Goals, revisited... Part 1

It's easier for me if I break things down, so instead of revisiting all 100 goals at once, I will do 10 at a time! I have been busy getting ready for a craft show that I'm doing this Friday and Saturday. I am impatiently waiting on a shipment of supplies that should have been here Monday. I ordered $200 worth of stuff just FOR the craft show, and it's not here... and it's Wednesday. *sigh*

What do you think about the new layout??


1. organize all 3 craft totes (3/3) -- Completed June 2010. Got rid of one tote, downsized to two organized totes.
2. make Gracelynn's birthday scrapbook (by March 7th) -- Failed. Hopefully by the end of the year I will get this done.
3. domino alterations of some sort -- earrings? necklace? -- Haven't had time, not really interested in doing these anymore....
4. complete 100 swaps (104/100) -- Completed 100 swaps and then quit swap-bot to focus on other things
5. eye spy bags for the girls (3/3) -- I made Eye Spy Bottles - they LOVE them
6. collect 50 cancelled stamps -- Actually have about 100! Pics will be posted eventually. If anyone likes cancelled stamps let me know and I'll mail some to you!
7. knit a bag or purse -- A friend knitted one for me, so I got out of this one LOL
8. chalkboard globe -- Made chalkboard table instead, 2-22
9. work with clay -- polymer beads, maybe? -- Still very interested in doing this, just haven't had the time.. focusing on craft shows and the website
10. make my own rubber stamp -- Can't wait to do this! Just trying to figure out what supplies I will need.

Race for the Cure 2010 St. Louis

We loved this advertisement!!


This gave us chills... to see SO many people once we were at the top of the hill.. omg I can't even explain it!


A Wentzville firefighter all decked out in PINK!


Pink Balloon Arch!


And the real ARCH! My favorite thing to take pictures of.

There were SO many people there that we couldn't even walk at more than a snail's pace for over 20 minutes. Finally, people started spreading out a bit and we were able to pass a few folks. Our time was 1 hour 13 minutes!! That's how long it took! We did stop to record a short video.. they asked why we were doing the race and we said "TO SAVE THE TA TAS!!!" lmao. We couldn't come up with much else! We looked like hell by the time the race was over. It was in the 90s with almost 60% humidity!



Can't wait til I get to do my next 5K! And thank you to Candice for sponsoring this one! We raised over $250!!!

Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow morning I am participating in my second 5K EVER! :) It will just be a walk and maybe a little bit of a jog, but I am so excited... why?? Because this is the first 5k that Rachel and I will be doing as a couple!!! :) She is really super happy!

Komen Race Site

By this time next year, I hope to be able to RUN a 5K! I know that doesn't seem like a huge goal for some people, but walking a 5k is difficult for me at this point. My time last week was 48:15 I believe. I hope to do this one in under 45 minutes, but I don't want to leave Rachel behind. So we will see. Anything under an hour and I will be happy!

And I just bought these shoes for my upcoming 5ks!!



Also, if anyone is interested in sponsoring me for any upcoming 5Ks, please let me know. I will return the favor by sending you the same amount in merchandise. For example, if you would have sponsored this 5K, it was $25. You'd get $25 worth of merchandise for free, and would just have to pay shipping. :) So just send me a message (sadielankford(AT)ymail(DOT)com) if you'd like to help me out!

I just made a post about it HERE explaining what I mean about the sponsorship. Also if you have a business of your own I can wear a t-shirt with your logo for the race and the rest of the day if you sponsor me at the silver level ($25), so just let me know! I'll also continue to wear your business t-shirt out and about.. because I'm just cool like that LOL.

Weight loss progress

I lost 5.3lbs last week and so far 1.5lbs this week. I hope to continue losing this week and in the future!

Here are some of my favorite things. I got them from random websites online so I'm hoping they make sense without pictures. :) When I get to my goal weight, I plan on making a workout video to help people!!

Along with these workout moves, I do tricep extensions with a 10lb weight. Those are killer! I also like the Leslie Sansone DVDs (Walk Away The Pounds) and Jillian Michaels' DVDs (The SHRED, Last Chance Workout). I get bored VERY easily, so these help mix it up. I am hoping to post some progress pictures next week.


Superset #1:
Bicep Curls and Bicycle Crunches

This is the first superset. Perform bicep curls and then without rest perform bicycle crunches.

Bicep Curls
Begin by standing with your feet facing forward and your palms facing forward.

Exhale and bend your elbows, curling the weight up towards your shoulders.

Hold briefly at the top and then slowly lower to the starting position.

Aim for 8-15 repetitions and then move immediately without rest to bicycle crunches.


Bicycle Crunches
Lie on your back bring your left knee towards your right elbow, and then switch to the other side.

Move in a rhythmic fashion.

Perform 15-25 repetitions on each side.

Rest 30-60 seconds, and then go back to bicep curls.


Ab and Arm Toning Workout
Superset #2:
Triceps Kickbacks and the Plank


Triceps Kickbacks
Hold one or two dumbbells in your hands, and bend over so that your body is parallel to the floor.

Straighten your arm and hold briefly at the top before slowly lowering to the starting position.

Keep your back straight throughout.

Do 8-15 repetitions and then without any rest move on to the plank.


Plank Pose

The plank is an isometric exercise. This simply means that you hold the same position without moving.

Balance on your elbows and toes and hold this position for 30-60 seconds.

Keep your back in good alignment. Use your abs to keep your back from sagging or arching too much.

Rest after the plank for 30-60 seconds and then go back to triceps kickbacks.

Ab and Arm Toning Workout
Superset #3:
Lateral Raises and Reverse Crunches with the Ball

Lateral Raises
Hold dumbbells in your hands with your arms at your sides.

