Monday, January 7, 2008

A Healthy 2008

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post lately. I've been so busy! This afternoon I was working on my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Business Website, which goes live tomorrow! I'm so excited about it! It looks so much nicer than the old site, and there is so much more you can do with it. I've been playing all afternoon! Please check it out tomorrow and let me know what you think (I welcome constructive suggestions for improvement!).

Then this weekend, I was working on a 3 x 3 valentines swap that Candace is hosting. This is my first swap, so I'm very nervous. Of course, I decided to do some dry embossing on the card, which is taking a LOOONG time on 11 cards! Next time I'll have to think things through! I'll post the cards when I'm finished them all so you can take a look.

I was also spending a lot of time this weekend praying and thinking about what I would like to change this year (I'd call them New Year's Resolutions, but then they'd be doomed to fail! LOL!). I really need to get healthy this year, so I made this Health Journal to help me stay motivated and focused (I know, any excuse to play with my stamps)! I read in Good Housekeeping that the biggest determinant of people losing weight is whether or not they journal what they eat. So, I thought I'd give it a try. For this journal, I thought I'd keep it simple since I'll be using it all year (at least that's the plan!). I covered it with Ginger Blossoms paper, then stamped the title with the Best Friends Alphabet in Ruby Red on Very Vanilla. I matted this on some Ruby Red cardstock. The flower is stamped from Embrace Life in Ruby Red on Groovy Guava, then cut out and adhered with a dimensional. For the center of the flower, I cut out a flower from the Ginger Blossoms paper and stuck it in the middle. I finished it off with a strip of Bravo Burgundy wide grosgrain ribbon.

At first, I was going to focus just on losing weight, but then I thought that I should really look at my over-all health. So with a lot of prayer, I've come up with some goals. I need to eat healthier and exercise at least three times a week (I want to lose 30 lbs and get back to my pre-pregnancy weight!).

For my spiritual goals, I also need to spend time in prayer and in the Bible ("...man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:3b). I plan to study a book of the Bible each month, starting with Daniel, and spend time in prayer each morning before the kids get up.

I also have some social goals. I've become a bit of a hermit since I had kids! I've decided to phone at least one friend a week just to chat and invite someone over for dinner at least once a month.

Then I thought I should have some marital goals to keep my marriage strong. I know a few people who recently decided to separate or divorce after many years of what seemed to be happy marriages. It's probably best to keep things strong and communicate! So we're going to start having a regular date night, "couch time" every day when he gets home from work (this is where we sit down on the couch and talk about the day for a few minutes) and do a weekly couple's devotional to keep us connected with God as a couple.

Well, that's a lot of things to work on this year! It's only the first day, so hopefully I can stay focused! I typically do well for a few weeks, then fizzle out, so I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again!

So has anyone else made any goals/resolutions? I'd love to hear them! Please leave a comment and let me know what you're planning for this year.

Wow, this is a long post! Thanks for "listening" to my rambling. I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2008!

6 comments:

Alex said...

This is a great notebook Shannon! I love all your goals too because they sound like you have really thought them out! I need to get my DBWS going as well but it may have to wait until after I get back from Leadership this weekend - I am soooo excited that I am going! Thanks for the lovely Xmas card too - I got it today and it is beautiful! I will be posting it on my blog if that is okay with you? *STAMPIN HUGS* Alex

Tracy.H said...

Love the notebook. I am planning to make a 'Gratitude Journal' this week myself. My goal is to concentrate on the good things in my life and not dwell on what I don't have. And I too am going to focus on working out and getting healthy...and not focus entirely on loosing weight. And started out today with a 50min step aerobic workout. Yah for me! :0)

Dawn Wheeler said...

Beautiful book ,lovely idea ,Dawnx

mindy said...

Beautiful Journal!!! My resolutions this year are to write in my journal more, read more, and scrapbook more. I always feel better when I think of all the positive things in my life. Sometimes I just forget and need reminding when the world gets crazy around me. Hope you have an AMAZING 2008!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome idea, Shannon! I hope you can stick with your goals as they seem both wonderful and attainable. The notebook looks great and I love that new set & paper! I don't usually make new year resolutions, but I hope to find the time to enjoy all that I have been blessed with. Oh, using up my scraps...that would be a good one! ;)

Kathy W said...

Shannon, your health journal is a wonderful idea, and I love the colors/DP you used. So good to think about the whole self and not just the physical. Sometimes I have to remember to do that. I totally agree about scheduling "couple" time; that communication is so important. Thanks for sharing.