Fitness Friday: A Link Up

There has been a jumble of a mess churning in my head lately regarding the future of this blog and what it will look like, but for now I will let you know that one direction I am leaning is towards primarily focusing on my weight loss/fitness journey.  If I am being honest that is what is consuming me these days and so it really seems like the logical choice.  For the few of you that even check in here anymore I hope that possibility won't send you running for the hills, but if that is how things pan out and it is not your cup of tea (or vodka, or vino) there are no hard feelings!
I don't recall ever doing a fitness link up, but the times they are a changin' and there is a first time for everything.  I guess at this point I should confess.....I am a ALG Uninterrupted lurker.  Have been for a few months.  I can't be the only one guilty of this (CRICKETS)....ok, maybe I am.  Anyway, Aubrey Leigh is inspirational!  Her journey is similar to mine....baby steps, some weeks up, some weeks down, some weeks the eating is great, sometimes not so much.  THAT is why I like her blog, her journey is SOOOO relatable...oh yeah, she is also BEAUTIFUL and has a lot on her plate and she is still gettin' it done.  Now, I am fairly certain she thinks I am not only a lurker but a crazy stalker as well.  I hope she knows I am completely harmless...REALLY!!!!
 

This time around, I have been at this fitness thing since March.  I jumped in feet first, attending boot camp 3 days a week, gave up soda (Diet Coke was my CRACK) and made a concerted effort to be way more aware and careful of what was going into my piehole.  For a girl that is addicted to food, that is a hard step to take.  I was also doing weight training at the gym once a week as well as cardio.  In may I tackled the 21 Day Fix as well as kept up my boot camp and weight training....I am not going to lie, 21 days with no rest and double workouts is no joke, and it took it's toll on me both mentally and physically.  I believe with my whole heart that the program is awesome, but my next round I think that I will tackle it differently....stay tuned for more on that.

Lately, I have been off the weight training except for what we do at boot camp.  I know that I have to get back to it. So tonight, I am starting a 12 week, 4 x a week strength training program....continuing my boot camp classes and sticking with my 8 mile walk on Sundays.  After I completed the 21 Day Fix, I will admit that I was super burned out.  I have yet to get my workout schedule back to where it was and that along with my food struggles have kept me from really progressing past my 25 lb weight loss so far....give or take a few pounds and I am holding steady.  But with 55 lbs. still to go, I have to kick things back into high gear if I hope to get things moving again.  I am hoping that this time next week, I will be able to link up with a positive (full) work out week as well as excellent food choices.  I think knowing that I am going to be writing it all down and posting it on the blogosphere may be just the boost I need to get my a## back on track....I am all about the accountability!

Thank you so much for stopping by and Aubrey Leigh if you are reading this, please don't be scared....I REALLY AM QUITE A COOL CHICK!!!!!!  Til next time.....

Dallas Blooms

So I mentioned on Friday that I was thinking about treating myself to a trip to the Dallas Arboretum for Dallas Blooms.  I woke up bright and early and jumped in the shower.  I wanted to go, but I was really on the fence due to the weather.  It was gloomy and chilly and probably not the best day for it.  The weather was supposed to improve a bit later in the day, but I really just wanted to get over there early.  I bundled up and headed out.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Dallas Arboretum or Dallas Blooms here is a little recap straight from the brochure that is given out.....

2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the Dallas Arboretum's major floral festival Dallas Blooms.  Dallas Blooms is the Southwest's largest floral festival with both local residents and out-of-town visitors who come to enjoy  the breath taking gardens.  Dallas Blooms features 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs including tulips, daffodils, Dutch Iris and hyacinths, in addition to 100,000 pansies, violas, poppies and thousands of other spring-blooming annuals and perennials. 

Although I did snap a few photos with my phone, I took over 80 pictures with the "big girl camera".  I still have a lot of learning to do, and some pictures look washed out to me, but as of yet I am not sure how to correct that, but I will keep at it!  Don't worry, I won't share them all, but here is a photo dump of some of my favorites.

And just to prove that I was actually there...

It was cold and windy, not to mention DSLR selfies are no joke...but I tried!  Hope you enjoyed all the pictures, but they really don't do the flowers justice.  If you are in the DFW area and have the chance to go you should definitely make an outing of it.  It is beautiful and definitely worth it!  Dallas Blooms runs through April 6th.

I am linking up with Crystal and Amanda for Texas Tuesday....

