Category Archives: Self Improvement

Chunky Dunkers!

Good evening!

Welcome back to the Chunky Dunker’s Club! We have been MIA for the past two weeks because of traveling, but I am happy to report that I am back!! Chunky Dunker’s is an online get-fit/healthy support group that meets every Wednesday around 7PM Pacific Standard Time. The purpose of this group is to support and cheer each other on as we work our way towards our get fit and healthy goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, run a mile, or to cut caffiene from our diets – whatever your health and fitness goals are for you – we are here to support you. Every week I post a little something to help motivate you, or cheer you on, and we all get together in the comments section to chat.

This is not a closed group, so if you would like to join us, please feel free to do so, the more the merrier.

Anyway, this week’s topic is: Knowing When to Stop Lying to Yourself

I have a very dear girlfriend who is a psych professor, and one of the things that she always says to me is that you always become what you need. So tonight’s topic is something that I need. I have been lying to myself thinking that I have been doing all of these healthy things, when in reality I have really been ignoring my health needs almost disgustingly. I haven’t exercised in weeks, I eat whatever I want whenever I want, and my sleeping habits have been really varied. All of this is leaving me fat,  feeling tired, achy, run down, and really not like myself at the moment.

So, now I have really got to stop lying to myself! I need to get my booty off of the couch and get out there and stop kidding myself. The choices I make today, are the results I am going to get tomorrow!!

I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said,

“If you don’t take the time to take care of your health now, you will have no choice but to take care of your sickness late.”

That is something I have been giving some serious thought to, so I am recommitting to doing little-by-little every day to get myself healthier!! I am worth it, my sweetie is worth it, and the rest of my family is worth it!

Here is to the future, AND TO THE HERE AND NOW!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Getting Down & Dirty!

Good evening!

I am spending the evening in my art studio tonight. I would love to tell you that I am on a creativity roll and am creating like a fiend, but my confession is that I am actually still just cleaning up from our vacation! When we got home from our first half of our time off, I did the totally bad thing and just dumped everything off in this room and just closed the door!! I know, I am just so embarrased!! 😉

Oh, man!! When I see these pics – yes, this is my “Art studio”, I just get overwhelmed and am not sure where to start!

However, I am very determined to get it cleaned up so that I can get some really “arting” going on!! 😉

I am also wanting to get it cleaned up because, GULP, I am wanting to watch some tele tonight! I don’t know about any of you, but the tv show, Two and a Half Men, has been one of the only televisions shows that my hubby and I watch regularly, and we are kind of excited to see how the show will look and feel with Charlie Sheen out and Ashton Kutcher in. I know, it is not really deep, and not really terribly important, but there you go!

Before I leave this evening – to get productive, I just wanted to let you know that work was really cool today, and I was very glad to get back to it!! I didn’t realize I had really missed Chris and Julie!! AKA my peeps!!! 😉 Anyway, it was good to get back to work and to feel like a contributing member of a team again!! Not to say that I am not looking forward to my next vacation, whenever that is!!! I’m just sayin’!!! HAHAHA!!

Anyway, wish me luck!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Dinner with Family!

Good evening!

I am having such a WONDERFUL time hanging out with my family down here in Roseburg, so much so that it makes long to have us all living in the same city!!!

As soon as Jason and I got into town we went and picked up my second to youngest sister, Jennifer, from work, and next our youngest sister, Trina. As soon as we had all gotten together and said our hellos, we met up with our dad, and his wife Trudi for dinner over at Red Robin! 😉

I have FINALLY gotten pictures of all of us, and I am very happy to be able to share these with you! 🙂

Here is myself and my dad! Do you know how hard it is to get a normal picture of my dad. He is ever the big kid who automatically plays whenever a camera is pointed at him – it really is just too funny!! 😉

Here are my troublemakers!! Trina, my youngest sister, Jennifer, my second youngest sister, and Jason my love and sweetie! 😉

See what I mean about my dad and a normal picture – I took 5 pictures of my dad, and his wife, Trudi, and this was the best one of them all!! I am glad that these two make each other so happy – that makes me really happy too! 😉

Ok, so back to my girls!! You see our mom died when I (being the oldest of 5 girls) was 24, and my youngest sister was only 8. Even before our mother passed away, I really did my best at mothering these two since we were 10 and 15 years apart. So, I have really grown to call these two “My Girls”! and since Jason and I do not have kids of our, it has kind of become true!!

