I ran, Me, Reba and Joan Benoit Samuelson

I have been out for awhile. Between my ankle injury, the flu and then a horrible cold or second strand of flu...I have been under the weather. And life also got in the way. But I think things are getting back to normal.

I have a 5K this weekend in NASA. It is the 5K Reindeer Run. I can't wait. I really need to get back in the swing of things.

I have to say I haven't felt this good in a long time. It feels good to run. Well today I was being dragged by my freaky dog, Reba. I really need to socialize her. Poor thing, she was running as fast as she could away from any sign of life...a deer, a cat, another jogger, a rabbit. It was crazy but apparently it was great for my pace because at the end of my run, Joan Benoit Samuelson congratulated me on the best run ever. Wuu huu Reba! Pin It

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you believe it is the most wonderful time of the year again? I love this time of year. I am reminded of the precious gift that was given to mankind over 2000 years ago. I see it in the lights that decorate the night...because light always penetrates the dark. I hear it in the songs we sing about Ole Saint Nick and Deck the Halls. Yes, I even feel it in the hustle and bustle of gift buying...giving to others because we love them.

So this year, thanks to the gals from Christmas with the Cricut, I am making all my gifts. They inspired me so much that I also made my own Christmas wreath. I went to Joann's and went crazy on their sale but if I budget correctly, I believe I will spend less than $200.00 on 13 great gifts, a huge Christmas wreath with lights and my Christmas cards. Can you believe it? Here is a picture of my buy and the finished wreath.

Over the next few weeks I will show some of the gifts I created and some of the decor I created with my Gypsy and my Cricut. I think I am going to buy two more wreaths (at 9.99 each at Joanns...I feel like I am stealing them) and decorate them using my G, my Cricut and my YourStory.

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Gypsy Goodie Bags

I went to a retreat this weekend called the Winds of the Revolution. By the way, God was there and he said to say, "Hi". I used a white gift bag from Walmart and included the following items:

• Prayer Journal (altered composition book)



• bag of chocolate (Angel Kisses)
• bottle of water (Living Water)
• Purse Card
• tissues
• pen
• gum
• mints
• small bottle of shampoo
• small bottle of cleansing gel
• disposable razor

I used composition books from Walmart and covered the inside, outside and front and back of each journal. I was a Valentine paper pack that I already had but never used. The candy bag was made with small candy bags from Walmart and I cut off about 3 inches from the top. Then I stapled it at the top. I then cut two circles from the same Valentine pack (one at 5.75 inches and one and 5.25 inches) and glued them together. I punched two holes across from eachother and pulled the ribbon through it and tied knots so that they couldn't be pulled out. I then stamped a sentiment from CDstamps.com and created a border around it with two pieces of cardstock from my scrap stash. I then, used my ATG gun and taped the folded circle over the top of the goodie bag. I created a purse card that is a tri-fold from GBS cartridge, using my Gypsy. I then borrowed an idea of wrapping the water bottle from Tammy with Christmas with a Cricut. She was a guest designer at Hallmark Scrapbook Blog. You can view the video here on how to make it. I made the goodie bag with things us gals normally forget when we go to a weekend retreat.

I have to tell you a little story about the prayer journal. As I was going over ideas in my head about how to decorate the journal, I couldn't make up my mind. I look through all my existing paper pads (you know the ones we all have) and just couldn't make up my mind. I went to stores and nothing stood out. So I decided to pray about it and ask God what He had envisioned. And He told me to make Love Journals. He said we are His Beloved and He wanted us to write to Him all our desires, hopes, dreams, joys, pains, and losses. So I took out a Valentines pack I purchased in January and never used (now I know why) and started to make the books. I knew He said "Love Letters" but when I went to the retreat website, I saw it was called "The Winds of Revolution". It didn't sound like anything to do with Love Letters and I started to doubt the word I heard. But in obedience I did it just like He asked. Well, on Saturday, after the morning a session, they gave us an assignment for the afternoon that we are to do in quietness with just us and God. And they said, "I want you to get out your journals that you brought to take notes and I want you to pen LOVE LETTERS to our Beloved. He has told me that He wants love letters from all of you. I just turned to all the women I made journals and my mouth just dropped open. We all had journals that said "Love Letters." Can I get an amen?

