Alter This

Tears in Heaven

Friday's shooting in Connecticut has left me heartbroken.  Like you, I have felt the sadness and cried along side so many others as I watched news reports.  How can something so cruel and unspeakable happen to the most innocent - our children? 

This time of the year is suppose to be filled with excited children looking forward to the joy of Christmas.  But that part of this season has been taken from all of us this year.   I struggle to find a way to take away the pain but no amount of words can express this heartache.

I pray this time of year we celebrate life and hold our children close.

 

Fabulous Friday!

Wanted to post a note about my sidebars information {look left and right lol} they are NOT correct.  And i don't have any kits yet for sale but i am working on getting them on here and updating my teaching schedule. 

My teaching schedule is wonderful and i feel blessed to spend time traveling and teaching.   I am equally excited to team up with Croptopia Getaways for a new adventure!  I will still be teaching on 2 cruises this year {One out of Rome, Italy and one this May to the Carribean}   I cannot wait to announce our new venture - stay tuned it will be very soon!

I can tell you that one of first events will be a Mixed Media Cruise to the Carribean! I am teaching along side the fabulous Michelle McCosh, Owner of Everything Scrapbook & Stamps in Lake Worth Fl, she is an amazing Artist and friend! We already have some attendees for this event just announced yesterday! We want to keep it small so don't wait!

 

In other news, as you may know one of our biggest shows is just around the corner, so i am knee deep in projects for our new booth "Splash of Color" in Anaheim, CA this January!  I am also creating some new dies for Accucut Craft [i love both these companies so much]. Of course, my home is chaos and my studio a complete MESS!  But i love all the excitement!

Before i sign off i wanted to thank you for all your kind emails about my mom and my weight loss.  I am happy to report that as of this morning i am down 37lbs...I am fit, strong and looking forward to working hard into 2013 on my fitness goals!

Somedays my feet look like this when i am done...

I have lots of news to share about our family but that will have to wait for a few days.  In the meantime, a quote and a few photos of our "assistants" {who will be joining us for a Santa visit and Christmas tree selection tomorrow}

 

Hmmm who gave them the cat nine tails? lol

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”–John Maxwell

Going to see Pink in March ...just added this track to my running playlist {love how fit she is after giving birth, oh and of course he eye candy lol}

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday mom

I hope today you enjoyed a big piece of cake with Dad and Stevie. 

Mom & Dad {she was so proud to fit back into a size 8 dress}

Love this photo

My mom and brother stevie, my step-sister sue, me {in the silly daisy hat} and my dad circ 1969

Hard to believe that you have been gone for 10months.  I miss you

A Year in Review

I have decided to relaunch my blog and try and catch up on all that has happened over the past year.  There have been some amazing highlights but of course, some equally difficult lows.  

The past 1.5 has been a hard journey for our family.  My mom had been diagnosed with lung cancer almost 10 years ago.  A smoker, she fell in and out of remission and treatments throughout that time.  Last year she began what would be her most difficult treatment that would eventually take her life.  In February I said goodbye to my mom one last time.  Losing her has been very hard and I miss her everyday.  Her death was the third loss over the past ten years, having said my goodbyes to my dad and my only natural sibling, Stevie.    

I have faced many tough times over the years, but the death of my mom was different, it left me looking at my lifestyle and my health.  Fighting cancer was something I had done 15 years earlier and I had come out a survivor - something no one at the time expected.   But her death made me realize how fragile our bodies are and I wanted to transform myself and see how far i could push my will.  There began my journey to transform my body and my mind.  While it is true that the road is usually difficult, nothing in life comes easy and I knew in the end it would be a blessing. 

Over the next few weeks I promise to share more of what  has been happening in our family, but today I will start with my personal journey to be fit.

My Journey begins.....

Beginning in the Spring, I set out to make some significant changes in my life.  I wrote a list of my goals on paper, knowing that this would make it real to me.  After returning from Germany in June, I began a journey to self awareness of where have i been, where am I right now, and where I want to go from here.   I knew right away where i would start and which goals would be at the top of my list.

