Glutton Detox

I’m not sure there is a lot of difference between a drug detox and a bad food/sedentary life style detox.  I have never been addicted to drugs, but from what I have read and seen, I imagine that it’s similar in that your body goes into a bit of a shock and you feel sick.  Today I have a pressing head ache and my body is also achy.  It doesn’t help that I have cut my coffee from an unprecedented amount to simply two cups.  No wonder it’s hard to stick to the beginning stages of “diet and exercise”.   Who the hell wants this?  It’s hard to see it getting better, but I’ve been here before so I know it will (as I think to myself, “why did I let it get back to this point again?!” *deep breath*)

Today was my first day back in the gym and for a little motivation I made Erick tag along with the lure of Racket ball.  I was really hoping he would fall in love with the gym as I have and want to join with me… but, my husband isn’t that guy.  I really don’t blame him.  Many men need the gym to get themselves feeling manly.  Let’s face it, I’m there to feel more womanly; but my husband doesn’t need the gym when he has an amazing confidence backed by some serious martial arts skills.  Which, by the way, were dialed in yesterday when our neighbor thought someone might have broken into her house and she called Erick to check the place out… let’s just say that was hotter than any muscle man at the gym….  But I digress…

What was I writing about?  Oh yeah, detox… 

Well with the Racket Ball and some running afterward, I think I truly felt REAL hunger for the first time in a long time.  For people reading this that never have struggled with their weight this seems odd, but it’s regrettably true.  So I ate and I ate healthy.  I am not for the body cleansing that has swarmed the market.  I’ve done these… the one where you drink a mix of lemonade, cayenne pepper and honey, to where you juice everything and drink your calories.  I love fresh juice and surprisingly I still love lemonade, but all I’ve come away with these “cleansings” is over eating because I missed eating so much.  All in all I think this journey is about finding what works for you without being extreme, because that never works!

One Year Later

Has it really been a year?  Wow...

Well, as I find myself clawing my way out of a year of hell, I look to the excitement this year promises...

Mountain Shore Craftworks seems to be taking off, in spite of not participate in Holiday Bazaars this past season.  I'm finding my small foot hold in the big, wide world of crafters/artists and even though some of "my" ideas have been hitting the market before I have had a chance to put my stamp on it, I am continuing to grow and hone in on my artistic skills.  I am in complete bliss when working in my art space and because of this, expect to see great things coming out of that little room!

The market, however, is NOT favoring Dream-A-Theme Parties.  I shrug it off, knowing not every idea can make it.  I have done a party here and there, but nothing like I wished which, honestly, is totally okay with me.. for now...

As I said, this year wasn't good and I always seem to let my body be an indicator of that.  Embarrassingly, I am currently at the weight I was shortly after giving birth to Zayah (who is now 6).  It's really not easy for me to write about this because I am very private when it comes to really exposing my true physical self to the world.  But I have learned a valuable lesson this past year and that is a little inspiration goes a long way for people who are searching for a little bit of hope in their lives.

I am not "Biggest Loser" fat, but I could stand to lose 50 pounds.  In 2010 I ran a marathon, and now I can hardly run a quarter mile.  I have found that it's almost "easier" for those who have NEVER been athletic to get there once they grab hold of their motivation.  I struggle with the, "I used to be able to.." thoughts and these really drag me down. 

My continuing inspirational pick-me-ups come from my BFF in California.  She was not a runner.  Her body isn't a typical "runner's body" and here she is going on her, what, 5th(?) half marathon.  She looks better now than she ever has!  She has started a Facebook group called "Kiss My Pace" that has women of all athletic abilities contributing inspiration, hardships, and support.

I have officially signed up for a half marathon in June to jump start me getting my body back to healthy!  Today is day "zero" for me.  This means, I am continuing as I have been, but being extremely mindful of how I feel and really seeing my bad habit triggers.  I should probably post a picture so the visual can be clearer for when I do finally get back to where I want to be, but I can't.... Just know that I can only fit into 2 pairs of my pants and old t-shirts.  I don't sleep well and I am constantly feeling like I am walking through mud.  And no, I don't have the flu, but as long as I continue being this way I am sick...

I really hope that my blog this year can help inspire and support family and friends who are also "sick".  Before I end this post I want to say, celebrate EVERY accomplishment, even if it is as small as taking 5 more steps today than you did yesterday.

The Past 7 Months

With all of my running (literally and metaphorically... but mostly metaphorically) I forget to stop and take a moment to fill my writing void. My first intention was to back log the last 7 months and highlight the... well, highlights. But my head is so full of now I find that task a current impossibility. So here is what is happening in my universe (realizing I didn't send out Christmas cards this year, I also hope this post can make up for that somehow):

Erick has found a new passion with woodworking and he's pretty good at it. I think selling one of his 3-D puzzles at a bazaar helped him out of his shyness to share his work with the world. Now he has designed a puzzle for niece Laiken as a wedding gift and is planning out more projects for the future. I do have to make a note here, when I said he sold "one" puzzle you have to understand he only had the one to sell, because I am without doubt that if he had more he would have sold those too.

The girls are girls. Busy. Ornery. Loveable. Cute. What can I say about a 6 and 5 year old other than they make my life complete and every day is an adventure whether I am up for it or not. ;)

I am in the middle of making dreams come true, party style. I plan on creating a few more blogs to highlight my makings. What?! Yes, I know that keeping up with this one has not been completely successful but if I succeeded in all my doings then what would be the point of a New Years resolution? For now you can check out my facebook pages: Dream-A-Theme Parties, LLC and Mountain Shore Craftworks. I also have an etsy shop with Mountain Shore Craftworks also. Lots to do, keeping super busy, but I work hard today so later I can play.

