I love you Grandpa Ray and I can’t wait to see you again

Early this morning my grandfather passed away.  In this sorrow filled time I have to admit I feel so incredibly grateful and blessed.  Not because he is gone, but because I get to sit here at 31 years old and say that I had 31 years with my Grandpa!  This is a blessing denied to many!!!!  I will not let the sadness, loss and sorrow overpower my extreme gratefulness to have had my grandfather for so many year.  Not only did I have him for 31 years I also can say I knew him!  He was such a hard worker!  He put in LONG HARD hours of work and I never heard him complain.  He had faith!!!  He was smart, determined, strong and yet a gentle man. 

My grandfather was a quiet man.  He did not say much. He was not much of a talker.  But when he did speak you listened.  You didn’t listen because he demanded it, expected it, or required it.  You listened because you truly wanted to hear what he had to say.  He was a smart man who had great knowledge and experience to share. 

His hands….when my husband first saw them said they looked like baseball mitts.  They were the thickest strongest hands I have ever seen….AND permanently stained from YEARS of HARD work!  But those big, hands could calm any baby!  I am so grateful my children were held in his hands and got to know him!!! They will always remember Great Grandpa Ray!

As a kid I felt like my grandpa could make anything.  He and my grandma did a lot of wood working and crafts.  I loved going out to their farm to help paint.  He would even do a lot of the sanding for me. …shhh don’t tell grandma, she always told me I couldn’t just do the fun part of panting I had to do the prep work also :)  He would walk in, tell me I was working harder then I needed to be, show me the right technique, and viola it was done!  I LOVED THAT!  They both really nurtured my creative spirit!

He was a great man and I can’t imagine you will even find someone to dispute that!!!

I love you Grandpa Ray and I can’t wait to see you again!!!

Make your own fringe t-shirt scarf

This past Fall I shared how I made a t-shirt scarf for my cowgirl.  

Today I am sharing the one I made for myself.  

I LOVE IT!  and it was SOOO EASY!!!

I used the same technique as I did here.

(I used a mans L t-shirt to do an adults size scarf)

One of the things I love about this scarf is that it is season(less.  

You can wear it over a long sleeved shirt, with a jacket, or over a tank top.

AND....well its fringe!!!  FRINGE IS FUN!!!!

See my boots....The Hubs got them for me for Christmas.

He ordered them from the Fort Western Stores, you can see them here.

If you make a fring scarf Please send my pictures.  

I'd love to feature you on the blog!!!! 

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These pictures were taken in my basement.  

I recently turned my dark creepy basement into my new bright studio, office, sewing room, craft room. 

One of my goals for 2014 was to make time to create more art,  this space is the first step in moving that direction.

I LOVE having a space to spread out and work

The cowgirls love having a space to go do projects also.

I know the Hubs is glad to not have our projects all over the dinning table!

{Blog post coming soon with pictures of it}

breaking through my weight loss plateau

I posted my goals yesterday and one of my goals was to continue with my weight loss.

So far I am very proud of my weight loss {around 40lbs before the holidays hit}.

It is been due to changes in my diet. 

I have cut out potatoes and starches and replaced them with with fruits and veggies. 

{So I mainly eat meat, fruits, and veggies...."eating clean"}

But I have NOT been working out.  I need to start! 

I have hit a plateau {for over 3 months} and I know I need to start working out to break through it.

I have so many excuses...

• its cold {which it is}
• I live in the country so it is a pain to drive to town to work out {which it is especially on bad roads}
• I am a busy mom {which I am}
• my schedule is so different day to day, week to weak {true story}

...and the list could go on and on, AND ON!!!

But as long as I make excuses I’ll get the same results.

It is time to actually start working out and find a way to make it work FOR ME!

What am I doing? 

Well first off I am doing a 30 day ab challenge {you should join in}

Then I am also doing a boot camp challenge {you should join in}

And lastly cardio {yep you guessed it, you should join in}

I am going to attempt to do cardio 3-5 a week.  It may be a jog, the elliptical, a bike ride, a walk with the girls, or whatever the day/weather/schedule allows.  The key for me is to make it flexible!

I did day one {for both of the abs and boot camp} yesterday. I looked at them and though wow this will be pud.  I did them not problem BUT I quickly realized I am farther removed from ‘in shape’ then I had realized!  It feels great to be doing something again. 

Did you set a goal for getting fit, being healthier this year?  

What step are you making to work towards your goal?

setting goals for 2014

Well it is that time again.

Time to reflect back on the past year and think forward to the upcoming year.  

2013 was a good year for me.  

I have really found peace in the simple things in life!

I have an amazing family and wonderful friends.

I feel that this past year I have been who I want to be who I am suppose to be!

Every year I think of goals I want to accomplish throughout the next year.  

I don't get really specific.  This year It is actually pretty vague.  

But all are obtainable......I cant do it.  

I WILL do it!

Do you set goals for the year???

I wish you all an amazing 2014!!!