WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY ON THURSDAY

We finished our day at the CHA show yesterday, placing our last order before grabbing a taxi and our luggage to head to the airport. Long delays were in order for everyone with the weather calling the shots across the nation. Our day ended at 11:30 pm when we finished our 45 minute drive from the airport to our little house in Marana, AZ to await the start of the Gem Show in Tucson. Aren't we the jet setters?

Travel, and attending the trade shows in particular, really raises havoc with a healthy diet. I dreaded stepping on the scale this morning as we had a very hard time finding nutritious food during the day at the CHA show. The food was slop. And the week before I had been running with my grandson feeding him well, but not myself. Do you find that when you are tired, physically and mentally, just anything will do? I don't focus on getting the protein that I need for energy or keeping up with my fresh fruit. I checked my weight on Sunday at home before leaving for the airport again, and was so disappointed to see that I had gained back everything that I had worked so hard to lose. So this morning, it was very hard to step on that scale. BUT.... I have lost my original 4 pounds and an extra 1.5! Hormones, walking, or just good fortune being with a good friend on a girly escape? It sure wasn't the eating!! I will take the loss being grateful and thankful for another tiny step towards my big goal, and my first milestone met... 5 pounds lost.

See you next week on Wednesday! Have a week full of joy and realized blessings!

Karen

BONUS!

Some days come with a bonus...a cherry on top if you will. Well, today was just such a day. We finished walking the CHA show and placed several orders which was a good accomplishment all by itself. Ordering at the end of a long day when the brain fog is thick is always a challenge! Our bonus came when we met up with Georgia of Grandma G's! Bless her heart for driving down to have diner with us! We know Georgia through the on line business network we all belong to Make Mine Pink. Georgia has the cutest vintage on line boutique! Do check it out!

I had the pleasure of meeting Georgia at the MMP Retreat in Virginia this past September, but Karen and Georgia had never met. What a hoot! We laughed and laughed till the restaurant was ready to close. I think we just about have Georgia convinced to hop on the plane with us to Tucson tomorrow! See you at the airport Georgia! What a hoot! I know, the picture is bad (sorry Georgia and Karen), but just focus on the cherry on top of those cute felted cupcakes! I love cherries!

DAY 2 AT THE CHA-CHA

Here we are, Day 2, actually, Day one of shopping, at the CHA show in Anaheim, before total exhaustion has set in. Where is Mickey when we need him? We have collected hundreds of catalogs, translating into major poundage to transport home. The displays have been incredible, the sheer volume of ideas overwhelming, and we haven't ordered yet! Tomorrow we have another 2-3 hours of walking and then as many hours of placing orders.



This is such a wonderfully diverse show... the buyers are of all ages, many nationalities and of course, differing interests. The exhibitors are many and the catagories vast... everything from chenille sticks to scrapbook brads and speciality papers. We are in Heaven!!



Yep! Look close, it's a shopping cart!

On The Road Again!

Willie Nelson may be the artist who made this country western song a hit, but it was my nephew who made it a favorite phrase in our family. When he was just little, he sang in his best monotone voice “on the road again, on the road agaiiiiin” for hours and hours upon end! Karen and I are singing that tune this week…yup, were on the road again! We are in Anaheim CA attending the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association Show) looking for supplies and new products for our handmade projects. It was a wild travel day! Three airports, two de-icings, and one dead run through the airport to catch a connecting flight and we are finally here. Too many flight delays to catch the show today, but we’ll have our shopping shoes on tomorrow! By the time we got here, checked in, moved to a new room because the internet signal was too week in the first one….we were starving. Have you ever eaten at a Buca di Beppo? Oh my, fantastic Italian! I’ve never eaten there when it was packed, but it was especially jammed with the show going on nearby. It was so noisy and fun! Sitting next to us was a group of 12 women all Scrappers here for the show. All food is served family style and passed. It was hilarious sitting next to them yelling at the top of the lungs “pass the Pizza” and “do you want any more salad down there”. Too funny!

Here’s a pick of one of our cute waiters and his funny shirt! A good time and great food…what more could you want! Ok, I’ll take a soft bed just about now too! Till tomorrow!
Eileen & Karen

ROSES!!!

If your a frequent blog follower, you know we participate in Make Mine Pinks, Pink Friday promotions as often as we can! This week we are so excited because the theme is one of our favorites, ROSES ROSES! We has just listed a bunch of new vintage and most of them have roses on them! We'll be moving them over to our Pink Friday category and offering a discount to all our Newsletter members. So...if you haven't joined our newsletter group yet, better do it fast! This sale is going to be great! Woo Hoo for Pink Fridays!

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAYS

Another week has passed! I am always shocked at the way time zips by when I am busy and my mind is working overtime. Have you had a good week? I surely hope so! This morning I jumped on the scale,(not too hard!) expecting to have gained, and SHOCK!!, I have lost 2 pounds. The boys down here have been snacking big time and Nana was requested to make M & M cookies. I did. Mainly, I have tried to up my fruit intake and when I think I must participate in the snacking, I grab another flavored water and have that instead. Undoubtedly my exercise has increased, nothing organized, just chasing after a 4 year old. So, I am pleased. Nothing dramatic, just a slow, steady weight loss, but it is consistent.


