New years day activites

Had a nice relaxing day today - because we stayed up till 2 am last night! - that's not like us at all.

Went to Attingham Park today but only Jess came with us as the boys were sleeping off last night and Eleanor was busy sorting out all her stuff to take to Liverpool on Thursday.
God I look knackered - no more late nights for me!

Does my bum look big in these? ( my new walking trousers) well actually no! Never been able to say that before.

I then made a lovely tea for us all. Cottage pie and veg followed by the deadly apple crumble!

Look at my huge portion of cottage pie at the bottom of pic - I ate all that, plus pudding!!

New years day

Its the start of a new year and I have continued on my slippery slope of dieting destruction!

Why when I am only 1 1/2 lb away from my 5 stone loss? This stupid behaviour is what got me in my fat mess in the first place, but I don't seem to be able to stop. I seem to think I have ruined this week so why not carry on being bad - so bad I have been - sneaking loads of special Brazil nut toffee this afternoon and have just sat down to a healthy cottage pie topped with Swede but followed with a huge portion of apple crumble & custard! I am just useless.

Anyway - thought I would put down my new years resolutions here - so that I can look back in 6 months and see how many I have kept or not!

1) continue with the Slimming World diet to reach my target of a 7 stone loss to get me to 9 stone 13.5oz.

2) Make exercise feature in my life more prominently - aim for at least 3 gym sessions a week and walk or cycle instead of taking the car. Went for a walk to Attingham Park today - but only went at an easy pace was not even puffed out so I don't really think that counts!

3) Teeth - really make an effort to get on top of this. Clean & FLOSS twice a day without fail and use mouth wash in between. I have to do this as I am going to have a lot of dental treatment this year - new crowns (8) in the front so have to be in tip top condition.

In an effort to achieve this - bought this sonic toothbrush yesterday. It should have been £90 - but was in the sale for £48.00 - a ridiculous amount for a toothbrush - but my other electric one had died and I had been keen to try a sonic one. Seems very gentle when I used it today - hope its worth it.

4) scrapbook - continue this lovely hobby - for 2008 have a few things planned like art journal, Liam's year of 2007, some more pages for Liam's album and lots more pages for Jessica uni album ( she has come home with some great photos from this term - 420 in fact!)

4a) to help me reach no4 resolution I have signed up for a few challenges on UKS.
One is the A-Z challenge and I have decided to do an A-Z of recipes / baking.
I have also signed up for the 365 challenge - you have to take a photo everyday and journal everyday - not sure if I can keep this one up.
I have also signed up for 52 layouts this year challenge - which equals one a week. Now I hope I can keep this up and better it some weeks. I will be a bit late starting because my craft room will not be back in action until mid January - but as long as I have done 4 by the end of Jan - that's fine.

5) read more - I used to be a prolific reader but lately I just look at slimming or scrapbook magazines - so I must get back into proper reading. I have a book list about 70 books long and as there are only 52 weeks a year - that should be at least one book a week.

Managed this one already - have read this book over the last 3 days. It was great and even made me a bit teary.

6) take my vitamins regularly. I take multi vits, omega 3 and probiotics.

7) Update my blog regularly. I do try to do this as often as I can - its just that without my laptop - I struggle to get on the main computer - I hope it is returned soon.

8) really get to grips with Photoshop Elements. I have 2 instructional books and a Creating Keepsakes book - computer tricks for scrapbookers - which uses PSE - but I have not got past the first few pages in any of them. 
I need my laptop returned first 
as the old computer cannot cope with such a powerful programme. then some time to learn it all!

I stayed the same

I had my weigh in yesterday and sadly stayed the same. Perhaps not really sadly considering what I ate last week with it being Christmas, but still sad in that I did not reach my target for new year.

I enjoyed Christmas and did not worry too much about the diet. We went to the cinema Christmas Eve and watched st Trinian's - absolute rubbish film, but afterwards we had an Indian takeaway. When everyone else was saying 'I am so full I can't eat any more' - I was shoveling it all down and cleared all my plate!

Then Christmas day I had a full Christmas dinner and Christmas pudding. I then worked 4 nights and we were so busy that I did not have any breaks at all and felt so tired when I sat down to write my notes that I gave in and had some Roses chocolates that were lying around.

When I came back from weigh in last night I felt a little deflated that this was the first week that I had not lost and ate 2 chocolate bars - a crunchie and a fudge bar - so well and truly back on the chocolate now! We have just had a Chinese takeaway for tea as it is New Years Eve and again I scoffed loads - so I don't even think I will get to my 5 stone target next week at this rate.

I have not even made it to the gym for ages, so I am feel as if I am wavering a little bit at the minute. I don't want to stop as I really want to get down to 10 stone - just need a bit of a kick up the backside.

I think things might be better next week when the house is sorted a bit and life is not so hectic. Eleanor and Jess go back to Uni on Thursday. My mum moves out into her new flat next Monday and Liam goes back to school then - so I am hoping to get back on track then.

I am also really keen to start scrapping again - once I can unpack all my stuff in my craft room. I have signed up for a challenge to do one layout a week - so I really want to keep up with that one. My A-Z art journal is still only a thought in my head - still can't come up with what to do it on. As I have already done BOM - this needs to be a bit different - thought about books or recipes- but still not sure. Fell a bit overwhelmed with all the layouts I know I have to do such as Liam's 'year in the life' and Jessica's uni album.

wow - great loss this week

I can't really believe it but I lost 3 1/2lb last night at weigh in!

