2011 - My Goals Just Kind of Set Themselves

2011 is here and I actually didn't make any huge declarations on New Years Day, other than my mantra "I will get healthy, I will lose weight." 

Which I am serious about, by the way.  So how will I do it, you ask?  Well first I'll go back to the living right, eating right theory - fruits and vegies for snacks, 8 glasses of water a day, more chicken and less red meat.  I've been working that angle for a couple of months now, some weeks are better than others.  Second, I've registered my brand-new pedometer which I won in a contest at work last year using my old pedometer.  This one can even hang from your neck, so it's super easy to carry even if you're a girl wearing a dress, lol.  7000 steps a day is the minimum I'm shooting for. Yesterday was 3500 and today was 2000 so that's obviously a work in progress. 

The third way I'm planning to achieve my first goal moves into a second goal that I've set for myself - Hiking Florida.  Ever since Nicole and Dana asked to go to see the manatees while they were here in December, I've been looking into this.  The site where I was gathering information on the manatee visit referenced a book called Hiking Florida by Timothy O'Keefe (yes, it's true, I stole the idea for my goal from a book).  I read book reviews and did my research and decided to buy a book called 50 Hikes in Central Florida by Sandra Friend instead, and lucked into a brand new just released edition of this guide on Amazon.  I chose this book because all the hikes are in easy driving distance of us and each one can be hiked in one day. .  The book finally came today (all that bad weather in Atlanta delayed my shipment by a day, since apparantly all mail coming to Florida goes through Atlanta - nothing like stalking the UPS truck in 30 degree weather, lol). My only disappointment is that one of the hikes I bought the book for (one that is literally 2 miles from where I live) is not included in this edition of the guide.  I'll have to get that info online, and consider my itinerary 51 Hikes in Central Florida.

My last goal for 2011 is my scrapbooking goal - I'm going for 350 layouts again this year.  We're on day 13 and I have 12 layouts done, not a bad average so far.

2011 in a nutshell - if I meet all my goals by the end of the year I'll look good, feel good, have lots of nature pictures and have scrapped a good portion of them.  It's an excellent plan, even if it all came to me in a dream.  :-)

War Eagle!

Yep, that's right, the Auburn Tigers won the BCS Bowl this week, making them NCAA National Champions.  And if you're wondering why you should care, stop.  Rule #1, if it's written here then it's important.  It's really the only rule we need around here.

Back to the point - my second team (behind my beloved Gators, of course, who had a terrible season) is on top and Auburn, Alabama is in celebration mode.  Except the Auburn coach, who is ready to get back to business: the business of rebuilding his team, since it looks like they are losing some key players to the NFL draft this year.

Speaking of NFL draft players, what about my boy Tebow?  They seem to be giving him a chance, finally, in Denver, and he's not looking too shabby.  Whether he stays there or the trade rumors are true and he moves on, I still have high hopes for him.

And that exhausts what I can say on the topic of football, so we'll move on to a topic I'm more versed in: my latest creations.  Here are a couple using Kay Eflin's new kit Domestic Goddess:

Miniatures: My Great Aunt Laura had her own dollhouse.

Domestic Goddess: My Aunt Yone is a phenomenal woman:

I am not even a Domestic Princess, seeing as how there is a never-ending pile of dishes on my kitchen counter and my dining room table needs to be cleared yet again.  But hey, my scrapbook table is in good shape, lol.

Wrapping up 2010

The answer is no - I did not finish 51 layouts.  I ended 2010 with 301 completed layouts/projects.  I'm setting a goal in 2011 of 350 layouts again.  My target is 30 per month with a 10 layout forgiveness policy. 

Mom, Tabatha and I went to see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader on New Year's Eve.  That was awesome!  Loved it, and so happy to see the series is not suffering for the loss of Disney's support.  I hope they greenlight The Silver Chair next.  Mom came over to my house later to ring in the New Year - we paused our Office marathon to watch the ball drop, have a sparkling grape juice toast with $ in our hands, make our 12 wishes with grapes, run our suitcases to the parking lot and back, take out the trash, sweep the dirt out the door, and empty the dishwater.  So we'll be financially successful with peace, prosperity, a happy family, safe travels and a clean house in 2011.  Awesome!

Christmas is Kicking My Butt

Oh dear, I'll be happy for Christmas Eve.  Then it will be too late to worry about whatever isn't done or anything I've forgotten, lol. 

Tonight is cookie baking night!  I'm going over to Mom's and taking my baking pans with me.  We are a cookie baking family, from the chilled dough right on down to the sprinkles and chocolate chips.  If Lisa didn't already make the sugar cookie dough you'll hear me scream all the way to San Antonio.

