The Color Room 125 and Baptism

It really has been forever since I posted a Color Room layout.  Recently the decision was made to relocate to Facebook and leave the Ning site to not have to continue paying the annual fees.  I might have to Facebook a little more as a result.

This palette is a prelude to fall which is right around the corner for us.  The kids are getting ready for school and we can't wait either.  At least we have already finished shopping for school supplies this year so we are on the ball! :)

A couple of years ago, we won some tickets to an apple orchard at a silent auction at school.  The picture was from that outing.  I really liked this photo in particular. Luck would have it, there is a wheel in the Silhouette online store, perfect for this page! 

Here is a close-up of the wheel and the various frames on my page.  It took me nearly two weeks to get this page finished.  It never ceases to amaze and depress me just how quickly skills get rusty! The same goes for physical exercises and many other things!

Yesterday I was baptized in a Lake Baptism service.  I've been "trying" to go through this important ritual since the day I decided to follow Jesus 22 years ago.  It sounds weird to say that it never worked out previously.  Back in Senegal, I didn't have a church or a pastor.  I believe the thought at the time was that only an ordained pastor could perform the baptism.  During my college years, I did not have a car to be attending a church on a consistent basis and most churches require a course over a period of time for you to receive this service.  Then for many years, it just was not all that important.  After all, while baptism is a public declaration of faith, it is not a required element to be a Christian.

I have a few pictures that I will post later this week.  Speaking of this week, I'm taking some time off for school orientations and other fun activities. We might even attend the Minnesota State Fair.  I will be going under protest but the kids would love it. :) 

Kungfu Hero and CK Winner

I am happy and relieved to report that the fitness challenge at work is officially over. With it also went all my motivation for daily additional workouts.  I cannot find it deep down inside myself to go the extra mile, literally.  Back to one hour a day and look I even had time to scrapbook!  I think I have gained a couple of pounds and before anyone says "muscle," let me debunk that myth immediately: I ate more than I burned.  It won't be as easy to stop eating extra like it is to stop working out extra.

So yes I finally did some scrapbooking this weekend!  I cut into the Hopscotch collection by Fancy Pants Designs.  There are so many fun patterns in this collection that one layout from the next could look significantly different!  Here I did not use any of the pinks found in the PPs in this collection.

I layered the photos atop of some new cuts I bought in the Silhouette store that are clipboards.  I think they will be extremely handy for school projects in the future.  The word "hero" is also a cut using the Cameo.  I'm actually having a little bit of Cameo problems right now. I hope technical support will be able to assist me.  Wish me luck!

Here is a close-up of the title and the little cute birdie from the It's the Little Things collection. The colors work rather well with the layout here.  

Before I go, Isha is the winner of the CK magazine give-away.  Isha, please leave another comment with your email address so I can get in touch with you!  Congrats!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Creating Keepsakes Sept/Oct Issue Giveaway

I have something fun to share today!  I have been given the opportunity to give away a copy of the latest Creating Keepsakes Sept/Oct issue on this little blog of mine.

I totally love the color scheme of the cover layout, so beautiful indeed!  I look forward to getting my copy and devour its content. You can also check out some CK freebies right here that is a part of the new issue release.   As for the giveaway, please leave me a comment to win! You have until Sunday August 19 at midnight. Thank you for playing!

And nowadays, I can't exactly write a blog post without some mention of the "fitness challenge."  I continue to be sore all over.  Yesterday morning's cardio kick for 30 minutes and Tabata for 30 minutes with Stephanie was a killer combo.  Even so, I looked around me at the regulars there with palpable envy... they get to be killed like this with Stephanie every Monday, lucky ducks!  Then we followed it up with a family outing of indoor rock climbing in the afternoon. Needless to say, I am still recovering from all the activities yesterday so I did my one hour today and called it good!  This old body needs some rest!  

The Good Good Life

Saturday morning and having finished a Tabata class and a Cardio Kick class, I am really quite tired. The fitness challenge at work is out of control!  My team averaged 3.5 hours of workout per day per person last week.  This means some of my teammates are pulling some serious weight because I only managed 2 hours per day last week and I was second to last place :)

The question of "how do you find the time" always arises.  It's pretty easy: go to work for 9 hours, grab a bite to eat for dinner, kiss the children goodbye, head to the gym for three hours (including going to, from, and shower), get home to kiss the children goodnight, and collapse.  In other words, one needs a very supportive spouse or somehow get rid of the children, lol. Obviously this is not a sustainable way of life, but for seven more days, let it be!  One thing is for sure, at the end of it all, I'll either be a sore winner or sore loser. lol.

Onto scrapbooking... I am very excited to share this CHA layout I created using The Good Life collection from Fancy Pants Designs.  My parents were very pleased with the whole thing and particularly of the photo :)  Both said that anyone who has gone to school in China recognizes this tower because Galileo's famous experiment demonstrating that objects of different mass fall at the same speed.  Indeed I had learned about this experiment but I just thought it was some tower :) I thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa is famous because it leans, and not because of some physics experiment :)

Here is a close-up photos showing a few details in this layout.  I layered the title onto some chipboard pieces from previous collections by Fancy Pants. The Leaning Tower of Pisa cut was purchased from the Silhouette store and it's such a great accent!  I actually cut out the bicycle from paper and re-layered it onto the same polka dot background so it mostly looks blended into the background. Of course, always remember to use 3-d adhesives to add dimension!  

Thank you for stopping by to check on my status :) I am headed out to First Born's swim meet this p.m..  Hopefully I will also add a point or two in the fitness challenge department. As DH puts it: I'm a maniac, maniac, that's for sure; and I'm working like I've never worked out before...  Such a true statement in fact!

Inspire, Motivate, Challenge

These words may seem a little cliche but they come to mind when I see these two women.  There would be a scrapbook page or two coming in the future if I could ever tear myself away from the gym (and the Olympics for now).  Ideally, they'd be in their workout suits and posing with weights, steps and what-nots.  In reality, I just couldn't bring myself to bring a camera and spring it on them right before a class asking them to pose for me.  They are, after all, getting ready to inspire, motivate and challenge me as they do their jobs.

I wonder what it is like to have a job that directly impacts people in such positive ways.  I wonder if they realize just how much people admire and idolize them.  I suppose the evidence is in the groupies who travel with them to different Ys.  Goodness knows that I do. I even pick my days off based on their teaching schedules.  Sure it is obsessive but Obsessiveness is one of my middle names. Even so... the Fitness Challenge at work has me exhausted at the moment. I have found my limit: two classes every day is too much.  Thankfully, only twelve more days to go!

I also have a card to share using Fancy Pants' Time for Spring collection.  It's a very unique project because the golden heart is made out of wax.  I melted the chunk of golden wax onto the negative of a chipboard heart to create it. The Sizzle Dual Temperature Craft Iron and 6 Tips from Purple Cows is a great tool for encaustic work. It is a very interesting experience to work with wax, the texture is so incredibly unique, and every piece would be different from the next!

And of course, I added a butterfly pin onto the card right above the sentiment.  I melted the wax a little with the craft iron, just enough to insert the pin. Again, check out the texture of the wax heart. I could have played with the melting and shaping forever! 

That wraps things up for this post. I think it's going to be a lovely and challenging day today.  Have a wonderful day and start of the week!