Crikey that's brill considering its the week before Christmas and I have not been to the gym, have eaten a whole bag of liquorice allsorts and got weighed a day early - I am not complaining as its great but we got weighed at Mandy's house on her carpet instead of the wooden floor - so perhaps the scales were not quite right . We get weighed there next week as well so I hope there will not be a nasty shock when we get back to Sundorne sports village and proper weigh ins. I am only 1 1/2 lb away from my 5 stone target - I would really love to lose that by next week but of course it is Christmas and I don't want to be mean on Christmas day but if I can be good the rest of the week may be I can start 2008 on the last leg towards my target.

This is how we spent Christmas Eve - a scrumptious Indian takeaway and Quality street chocs - good job I lost a lot tonight to give me a buffer zone after all this pigging out.

This is what we watched - the Snowman and Father Christmas - a christmas essential

Jess looking very festive with her misiltoe wings.

Everyone just chillin out - note Liam taking up the whole sofa!

no laptop again!

Yes, my laptop has broken again! It is the same as last time with lines all over the screen -- so it has gone back to be repaired! I hope it is fixed properly this time because it is so frustrating being without it. I will not be able to blog properly until it is back as all the children are home from uni and as we broke Jessica's - this big one is the only Internet computer, so everyone is queuing up to use it.

Oh I can't wait for Christmas to be over - I have weakened and eaten a whole bag of liquorice allsorts!!! I have not been a pig like this in ages - 6 months in fact and I am disgusted with myself. It was only because they were in the house and I just fancied one or 2 but of course I could not stop at just a few - ate the lot - though did manage to drag it out over a few days - so goodness knows what the scales will show at weigh in tonight! We have a tin of chocolates open and there will be more to come - so I have got to be really strong and resist.

Even more temptation in the way as Eleanor won a hamper from Green & Blacks organic chocolate which she opened last night - full of lovely goodies.

Roll on the new year when they house will be a sweet & chocolate free zone again. I have been thinking about my new years resolutions already so have a few ideas ready
1) continue with the Slimming World diet to reach my target of a 7 stone loss to get me to 9 stone 13.5oz.
2) Make exercise feature in my life more prominently - aim for at least 3 gym sessions a week and walk or cycle instead of taking the car.
3) Teeth - really make an effort to get on top of this. Clean & FLOSS twice a day without fail and use mouth wash in between.
4) scrapbook - continue this lovely hobby - for 2008 have a few things planned like art journal, Liam's year of 2007, some more pages for Liam's album and lots more pages for Jessica uni album ( she has come home with some great photos from this term)
5) read more - I used to be a prolific reader but lately I just look at slimming or scrapbook magazines - so I must get back into proper reading. I have a book list about 70 books long and as there are only 52 weeks a year - that should be at least one book a week.
6) take my vitamins regularly. I take multi vits, omega 3 and probiootics.

I have signed up to do a creative art Journal in 2008

I found this challenge on UKS - which led me to a Creative World blogg. It is to do a creative art journal - in A-Z form of different things. I am going to do everyday life. 

Well I have already done an A-Z scrapbook of me so this time fancy trying a different format as I really admire other peoples art journals, but am un-adventerous myself - so this might just get me going. Ali Edwards Christmas journal is looking gorgeous at the moment. see here.

Apparently there will be a prompt every 2 weeks starting on the 5th January. I need to get hold of a journal - if I had known before could have got a lovely plain one from Paperchase in Norwich last week. We do have to go to Oxford sometime over christmas so can get one from paperchase there and will have a bit of time to decorate it before we start.

I also have to make a start on Liam's a year in the life album. Due to his not letting me take any photos of him - it might be a bit bare - but I am still goimng to do it. I just need to be able to get back to my craft room.

I have lost again!

yes I have kept up my record of loosing each week.
I lost 1 1/2lb last night - which I was very pleased about. 
I am now 12 stone 4.5 lb.
I don't think I will get to my target of 12 stone  by new year but at 
least I am close.

I was pleasesd and surpirsed by my loss as I had been a bit worried as I had not been to the gym much last week and went out to a family get together on Sunday - where the only healthy thing to eat was tomatoes - so I dug in with everyone else to onion bajis, samosas, little sasagues etc! I did refuse a mince pie though. 

It was a lovely get together and nice to see everyone again 
though the numbers were depleted due to this dreadful cough that seems 
to be plaguing everyone.

It was our last SW class last night and we had a lovely time - Mandy made it really special and we
all bought in food, so it was a real party atmosphere. 

There was a big raffle with lots of prizes - I won some smellies. 
The sticky toffe scan bran cake I made went down well and 
lots of people wanted the recipe. 

The roasted chick peas though did not turn out well 
as I had heard they burn very quickly so
 in an attempt to avoid that the oven must have been too low 
because after 1 1/4 hour they were still soft. 
They tasted nice - covered with salt, pepper & paprika -
 so will try them again but cooked at a higher temperature - 
to try and get them crispy and that will give me something to
nibble on when everyone else is tucking into peanuts and crisps over christmas.