Disney Cruise Scrapbook: Part 1

I can't tell you how excited I am to finally share this album!  This is the only Disney themed project that I have ever done and it has been so much fun.  Even though the main book is pretty much complete, I have another book that I will be working on that goes with it, so the fun doesn't have to end quite yet.

Not to put a damper on the parade, but I thought I should give you a little background.  Zach's dad and I separated shortly after this trip.  I think that is the main reason it has taken me over 8 years to finally get this thing going.  For a long time, I really had no desire to document it but then one day I woke up, threw on my big girl panties and realized that it needed to be done...if not for me, then for my son.  I scrapped it true to life...there was no cutting my ex out of pictures or "convenient" crops.  I left it all just the way it happened.   It was a wonderful trip filled with great memories and that is the way I wanted it documented.  Zach's father and I get along very well and work together to do what is best for our son, and for that I beyond grateful. Oh yea, I was also high school skinny..so don't let that freak you out.  It really is me!

Let's get started....my first picture is just a simple one to show you the album that I used.  Before, I was a die hard fan of the post bound albums...I really like the way they lay when you are highlighting a double page spread...but they are labor intensive.  Especially when you tend to have big albums like I do.  Needless to say I have made the switch.  I thought this black album with white polka dots was the perfect compliment to my Disney themed album.  This album is Project Life by Becky Higgins and don't quote me, but I think it is for the Midnight Edition.

These are just a couple of fun things that I adhered to the inside of the cover.  A Disney sticker that I think I found at Hobby Lobby and then a post card that Zach received from Mickey himself telling him how excited he was that he was going to get to help Zach celebrate his birthday.  If you don't know about he DIS boards and you are a newbie to Disney...don't take your trip without looking into them...more on that later.

I took a picture of the page lifter, but only because I fancied it up a bit.  I was not thrilled with how the holes came out, but I did love how the rest turned out.  The page lifters are important as they keep the pages of your albums from bending during storage, but they can be pretty boring and they are just begging for a little attention.  For those of you that asked me how I got a 12x12 sheet of paper through the standard printer, with a large enough font to stand out....that is coming soon to a post....PROMISE!

Next is my cover.  In pretty much all of my album, I used the Mickey Font Cricut cartridge for my titles.  Well, I started this album about 7 years ago and never made it past the title page...oops.  I couldn't stand the thought of not using it, so just added a few embellishments from the Say Cheese line from Simple Stories and stuck with the original.

Each night when we returned to our room, there was a Navigator waiting for us for the next day.  It listed all the activities that were going on as well as information about our port city if we were stopping for the day.  I managed to get home with all of ours and used the 8x10 inserts to add them to my album.

We departed from Cape Canaveral.  To be on the safe side, we flew to FL the night before we left and spent the night close to the port.  (L side)  Disney has their own terminal.  There is a huge replica of the Magic and we also got to meet Pluto while we were waiting! (R side)

This was our first "official" (meaning we had to pay for it) Disney photo opp. (L)  I tried to document all the little touches of Disney around our stateroom. (R)

I got some fun pictures from the Sailaway Party.  It was kind of chilly, but everyone was having fun. My favorite part was the big Mickey hands.  As the ship is pulling away Disney employees stand outside the terminal waving good bye wearing big Mickey hands...that is in the bottom right on the left side layout.  The right was from our first day at sea.  The wind was crazy but it didn't put a damper on our day.  Some of the decks were closed though due to the high winds.

By the end of the first full day, out boy was pooped and barely made it through dinner (L).  The right side was the start of Halloween.  A big group of kids from the DIS Boards all did a special trick or treat route and then I had the pleasure of attending a party in the Walt  Disney Suite...what a treat!!!!

The Walt Disney Suite party continues....such sweet, sweet people...all met through, you guessed it, the DIS Boards prior to the cruise.

That about wraps it up for Part 1.  I just realized that almost all of these layouts were made using the Project Life pages.  I had originally planned to do the entire book this way, but caught the layout bug and managed to bust out some really fun double page spreads later in the book.  Thank you so much for stopping by and if any of the layouts catch your eye, I would love for you to Pin them to you favorite board - just click and pin!  Stay tuned for Part 2, coming on Wednesday.

