Category Archives: Goals

Belly Dancing Night!

Good evening!

I’m here! I’m here! I am sorry, I had forgotten that my e-mail account was hacked into a couple of days ago and it broke my connection to my Blackberry, so I wasn’t able to blog today like I had wanted to. To make it up to you, I will make this one a little long to tell you about all the things going on with my day!!

I did not get a post up this morning, I was running around like a buzy bee trying to get out the door in time this morning! I am not sure why but time seemed to pass really quickly, and before I new it, I had my flat iron in my hand and it was 7:30! AAAACK!!! 10 minutes AFTER I normally leave for the office!!!

Then by lunch time, my day had completely flipped, and was now going SOOOOOOOOOOOO VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY SLOOOOOOOOOOOWLY!! I almost couldn’t stand it!!! 😉 I was soooo jazzed about my belly dancing class tonight – I just wanted to get out there and get to it!! It was supposed to be veil night!

 VEIL NIGHT!!!

WHOO! HOO!!

I mean, come on! What little girl didn’t dream about playing dress up and being a little Indian Girl layered in veils, dancing beautifully, while being adored by her audience??? No? Not you?? Oh, so it was just me then?? Oh. Ok. Man I am so wanting to learn how to do an actual dance, and I realize we are learning all of the kinds of moves you can do so that way when you do put dances together you know what you are doing – BUT, PUT ME IN COACH!! I AM SOOOO READY TO PLAY!!! 😉

My co-workers were SUPER UNDERSTANDING this afternoon, seeing that even the boss wasn’t too into the idea of getting any work done, so they spent a little time talking about all of their plants that are coming up in their vegetable gardens, and I was soooo jealous!! I want a garden too, but that is kind of difficult when you live in a condo. However, they gave me all sorts of ideas on how to grow plants in my own container gardens, or even in small greenhouses that I can use year round! Isn’t that just DIVINE??? Really! I am so inspired! and you HAVE TO KNOW, my hubbie would just LOVE that!!! I can’t wait to tell him all about it!!

After work tonight, I started my artist date with myself and did a lot of walking around downtown, going from craft place to craft place looking for art or craft classes that I could take, and I have to tell you I found quite a bit of them that I am going to look further into. One is an encaustic painting class. I had seen an artist doing that on a craft program some years back and it has always intrigued me, so I put it on my life list! It is the one about painting with wax – that is was encaustic painting it. I also found a quilting class I want to take and a collage class that I am going to take!! They all sounds REALLY FUN and EXCITING! and I am sure they will be, but what I am most excited about is a class that I have signed Jason and I up for tomorrow!! We are going to be taking a glass fusing class at one of our local art studios here in Salem. This is going to be a first for both of us, and I JUST KNOW we are going to have A BLAST!! My co-worker was just SHOCKED that Jason agreed to do this for our date night, but he WAS TOTALLY GAME!!! Jason has a bit of an artistic streak running through him too!! I told you we were MFEO!!! (Made For Each Other!!)

We will do all of our glass cutting/designing/assembling tomorrow evening, and then the studio will kiln fire it for us, and we will pick it up in 7 days! I hope they turn out looking FABULOUS!!! I can’t wait to share pictures!!!

Oh, talking about pictures! I spoke to my belly dancing class mates tonight, and besides myself, the vote for me taking pictures of the class was a RESOUNDING HELL NO!!!

BUMMER!!

I was shocked (doesn’t EVERYONE put there life out on the internet for public perusal??? LOL!), and a little bummed (boo! hiss!), but I will respect the wishes of the class, and refrain from taking , for now! HOWEVER, if we should ever perform, you had better believe that I am going to task Jason to take as many pictures as he is able to, and HONEY I AM SHARING THEM ALL WITH YOU!!! 😉

So, I will be taking pictures of our glass class tomorrow! (I hope that is alright???) and I will share them with you tomorrow! They should be GREAT!!! Until then…

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

NOTE TO CHUNKY DUNKERS: I did 1/2 an hour of walking downtown, and an hour belly dancing class today! I at a strawberry smoothie for breakfast, a small whole wheat english muffin ham sandwich for snack, mini-bite Crunch candy bar, baked carrots, a baked potato with sour cream, and some baked turkey for lunch, a large chocolate chip cookie in the afternoon, and then I had a super healthy chicken, veggies, and rice for dinner! Looking at this, I can see that there is a lot of room for improvement, so I will be conscious and try to do better tomorrow! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!!

