A New Day

Life just looks different today. It looks

promising

creative

full

blessed

grateful

smiley

sunny

beautiful

content

peaceful

organized

Life has been looking...

chaotic

overwhelming

sad

down

grumpy

Today is different because I had a BAD migraine yesterday. I've been having them waaaay too much. My body is telling me to...

quit stressing about the little things

prioritize my daily to-do's

slow down

sleep more

eat healthy

exercise

meditate

stretch

spend time with friends

pray/spend time with scriptures

just be

This month our theme here at Scrapwords has been "Take time to enjoy the View". I don't think I've done a great job of that. I have kept myself so busy worrying that I didn't even get my beloved fall decorations out this year. I feel like a Fall Scrooge!!

With all the pain yesterday came lots of reflection. I just layed in bed, crying off and on, praying for relief. I began thinking about those things truly important to me. I've really let them go. And I haven't taken time to enjoy anything fully.

With just a few days left in October I want you to make the time to think about what would really make you happy this month. Here is what my picks are...

carving pumpkins with the family

trick or treating/passing out candy

scary movie night with the kids Friday and hot cocoa

Getting my Autumn stuff out this weekend for Thanksgiving

Okay so I really prcrastinated on this theme!!! LOL!:)

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November's Theme will be "For this I am grateful". We'll focus on grateful journaling, create a fabulous mini book and help you find more gratitude in your days.

I know one thing I am grateful for already...all of you.

Happy Halloween!!!

Mondays

What glorious Sunday we all had. Church was the BEST!! I am Primary President (in charge of all the kids from Nursery to 12 years old) and most Sunday's are pretty hectic. While that is okay it's so important for me to have the Spirit with me so the kids can then have it with them. Well this Sunday it all just worked!! We talked about serving others then created cards for the children we haven't seen at church in awhile. There little faces were so excited! One of my little Sunbeams (Sophie) kept saying..."Sister Ackman, when are we gonna pass these all to ALL the kids? We gotta get these passed out so we can get them to all come to CHURCH!!"

One of the older boys just summed it up like this "Don't be stupid. Come to our church."
Oh, my heck the things kids say!!! I LOVE serving these children!!!!

On another note...I've got one killer migraine today. They seem to be getting worse. Thought I'd give my Doctor a ring and ask her about this new migraine med I saw on TV a few weeks ago. Somethings got to happen as they are becoming way more intense.

Lots going on this week...

Scrapwords stuff
friends over for dinner
Young Women movie night at our house
carving pumpkins
cleaning house
grocery shop
making birthday cards for the Primary kids at my house
passing out candy at my new shop Scrapwords Thursday night for Halloween
and about 30 other things!!!

Yeah, Scrapwords is going to have a home in Maryville on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think it will be fun.

Okay, well nothing too exciting, inspiring or creative but this is life and I LOVE it!! I could do without the migraine though...

It will be just fine

I have a tendency to over react. REALLY over react. This morning, as I was getting around for the day I started listing everything BAD that was going to happen to me today and tomorrow to my husband. As I ranted and raved my head started to pound, my shoulders got all tight and I felt miserable. Dave kept telling me to calm down, that I was waaaay over reacting...

You see tomorrow I got to Kansas City with my daughter to a soccer tournament. Dave usually goes with me but can't. So I'm going someplace I don't know how to get to and I get freaked out by stuff like that sooo...

Dave told me to call a friend of ours...he thought for sure he'd let me follow them down to the fields. Guess what? They are going to do one better!! Marcia has invited Em and I to just ride along!!!! WHEW! All that worrying for nothing.

Just another reminder why it is soooo important to keep the faith.

Here's to keeping the faith this weekend. Happy Friday!!

Today is rainy and windy. I sometimes love days like this...today is that day. They make me stop and think about my life. I somehow get all homey, I wanna cook, clean, be creative, organize my closets. It's a weird thing for sure. Do you ever get this way during a drizzly day?

Instead of working out I took Em to school, came home, made a warm cup of Pero and cream, curled up with my kitty and a blanket and watched the news. My idea of heaven on days like this. Finally at 10:oo am I decided I'd better shower and get dressed. So now I'm surfing the net, checking out my usual inspirational blogs and my own site Scrapwords.