On to another week of excitement! I will be returning home again, only to trade underwear and leave again after less than 48 hours. I see that being away from home is tons of fun, but makes it difficult to control eating patterns. This next trip I will have to pack some healthy snacks and really watch what I eat. I will not be near a scale on Wed., so Thursday will be Weigh In next week. Thank you for your support. I hope we can all work this healthy help program together!

Karen

TENACITY

Tenacity: persistent in maintaining, adhering to; seeking something valued or desired; stubborn; strong.



We are down in Marana, north of Tucson, with our grandson for a week of fun. The desert is not my favorite place, I need water nearby, so I need to find the beauty here and it has been difficult. Our 4 year old grandson loves “the Arizona house”. The first morning, he woke up and went outside to check things out. As was standing by him, he looked up and said “Nana, isn't it beautiful here?” I had to ask why, what am I missing? He came back with “I love the cactus, the blue sky, the sunshine and the swimming pool”.
I had to ponder the entire day, what beauty can I find? Finally, the word tenacity came to mind. This vast country is tenacious. It persists in struggling for life, stubborn and strong in fighting the incredible temperatures, lack of rain and now man scraping and scarring the ground in favor of development. Life is tough here. Vegetation growth shuts down during hot and dry months, springing to life again at the advent of rain. The rains can also be so ferocious, flooding the washes and spreading onto roads, ripping the foundations from under them. Yet, the cactus bloom, the delicate wild desert flowers burst into flaming color and the skies are blue. The beauty for me is the tenacity.

Karen

Please visit our website and enjoy the new pieces that I have been adding... growing my own virtue of tenacity!

Atlanta-Fun & Inspiring

We just came back from the Atlanta Gift Market! What a fun trip! My daughter and her husband moved to Atlanta in July so it was definitely a “business mixed with pleasure” trip! I’ve been attending the Atlanta Market for the last eight years with friends or coworkers, but this is the first time my daughter and husband have gone with me.

We stayed in their beautiful new home and commuted in. It worked out just great.

We had a blast at the market too! It was so fun showing them around my favorite market. It was great to have their fresh eyes and opinions as we looked for great new products. I always come back from the market feeling so inspired, ready to tear it up! Just wait till you see our 2009 offerings! It’s going to be a great year!

We even managed to squeeze in some fun this year and visited the Coke Museum. Here we are in our 3D glasses!

Time For New

After the Holidays are over and the decorations put away, I always feel ready for a little something new around the house! I'm excited about doing some painting and refreshing some tired areas in my home. But until then, a few new accessories will do the trick! Join us on Friday for Pink Friday, "In With The New" sale! Use the above link to jump straight to Make Mine Pink for all the great shops and their offerings or this link to jump straight to Forget Me Not Dreams Pink Friday Category. Happy Shopping!

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAYS

Here it is, Weigh In Wednesday Week 2.
What a week it was! This morning I weighed in down 1.5 pounds from last week. Yesterday morning I was down 4 pounds. I have learned many things this week. #1, I'm not sure about the multiple weigh ins during the week. This week, it helped because I did learn a few things. #2, As a younger person, I had no palate for sweets, as a menopausal mama, I have chocolate rages. If you are in the way, like blocking the door to the room where the chocolate is hidden, you had best move! Nothing separates me from my hormones and chocolate. This week we had chocolate withdrawal. Not pretty, but a dash to the 'frig for a cold flavored water really worked. Yesterday was not so good, but 1 out of seven is a great improvement.
#3, Diet Coke is my enemy. Too much sodium and other bad stuff in it. I went to Diet Rite and the flavored water. I'm thinking that the initial 4 pound loss was from the switch, as last night I had the dreaded DC at a movie with my husband. Yes, a date night with my husband. Incredible.

So, I can chalk this week up in the success column as 1 pound/week is my anticipation. I learned by my own observation, no lectures, that I have to drink more water and stay away from the Diet Coke. Chocolate will still be in my future, unless I plan on jail time, but I will usually trade that out with flavored water or fruit. Eileen will be storing our little chocolate bar snowmen at her house unless you all find pity on us and buy them.

On to the next week. I will have my grandson with us all week in Tucson. We are all looking forward to the sun. Ken has bought him some little golf clubs and we have lots of plans for walking and swimming. Target and Walmart are special favorites for shopping. Should be fun!!

AWE

AWE! : reverent wonder tinged with fear inspired by the sublime.

I woke to see this incredible sunrise this morning! We haven't seen anything but gray, dingy skies for so long...snow, ice, rain, flooding... what a wonderful sight this was. It is so amazing how the sunlight can lift your emotions so much! Then to see this palate of the Creator's breath-taking colors, never to be truly reproduced by the human hand. The word is used so often, it has become trivialized, but this was truly awesome.

