Journal Your Christmas

ok - dont ask me where the rest of the year went I've no idea how it got to the end of November so quickly and its December on Monday!!


I have so much to do, working on christmas cards, my brothers wedding invites, trying to build up cards to sell, scrap your day, stories in hand and now its Journal your Christmas time again.

http://www.shimelle.com/classes/389/journal-your-christmas

Basically Shimelle has a way for us to get Christmas back on our terms. Just by having a little time each day to ourselves and a bit of inspiration from her.

I loved doing this last year but let my self get caught up in getting behind and trying to catch up rather than just jumping in on the next day that came up.

This year I'm reminding my self this project can be as big or small as I want it to be. It doesnt have to look like anyones elses and it doesnt have to win a prize for modern art or literature :)

No-one cares if there's spelling mistakes as my family know how bad my spelling is already and they've seen my handwriting.

The important part of this is to record MY Christmas as it really is. Not some polished magazine article of the perfect christmas. So this time I'm going to set aside an appointment with myself every day even just to write quickly how busy a day i've had or how i got nothing done and somewhere in there I'll find the bits of Christmas that still manage to excite me every year.

If anyone wants to join in you'll get more info here and you can let me know how your getting on with your journal as well.

Here comes Christmas - are you ready?

Scrap your day for May

may25th
Originally uploaded by Jantyannie

Bit late finishing this one this month and get to play with my new camera to take photos tomorrow need to take more photos or print them out bigger next time.

New Camera!!

I've splashed out on a new camera after reading some reviews and recommendations on UKScrappers . I wanted to move on from my HP120 digital point and click camera that is now about 5/6 years old and only 1megapixel and only digital zoom but I didnt feel I knew enough to go for a D-SLR and have to deal with swapping lenses so settled for what was refered to as a 'bridge' camera (think somewhere in the middle).

My new Panasonic FZ18 arrived on monday with 8mp and 18x zoom!!

I've been having great fun playing with it and seeing the difference it makes to photos.

This is a view looking towards Craigmore and then a zoom of the yachts moored off the point.

This is a view across to Toward Castle and then the close up of the fishing boat coming in that you can hardly see on the first shot.

Can you tell I'm loving this camera :) off to play with the macro setting today

Oops there went a couple of months

Weight loss stalled at just lost another couple of pounds currently 12'4 but wedding now confirmed as 7th March 2009 so have to get back into it big time - on the plus side was away at Spring Harvest in Butlins for 2 weeks and didnt put any weight on despite big dinners :)



Getting ready for Cyber Crop this weekend on UKScrappers not had a chance to do much pre crop fun or organisation but looking forward to Shimelle's project to record the 25th of each month.



The idea is to photograph a whole day every month and shimelle will give photo prompts on her site and ukscrappers.

There goes February :)

Another month gone but no extra pages done must try harder :)
update on the big news the wedding is now NEXT year not 2010
BUT I have lost over a stone since november and am now 12stone 6lbs :)
still got a way to go but have a year to do it.

Where did January go?

This month seems to have whizzed by. I have got off to a good start this month with 9 layouts completed 4 for my christmas journal and 5 for my other albums.

Weight loss still going well didnt put any on over christmas and managed to lose a couple more in Jan so far. Also managing to do some exercises daily and back to swimming.

Taking another stab at fly lady and trying to do it properly this time babysteps!

Big News!

Ok Big News this Christmas
my little brother and his girlfriend got engaged on the 28th
her ring has 28 beautiful diamonds
they're getting married in 28 months thats April 2010

AND

I'm going to be a bridesmaid :D

That gives me 824 days to lose the rest of the weight i want rid off and get fit and toned. Cant gain extra height but thats what heels are for ;D

I've managed to lose half a stone since mid november so happy to keep losing at that rate. Also going swimming a couple of times a week and trying to start daily exercises and streches.
Got a book 'Fabulous in a Fortnight' from my mum for christmas that has a food separation type diet, 12 step daily exercises and tips on style and deportment. I'll pass on her diet but try and take on the rest of the ideas.

Playing Catch up!

Trying to catch up with christmas shopping, cards, journal and life in general.

I've at last started my christmas shopping and should be able to post my presents and cards that need to go to mainland addresses.

I've thought about my cards and even started some.

I've caught up another few pages for the christmas journal

and realised its now less than a week till Christmas :)

2nd set.

5 - 7

First Week of December done.

Hit by the cold this week but thankfully not the tummy bug or rash that seems to be going round the island. Managing just to keep on top of the Christmas Journal although as felt lousy on Wednesday and too busy yesterday had to do pages 5, 6 & 7 today :D

pages 2-4

Yeah Its the 1st !!

Good news lost some more weight and now 13stone exactly.

wooo (doing a happy [calorie burning] dance)

This is my first page for Shimelles 'Journal your Christmas' class.

I'm keeping it really simple - colorbok ready layered page, torn page from notepad, some left over velum and tree, star & leaf shapes left over from a lakeland kit. Sizzlets tag and left over fibre.

Done! Roll on tomorrow :D

Counting down to the 1st!