Pushing through the log jam

My stalemate is slowly moving forward and I couldn't be more excited! I finally got some space saver bags to test on my dinosaurs. If this works out then I can dramatically reduce my shipping costs and get these guys sold!

The rains are decreasing and we finally have grass in the backyard! Yesterday the girls played barefoot in the soft greeness of it all. It was fun to watch as they giggled and wiggled their toes in it. The garden is in too and growing steadily. Now all that is left is to seed the front and we will officially have a yard to play in. In the meantime neighborhood kids are coming out of the woods (so to speak) and we are having a fun time learning of the playmate possibilities for the summer. Not that we've left much time for ourselves to relish in the old traditions of summer neighborhood play... This month is already spoken for and a busy July lays just over the horizon.

Unfortunately in all my business I failed to sign up for the Vancouver marathon this year, but I am signed up and ready to race with Andrew in a 10k mud-run. Fun right? I'm pretty excited about it!

Then last, but certainly not least, I have found my calling to get a bit more cash flow in the house as a party planner. I love doing it for my girls and family, so it's perfect. All I have to do is make up a company name, print some cards and away I go!

Dirt Pusher

Through the months stacked upon months of rain I watched as my unfinished yard turned into a mecca of weeds. But yesterday gave me hope and today I am sunburned, walking hunched from tight shoulders and a sore back... yet I keep on going.

Last week we also had a day without rain for a few hours so I got out this little rotter tiller thinking I would go over the yard and save myself a lot of time... little did I know that this tiller is a masochist. With every pull it sorta starts, then dies fueling my hopes and making me try "one more time". Then, laughing as it did, it would finally start and run for more than a second. I get it into place and start tilling a line, then - boom, it dies again. Over and over this happened. When the little 87 year-old neighbor, Joe, poked his head out and asked if he could help I knew my time was up. Later that night Erick swore it was me as I swore (literally) that it wasn't and if HE was such a hot shot, then go ahead and get it to work.

Oh sweet gratification!. He tried, and tried, and sprayed some things, and tried, and took some things apart, and tried, and tried once more before he too gave in to a hopeless cause. Nothing was said, no looks were given. He knew.

So yesterday while pulling or hand raking weeds I was also very slowly pulling down the little hill we have left in the front. There will always be a slight incline to the wall, but as of yesterday there was nothing slight about the hill. Erick was a sweet heart and got a 1/2 yard of dirt. (So little because our little truck is gutless and that's all it can handle at a time on a good day). However, because of the rain, the dirt was saturated and was basically clay. Lumpy, non-spreadable crappy clay. In response I have learned to take dirt from one part of the yard for the use of another part and when (if) the dirt we buy dries out, then we can fill in the holes later. I dug the dog run area down about 6 inches. Not really necessary, I admit, but this dirt gave way for the flower bed under the trees in the front, and it helped fill in holes in the back. The already existing flower beds also got a dig-down. This dirt created new flower beds in the back and began the "de-hilling" process in the front.

Tomorrow I am sure I will be out of places to take dirt so I will get the back yard ready for grass! Yay for three rainless days!! Also, we haven't had solid grass back there sense we moved in and having a big dog doesn't help, so it's about time we did!!

Sewing Machine Set Backs

I realize now more than ever that starting a new business is painfully slow. At least this has been my experience thus far. My goal for the moment is to save the necessary funds to get into the local farmer's market. I feel like once I have that niche, my business will start to ride a bit smoother. But as we all know life happens and in the middle of building some inventory, my machine went on the fritz and landed in the shop, halting inventory production completely for at least two weeks. Even though the machine is only a few years old, it's a cheaper model and the demands I put on it wears it down pretty quickly. So in the meantime I wait to sew but move on to the next idea, writing, crocheting and knitting along the way...

I am spending some time on the computer trying to figure out how to build a website separate from Facebook and Esty, but my computer is slower than stalagmite growth and my patients for technology is wearing thin... I seariously haven't been 'away' from technology (other than google, e-mail and Facebook) for more than a few years and I feel like I've had my head in a cave all my life. It boggles my mind how fast technology progresses!! But I digress...

My next idea involves specialty food and a lot of experimenting. Last night was less than successful and even though the girls and Erick didn't mind because the outcome was eatable (just unsaleable), I'm not sure if my waistline will hold up to this challenge I have given myself!!

Speaking of... Vancouver Marathon training starts this week and even though I am pulling back and only running a half marathon, the running will be a nice distraction from the lack of movement in my other endeavors.

Designing, learning, and love

Ideas flow through me like coffee on a long road trip... for awhile there's nothing. Then, you have to go. Right. Now.

Some ideas work out, some don't, while others wait patiently in my sketch pad or on a scrap piece of construction paper swiped from the girls' art closet to be put into real life. I find that when I get overwhelmed with ideas I often do nothing which, obviously, complicates my situation.

I have accepted that over the past few months old sheets rock my world and much to the horror (or relief) of my husband, who often thinks of me in the beginning stages of hoarding (minus the filth), I've begun to make use of those sheets I wouldn't let go of or the millions of buttons I keep in jars, which justifies me keeping it all.

My latest idea has finally come into reality. It's great. It's exciting. It has huge possibilities. Now what to do with it... Hang on to it until I find a toy agent who could guide me through the business? Sell it simply at bazaars and hope no one takes the idea to China? Or maybe try to find someone who knows someone, if you get my meaning (because I know no one)?

I love designing these toys and the process that goes with it and the best part of all of this is that I'm just starting! Who knows what I will come up with next! In the meantime I am off to sew my legacy as the "Dinosaur Lady"... which, by the way, I have come up with some pretty spectacular new patterns I am itching to try out.

Live, Love, Laugh, Learn, but above all, breath.