Speaking of inspiratinal blogs...look what I found this morning. I am so loving this Blog. Gonna make sure I check in often and try her recipes.

Been thinking a lot lately about my weight. When don't I think about that subject? Why can't I just be happy with what I look like? Okay, so I need to lose 10 pounds. I can do that, know I can. I just wanna know why I have to get so obsessive about it? Constantly worried about what I eat, how much I work out and judging myself at every meal on whether or not I was good or bad. I am seriously sick of this way of thinking!

The past few weeks I've been keeping track of what I eat and when/what I do for exercise. On days I worry and obsess over what I eat I tend to do worse. Usually by the end of the day I'm standing at the kitchen counter devouring a cookie, chips or ice cream right out of the box.

Now I realize I must keep an eye on what I eat. I want to be healthy. I also know that working out is something I not only need but enjoy. So, for now I'm taking the approach of "I like me and I'm gonna do all I can to be healthy and take care of my body". There ya' go.

Happy Wednesday...

What did you say about Edward Cullen??!!!?

Okay, so I am a HUGE-O fan of the Twilight Series. And I LOVE Edward!! Jacob is okay...but Edward...well we have had that talk before!!:) I have Twilight shirts, wallpaper and anything else I can get my hands on that is Twilight. So the other day my wonderful husband Dave is on the computer doing his work. Okay, right? That night we're hanging out, catching up on our week and he says to me...

"That Edward guy is a bit feminine, don't you think?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"That guy they have playing Edward looks a bit girly to me. They need a nice manly man...like me to play Edward."
"Uh, no, they don't honny. Sorry, I absolutely adore you but they picked the PERFECT Edward. He is just so....Edward."
"So, that's what women like? Girly men?"
"No, we don't want girly men but the actor playing Edward, regardless of whether or not you think he's girly is EDWARD!!"
"So, Edward, your beloved vampire is girly? I thought vampires were rough, tough and scary."

We went back and forth like this for 20 minutes. At last I sighed, gave him a big and said...

"Honny, you would have made the perfect Jacob. You big werewolf you."

That seemed to make him happy.:)

Plain and Simple

It's Friday. Usually I am so happy about that but today...well, the week just went by too, too fast.
I'm in a BAD mood, too. Hate that! So not like me. It's raining like crazy, my hair is a mess (got a bad haircut in August, too layered and now I hate it!!) Anyway, I'm just GRUMPY!

Our house is messy, my to-do list is a mile long, I feel fat, I've got mounds of laundry, bills to pay, groceries to buy, BLAH! All I want to do is hide under my blanket.

Okay, now that I got that out...

Good things that happened this week...

1-We enjoyed watching Dayn and Logan. Two little boys from our church. Their Daddy had a heart attack and we helped out. That felt GOOD. When we serve others it is so pleasing to our Father in Heaven. I love to serve and need to do it more.

2-Got to hang out with my friend Kristen. We sure had fun chatting while babies crawled all over us!:)

3-My DH arrived safely home from his elk hunting trip

4-I worked out this week and made wiser food choices.

There was more good stuff this week, too. So see my week wasn't bad just this day. BUT as soon as I'm done writing this post I'm gonna get all my stuff done. That will help my mood, I think. When I'm overwhelmed...that is when I'm not so happy. Ya' know?

Happy Friday.

Today is my Birthday!!

You know that song by the Beatles- "Today is your Birthday"? I always sing that song to myself on my special day. Lots of years ago when I was a Broadcast major at Northwest Missouri State University my friends all got together and requested that song for me. Since I was on the campus radio station and knew everyone that worked there it was fun having my friend Tony dedicate that song to me. I think I recorded it but don't know where it is.

I LOVE Birthdays:) I consider them to be the start of my very own personal New Year. Today after church I'm gonna sit down and write out all that I'm grateful for. I'm gonna scrap it so I can remember it always. Then I'm sit down and come up with 10 new Birthday goals for myself. I've done this now for the past 15 years and look forward to it each year.

No major plans today. I'm off to church meetings this morning then I teach the little ones in Primary. I'm Primary President. I'm putting a turkey in the crockpot for my dinner and having mashed potatoes, too. Instead of cake we're having mini banana splits with Redi Whip!! Gonna treat myself today then got back on my plan Monday. Hopefully my Mom and Roger will come over then the kids and I are gonna play a few games and watch a family movie. It's gonna be rainy here all day which is fine with me.