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 9

Good evening!

Welcome to week 9, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!! Welcome back to those who join us every week, including those of your who silently follow us, and welcome to those who may be new to my blog this evening.

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Last week we talked about visualizing your fit, healthy, and vivaciously energetic, most perfect self. This is still one of my favorite exercises because all it takes is closing your eyes, holding still and visualizing yourself as that person. Did you notice anything in yourself that would need to stop or start doing to get to that person in your mind??? I know I did, and still do.

Tonight’s topic: Hitting a Plateau

I am not sure about any of you, but have any of you hit a plateau in your fitness/weight loss goals? I really have!!! I am not sure if it is my lack of motivation, lack of face-to-face support, or if I have just have myself too busy learning to tap back into my creative self, or it could be that I am just sore! Besides my belly dancing class once a week, I really haven’t done much in the way of exercising! BOO! HISS!! I know!! I can’t believe it either!!!

AREN’T I SUPPOSED TO BE OUR SUPPORT GROUP LEADER???
AAAACK!!

Ok, that might be a little melodramatic, I know that I am human just like all of you are too! So, instead of kicking my booty about it, I am hopping back on the bandwagon! I am making my fitness a priority, and I have got to start making healthy eating more of a priority – although I have to say that most of my fruits and vegetables are now organic, so that has got to count for something, I think!?!?! 😉

So, I recommit!

Here is my contract with

you,

but even more importantly, my contract with

myself!

I, Christina, hereby solemnly swear to move my body with some kind of an aerobic activity for at least 1/2 an hour every day.

I, Christina, also vow to make sure that I carry a small journal with me at all times so that I can write down whatever I eat or drink, no matter how horrific or terrifying my food choice is at the time. I will not berate myself for what I write, but will use the log as a learning tool to do better next week.

I, Christina, will treat myself nicely, gently, and lovingly, as if I were my own best friend. I will keep an eye on my self-talk to make sure that I remind myself that I am happy, I am blessed, and I am healthy, because I deserve it.

I, Christina, will remember that this process is a journey, and not a destination; that once I hit my ideal weight/size, that life doesn’t stop there. This is about living and loving life to it’s fullest, and looking for ways that I can be a blessing to those around me every day!

Signed & Dated this Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at 6:00 pm.

Do you need to make a contract with yourself?? If so, that is your homework!!

GO CHUNKY DUNKER’S!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!

A Productive Tuesday Morning!

Good morning!

I have had a pretty productive morning, this morning! I am busy learning about all sorts of features in WordPress that I have just been too chicken to learn previously. I am realizing that if I take it one change at a time, it is a piece of cake! 😉 I hope that any and all of the new links/features I am adding will be helpful to you as you continue to read my blog, and hopefully share with your friends!! 🙂

I am trying to decide what my creative task will be this evening. I have been trying to devour the information in quite a few blogging books, and also still trying to get all of the The Artist’s Way program assignments completed, and this week there are a lot, however I am only supposed to do half of them!! I have my camera with me, so I need to continue to look for the beautiful and interesting to share, and I think that today I will take a nature walk, and dry some flowers for some Spring and Summertime Artwork! I have decided that my banner, although perfect for Winter, is a little too heavy for my tastes for Spring, so it is definitely time for a change in that dept! I need to rotate artwork, create some new pillow coverd and maybe make a small quilt to cover and lighten up the couch! That should be fun, and make for a PLEASANT change in our little place!!!

Well, I see that it is almost time for me to head out to the office today, I have a busy day of work ahead of me today, but I am optimistic that it will be a good day!! I am just hoping to keep my head down and knock out some assignments before I leave to come home today! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: Please don’t forget that tomorrow night is Chunky Dunker night! I will see you all a little after 6:30 om, tomorrow!! I can’t wait to hear how everyone is doing!! Until then, TOODLES!!! 😉

A Monday of Positivity!

From Tiffany's "Happy Girls are the Prettiest Girls" Shoot

Good evening!

Work did get a little bumpy today, but I knew that it would, right? And it did, of course! There are a lot of changes going to be happening in the next few months, but that is alright. I know that everything is going to turn out alright, it always has and always will.