I am linking up with Texas Women Bloggers for:

Tuesday Tunes: David Nail Style

The ladies from Tuesday Tunes have decided this is the last month for this fun link up, so I am going to do my best to participate all month....despite the fact that I appear to be on one of my many breaks.  If it matters at all, I am desperately trying to finish up some scrapbooks before 2013 comes to a close, so hopefully I can share those soon!   Let Holli, Lauren and Leslyn (and me, too) know what you are listening to....I love knowing what is on "Repeat" in everyone's brain!

Maybe it was around 2009...not really sure, but I fell in love with this song by David Nail.  Red Light - It just grabbed me - can't explain why.  It was my ringtone for a long time.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and he did it again.  Another one that there is no rhyme or reason to why I love it, but I do.  Catchy and fun and right now, I just can't get enough.  Oh yea, like so many of those country boys he is a stinkin' cutie.  Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

Tuesday Tunes

Just a quick post today.....I have a million things on my "to-do list" at work since today is my Thursday, not to mention a growing list at home as well, trying to get ready for my scrap retreat this weekend.  It seems like I signed up forever ago and I can't believe that it is FINALLY almost here!

It's Tuesday, and I am linking up with these lovelies: Holli, Leslyn, and Lauren for.....

I have a confession to make.  My Spotify has been on a continuous loop of Luke Bryan for well over a week and I am not thinking that there is any end in sight.  And although I love so many of his songs, I figured that this one would be the most appropriate, since all I seem to be doing is "playing it again".  Oh yea, he isn't too rough on the eyes, either.  Have a great day, everyone!

Gettin' Crafty and Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday seems to be my posting day here lately....what can I say?  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen some of these little pretties pop up this week.

I can't take all the credit....the paper is pretty much the star of the show.....I think it is GORGEOUS...such vibrant colors!  However, I did think of what to do with said beautiful paper.
I wanted to add some color  and detail to my in progress gallery wall, while also adding letters.  My current last name as well as my maiden name since I will be adding pictures of Zachary with my parents as the wall progresses.  These turned into just what I was looking for!!

With the holidays quickly approaching, I thought that these would make great gifts....not only personalized but also very affordable.  If you are interested, please feel free to contact me for more details. (julesbeautifulday(at)gmail(dot)com)

Although I am pretty partial to this paper....you can definitely customize it with any theme that you would like.

See....I can make anything work! ; )

In other news, it IS Tuesday and you know what that means.....I am linking up with Holli, Leslyn and Lauren  for Tuesday Tunes.

I listen to a little bit of everything, so you just never know what is going to grab my attention, but one thing that never changes is my alarm music.  Contemporary Christian (KLTY 94.9 in the Dallas Ft. Worth market) wakes me up every single morning.  It puts me in the right frame of mind to drag my rump out of bed.  This great new song from TobyMac has been in the morning rotation lately and I can't get enough of it!

Tuesday Tunes

I know content has been lacking around these parts lately and for that I apologize.  There are posts brewing, I just haven't taken the time to get them typed out - I realized the other day that I never posted about Katie's visit...how in the world did that happen?  I also did a little mantel decorating for Halloween....which I NEVER do.  Hopefully, there will be some posts on those soon.  In the meantime, I am linking up once again with these lovely ladies:  Holli, Leslyn and Lauren for Tuesday Tunes. 

This is a fun link up...it just kind of makes me happy....puts a little spring in my step!  So yea, I am going to keep linking up.  Today, I am kind of grabbing a semi oldie from the "this makes me happy vault".  Colbie Caillat is not only G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S, but I love her voice and you would be hard pressed to listen to this song and not have your foot a tappin'.  Enjoy!

Tuesday Tunes

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with Holli, Leslyn and Lauren for Tuesday Tunes.

So, it definitely isn't quite as good as Blurred Lines, but there is no doubt that it will get your foot tappin' and maybe your booty shakin' if you happen to be somewhere that booty shakin' is appropriate...or not! And hey, that infamous striped suit that Robin was sportin' with Miley at the VMA's makes an appearance.  For the record, I have forgiven him that debacle...enough said.  Happy Tuesday, blog friends!

Tuesday Tunes

I know you guys are eagerly awaiting the culmination of my FL trip in pictures (or not)....and I promise they are coming.  Got a little off track, so I am going to side track for another day and hook up with Holli, Leslyn and Lauren for Tuesday Tunes.

I have been struggling lately, and this one, well it is pretty self explanatory...especially when you really listen to the words!