First step was to commit to tackling the one goal that would be the most difficult.  It would take all of my willpower and alot of sweat and determination.  I set out to change my body, I didnt want to just lose weight but i wanted to sculpt and tone - i wanted to be fit.  A big goal indeed.  First,  I looked hard at my eating habits, logging all my food choices.    I knew i was a carb and sugar addict I also learned that my body was craving the sugar high and knew I had to change that.  The challenge was to give my body that same high but from something positive - fitness! 

I needed to totally prepare myself for the road that was ahead, I knew there would be times i would be tempted to not exercise or fall back into my eating patterns.  And i knew that my travel schedule could make it very difficult to keep up with my goal.

I pushed the limits of my body, lifting weights and running in all types of weather.  It slowly became a lifestyle...it was simply part of my day.  I am happy to report that as of today I am down 36lbs {to put it in perspective that is the weight of one of my twin grandbabies lol}  I can tell you that it has made a big difference and I see dramatic changes in my body as a result of my weight loss.  Some would argue that i was not fat, but i was uncomfortable in my clothes.  I am proud to fit into a small/medium top and putting on a size 6-8 jeans feels amazing!  I now look at food as fuel and nutrition - my body is a temple and I have changed my life for the better! All of the runs, the crunches and the lifting were well worth it. I like the fit women that I see when i look into the mirror but i love that i set my mind to change something I didn't like and even though it was difficult at times, i did it!

There have been many who have inspired me along my journey with their encouragment and motivation! I will forever be grateful for their help along the road. My husband who runs nearly every day has been a constant by my side sometime pushing me beyond what i thought capable.   He is my biggest cheerleader, giving me words of encouragement when i felt the scale or my body was not changing fast enough {he told me recently that my body is more fit than the day i married him}.  

Recently,  i have received emails from friends asking me for advice with getting started.   I hope that my story will be an encouragement to anyone who wants to create their journey and see their dreams become a reality.

One of the most important things to remember when starting out is to know before hand that there will be hard days.  Write down your goals with small steps..I put down small losses as goals, 5lbs, 10lbs all felt great when i could see the goals becoming a reality.  You need to mentally prepare yourself that the scale will not always move each week, in fact some weeks it may go up some.  That was very hard for me. Nothing is more important in this journey than persistence!! You will be tested, you will be tempted to eat the wrong things, you will want to quit, but if you hold on, you will reach goals, and what a day that will be!

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz

Where will my Journey take me in 2013?  

I am not finished with my fitness goals, i want to challenge myself with a tri-athelon and some road races.  Something I could only dream about before now seems within reach.  I still have areas on my body that will work hard to tone more.  I am going to join a gym and take classes that are outside my comfort zone - nothing is impossible if i set my mind and work hard.

In the process of becoming fit,  I have added years onto my life and to me that is the best reward! I want to live my life with a passion for making not only the most of each moment - but to make the most of this temple - my body! Today I am taking time to look back and not lose sight of the beautiful transformation that has taken place. 

I will leave you with this.  Every person who has made a change in their life remembers a specific point in time where something just clicked and they knew this was the moment to change.  This is that moment for each of us. Now - today - is the day for change. Forget what happened yesterday and focus on the daily changes you can make that will bring you closer to your goal.

"It is NEVER too late to become what you might have been!" - George Eliot

And a favorite song I listen to while running on my Ipod:

Surprised??!!

So I know what you're all thinking -

"OMG she's finally updating her blog!".

Sorry to dissapoint you all but this is not Cheryl - it's her friend, Dawn. I am hijacking her blog! 

Some of you may know me, I help Cheryl in her classes (usually getting thrown under the bus for something missing from a kit!) (;  

Cheryl and I have known each other for several years. We have alot of laughs together. We come from similar backgrounds and share several things in common: Chocolate, papercrafting, chocolat, Blue Moon, el chocolate, photography, la cioccolata, shopping, schokolade (are you sensing a pattern here?)

We have also shared many adventures. I like to compare us to:

Lucy & Ethel

   

Laverne & Shirley

and

Thelma & Louise

For those who know Cheryl, let's have a little fun! Leave a comment on who you think represents Cheryl the best in each pair. 

I will share some of our adventures as the weeks go by (unless Cheryl changes her password and locks me out!).

I am also going to help her get more kits up on her blog so you can create some of her beautiful projects at home. If you are lucky enough to have Cheryl coming to a store near you, make sure you take a class. If your even luckier and she is teaching close to home then you will get to be entertained by both of us!