I have to tell you that all of this tapping into my creativity has given me hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel for my life! I feel like I am learning what my true purpose for being placed on this earth for. I can not yet articulate what I am thinking, but I am learning that it is ok to be creative, and to use my creativity to somehow make the world a better place. I honestly didn’t think that was possible before. I thought creativity was something that you stole moments of while your life takes a break from chewing you up! Sad, really!! I realize that I don’t have to be “chewed up any longer” that I am allowed to take time for myself, without guilt, to replenish and recoup what is the best of me, so that I am ready and able to better take care of others!! That, my friend, is called growth!!! LOL! 😉

I had quite the surprise right before I left the office today! Sometime last week, I had taken a leap of faith and had e-mailed a couple of my FAVORITE photographers/bloggers, not really thinking that any of them would EVER write me back. It was more for the action of stepping outside of my box, and doing something I wouldn’t think I could do. Well, today, quite unexpectedly, I got a return e-mail!!!! When I saw the name of the person sending it, I can not tell you how excited I was to see her name – I literally started jumping up and down inside of my own head!! YEAH!!! WHOO!!! HOO!! I can’t believe she wrote back!!! Anyway, it was Tiffany Kirchner Dixon of The Fancy Farmgirl, and she very graciously answered all of my questions, plus gave me some very lovely encouraging words of advice for getting myself started with photography!!! To say that I was jazzed, was a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!! It gave me proof that I was on the right track. I am still not sure what my “art” is, or how it is going to manifest itself, but I KNOW that I am heading in the right direction!!!

Tiffany’s blog (I feel like we are at that place now, you know, first name basis!!) is ABSOLUTELY SCRUMTIOUS!! I love the ebb and flow of her postings, reading about her family, and perusing her DREAM-LIKE photography!! I KNOW that my sis, Alex would REALLY like her work too!! PERFECTION!! The photo above is one Tiffany’s and you can see more of her photography here!

I have to confess that even though that was the MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE to my day, I was soooo thankful to get home today! I had been hankering to get home the entire work day, kind of like a little kid pining for recess during an especially difficult math test!! My sweetie and I finally scheduled some time to have some quality time for right after work! It has been a while since we have both been able to get away from all of the work and distractions of life, and just spend some much needed time together! It is ALWAYS so much fun to spend time with him, sharing out laughter and dreams! He is just such a genuine human being, and he really had this way of bringing out the playful kid out of me!! He is my own personal gentle giant, and really makes my life so much better!! Thank you, Love! You mean the world to me!!!

Well, before I ramble on for the rest of the night, I am going to close up shop for the night so that I can go climb into bed with my love and do some reading before we slip off to la-la-land and have some SWEET DREAMS!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Creative Affirmations!

Good evening!

I know I have already posted my blog tonight, but I am going through my Artist’s Way Chapter for the week, and I realized there are a couple of thoughts that I may want to call upon later during this week, and maybe longer. So, I had thought, seeing that this is my online journal, I would share them here so I may refer back to them!

Taken from Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist Way, pgs 37-37

Creative Affirmations:

  1. I am a channel of God’s creativity, and my work comes to good.
  2. My dreams come from God and God has the power to accomplish them.
  3. As I create and listen, I will be lead.
  4. Creativity is the creator’s will for me.
  5. My creativity heals myself and others.
  6. I am allowed to nurture my artist.
  7. Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish.
  8. Through the use of my creativity, I serve God.
  9. My creativity always leads me to truth and love.
  10. My creativity leads me to forgiveness and self-forgiveness.
  11. There is a divine plan of goodness for me.
  12. There is a divine plan of goodness for my work.
  13. As I listen to the creator within, I am led.
  14. As I listen to my creativity I am lead to my creator.
  15. I am willing to create.
  16. I am willing to learn to let myself create.
  17. I am willing to let God create through me.
  18. I am willing to be of service through my creativity.
  19. I am willing to experience my creative energy.
  20. I am willing to use my creative talents.

Have a FABULOUS evening!

A Day At Aunt Bee’s!

Good evening!

I had a change of plans this morning, and decided that I was going to practice my photography, as a continuation of this weeks’ The Artist’s Way program assignment. I had originally planned to go out and take pictures of all of the places that I had been to today and share those pics with you. Well, at about my third stop out today, I had decided to go to one of my FAVORITE places in town, and that is Aunt Bee’s House!

