Goals For November

FAMILY: Only 60 min of TV time per day every day. Home Cooked Meals

MONEY: Rebuild Savings to $1000 again, Pay cash for replacement TV.

INTELLECTUAL: Read one fiction book and one non fiction book

SPIRITUAL: 30 minutes of quiet prayer and meditation each night before bed.

BUSINESS: 50% closing ratio. Learn ordering process.

PHYSICAL: 30 day shred. EVERY!DAY!

RELATIONSHIP: 1 telephone call and 1 hand-written letter to a friend I haven't talked to for awhile per week.

Starting Over

This last week has been a bit of a "do-over" so I thought I would start over on my blogging as well. This week my yearly flu outbreak hit and quite possibly at the worst time it could. In the middle of a move - training some new employees and a visit from Jackson's father. Any one of those things singularly would be a lot to handle at a time but altogether was a complete disaster.

But I am feeling better now and I actually figured out that getting sick was a bit of a blessing in disguise. You see for awhile now I have been looking toward November 1st is my "new year"; my fresh start. I am moving into a new house. I am training a new employee so there is a huge opportunity for financial gain in that endeavor. The plan is to embark on a new physical regime as well. I want the new place to wash away all of the heartache of the last few years and really be some place that has a new feeling for the kids and for myself. A true new beginning. So this illness has been - to put it bluntly - cleansing. I haven't been able to keep much of anything down and I slept for 12 hours straight last night but it has left me oddly clear. All of the toxins and awful eating have been literally flushed out of my system and has left me with this burning desire to do and be better in all aspects of my life. I have been purging my possessions in an effort to not have to pack things that I don't want to carry with me to the new place. I am getting rid of all of the excess in my life and starting completely fresh. Internally and in my external "junk" too.

I really want this to extend into all parts of myself. Parenting, money, fitness, emotional/spiritual, intellectual, business, the whole package needs to be overhauled and it started with this unintentional purging of the inside. Just thinking about how I have lived for the last year kind of makes me feel sick. I have not been very fiscally responsible, my eating habits have been atrocious, my energy levels have been abysmal, I have not spent the precious time with my kids that I need to, have not fed my friendships and relationships with any real nourishment. I need to do better. So starting today I am focused on the task at hand - really taking responsibility for all aspects of my life and making TODAY my fresh start.

Thank you all for joining me on my journey.

Know what I love the most...

...about this little "hobby" of mine? The people! There ain't NO people like scrappy people to get you fired up and motivated and creatively charged. I'd like to welcome Lisa Burt (http://livelovescrapbooking.blogspot.com) to my crop circle! Lisa emailed me about my Memory Works consultantship and, after a series of emails we met for lunch and traded stories. I know so many people around me just shake their heads when I do things like pick up friends at the Scrap Store or my online girls on HYWWP but the women that have come into my life through this medium have been the greatest blessings that a girl could ever dream up.

Even MORE inspiration has just been pouring out of our amazing sponsor - Sketch Inspiration I was totally scared of this kit when I first came across it - there is so much glitter and glamour and sparkle and its totally out of the element of where I usually create that - well - it gave me the shakes a little...but I kid you not, after working with it for only just the past few weeks I have used up all but a few scraps of each sheet and ALL of the flowers and brads and ribbons. Skyline and butterfly kisses both came from that kit Every luscious drop has been squeezed out of this kit and I have loved it. Not only that but Sketch 136 was the inspiration for "butterfly kisses" below. I never think of using circles but I think it really sets off that photo. The last one is just for fun - wanted to showcase my HYWWP girls from our Chicago trip a few weeks ago. Miss them SO muchly.

T - 4 days until Derrick arrives and operation redo the house goes into FULL effect! I promise photos will ensue - this is going to be really interesting...

It has been awhile.

So I thought that I would take a few moments and update you on the comings and goings of life at the Stuart household. Insomnia does have its advantages ;)

Starting at the top: I am no longer with Metlife (has it really been JANUARY since I last updated this thing?) I now work for CNA Company in home improvement sales - windows, siding, gutters and gutter protection. I never imagined that would be what I am doing but - here I am and I'm doing great. It looks like I may even be brought on as a trainer for new recruits!

Still scrapping! Never as much as I want to but my page count is up to 80 for the year so far so I can't complain! More importantly I am really enjoying my pages again and have PLENTY of subject matter. Namely our trip to Florida in April, Chicago in June, and two growing blooming boys to keep me in photos!

Here are some of my latest. Family Tree and Smile Marathon are both ALL because of the August Sponsor for Have Your Way with Paper. Trisha at Sketch Inspiration provided our design team with this absolutely beautiful kit full of glittery beautiful papers and coordinating embellishments. I'm so in love with the whole thing. Smile Marathon is based on her sketch 135. Nothing better than a sketch to jump start some creativity! Stay tuned for more.

Next on the docket - My Jackson! Can you BELIEVE that he is going to be in Kindergarten in two short weeks? He has just grown up overnight. Yesterday he had on a shirt that was WAY too big for him in April and it fit him perfectly. He continuously amazes me though. His new affinity is talking on the phone and he just sounds so completely grown up...observe....

And the baby! He hardly even seems like a baby anymore. He started walking at 8 months and hasn't stopped since! He definitely keeps his momma on his toes!! He is 11 months old now and totally rules the roost. I have him enrolled in the Kids Academy in Bondurant starting in October - I can't wait to see how much he learns and grows and gets interactive when he is around more structure and other kids his age!

So that's the update - I will try not to suck so much at updating my blog in the near future.

New Site - New Crop!

There are exciting things happening in the universe of Have Your Way With Paper! I guess I haven't posted but me and Lisa Baldwin took over ownership of the board back in May and this last week we just launched a brand spanking new forum! If you have been missing from the community or even if you have never peeked in on Paper now is a GREAT time to join the conversation on www.haveyourwaywithpaper.com Register today and join in on our housewarming crop Friday through Monday! It will give you a chance to win an amazing prize from this month's sponsor SEI scrapbooking! Come on over and check it out!