I have much to be thankful for today.

How did I get here?

Do you believe that a stranger can come into your life for just a brief moment in time and totally change the way you view your life?

As you probably already know (or have figured out) I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Yesterday my husband and I along with the Missionaries from our church invited a 22 year old college student into our home, Emily. She has been learning about our church and even attending services for the past 6 months or so. Since my DH is one of the Branch Mission leaders we get to meet a lot of people when they are investigating our church, often having them over to share our testimonies and our faith in our Heavenly Father. These people are always nice and we enjoy sharing our home with them. Yesterday was different...

The minute I opened the door to welcome our Missionaries and Emily in I sensed their was something extra special about this young woman. Vibrant, joyful and outgoing I sensed we were in for a special afternoon. I had no idea she was about to change my perspective on my life...

While we waited for my DH to get home, Emily asked if she could tour our home. I laughed and said sure so off we went. As we went from room to room we laughed and talked like old friends. She enjoyed looking at the various photos of my family on the walls and end tables. I loved sharing stories that went along with each one. As we were entering my scrap space she paused a moment, looked at me and asked

"How did you get here?"

I was a bit surprised by her question, not quite sure what she meant. "You mean the house?"

"No, I mean how did you get here. How is it you have this wonderful, glorious life with 2 kids, a loving husband, your own business, this beautiful home...how do I get here?"

I only thought for a moment and replied with a big lump in my throat...

"I got here by the faith that I have and have always had in the Lord. I got here because I married the man I'm in love with. I got here by my faith."

The past 6 months have been non-stop in the Ackman household. We've had some major downs and have been extrememly stressed out and tired. There were days I'd think "how can I possibly do it all?"

Then, this young woman whom I had just met comes along and asks the humdinger of them all...
"How did I get here?" What a defining moment in my life. What an important question to ask myself on a regular basis to remind me to look at all the blessings in my life. I have been blessed there is no doubt. I'm here, living this life of mine (flaws, chaos and all) because of the faith I have. I will forever be grateful to you Emily. Thank you.

Week One so far

So far, so good as the saying goes. It's amazing what just 2 days of clean eating can do for a person. I'm losing that "full" feeling. Loving that.

Be sure to stop by Scrapwords today for the start of our Scrapwords Star Design Team Search. The round one challenge is on the homepage today!!

Ready for a Brand New Challenge

Do you ever get that feeling in your tummy, that warm, swelling feeling that something grand is about to happen? I did this morning as I was going on my morning walk. Everything just clicked this morning. Got up ON TIME!! Early, the way I like it at 5:45. Finished "Breaking Dawn" (I can't believe I'm done with Edward *sigh*), got Em up for school, I ate a healthy bowl of oatmeal with almonds and water. Walked Em to the bus stop then went on a walk myself. Ahhhh, I love mornings like this.

As I posted the other day I'm ready to begin my next Body for Life Challenge. I was a bit successful in June and July during my first round but gave up when I let food control my life once again. Sadly I've watched my pants grow tighter, my waist develop those nasty love handles again and my confidence and good feeling dwindle. I've had enough and ready to begin again.

Much of this wanting to start over comes in light of my 42nd birthday coming up this Sunday, October 12th. I"ll be 42. Honestly, I'm not one bit happy with the way I feel about turning another year older. Too much fat on my body, too lethargic feeling and I look old. So, I'm gonna go back to something that is familiar and works for me-the BFL program.

12 weeks from today is December 29th. That is when I hope to be at my goal which for now is in a happier, energetic place. No love handles. 10 pounds lighter. No more addiction to food.

As before I'll share my ups and downs with you here. If you'd like to comment on anything I say please do. If you'd like to join me-feel free. I would welcome the company!!

I'm off to get ready for the day. Have lots of work to do on Scrapwords. You'll have to stop by and see all the cool stuff I have planned for this week as well as the new Fancy Pants products that I'm putting in the store today!!

Happy Monday!

Last of my Week in the Life series

LOVE this photo of Em and her best friend Maddie!! This was taken Saturday at a HUGE Halloween store in Kansas City (KC{readmore}).

Here are the rest of my Week in the Life Photos...

Here are the ones I shot Thursday...

