...and that makes me a very happy girl. Something I hate about myself: I am an all or nothing kind of person. I either go after something full force and do it 100% or I don't try at all. And when it comes to diet and exercise, this isn't the best way to be.
But the good news is, I am currently in a very good place - 100% committed to being healthy. This year my word was ORGANIZE, but I also snuck in a second one I didn't say out loud to anyone: HEALTHY. I have been in a dark blue funk when it comes to my health for the past couple of years. (Thank you to Mr. Hugh)... And it shows. And I don't like it - one little bit. All my life I have worked out and eaten healthy and I just gave up on it for some reason. It had something to do with my new attitude of just enjoy life. But perhaps I was enjoying it a little TOO much (fries, candy, ice cream, chips, heehehee, the list goes on...).
I have been running every day since the end of December (except Sundays - love to take advantage of my day of rest!). If you can call it running. I go at the pace of a horse's gait - with little walking spurts to catch my breath periodically. I have not tackled the speed portion of my running goal yet - just the distance. But this is a good start. And I am on week four of being consistant which makes me really happy. The best part is, it is starting to get easier. Not easy by any means, but less dreaded and less like I am pulling 1,000 pounds behind me.
I am also eating much more healthy - lower carbs, cutting out sugar and cutting out my beloved soul mate - diet coke. Shocking, I know. What I will do at CHA with out having one hand around my diet coke and the other hand in every candy bowl there, I don't know. Please forgive me if you see me picking my nose - a girl has to have SOMETHING to do with her hands! Eating more protein and less carbs is the hardest part for me as I don't like meat. I am one of those people that could live on bread alone, so it is a big change for me. I am also eating tons of veggies. Regular trips to the local Farmers Market makes my veggie intake much more enjoyable!
Ok, enough about me!!! What about you? What is your word for the year? How are you doing keeping your New Years Goals? Anyone???? I would love to hear what others struggle with and work on improving...
I will be doing a random drawing for the two winners of the CK books (see last post) on Monday morning. IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST, it will count as well. I will total the posts from both and draw from all of them. So tell me what your word for the year is which will be much more entertaining for me than just reading a comment of "I'd love to win a copy of one of these books"!!! And even if you have already left me a boring comment on the last post, you can leave another one on this post which will give you TWO CHANCES OF WINNING!!! Oh boy - so generous of me!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! Suzy
PS - I can't leave without posting a layout. I tried, but I just can't do this to you all! Boring you with just my life blabberings just doesn't seem right. So here you go. One of my favorites I have made lately. The photos are by the amazingly talented Maggie Holmes - love that girl!!! The background is Michael Miller fabric - delicious color! And the flower - I thought it was quite creative and it was created by ME with ribbons, buttons, and felt (so was the cute girl for that matter!)!!! :) Click on image to see it larger. If you want that is...
WOOHOO! Congrats on finding your mojo! I, too am a lover of Diet Coke (Or DC as it is referred to in my house) and would love to kick the habit but a girl NEEDS caffiene-I am a night hawk with a 5 year old who loves 6AM. Maybe I will find some strength to kick the habit through your blog.
Keep up the great work! (BTW-LOVE the LO-you have also inspired me to try 2-pages again. EEK!)
Posted by: Cindy S | January 21, 2011 at 06:16 PM
Way to go, Suzy! Keep up the good work. I'm a lot like you when it comes to the all or nothing attitude. And, I'm also on a quest to get healthy this year...with my goal to try 1 new recipe per week (which I've started to post on my blog). I'm especially trying to incorporate more grains and veggies (although they won't all be that). In fact, tonight I made a delicious dish with Quinoa and vegetables. I eat very little meat too, so I like that Quinoa is high in protein.
Love your layout...especially that flower!
Posted by: Lisa Soares | January 21, 2011 at 06:33 PM
My word this year is actually a statement .... FIND MY MOTIVATION.... to lose weight and get healthy, to organize, to scrapbook more often and to be more active. So far, I am scrapbooking more often than last year and I have been taking on little projects around the house to get more organized. Thank you for sharing your struggles, I too love candy and carbs. My husband makes the best white rice, I can eat it alone with nothing! But one day at a time I will find my motivation, I will make the change and stick with it.