In true Cheryl tradition,  I end this post with a quote:

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you!"   

Happy Easter

Sometimes family gatherings are best when done on the fly.  This year we had alot going so a traditional family dinner was just not in the cards.

With my oldest moving, my husband on call, Stef and my youngest son working and a flight to catch for me......well it really was a challenge.  

Rather than miss out on celebrating, we decided to opt for a brunch on the waterfront in boston.  Truly a perfect choice as the weather was sunny and warm and the views spectacular.  If you are in the area be sure to stop in for brunch at Sam's at Louis as the food was wonderful. 

If you have been visiting my blog, you know how versatile my music taste is, from rap to jazz - i love it all! Lately my Ipod has been filled with James Blunt's {his concert was amazing} and Adele!  I have been unsuccessful so far in obtaining tickets to Adele.  BUT my son just moved across from the BOA pavillion so I may have to visit him that night and sit on his roof deck!

Honestly Adele's entire CD is so good -  my two favorites? -"Rolling in the deep" and "Someone like you"!

The lyrics and her voice are so powerful!

check them both out below

This girls is off - have a plane to catch! 

blessings,

cheryl

 

 

 

Is this thing on?

I know, I know, I am sooo bad at updating my blog ....geesh. Everytime i post i vow to keep up with this little olde blog of mine and then my life gets all crazy and well i don't blog. I have to be honest though finding time to post a quick hello, or where i am teaching, or the "assistants" photos are sooo much quicker on Facebook. So if you want more frequent updates visit me there!  Updating to Facebook is so easy - most days I do it from my phone! 

Now onto some updating - shall we?

Lots of emails asking where i am and where i am going (concerns over my lack of blogging)?I have been home since Christmas {well other than two weeks in California in Jan/Feb}.  I have enjoyed my relaxing time with my family and friends!  The "assistants" are getting soo  big!   They love to watch Toy Story and Monsters, Inc, laughing when i recite a line or two {watched these way too many times}  In fact, they love Toy Story so much i bought them both a talking Woody - which they take to bed on their sleepover nights!  

Here are a few photos from this past weekend!

 

Braeden and Brody....

Serious Brody

Silly Braeden

These two are so fun to be with - they are still not talking much but they do sign to us...and i love that!  They have a whole life ahead to be chatty so i am fine with their twin language until then!

My time home is about to come to an end...i leave Easter night {after moving my oldest son to his new apt} for California for a few days.  I will be bouncing around between 7 states over the next few weeks - coming home for a few days at a time. 

Here are a few of the classes i will be teaching:

Birdhouse altered book is one of my newest dies from Accucut Craft!

I am using the new BG Curio collection with new Petaloo Flowers, May Arts Ribbons and Luminarte paints!

Butterfly Album is another die from Accucut Craft!

This time i am using the new Mable Collection from My Minds Eye, Petaloo flowers,and Luminarte!

Altered Inspired Butterfly Canvas Album uses the new Petaloo flowers, Memory Box stamps, IOD Devotion and Luminarte paints!  A really fun class with lots of techniques!

And the gorgeous new IOD Beach Cottage is the base of this Envelope book!

You can find me here

Cat's Creations - April 27- May 1st {texas}

She Scrapbooks - May 6 & 7th {Florida}

Whole Lotta Scrap - May 12-18 {Oklahoma}

Scrapbook N Such - May 19-21 {texas}

Okay signing off I have a concert to attend - one of my favorites {perhaps you have heard him on my blog?} James Blunt {swoon}at the House of Blues!! And if that is not enough Christina Perri will be prior to him!

Til then keep creating those memories!

Blessings

Cheryl

 

Cruisin'....

I cannot believe in only a matter of days we will be saying goodbye to 2010!  These last few months have flown by! Seems as though we just said hello to Fall and today as I write this blog post I am watching the snow fall outside.

Since my last post I have spent the later half of October, November and the first part of December traveling extensively.  Looking back on where I have been is a bit overwhelming.    I am still editing alot of my photos but wanted to share a few of my favorites so far!

My first trip in October, Stephen and I spent a relaxing wonderful week on a cruise visiting Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel.  While at sea, I spent my time teaching classes and hanging out with a wonderful group of women.

