend :)

Till next time,

Benita

My Newest Victim :)

Last week, I placed an order for a Stadium Organizer (aka Sticker Stadium) & it arrived yesterday. Right away, I started working on altering it & I really love the way it turned out! I used the Basic Grey Lucky pattern paper line since it has both of my favorites colors in it, purple & blue. I adhered the paper using my Xyron 900 permanent adhesive & then used Mod Podge all over it to seal it. I then added all my embellishments on top.

This is the blue side. You can click on each photo for a larger image. Here I used 2 chipboard flowers & added rhinestones to them. I also used some navy blue mesh, 2 Basic Grey Lucky tags, Primas, more rhinestones, ribbon & staples.

Since I decided to store all my alphabet stickers & rub-ons in my Stadium Organizer, I used rub-ons for the word Alphabets & circles from the Basic Grey paper. I also added Primas & buttons on the front.

Here's a better close-up of the purple side. I used 4 chipboard flowers, Primas, shiny rick-rack, Basic Grey Lucky tags, rhinestones, staples & ribbon.

I didn't go bowling last night because my ankle was still a little sore, so I stayed home & worked on this. I even altered the dividers with leftover pattern paper, ribbons & ink. I'm not much of an altering person, but I had so much fun doing this that now I'm going around the house trying to find other things to alter :)

But it figures.....since I didn't go bowling, Jim bowled really good last night without me there. He shot a 714 series with games of 266, 193 & 255. I'm so proud of him! This is his first 700 series since we moved to Michigan almost 9 years ago! His last one was in Virginia when he shot a 736 series. Congrats babe :)

You can see more photos of my altered Stadium Organizer here: Altered Stadium Organizer.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Benita

Sights & Smells of Spring

It's official......today is the first day of Spring :) And above is my first glimpse of the season.....my Crocus (buried beneath the old fall leaves that we never got a chance to rake up because Winter arrived too fast!). It's still a little cold here in Michigan, but just knowing that warmer temps are right around the corner & seeing the sun shine brightly is all the proof I need right now that Spring is here. Yeah, I know.....this is Michigan & there's always that chance of a Spring snow storm, just like last year when we got a foot in mid-April. But I'm not gonna let that ruin my Spring spirit! Today is a gorgeous day & I'm gonna enjoy it!

Every year on St. Patty's Day, Jim has to have his Corned Beef & Cabbage & this year was no different, except we invited some friends over on Friday to join us. I put it in my new Kasey Kahne crock pot :) at 8:00am & just let it cook all day, adding the cabbage 2 hours before it was done. I also made Mashed Potatoes, homemade Mac & Cheese, Biscuits (okay, so I cheated with them & just popped them out of a can) & an Oreo Cream Pie for dessert. I guess it was a hit because we didn't have many left-overs.

On Thursday, our new family room furniture arrived. I wasn't sure if I even liked it when they delivered it.....I guess it was just because it was such a change from what we used to have (a dark navy blue sectional) & I was afraid I wasn't going to like this sagey-green (Celedon) color once it got here. But now it's really grown on me & I just love it! I can't believe how much it brightens up the plum colored walls, too! Even this furniture is putting me in a Spring mood :) It's hard to tell in the photo, but there's also a purple chaise underneath the window.....I've wanted a chaise for a long time & now I finally have one :) We also ordered 2 end tables that match our coffee table & we'll be getting them next week.

Yesterday, Jim & I bowled in a doubles tournament, but didn't do good at all. I hurt my ankle the other day, so I was afraid to even bowl. I ended up just bowling one game & then we got a sub for the next one. I did win $50 in a 50/50 raffle, so the day wasn't a total loss :) Then last night, Jim & I went to see the movie "Failure To Launch" & we both really enjoyed it. I read some bad reviews about it, but we thought it was hilarious! I love Sarah Jessica Parker, so I was happy to see her in a movie since Sex & The City ended.

That's all for now.....off to enjoy the sunshine. May God bless you with a beautiful Spring day!

Benita

Still Happy With Second

I posted the other day about the bowling tournament that Jim was in & they were undefeated for the first 4 games to go on to the finals on Sunday. It came down to them & another team battling for first place. They had to win the last 2 games against the other team to take first, but only managed to win one, so they ended up finishing second. Still not bad, though.....$1,250 for the team, each person getting $250. Thought I'd post some pics of the happy team (above, left to right: Paul, Brian, Jim (my hubby), Mike & Rich).

Here they are receiving their winnings from Jeff, the owner of the bowling center:
Aren't they cute? :) And yes, that's a no smoking sign above their heads, something you don't see in too many bowling centers, but I'm SO glad that this center is non smoking now! In a few weeks, Jim & I will be bowling together in a Doubles Double Elimination Tournament.....should be a lot of fun!

Today, Cassie is off from school again (Parent/Teacher Conferences), so her & I are going to head out to the mall & just spend the day together.

But first, I wanted to do this challenge that I saw posted on 2 Peas.....we're supposed to list all the things that have only happened to us once in our lives, so here goes:

1. I went to Athens, Greece in 1983 & got a tattoo.
2. I met Rusty Wallace, Kasey Kahne & Tony Stewart once & got their autographs :)
3. I gave birth to one baby boy & one baby girl.
4. So far, I've become a grandma only once.
5. I've only been to San Diego, Chicago, New York City, Mackinac Island, Mexico, the Mall of America & Disney once each.
6. I went to the nighttime Nascar race in Bristol once.....so far :)
7. I went to Richmond & Pocono speedways only once.
8. I won concert tickets to see Bon Jovi, which was Jim & I's first real date.
9. Dit 'it' on a submarine once ;)
10. I won the lottery once.....only for $500, though.
11. I owned a mini van once (and only once!).
12. I got picked for a meet & greet for Linkin Park & got to meet the whole band & get their autographs.
13. I skinny dipped....once & only once.
14. I met my true soulmate once & I've been married to him for 16+ years now :)
15. I've only had one major operation so far.....a hysterectomy in 2000.

That's all I can think of right now, but if I happen to think of more, I'll add them later on.

Off to the mall.....have a great day!
Benita