Have a wonderful day and create some of your own beauties,with your hands or in your heart!

Karen

JOY!!

JOY!: to experience great pleasure or delight; Rejoice!

We received this, the first picture of our new grandson expected in late May. It will be the first for our youngest son and his wife. The emotions for me, seeing this for the first time, were of pure joy and overwhelming love. They crashed over me like a wave, all encompassing, flooding my heart and soul. The skinny little leg and the precious facial features, so sweet and such a gift. Little Hagen will be named after my dad, a man so incredible and so close to my sons and me. We all miss him so much. Prayers will be lifted that this little one will have some of his great papa's wisdom, love for others and love for his God and Savior.

Two verses immediately came to mind.... Psalm 139:13-14
“For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Nana Karen

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAYS

Pansy's growing on the side of Mt. Etna in Sicily.


I am starting a new program called Weigh In Wednesday. One of my anticipations is loosing some pounds so I feel better about myself , increasing my self esteem and making my body image more acceptable, eventually pleasing. This morning was my first horrifying weigh-in. Tears came instantly when those 3 large numbers clicked into place. More than I have ever weighed. I was a svelte 130 lbs. in 1990, graduating from nursing school after 4 grueling years
of studying chemistry, microbiology, anatomy/physiology and finally patient care. Found my dream job in drug research and life was way good! In six months I was stricken with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, incredible aching in every muscle and sleeping up to 18 hours every day. Then the seizures started 2 Grand Mal where I was rushed to the hospital to stay for a week each time. I was having up to 40 seizures every day. I couldn't be left alone and I couldn't work being on the massive anti-convulsants. The only positive was an incredible appetite, eating things I had never had a taste for. The final conclusion.... 45 pounds in 6 weeks, lots of anti-convulsant drugs and still seizures. Things have quieted physically, but the weight still jumps up sporadically and unexpectedly.
This is my plea... are there others out there needing a friend, a supporter to walk down the weight loss trail.? I have 3 friends who are joining me on the yellow brick road of protein bars. We need your stories of encouragement, your low cal, good tasting recipes and some good old Atta girl! You can do it!
So in starting, I am Karen of Forget Me not Dreams. My anticipation for this year is a loss of 40-50 lbs, slowly at a pound per week. My goal is to do more exercise, so walking on the treadmill until the weather gets better here, lifting some light weights at first and some floor stretching and exercising. After this first week, I will let you know next Wednesday how the battle went and what I want to add or change. Meet me here and let me know how you did through this week.
My friend and I have joined www.healthylivingonline.com on iVillage. It seems to be a very good, well rounded program. Check it out.

Thanks for listening!
Karen

SAVINGS!

Yup, we’ve missed them too! Pink Fridays are starting up again this week with the perfect theme to start off the new year….”Make Way For the New”! You’ll find an incredible 40% off savings in our Pink Friday category, so check it out! Click here for a sneak peek...but no buying till Friday! We are clearing out our shelves to make room for… “In With the New”. Don’t forget to check out the other great shops at Make Mine Pink Friday too!
Join us!
Karen & Eileen

ANTICIPATION

Anticipation is the act of looking forward: pleasurable expectation: the visualization of a future event or state.

I have decided that I am finished with the New Year's resolutions, as of 2009, I am going to have anticipations. At my tender age, resolutions have become too frustrating, too self defeating and not much fun. Anticipations on the other hand offer an element of surprise, expectation and promise. I'm ready!

So, my anticipation list for this year, or maybe until July 1st, or maybe for life is:
1) Relax more and gain more creativity in the process. Create!
2) Spend more laugh time with my grand babies. Welcome my new Sweet Pea in late May
3) Lose a pound a week until I feel better about looking in the mirror... breathing in my clothes is important too.
4) Make 4 new friends
5)Bring some kind of joy, make some kind of difference in the lives of 10 people. Bake more cookies for Marines overseas.
5) Anticipate the blessings in my life everyday, count them and be thankful!

WHAT ARE YOU ANTICIPATING FOR THIS COMING YEAR?

I would love to know! Karen

Celebrating Friends

It’s a pleasure to introduce a friend of ours to you via her new website. If you’ve picked up a Romantic Country or Country Victorian magazine in the past couple of months, chances are you have seen her work. She is Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms and now her new website Elegance & Whimsy. Cathy is such a talented artist. I affectionately call her the “Queen of Fufu”! Take a look at her new site and you’ll see what I mean. I just love her Wreaths Magnifique, truly over the top and so much fun! We hope you’ll join us in celebrating and stop by Cathy's new site! If you have a blog she's having a great blog contest too! A chance to win a $50 gift certificate to spend on her fabulous goodies! You'll love it!

Reflect

I love this time of year… a time to sit and reflect on the past year of my life, so filled with joy, passion, determination and growth. As I look to the next year, I reflect on the possibilities. It stretches out before me, at this point a blank canvas, a fresh start. The door is wide open and it’s mine for the taking.