I have always referred to Trina and Jennifer to my friends who do not know them by two labels. Trina is lovingly known as the “Know it all” – because she has always seemed to know weird facts about all sorts of EVERYTHING! 😉 and Jennifer has always been the “Comedian” because ever since I can remember she always has a quick retort to anything that is going on, and you are GUARANTEED to end your conversation with her in tears from laughing sooooo much!! 😉

I am just so glad that I was able to get these candid and very real pictures of how it is to be around these two! When these two were younger, they really NEVER got along!! Matter of fact they always claimed that they would NEVER love each other, NO MATTER WHAT!! I knew that would change as soon as the older of the two moved out of the house; and sure enough it did!Matter of fact, now, as adults, they live together now, with Jennifer’s husband, Austin, and they are closer than ever. Their joy with each other is infectious, and I just LOVE the energy that all of us have when we are together!!!

What a GREAT evening we had together!! I will make sure to share more pictures of some of our adventures tomorrow!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Home Sweet Home!

Good evening!

My sweetie and I are finally home from the coast! I am thankful for the relaxing week we have had together, but I am really also very thankful to get back to our cozy little place in this world. OH, and when I think about sleeping in our OWN BED!!!

Oh Em Gee!

That is gonna be AWESOME!!!

Ok, so it really is the little things in life that are really the B-I-G thing!! 😉

I wanted to share with you a couple of more backgrounds that I have been playing with:

These are both 12″ x 12″ acrylic on wood.

These were created because I have been playing with mixing my acrylics to come up with new and interesting colors, and I have just started using an acrylic float medium to give the paints a lot more playing time before the colors actually dry! They remind me of flower petals, you know – he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me…etc. Plus the act of making these is very relaxing, fluid, and fun.

I actually liked the way these turned out so much that I am thinking about making a few of these to display in a grid on the wall in my office.  If I do that I will make sure to take pictures and share that with you too! 🙂

Anyway, I am off to spend some more quality time with my sweetie – our vacation is still officially on for another week! WHOO! HOO! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

I Made Something!

Good evening!

I am happy to report that I am still hotelling at the coast. It is our last night here and we are LIVING IT UP!! Well, as living it up as two old married people can do with two skittish long-haired chihuahuas!! Ok, so we aren’t actually “living it up”, we are having fun watching the tele, listening to the ocean, reading, and I am very happy to announce that I have finally finished another piece!!! YEAH!!!

Creative block is officially over!!!

Who knew I would have to stay at an inexpensive hotel at the coast to get my groove back!!!

Anyway, this piece is 7″ x 7″ acrylic on wood, and I am calling it “Irreplaceable Coco!”

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section! I am have a couple of other pieces in the works, so I am hoping to be able to share some more completed pieces soon!

Anyway, we are on our way home tomorrow, but just long enough to get all of our laundry done and our camping stuff put away, then we are heading down to Roseburg to spend a couple of days visiting with my family!!! That should be fun!! I know it will be nice sleeping in our bed tomorrow evening!! SWEET BLISS!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

It’s a Girl’s Perogative!

Good evening!

A lot has changed in the past 24 hours! Well, my sweetie and I were camping at the Oregon Coast and were actually planning on being there until Saturday. Well, a girl can only take so much, and Jason knew that I was getting more and more miserable, so we had decided to go home.

On the way home, I decided at the last minute that I didn’t want to leave the coast just yet, and my sweetie found us this sweet little hotel that we could stay at. So here we are: hot shower, ocean front view with sound proof windows!!! AAH!!! Bliss!! and to top it off I have been absolutely blocked art-wise! I don’t know what my problem has been, but I have found this GREAT collage book that has re-inspired me, and I am ready to create, create, create!!!

So, we will see what happens in the next day or so!

Anyway, Jason and I will be here for about 2 or 3 days (I am just LOVING this vacation!!), and then we will eventually mozy on home!! Until then I am planning on arting it up, enjoying this view and spend as much time bundled up in the great outdoors as I can handle!! I will make sure to have some pics to share tomorrow! 🙂

Have a  FABULOUS evening! 😉