Aunt Bee’s House is the home decor, furnishings, gift, consignment shop that is located on 2679 Commercial St SE, here in my hometown of Salem, Oregon. There motto is “A place to shop, be inspired and get away from it all” and man, they ARE NOT KIDDING!!! I can while an entire day away in this FABULOUS store!! I walked in, and very hesitantly asked one of the ladies there if she minded if I were to take some pictures for my Artist’s Way assignment to post on my blog, and she very nicely said, yes! I was soooo JAZZED!! Anyway, I proceeded to go throughout the store and took almost 300 pictures, which is so easy to do because they have soooo many DECEDANTLY DELICIOUS displays, and all sorts of decor that I would totally LOVE in my home!! WHEW!! I really had fun!!

Before I get too far into my post for this evening, I wanted to say thank you to the Aunt Bee’s House staff! You ladies were VERY helpful, and VERY friendly!! You helped make today soooo much fun, and I was able to complete my Artist’s Way assignment this week!! I will be back many times in the future for sure, if not for taking more pictures, then for shopping my little heart out!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! 😉

So, without further ado, here are some of the treasures that I found on my trip to Aunt Bee’s House today!!

This is what you are greeted with when you first walk in – it is just so cheery and Springtime!! You’ll know right off the bat that you are going find some LOVELY treasures to take home!!! Do you see all of these FABULOUS quilts!!! Because of my outing today, I am now dreaming of one for our bed! I think it will really lighten the mood in the room for the Spring and Summertime.

Apron? Check. Pearls? Check. FABULOUS Large floral broach? Check. Now I am OFFICIALLY ready to clean!! 😉

What an INGENIOUS way to display some TRULY BEAUTIFUL silver wear!!

OH, and Honey, you have to know that I am SUCH A SUCKER for embroidered handkerchiefs!!! Why that EVER fell out of fashion, I will just NEVER know!!! and displayed on this silver platter? That is PERFECTION!

This chic white vanity is SIMPLY DIVINE! and I just LOVE the idea of having a sooooo many lovely jeweled trinkets ready to accessorize your favorite outfit at your disposal!!!

Don’t you just LOVE these little hoot owls???? They SOOOO remind me of my grandmother (she loved owls)!! They were tucked away in various locations of the store, and I caught myself smiling EVERY TIME I SAW THEM!!! Too cute!! 😉

If I could have thought of a place to display this set in my little place, these would have gone home with me today!!! I LOVE this soft shade of green!!

I have always LOVED fancy soaps and these are such a perfect shade of soft pink, any lucky lady receiving these as a gift couldn’t help but feel LUXURIOUSLY FEMININE with these at a special bath time!!!!!

This little sign just says it all!!!

OH-EM-GEE!!! Can you imagine anything more SCRUM-DIDDLY-UMPTIOUS on your bed than this ruffled quilt???? HEAVEN!! I wonder what my hubby would think?? HEE! HEE! 😉

I have GOT to GET ME ONE OF THESE! I have always wanted one!!! and look at how the sunlight just SPARKLES through these crystals! SIGH!! 😉

Here are two more of our little friends again!! 😉

I just ADORE the simple details on these pillows. Details like this are what transforms your house into a home!! AND I am practically drooling over the lovely soft golden wainscoating behind these pillows!! Hmmm…I am sure I can find a place for both these pillows, and that wainscoating in my place!!! 😉

DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN???

Aunt Bee’s House is just an all around JOYFUL STORE!!! With something for everyone’s tastes and styles!!! I have taken sooo many pictures, and I know I have shared a lot now, but I am inspired to share more with you tomorrow too!! I hope you don’t mind!! I would highly  recommend this store to anyone looking for a little something to personalize their home, or for a gift for that special someone in your life!! Oh, and as always, I am in no way affiliated with Aunt Bee’s House, I just LOVE this store, and I JUST HAD TO SHARE with you!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

A Morning of Questions!

Good morning!

You know I have always heard that life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. After the past day and a half, I am starting to believe that!

Well, starting with work! I won’t go into too many details, but there are some big changes going on there, that has proven that we are all expendable. There may be no such thing as job security anymore. I have heard that before, and I am not sure why I am just now thinking that is true, but apparently I have been living with my head blissfully stuck in the sand! OUCH!! That is hard reality to learn, right?