Lift your arms out to the side and hold briefly at the top of the movement before returning to the starting position.

Keep your neck and shoulder in a good posture throughout.

Perform 8-15 repetitions and then without resting move straight to reverse crunches with a ball.

Reverse Crunches
with the Ball
If you do not have a ball, you can simply do reverse crunches without the ball

If you have a ball, lie on the floor and squeeze the ball against your thighs with your feet.

Lift the ball off the floor and bring your knees towards your chest. Hold briefly and return to the starting position.

Perform 12-15 repetitions. Rest 30-60 seconds and then go back to the lateral raises.
Ab and Arm Toning Workout Summary

I hope that the instructions for this ab and arm toning workout are clear. Focus on 2 exercises at one time. Aim for 8-15 repetitions for the arm exercises and 15-25 for the ab exercises.

Begin with Bicep Curls and Bicycle Crunches. Do 2-3 sets of each exercise before moving on to the next 2 exercises.

The second superset is Triceps Kickback and the Plank Pose.

And the third superset is lateral raises and reverse crunches.

Note: You can use the superset principle to create unlimited workouts. If you have a favorite exercise it is okay to substitute any of the above exercises.

Giveaway

I really don't want you to enter this giveaway, because I want to win it LOL but in order to get three extra entries, I'm blogging about it.

It's nothing special, you wouldn't like it. Trust me...

Thanks, Krystal, for hosting the giveaway :)

And here's another, and another.

I love Krystal's giveaways, though I'm not a huge fan of giveaway blogs normally. I can understand why people get sucked into them lol.

Thank you!

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to a few of my favorite bloggers that left a comment on my last post. I was feeling a bit down because of the failed surrogacy, though I should have been (and still should be) thankful that it was found out now that she could not fulfill her end of the deal instead of later.

Parenting from My Point of View -- She is in need of summer cookout recipe ideas so please stop by and help her out!!

Family Treasures -- This is one of my favorite blogs ever. It has recently turned into a giveaway blog... but I have won lots of stuff so I definitely won't complain! :) She gives an extra entry for each of her other giveaways you enter, so that's always a plus. She's also working on losing weight. Lots going on with this blogger! Can't wait to read more about all of it.

All You Need is Love -- This blog is so cute. Love the layout. And her little doll at the end of her post reminds me of the good old days... I used to edit those dolls and play in a place called "The Palace" where you chatted with friends (who all made their own dolls). Even competed in "pageants" with the dolls. LOL I was 15 at the time. Embarrassing!

Frugal is a Green Journey -- Tree Huggin Momma was one of my first supporters.. always leaving nice comments and encouraging me to blog!! Please stop by her blog to give her some encouragement as well. Her latest blog entry makes me think she needs some!

The Floundering SAHM -- This woman left her career to be a SAHM. It's really interesting to read about her day to day SAHM adventures. :)

Today, we have a photo shoot for the tutus and pillowcase dresses. YAY!

Big Changes

So I will probably be all over the place on this post, as I'm a bit upset, but I'm hoping to make some sort of sense. :) I have not had much feedback on recent posts so I'm not sure if I should continue blogging. I like blogging, but sometimes it's discouraging when you leave comments for others and don't get them back.. and I have not been able to return comments as much as I should. I've also seen a lot of good blogs turn into giveaway blogs. While I love winning things, I feel disconnected from those blogs.. it's just weird for me. No idea which direction this blog will be going in. I don't want to give it up.

I just got an email from Erin, the woman I thought I was going to be a surrogate for. After lowering my comp, and playing the waiting game for/with her, she emailed me and said she can't proceed with the surrogacy. After Rachel getting upset and not wanting me to be a surro, after talking Rach into it and getting her on board, after everything... she can't do it. I realize there's a plan and reason for everything, but this pretty much ruins my chances of ever being a surro again, because Rach is going to freak out when I tell her that yet another IP backed out. :/ Heartbreaking, in so many ways.

On a lighter note, I finished my first 5k this weekend. My mom and I did it together, it was a "Sweat for the Vets". This coming weekend we are doing the Breast Cancer Walk in St. Louis. There are supposed to be over 60,000 participants! Rach and I are doing this one together. It will be ... interesting. :)

I lost 5.3lbs last week. I'm hoping I can lose a few more this week. Now that the surrogacy isn't going to happen, maybe I should just focus on getting my body back. I just really wanted to be a surrogate again. :( So I don't know what to do next... *sigh*

Running out of ideas for titles!

We are doing another photo shoot tomorrow, with our new pillow case dresses and our fairy tutu sets. Can't wait to post pictures. Keep an eye out on nelliebugs.com for the new items. I've also added lots of new stuff on the website so feel free to look around. :)

Yesterday, we BBQ'd. Weather was supposed to be clear all day, but it started storming. I caught Grace in the corner, on her knees, praying to God for the storm to go away so she could play on her slip n slide. LOL. Then about 5 minutes later, the storm just disappeared. She's now convinced it was a miracle. She's 5.

I bought the Last Chance Workout DVD. The SHRED was too hard on my knees, and honestly was pretty boring. I was sweating with this DVD.. it's brutal, but low-impact. Exactly what I needed. I'm still losing weight. I have 20lbs to lose before I get pregnant again. I am hoping to be able to be a surrogate for a woman from California. We are also planning on moving to California some time within the next year. I have some legalities with custody and visitation to work out before it all goes through, so we will see. Hopes are up, though.

Jenelle (8) is going to learn the Presidents, states and capitals, and multiplication this summer. We bought school books but she got bored. So we are just going to focus on those three things as well as reading chapter books, using the dictionary, and 3 and 4 digit subtraction.

Grace and Sapphire really need some more structure, but I've been lazy. Starting a new schedule up soon.

My first 5k is this weekend. Wish me luck.