I am currently 51 layouts off of my 2010 goal. I had hoped for 350 layouts for the year and I just finished 299.  Blogger is not letting me upload #299 so here is #298:

Lisa is going to be so happy to have her face plastered on my blog, hee hee.

51 layouts in 10 days with a holiday or two in-between?  Could happen...

Down to the Wire

In a wicked game of procrastination, otherwise known as "Don't tell Nicole or she'll pass out and then bop me on the head," I waited to the last minute to finish Logan's 1st birthday album.  Luckily I work well under pressure or I would have had to show up to Logan's birthday party with a paper bag on my head.

So here it is, in all its glory (well, all except the last page which I didn't have time to photograph):

You're Only One Once

1st Birthday Party - Cars

Crawl/Climb

Shuffle/Walk

Thanksgiving 2010

Christmas 2010

New Years 2011

Becoming A Big Brother/Easter 2011

Summer 2011/4th of July 2011

Fun and Candy

Travel the Road 2 - picture not available

So there you have it - a whole year of Cars.  And now, onto Lion King for new baby!  Check back soon for some Holiday Cheer.

Tis The Seas-on

In a break from the traditional holiday subjects that usually consume December, our team at ESS did a nautical reveal this past week.  We used Jen Reed's new Nautical Nights Collection (Papers and Elements).  There are a number of cute layouts up on the blog.  Here's the one I created:

Shuttle Boat Ride

When Michelle and Bob were down to visit with the girls in October, John and I met up with them and brought Bianca and Libby along.  Ages ranging 4 - 7, it was a great match-up and all the girls got along really well.  They had fun together, beginning with the shuttle boat ride we took from Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter to Downtown Disney's Marketplace.

A Warrior, A Scholar, A Husband, A Friend

Uncle Pots passed away suddenly on October 29.  It stunned us all.  Sure, he's had health problems, but even Aunt Yone felt he was doing well.  It was devestating - not just to lose Uncle Pots but to watch Aunt Yone deal with the loss.  It's the loss of her world and my heart breaks for her.  I was able to go up not just for the funeral but for a few days before to spend with Aunt Yone and Uncle Donald, who had rushed there to be with her when he heard the news.  Dad's reaction was almost as quick as Uncle D; he was on a train within 6 hours of getting the news and arrived in Lakeland in time to drive to South Carolina with us.  I'm truly blessed with the men in my life.

I created a memorial plaque for Aunt Yone, and created a poem to recognize the exceptional person that my uncle was:

Fight the battle, win the war
As you did the time before
Down the path, open the gate
Into his arms, you won’t be late

You are precious in his sight
You are safe within his might
Ne’er more to have to roam
Now you wait for us at home

And the time will come I hear
When again we will be near
Until then we face our fight
Walking always to the light

His obituary appeared online and in the Columbia paper:
Rest in Peace: Funeral service for First Sgt. Henry Melville Jackson Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), 76, will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 2, 2010, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial with full military honors in Ft. Jackson National Cemetery. Visitation will precede the service at the funeral home, beginning at noon.

Mr. Jackson died October 28, 2010. Born October 8, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was a son of the late Henry M. Jackson Sr. and Gertrude Louise Cumpton Jackson. He retired as a First Sergeant from the U.S. Army, serving three tours in Vietnam. A former Green Beret, he was a life member of the Special Forces Association and the National Rifle Association. He had retired from the SWAT Team of the Columbia Police Department after 24 years service. Sgt. Jackson joined the Columbia Police Department in August 1973 as a patrolman. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1993 and once named “Outstanding Officer of the Year.” Sgt. Jackson played a vital role in the Special Operations group as primary instructor and technical officer for the police department’s SWAT Teams and Civil Disturbance Training. A true patriot, he loved his country and enjoyed wood and leather working. He was a loving husband of 43 years and a loving uncle who loved to spoil his great-nephews.

Surviving are his wife of 43 years, Yone O. Jackson; brother, Donald Jackson of Alabama; sister, Toni Hesson of Florida; sister, Ann Anderson of Alabama; sister, Laura Colquitt of Wisconsin; nephew, Butch Jackson (Susan), nephew Bill Jackson, great-niece Meredith and great-nephew Hunter; nieces Tania Ruiz (John), Nicole Hickey (Dana), and Lisa Roberts; great-nieces Tabatha and Trinity Roberts and great-nephews Trevor Roberts and Logan Hickey; niece Anna Schrock (Brian), great-nephew Christian and great-niece Trinity; nephew, Nobuo Yamashiro (Dawn); great-nieces and nephews, Amy, Ken, Chris and Kyle Yamashiro, all of Irmo.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 520 Gervais St., Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29201.