This was Stephen's first cruise and my fourth - and he loved it as much as I had hoped!   He has already agreed to accompany me again, and he won't have to wait too long - I am teaching on another cruise with Croptopia Getaways, this time to the Western Carribean next October! We will be visiting one of my  favorite islands, Roatan, Honduras!

Here are a few favorite photos from the cruise! 

Haiti {view from our cabana}

yikes almost didn't go in the water {i said almost}

Then on to Jamaica!

Jamaica - Dunn's River Falls!

Beautiful Coyaba Gardens

I love you Steve for always making me smile

and for being so patient while i took so many photos in the gardens...

 
nearly 300 of them....

and even this one....which clearly shows your patience. :)

and for buying me a camera to make me happy and to capture the peacock that followed us around Jamaica .

We spent some time with the locals...loved his donkey and flowers were gorgeous

and who can forget our rainforest visit to Carl "the spiceman"

and Cayman Islands

Our favorite island on this trip was Cayman even though the weather didn't cooperate as much as we liked, we still had a great time!

where we spent a bit of time at the beachfront bar enjoying a beverage or two while we waited out the rain.

Went for a walk on seven mile beach where steve found me this...

a "heart" shape rock {I have a collection from steve and the boys}

 

Our last stop was Cozumel so we decided to get up really early to see the sunrise...one of my favorite things to do!

Just Beautiful!

Last stop Cozumel!

we spent the day at a resort on the water

perfect view...:)

Leaving Cozumel....{if you look close you can see the beautiful tanzanite ring steve gave me}

Steve bought a package of photos from our time on the ship, but this is my favorite - an impromptu photo taken by a couple on our last day.

Great memories from our trip...tomorrow i will post some photos from my time in South Africa!

I leave you with a quote and snapshot of the assistants!

Blessings,

Cheryl

QOTD: "One day is worth a thousand tomorrows....~ Benjamin Franklin

Fall is in the air!

I have been away for a couple weeks enjoying some sunny, warm {perhaps a bit too warm} weather in Florida.

So when I arrived home on Friday I was a bit sad knowing Fall had arrived while I was away. Cool, crisp days, apple picking, pumpkin patches and football are all part of the norm replacing warm days spent at the beach, barbeques and pool parties!  As much as I love the warm colors of the Fall, I never can really completely enjoy this Season.  I know that Fall will evidentially lead to Winter and this girl is not a big fan.  *sigh*

So with Fall in the air, i did what any good 'honey' would do, i made plans to take the assistants to the their first pumpkin patch!

Which way to the pumpkin patch?

Checking out the 'mean' birds....

Poor brody was bit by the 'mean' birds....:(

Grampy giving boo boo kisses...:)

Picking out the perfect pumpkin

Grampy I want a pumpkin "this" big!

climbing mt. pumpkin

Braeden's pumpkin

finally two perfect pumpkins!

Guess who threw their pumpkin?

Brody following his brother's lead!

Oh oh........we have pumpkin pie!

This was the perfect ending to a fabulous weekend! I think the best part of traveling so much {besides seeing so much of this wonderful world} is coming home to my family!  I didn't stop all weekend, impromptu dinner with Stephen at a favorite restauarant friday, Saturday morning football with Samuele and spending Saturday night and Sunday with Michael and Ashley. 

Today is exactly two weeks til Stephen and I leave for our Carribean cruise.  He does not often travel with me when i am teaching so i am excited that he has decided to join me this time! My schedule is very crazy for the next two months, I arrive home from our cruise and leave the next evening for London and then South Africa!  I am excited but will miss my family very much.  

And of course a few favorite quotes...the last one I am holding near as I start back running tomorrow...my goal is to run the five mile this Thanksgiving! Wish me luck!

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing" ~ Author unknown

"If I had my life to live over....I'd dare to make more mistakes next time." ~ Nadine Stair

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing"~Dale Carnegie

 Wishing you a blessed day!

Honey....

As most of you know, ever since the assistants were infants, we have kept them overnight a couple of days a week.  Even with my hectic travel, we still try to maintain this schedule with them. 

Yesterday they arrived for their Thursday sleepover {Tuesday this week as Thursday is their birthday}. After changing them and giving them breakfast, Braeden hugged me and finally called me "Honey" {a name for grammy}. 

Melt.my.heart! 

 

Assistants at the Zoo with Stef!