In my personal life, things have been going, at least I thought, pretty damn near perfect! Last night, I got another wake up call in that arena too! Let’s just say that someone who I love dearly is struggling with their own inner demons, and there is just not a lot I can do fix the situation. I can just love and support that person while all the time praying for them. Sad. I wish I could do more. To be able to say, “See this is how I fixed this with myself, you can do exactly the same things and you can fix yourself too!” Doesn’t work that way – we are all unique, and we all have to move through our stories our own way. We are kind of like those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books that I used to LOVE reading as a child!! You never know where you will end up, but you know that somewhere along the way that there will be a decision that will lead you to a happy ending, or too an early dramatic death. Now, maybe real life isn’t that simple, matter of fact, I am sure of that – but I feel like my life is one of those books, and at every fork in the road, I have to make the decision – “Yes, or no?”. Every answer seems to be leading me to a completely different destination!

Last night, I had this intense desire to pack up my entire life and just run away from this life. I realize that would NEVER solve anything because no matter where I end up, there I will be! 🙂 Yes, momma, I was listening!! 😉

Some good news though! I have been doing my morning pages (from The Artist’s Way program), and somewhere along the way, within the past 5 years, I seemed to have lost the ability to dream, which has always really bothered me because I have ALWAYS been a very avid dreamer. Since starting my morning pages, I am into week 4 starting this morning, my dreams have started coming back, however they have been really disturbing! Last evening my sweetie and I were out for a drive out in the country and we were talking about a couple of my more disturbing dreams, trying to psychoanalyze them. Well, in doing this I was able to get some mental clarification on what my subconscious is trying to tell me. I think that through my work on my inner self, using The Artist’s Way program, I have tapped into a place deep down inside of me that I thought was dead. My authentic self, my creative self. Now that I realize that know that not only is it alive and kicking, it is screaming to be let out!!! However, I am scared that someone is going to come along the way and tell me that I am not allowed to tap into this inner creativity that I have rediscovered, and it will die again. How is that for deep??? I know, I sometimes even surprise myself!!! LOL! 😉 But honestly, I am really thankful for having this program come into my life at the exact right moment I was ready to put it into action – I know I must sound like some kind of commercial for it, but I don’t get any kind of compensation or anything from The Artist’s Way people, I am literally just a reader, and a doer, whose life is changing for the better because of this insightful program!!

Alright, that is enough of my soapbax this morning!!! 😉 I am going to get some more cleaning done, I am hope that I can get all of the laundry done and put away, including the bedding for bed this evening! Which mean, I had better get hoppin’!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Groovin’ to the Music!

Good morning!!

I can’t help groovin’ to the music playing throughout the house this morning!! Belly dancing has infiltrated my soul!!! SO MUCH FUN!! and really any song that has a strong 4/4 beat can be belly danced too! I am sure my sweetie thinks I have lost my blessed mind!!! LOL!!

Tonight is date night in our household!! YEAH!!! I LOVE DATE NIGHTS!!! Tonight Jason is taking me to dinner and a movie – although I may talk him into doing dinner, and a walk around River Front Park, or bowling, or miniature golf, or just strolling around downtown – I haven’t decided yet! I just want to do something that would be fun for both of us, but keeps us off of our booties!!!

One thing I will need to make sure that happens, is that Jason gets some walking shoes! He doesn’t have any decent ones, so going anywhere or doing anything that requires a bunch of walking is really uncomfortable for him – so I will have to help him look into that!!! He is now wearing a size 18, so you can imagine how difficult it can be to find ANY shoes in his size!!! UGH! We usually go up to the Nike outlet store where they have the reject shoes from the Portland Blazers. Sometimes those really work out, but USUALLY we find all sorts of CRAZY colored shoes, and I don’t care how hot my hubby is – and he is pretty hot, but NO MAN LOOKS GOOD WALKING AROUND IN BRIGHT ORANGE HIGH TOPS!!! No thank you!!! 😉 HAHAHA!!!

It looks like it is going to be another nice sunny day here in good ol’ Oregon, so I am VERY excited about that! I have charged one of my camera batteries, so now I am ready to go out and take a bunch of pictures! I am working on getting my old “Style File” on my PC that is filled with other peoples’ artwork, and creating a new Style File with all of my OWN artwork!!! That way I will have a wealth of pictures to use for posting on my blog! Oh, the idea of that just gives me shivers of JOY!! YEAH!!!

Anyway, I have got to zip out the door to get to the office! I am planning on treating myself to only working a half day and then getting outside to go enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather before my date this evening with my love!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!!