Posted by: Judith PInon-Menendez | January 21, 2011 at 06:43 PM
Wow that pink layout is a stunner! Im always too afraid to use lots of bright pink even tho I love it... I dont have a word for the year, was thinking about it but decided project life was enough of a yearly commitment for one year :)
Posted by: Joanne | January 21, 2011 at 07:05 PM
Hello my friend Suzy! I've been lurking for a while. I am so happy that your groove is back. I know how "Mr. Hugh" affects that. You inspire me. Thank you for that. Oh, and this layout is so so so so cute!!!
Posted by: Lori R | January 21, 2011 at 07:32 PM
Way to go! How do you get motivated to run? How long did it take you to be able to run long distances? I can run for a very short time and then I'm ready to pass out. Love the pink layout.
Posted by: Amanda | January 21, 2011 at 07:57 PM
Woo hoo~~ Great page, and that fabric! Gorgeous page!
Posted by: Kate aka stinkydudette | January 21, 2011 at 11:28 PM
Two words for me for the year. "Lighten Up". I get too crazy when little things go wrong. It is exhausting. Funny, if there is a major catastrophe, I am your girl! Everyone calls me for help. But the little things, spilled milk, broken picture frames, camera memory card left at home. I go crazy. I really need to work on letting the small things go. It'll for sure be a struggle for me.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: Donna | January 21, 2011 at 11:50 PM
Hi Suzy,
So glad you got your GROOVE back and how awesome that you've ran everyday for a month, totally awesome. I know it's hard some days to get out there and do it, would be so easy to sit at home and scrap/ eat/ tv/ whatever but you did it. Keep up the good work. So great about your eating healthier also, that is a job in itself, especially for us who stay home all day with the food right there so I make sure not to buy anything unhealthy so there's nothing tempting me. HOORAY HOORAY we get two chances to win these books, thank you thank you. I must say I've tried winning the organized one on many blogs and wasn't lucky so please let this be my lucky day. Ok now for my 2 words this year yep not just one but two of them.
My first word is ART because I've been seeing so many awesome ideas on scrapping, home decorations, crafting, sewing, painting, photography so each month I want to do something about all of these, I've never tried to be crafty/sewing/ artist because I was afraid it wouldn't look good enough so this year I'm doing it for the fun of it and that's it, as long as I'm happy, right??? My second word is TIME this one snuck in on me after choosing art first because my grandpa passed away suddenly due to cancer this past fall. Well, it changed my whole way of thinking and seeing how you need to enjoy all the time you have here on this earth and to make the most of it. This was my first real closely related death in my adult life, so it pretty much knocked the wind out of me. Spending those last few weeks at his bedside were so bittersweet, sad, happy, so many emotions. He handled it so well and didn't lay there and take it, he fought to stay with us and touch us all those weeks. So I need to use my time more wisely and enjoy the time I'm with family or doing some projects and not worry about the next thing on my to do list, that's how I've always been. So I've made a timeline for this year and hanging it on my wall with things to do monthly that I've never taken the time to do before so this will remind me to stop, slow down and remember my family and friends. I'll be posting it on my blog and of course there is the whole exercise/eat better goal I make every year so I've worked that into my timeline as well, making new dishes every week or at least twice a month and to teach my kids how to cook. Ok hope that was enough of my blabbering for you Suzy, haha. So have a super weekend and cross your fingers that I win please!!
Posted by: dawn | January 22, 2011 at 03:16 AM
oops I was so busy blabbering I forgot to tell you how gorgeous your layout is and beautiful your daughter is. Love the colors of this and would be too afraid to use it, yours looks great though. The buttons are a nice touch to the flower.
Posted by: dawn | January 22, 2011 at 03:18 AM
Love the flower on the layout...I will have to try that. I don't have a word for 2011. I am not good with committing to stuff like that. But I have been trying to eat healthier. I have cut down on my soda in-take by 99% and have been trying to grab nuts or cottage cheese for snacks versus the junk food that is so each to eat. And I have been trying to either walk or take an aerobics class at the Y several times a week. I figure it is something and way better than nothing. I am glad to hear you are doing well. Sometimes you have to take lives curves and go with them the best you can and not let it get you down (which is hard). My husband is a type 1 diabetic and I never heard him complain all the years he tooks 4 needles a day and I never hear it let the disease worry him. He does his best to take care of himself by exercising and watching his carbs, and can't do anymore. I am not sure I could handle it as well as him, but I really admire his attitude.