Em up for school just wanting to stay all cozy in her blanket.

Here is what she's watching...

And eating...

Thursday Dave and I left for KC for our anniversary and I forgot my camera!!! So no pics for our mini trip but still lots of memories.

Here are pics from Friday night...

Me in my new t-shirt. You can't see the front of it...It's Twilight!! It's got the entire Cullen Clan and Bella on the front!!

Our church had a weenie roast Friday night...so much FUN!!

Here are the girls creating crafts.

Oh, here's Dave and Em driving to the roast...

More weenie roast fun...apple picking...

apple eating...

Saturday morning we were up at 4:45 AM and off to KC again for an 8:oo soccer game for Em.

That's her with the ponytail. I love this shot with the sun!!

Maddie was there, too and her folks. We all ended up shopping at a big Halloween costume shop. The girls had a blast!!

At lunch...

Afternoon game...

That's her with the ball!!

A secret pic of Em and Maddie...

Then last night we traveled to Savannah for Jackson's football game.

Dave filming

We threw a surprise pizza party for Jackson's team!!!

No photos today but lots of journaling.

This has been one of the best projects I've ever done!! This week I'll start creating the book. Can't wait!! I'll be sure and post the finished book!!!!

Body For Life-Round 2

I've done a lot of thinking and I know what I need to do...Body for Life. It has been calling my name, begging me to come back to its simple and do-able approach to weight loss. When I'm on this plan I just feel GREAT! Haven't felt that great since I quit in late summer. So I'm gearing up for this Monday Oct. 6th. Taking photos again and everything.

I'm back.

Week in the Life Day 3

Here ya' go girls...my Wednesday!!

Yesterday was my Mom's 70th birthday. We took her to one of our fave restaurant's La Bonita. Here she is with Jacks outside...

I so want that sun!!

Inside La Bonita. They sang her a birthday song in Spanish!

It's a tradition to wear the sombrero, they take a pic and hang on their birthday wall!:)

My Mom maybe 70 but she is still young at heart!!:)

Packing a few Scrapwords packages at the office...

Picking up Em at school...

We stopped at Wal-Mart after to get Mom a pretty mum.

Stopped at Sonic for 1/2 price drinks...our fave!!!

Here is Mom with Em and her mum!

Aren't they just so pretty?? And that mum!!

Made sure to get my McCain/Palin stuff today...

And our yard sign...

The next house over has Obamba stuff plastered all over his yard including his pic. Oh, well...I'm sure he'll love seeing this!! LOL! It is a free country and that is what makes us America!! Love that we can all have our own opionions!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing my day!

Week in the Life Day 2

I am so loving doing Ali Edward's Week in the Life Challenge. It has literally forced me to take photos and write everything down. I was becoming pretty lax about all of that! Check out my photos from yesterday AND my fun, fresh haircut from this morning!! The first few photos {readmore}are from late afternoon on Monday.

Here is the supper Jackson made himself before football practice Monday night...

Em and Jacks wrestle around...

These were fun photos to snap!:)

Em's fave show she watched after school "ICarly"

Now here are yesterday's photos...

Dave watching the Markets, eating breakfast and trying to get geared up for work...

My walking shoes...I had just finished...

I can't believe how old I look after my workout, no makeup, YUCK!! LOL!

Jacks and Hyrum on the computer after their finance class...

Em getting her water jug ready for soccer practice.

Driving my her soccer practice I took this random (out of focus) shot.

Driving home from dropping Em off I thought it would be fun to take photos of the streets I travel everyday, 4 to 5 times a day...

Here's the one right before the street to my house. I love the tree-lined street.

Here's a shot of our house as I'm driving up the small hill to my driveway...

Here is my home!!

Yes, we have a HUGE watertower in our backyard!!

Jackson and I are headed for Savannah for football practice. We travel 30 miles one way...

A scene from his practice. It was a gorgeous night.

I took this silly photo last night.

Okay, here is my fun, new cut from THIS morning...

Ta-Da!!

I love how it's all flippy and fun!

Ali suggests that when putting our books together we use a square punch so we can fit a lot of photos on a page. That's why I'm not too worried about the far away shots of some of these. I'm actually planning it that way!

I want to get photos of our Wal-Mart, the movie theater, our church and more today!!