Meet my $400 dust catcher...

About a year ago, I announced to my husband it was time we got in shape. We had the space for a treadmill, and my reasoning was that if we had it easily accessible, there would be no excuses. So, with this mentality, I convinced him we did indeed need to buy a treadmill. We searched Craigs List and found a nice quality treadmill for $400. It was a lot of money, but as I told my husband, "There is no price you can put on good health."


We brought the treadmill home and put it to good use for about 6 weeks. We were on a roll! Then, one day no one got on the treadmill. One day passed into a week, which morphed into months, until now it is one year later. There were a few sporadic jogs and walks here and there, but we quickly fell out of a good routine. I kept saying that I would get right back 'in the saddle again', or on the treadmill as the case would be.
As I tend to do though, I found more excuses not to get on the treadmill...it was too cold in the basement...the beds needed to be made... I think I need to go to the grocery store...I'll excercise as soon as I am done taking the kids to this or that...I better make that phone call first. You get the idea. After awhile I stopped with the excuses and just didn't exercise, period.

The shoes sat, and so did I.

Fast forward an entire year...the treadmill is collecting dust, no one is using it, and I have been regretting the $400 purchase. Here she sits...lonely, empty, and ready to run...


The other day, I realized that I could keep making excuses, or adopt Nike's slogan and "Just Do It!" Excuses surely aren't going to get me moving. So a few days ago I told myself that I would get up at 5 a.m. and exercise for an hour. There are no excuses at 5 a.m. No phones ringing, no activities to drive children to, no beds to make because everyone is still in them, no meals to prepare, etc...

So for the past 6 days, I have been on the treadmill at 5 a.m. and it wasn't pretty...I was slow, and tired, and broke a sweat with a fast walk. Today though, I felt good. I jogged more than I walked, and felt energized when I was done. Early in the morning, there is time for squats and lunges, sit ups, and push ups, and lots of stretching. There is no rushing that early, only a dark sky and lots of time.

Finally, the old dust collecting treadmill is coming back to life, and so am I.

Are you exercising? What motivates you to keep going? If you aren't exercising, what do you think prevents you from doing so? We need to get moving ladies, won't you join me?

Written by Denise at Koffords in Colorado :-)

Gingham Checks

Nothing says spring more to me than colorful gingham!

I bet they make you smile too!

xoxo, Cathleen

designbycathleen

meet the winner...

the project{create a home} life and style makeover has a winner...and it is:

{drum roll please}

miss sarah eliza!!!

sarah eliza is a super cute lady with a fun side and wants to get a little of her life in a more streamlined order...so we here at project will be helping sarah out in 3 areas...

faith/relationships

organization

blogging

to quote sarah...

"Hooray! I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to participate in this makeover... I know it will be so fun and I'm excited to see what develops! Thank you so much -- I can't wait to start! ;D"

so stay close and watch for all the fun little ditty's to come. we'll be posting updates and how to's from sarah eliza's experience right here on project. we are compiling our teams and will be twittering too, so stay tuned!!!

do you have any fab ideas for us or for sarah eliza??? let me know...

danyele @ a thorn among roses

emergency preparedness and homeland security

emergency's happen every day...and there's a great place that is available for you to go for one stop information.

ready america is a campaign by homeland security that has a site with a number of very useful things.

there is a listing of community and state contacts and information {listed by state} that will allow you a one stop place to find out who to contact and how to contact them. good info, especially when faced with something unforeseen. i love that is one place to get the information.

telephone communication during an emergency...

It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.

Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact

You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether,but be patient.

more information is available at the homeland security website...HERE.

danyele @ a thorn among roses

festival lover...and finder

spring and summer festivals are finally here...and there's a really great place to find them all over the US and in your own home state.

festivals and events have compiled a large number of events by state that can be easily searched in one place. so, if you have a hankering for some bbq, you can look on THIS SITE and see if there's a benefit in your area...{and if you're in troutman, nc, you are in luck on may 28!}

do you have kids in traveling sports? a great way to kill time after the games/matches are over...find a festival and have some good food and some down time with the entire crew!

prices, schedules and menus are all listed...and if you are hosting an event, you can contact them and add yours to their listing. go have some fun...

danyele @ a thorn among roses

bloggy goodness

want some super fun little tidbits of goodness for you or the fam...blog related, of course!!

from t shirt humor...you can grab this little joy in a cuppa joe every morning while you do your bloggy-ness...{$12.99}

or this little ditty for you techies/goobers {we rock, btw} on a mouse pad or apron...

how about some cute little shirts for the kiddos....

{love september's etsy shop}

cafe press has a load of bloggy funness, but i love this attitude sticker

and a little bib for some babies of bloggers...at fun2wear2

have some fun...and a good weekend!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

Recharge!

Okay beautiful ladies ~ all that ON THE GO stuff can wear you down and suck the life right out of you.

Don’t forget to fill yourself back up!

Take care of yourself body, mind, soul and spirit.

~The body~

We all know the whole eat right thing…we know it…we just need to do it!

Bodies are created to move.

I know I know….I can almost hear you through the screen….”Lalena, I’m moving all the time! I’m pooped!”

Mom’s taxi service although busy, just doesn’t give your body the space it needs, but take cheerleading at the soccer game…that works great!

You know its coming…I’m talking about that dreaded word “Exercise”. Its what our bodies crave.

Walking just 20 minutes a day can refresh your body and stir up those endorphins and propel you through the rest of the afternoon.

Bodies also need air.

It may sound simple but when we’re stressed our bodies become tense and our breathing can become shallow. Take just a few minutes a day, walk outside, close your eyes and slowly take a few deep breaths. This will also help with refreshing the mind.

~The mind~

When we get into a rut our brains go stagnant. Fill back up with a few minutes of reading or a crossword puzzle and SUDOKU. (I love that game!) It will help clear out some of that fog between our ears.

Also, remember to smile. I don’t know about you, but my mind races all the time and for some reason the expression on my face looks angry or upset even if I’m not. Remembering to smile will not only stimulate your mind, it also helps the people around you relax!

~The soul~

Surrounding your world with beauty can calm a weary soul.

For some this may require changing your atmosphere, such as letting go of draining relationships or just a trip to the local thrift store with the clutter from that back closet.

As women our tendency is to put ourselves last and I believe our souls take the hardest hit. Something as simple as buying yourself flowers each week can spark you soul and help restore a little joy in your day to day.

Our souls also need to live in the current moment. The mind tends to replay the past or plan the future. Take the time to enjoy right where you happen to land.

Breathe in ~ Breathe out ~ Rest

Your soul will thank you.

~The Spirit~

Personally I find when my faith wanders or I haven’t’ given freely of myself in some sort of service, my spirit grows weary.

People may disagree on religious issues but deep within in all of us, our spirit desires something bigger than ourselves: a knowing, a purpose and a reason for living.

So stop running on empty!

Remembering to fill up isn’t selfish it’s necessary.

We cant give something we don’t have, plain and simple.

~written by Lalena