Ok so I've decorated the cover of my album and made up my date tags, have a pile of christmas papers, fibres, stamps with some more on the way. I think I may be nearly ready to start Shimelles Christmas Journal Class on the 1st of December. Roll on Christmas.

So i may still need to tidy my craft room, make up my christmas cards and by presents but I'm part way there :)

Good couple of weeks.

My diet is going really well with Weight Watchers, I lost 2lbs in the first week and another 2lbs last week so going in the right direction at last.

I've started my preparation for Shimelles Journal your christmas class and made my first set of decisions.

I'm want to use my journal to reclaim Christmas and my feelings for it.
I want to enjoy the whole Christmas season with its hustle and bustle but not stress about the fact we have to work all through it.
I want to work out and record what my tradtions are celebrating Christmas as a single person and as a Christian.

I will use the Green Colorbok 8x8 album I've had sitting doing nothing on my shelf for over a year.
I will do one page a day and not stress about everything being a double layout.
I will make some elements ahead of time like date tags and possibly page plans.
I will not drag out my whole craft room for every page.
I will tidy most of my stuff away so I'm ready and clear for Christmas.
I will use a variety of papers but stick mainly to traditional red and green.
I will use my own handwriting not the computer.
I will try and stick to just a couple of my Christmas stamps not everyone i've ever bought :)
I will Journal the pages as I go even if I cant complete the layout that day.

Roll on next week :D

Oops

I did say i was going to update this every week but its been a long couple of weeks :)

I'm back on my diet (yes, again!) somehow I've manged to reach 13.5 stone (sounds better than 87.5Kg) so been doing lots of cooking from weight watchers book, been swimming and started using my Lateral Thigh trainer again.

So far lost 2lbs in the first week just need to keep momentum going.

not done any scrapping but having a mini crop on Faithscrappers tonight and signed up for Shimelle Laines christmas Journal class so should get something done soon :)

Another Wedding

This time my little cousin Juliet tied the knot with Richard down in Bingley watched by a large Cowie clan contingent.

I am a rubbish at remembering to take photos on these kinds of occasions and the ones I did take of the happy couple have come out a bit dark so I'll have to wait for the official photos to see what they really looked like.
Bloggers having probs with photos tonight so cant upload anyway :)

Juliet was gorgeous though.

The clocks went back while we were down for the wedding so summertime is over, winters on the way, the cold weather is upon us and I want to hibernate :)
failing that I'll have to try and make my evenings and days off productive and keep active so heres my winter list!

1. I will go swimming at least twice a week
2. I will do one scrapbook page a week
3. I will get back on babysteps with flylady and get my house in gear
4. I will start on my christmas cards and presents
5. I will update my blog and bebo and facebook at least once a week
6. I will keep in touch with my friends by phone text email or even a visit to the pub now and then
7. I will not seek solace in food (too much)
8 I will be more active on UKScrappers and Faithscrappers

Roll on Spring!

Busy Times :)

Well my big cousin David has finally tied the wedding knot and got married aged 42!
So there's hope for me yet :D

Karen & David

Richard, Me & David

David & Karens wedding was on Wednesday 8th August at the Lochside House Hotel near Cumnock. We had great weather for the day and we managed to get my Mum, Aunt Anne and Uncle Duncan together for the first time in years.
My Mum and Peter managed to come and pop over to Bute for a visit as well.
Barbara Cain, Joanne Cowie, Fiona Morgan, Jim Cain, Anne Cain, Duncan Shields, Peter Morgan

I love having days off :)

I've managed to get three days off together by getting Monday off work although I cant remember what I needed it for :D

Carrie Anns wedding was last weekend and we had a great day the bride was gorgeous and so were the bridesmaids and the guys werent bad looking either.

Carrie and William, The Bridesmaids and Carrie and her dad Ivan

Busy Month

Not posted for a while as getting used to new shift pattern at work alternate late and early weeks with short and long days have left my body clock a bit confused :)

Not managed any scrapping but lots of planning and tiding been going on.

I got up to Glasgow to see the Rocky Horror Picture show for my little cousins hen night so of course we all had to dress up even her dad got in on the act. The bride to be is in pink and that is me in the mask and bottom left of the group :)

Going to a Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Book launch tonight in Rothesay Castle but as my wee cousins wedding is tomorrow I need to stay away from spoilers for the book till I have a chance to finish it.

I love cyber crops

This Friday and Saturday I took part in a small cyber crop on Faithscrappersuk and while I love the big mad events that are UKScrappers crops this much smaller cyber crop was really great fun, and good for my spirit at the same time. I completed two layouts and a prayer and praise jacobs ladder and got lots of new ideas.

OK that's it!

I'm back on my diet big time :)
I weighed myself last night and I'm 13 stone!!! How did that happen???

It wouldn't be so bad if I was 6 foot tall but at 4 foot 11 thats over 2.5 stone a foot there's some bits of me that can't possibly be that heavy.
Overall, it's just not a good look.

So it's back to following the WeightWatchers points plan that has worked for me in the past.
I found my books from when I first lost weight in 2000 and at that point I managed to lose a stone in 2 months so I know it is do-able I just need to stop snacking and not visit the chippy so often :)