Poppy thanks and small changes

Over the weekend I got a little time in my craft room.  I pulled out the scrap paper files and decided to make a bunch of thank you cards using only scraps.  I had this great poppy paper, with 2" squares of poppies (buds, full flowers, leaves only) printed on it.  I cut them all out, inked the edges and adhered them directly to the cream-colored card base.  (I had enough to make 9 cards.) Then I stamped "thank you" on them using a sentiment from PTI's Vintage Picnic set.  It still looked a little plain, and I wanted to make it a bit more elegant but still keep it simple.  So I added two scored lines above and below the row of poppy squares.  I really like the way they came out.

We all know that January is all about resolutions and fresh starts.  I generally don't make resolutions, as I've found that if I decide to make big sweeping changes to my life that I fail.  Usually miserably.  Especially if the resolution had to do with weight loss. But in March of last year, I decided to make small changes, one at a time, and try to incorporate it into my routine, and see what would happen.  When I felt comfortable with it, I'd add a new one.

So last March, I changed my breakfast to a protein-fruit smoothie (usually 2 fruits [whatever was on hand], milk and protein powder).  And felt fuller in the mornings and found that the hungry horrors that hit me in the late morning largely disappeared.

In October I gave up diet Coke.  May not seem like a big deal to most of you, but I was drinking a solid 2L (or more) a day.  It went way better than I had expected, with very few headaches.  And haven't had any diet Coke in the house since then.

By mid-year, I decided that I really need to incorporate some form of exercise into my life.  Yup, there it is - the dreaded "e" word.  Going to the gym was out - I know I'd never go.  I waffled for months over whether to get a treadmill or not.  (You know - would I actually use it or would it just become a glorified place to hang clothes.)  By the end of the year, I'd lost 15 pounds - despite not having begun to exercise.

After Christmas I decided to get that treadmill.  Ryan and I looked online for a used one and found it on Craig's list.  He and a neighbor picked it up last night and wrestled it up the stairs to the guest room. I did a 25-minute walk on it today.  A friend pointed me to a site that gave me some info on working into running.  We'll see how it works into my routine.  But it's a start.