Posted by: Sandy | January 22, 2011 at 04:00 AM
My word this year is give. While I can not give a lot financially, I know that I am able to give of my time for causes that I support and my talents.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 22, 2011 at 05:18 AM
What a sweet, darling layout. I love all the pink! My word for this year...JOY. I'm working hard to find the JOY in all areas of my life. It is there, just have to look a little harder sometimes to find it!
Posted by: ♥Wendi | January 22, 2011 at 06:12 AM
My word is Joy. I always look for joy in everything, be it large or small, silly or serious.
This layout is gorgeous, esp. the flower. You should write a book.
Posted by: Marcia Scantlin | January 22, 2011 at 06:28 AM
My word this year is organize. I'm a clutter person and I'm trying very hard to overcome that not great trait of mine. I hear you about the struggle to eat right - I spent all last year (my oldest' senior year) eating my way through it then had a heart attack in August when I finally woke up and realized what I'd done to myself. I got a handle on it through weight watchers on-line and have lost 19 pounds and finally feel like myself again. The hardest part though is maintaining it in a house of teenage boys and preteen girl who can eat anything and stay skinny - for some reason I keep thinking I can eat what/when they do..... lol Good luck with staying healthy this year - you can do it!!!
Posted by: Brenda | January 22, 2011 at 08:06 AM
My word for the new year is concentrate. I need to concentrate on just scrapping the story behind the pictures and not worrying about th little things (like "Oh- that picture is not straght!!")
Posted by: photochic | January 22, 2011 at 08:06 AM
GROOVY! :) Love your ramblings, glad to know I am not the only one! :) that flower is AMAZING!! And the layout is just so bright and fun--love looking at it! :)
Posted by: Diana | January 22, 2011 at 01:33 PM
I am going to work on being more productive. I have fallen l...a...z...y. Hoping it has something to do with expecting a child soon, but watch out come next month once this little person has joined the family! I usually feel like a million bucks after. Want to get caught up with straggling tasks that have been put off throughout last year as I battled the endless pregnancy pukes, which includes getting caught up on printing photos and scrappin'!! And getting back to my exercise routine as well! Congrats on your consistency with your running routine! I find that once you get a few weeks under your belt, it really is sooo much easier!! Than you reach the milestone of not feeling great if you don't get your run in! That's when you know you got it!
Love the vivid colors and super embellishments on your layout, they are perfect accents to one adorable girlie girl!!
Posted by: Melanie | January 22, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Well I guess my word is BORING, as in I left one of those boring comment on the previous post. Lol! Love your oh so happy layout.
Posted by: Sandra A | January 22, 2011 at 08:15 PM
My word this year is Freedom.
Freedom to be healthy, freedom to be organised. Freedom to love and to be love. Freedom to be myself.
I will see where the word takes me through-out the year. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to win :D.
Posted by: Allie | January 23, 2011 at 03:26 AM
hi suzy!!
my word is grateful... I have finally realized that so many others have it a lot worse than me so I am very grateful for all the wonderful people ,etc I have in my life!! we are healthy (for the time being) both have jobs, roof over our heads food to eat.. etc.. and the best friends ever!!
mary t
Posted by: mary t | January 23, 2011 at 06:50 AM
Love the layout, and the flower is gorgeous! Congrats on your running...that's great! My word for the year is also "organize" trying to keep the clutter at bay so we can live easier. Thanks for the chance to win a book!
Posted by: Laurie Lariviere | January 23, 2011 at 10:41 AM
My word for this year was "Well". As in, do well and be well. I have been doing "well" with this goal so far (pun completely intended!) I have exercised every day of the new year, haven't had any pop, and have been eating much much healthier! Glad to hear your goal is going well, too!
Posted by: Heather V | January 23, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Glad to hear things are going so well, Suzy!
Posted by: Keshet Shenkar | January 23, 2011 at 08:08 PM