Where Have I Been?!?

I have been away from Blog Land for some time now, but it has been for a good reason. I took a break from blogging because life was becoming a bit overwhelming and I needed to take some time to re-evaluate and re-prioritize. Being a full-time wife, mother, 4th grade teacher and Close to My Heart consultant was leaving me with no time to do the things I needed & wanted to do for myself. Things like eat healthier and exercise. Things like create things I want to create, when I want to create them, using whatever supplies I want. So over the last few months I have made some changes in my life:

1. I decided to step back from Close to My Heart. I am still a consultant (Jr. status at this point), but I am no longer sending newsletters, offering classes & workshops, or hosting crops. I am still taking orders, if anyone is interested, but I am not seeking out business. If there comes a time when I do not have enough sales to keep my Jr. status, I will say good-bye to CTMH (at least for a while.) However, I still love Close to My Heart & their products!

2. In light of stepping back from CTMH, I have allowed myself to start using and enjoying products from other companies again. I have found a love for Paper Trey Ink stamps & dies, and have had fun *collecting* 6x6 paper pads for card-making. I am planning on trying out Project Life when the new collections are released, and I am in the middle of making a December Daily album to document the upcoming holiday season. Another favorite I have stumbled upon is the Super Sketch Club from Scrapbook Generation and Allison Davis' books, Sketches for Scrapbooking. With these 2 resources I have done more scrapbook pages in the last few months than I have in the lase few years combined!

3. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY.....I have started taking the time to exercise on a regular basis. Right after school started in September I decided to try running again. Quite a while ago I had downloaded a C25K app on my ipod, called Interval Run, and tried starting, but I didn't get much farther than the first couple of runs. However, something clicked with me this time, and I am happy to say that I am now a C25K "graduate" who runs 2+ miles (albeit very slowly) at least 3 times a week. As crazy as it sounds, I actually enjoy running most of the time now and I am looking forward to December 4th, when I will achieve my goal of running my first 5K at the Portland Jingle Bell Run & Walk!!

I am hoping with these changes I can get back to blogging on a more regular basis again, as well. However, since Thanksgiving is upon us, I won't be posting again until some time next week. I plan on spending several days with the people I am most thankful for--my family!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!