And this cutie patootie was in Dallas recently...I passed on getting concert tickets even though I had seen him the last three times he had been in town - if you haven't had the pleasure, he puts on an amazing show!  Why you ask, did I pass?  Well, the concert was outside in Texas, in Aug or Sept - enough said.  This one is one of my most favorites in a long time....so simple, but SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

That is it for today.  Happy Tuesday and welcome to October!  Thanks for stopping by!

Guest Post Tuesday: My Mind's Lens & Tuesday Tunes

I have taken over Kaeley's blog, My Mind's Lens for the day.  I hope you will stop by and see my post about blogging connections.  I am front and center for Guest Post Tuesday.  Have a great day!

This makes me smile!!!

I am also linking up with my girl Holli for.....

This song never gets old for me, and even better when they throw in a little Nelly!

Getting to Know You: A Link Party

I must admit I was excited to join the Texxas Women Bloggers group, but I have to be honest I have not been great about keeping up with what has been going on....shame on me!!!!  Sometimes, life just gets the better of me and things fall through the cracks...I am only human.  Anyway, I was reading Holli's post today and it looked like a fun link up, so I am jumping on the bandwagon.


1. If you make money with your blog, how do you do it?  I don't.  If you do, I say more power to you - I think it is great.  Personally, I don't want to invest the time and energy that it would take to get things going.  I am also not a fan of ads all over my blog.  I am all for giving companies that I 100% believe in a bit of space, but that is my choice and I am happy to do that free of charge.
2. How do you increase your blog readership?  There was a time when I was all about getting to that special number.  These days, not so much.  I participated in giveaways and now you will more often find me doing a link up or two.  It just isn't as important to me anymore.  Don't get me wrong - I love when I notice that a new Follower has popped up and even more excited if they comment so that I get to know them a bit  better.  I have met the most incredible women through blogging and some I am lucky enough to even call dear, true friends.  For that, I will always be thankful that I started blogging....whether I have 5 or 1005 readers, you just never know what gems are hiding in the group, just waiting to be discovered!
3.  If you aren't originally from Texas, what brought you here?  I am originally from Kentucky.  My family moved here in August of 1977 (yes, I realize that some of you weren't even born).  My dad was getting his Masters Degree and he decided on Southern Methodist University.  We have been in the metroplex ever since.  A little interesting tidbit....my parents and I made the move in a blue VW Beetle....the back seat was laid down with a little pallet for me to lay down on and boxes packed to the top all around me.  We made our way through Memphis on August 16th, the day "The King" died on his throne.  ELVIS people, even the youngsters should know that one. 
4.  If someone were to hand you $10,000 (no strings attached), what would you do with it?  I would pay off my car, a few bills, take Zachary on a wonderful vacation and save the rest for a rainy day!
5.  If you were a color, what color would you be?  I would be hot pink....I love it.  Although most of my clothes end up being black, I do have a few things that are hot pink and you can frequently find my toenails sporting a fabulous shade of pink! 
6.  What are your blogging strengths?  Weaknesses?  Strengths?  I would have to say that I tell things like they are.  I definitely don't share everything on my blog, but what I do share is never sugar coated...that just isn't me.  As far as the weakness part goes, well that is simple....I am very inconsistent.  Sometimes, I really just don't have anything to say that I think that anyone would be interested in and other times I have plenty to say but just have a hard time making myself sit down to do it.  Not a great weakness to have when you blog, but at least I know that about myself and don't let it get the best of me.  I really beat myself up over it when I started blogging, but have since learned to ease up on myself.  After all, when it is no longer fun and feels more like a chore, you should probably stop.
You have now learned probably way more than you ever wanted to know about me, but it was kind of fun! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Back & Tuesday Tunes

I have returned from the Sunshine State and promise that I will post about it soon.  I did not get through my photography classes as I had hoped, but I think I did manage to get a few good pictures.  We were never at the beach at the right time to capture a great sunset, but at least we managed to get to two different beaches while we there.  Stay tuned....there will be more!!!!!

I am also linking up with the ever awesome ladies from Tuesday Tunes: Holli, Lauren and Leslyn.

I am not going into a bunch of detail here, other than to say that I have a terrible struggle with stepping back and putting things in God's hands.  It is not that I think that I know better, but more that I can't sit back and do nothing and wait to see my path (yes, I do realize that means that I struggle with Faith) - I feel the need to be proactive.  God continues to put up with my nonsense, but gently shows me the error of my ways....OUCH!  Enough said.....I have loved this song since the first moment I heard it and today, I really need to soak it in!  Happy Tuesday!