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Running with Reba

I really thought I wasn't going to get my run in today. I had planned to run after picking up my daughter from school. It was my understanding that another parent was going to drop off and pick up but no. I was dropping and the other parent was picking up. So I knew I was not going to have time to run before taking them, which means I would have to run in the dark.

Then I realized I don't have insect repellent and the mosquitoes were attacking me in the car. So I rush to drop the kids off and then rush to get repellent. Then I just cruise the streets looking for a park that is well lit. Apparently my area does not believe in being in parks after dark because none of them had lights.

So I came home and grabbed my biggest dog, which is my most psycho dog and went for a run in the neighborhood. Ya know, it is different when you are fighting a 45 pound dog and trying to force it to go forward. Oh, then she wants to chase rabbits and run from cars...it was very mentally taxing but I enjoyed it. And I think in the long run, so did she.

But I am worn. I have been on the go since 8 this morning and I am taking a short break to update my blog, read some forums..(Active.com is down again) and now I have to cook dinner and wash the sheets..and it is already 8PM. How does everyone do it? Pin It

Tomorrow I will run

So I am pretty psyched. Tomorrow I run. I check my ankle everyday and test my range of motion. Considering all the walking I have done in the past few days and all the up and down the stairs...I feel I am ready.

My world has really changed in two weeks. During my hiatus, my husband took on a new job that has him away for quite a few hours, my daughter started year round swim and we have had a time change. Not to mention, I have started making tutorial videos for the Gypsy, a handheld design studio for paper crafters. So I am feeling out of sorts.

I really need to sit down and look at my schedule and prioritize the things that I do. I want running to be at the top of the list. Well running and work, oh and driving my daughter to her practices, oh yeah and making my videos..and don't forget paper crafting and yes the holidays. See what I mean? So hold me to it guys...I want to hear from you...I want you to scream at me...where is the run Fluffy?

On a side note: Here is the From the Inside Out Gang at the MS 5K. We were our shirts, inside out.

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Kemah MS 5K Walk/Run

We had a perfect day for a run yesterday. However, I am not completely healed yet so I did the 1 mile walk with some friends. Two of my friends have MS. One was diagnosed 20 years ago when she was in her twenties and the other was diagnosed about 9 years ago. She was also in her twenties. Looking at them, you can' t tell they have MS. They are beautiful and full of life.

Our team name was From the Inside Out. You see MS is weird that way. You can look completely normal on the outside while your body is at war with itself on the inside. You can be running a marathon one day and then be paralyzed on one side of the body the next. We had about 12 people on our team. I was going to run but my husband said I wasn't ready. And he was right. After walking the mile then going to Woofstock with my sister, my ankle was acting up again. So next week I will start out slow with just walking and go from there.

If you still haven't signed up for a 5K... get off your rear and do it. You see, I signed up for one and only walked 1 mile. So what? There will be more 5Ks? No one looked at me funny or felt sorry for me or talked about me. We all had a great time and built memories. So get out there and do it! Pin It

My first blog award!

I am so excited. I received my first blog award. Thank you Jeannelee! Check out her blog MyTinHairMusings. Ok so here are the rules. I am to answer a few questions with one word and share the award with five fabulous people. And then go to their blog and share the love.

So here is who I want to share with:

Loves to Create-she has the cutest craftroom and does some great crafting

Bug Junkie--the most amazing shape books made with the Cricut

These girls I call the Gypsy Chics...everything you want to know about the Gypsy

TheBugBytes

Myamagoo

Alicia Garcia

So here I go:

1. Where is your cell phone? couch


2. Your hair? short


3. Your mother? Home


4. Your father? Home


5. Your favorite food? Menudo


6. Your dream last night? funny


7. Your favorite drink? cherry Limeade


8. Your dream/goal? famous


9. What room are you in? living room


10. Your hobby? Studying


11. Your fear? failing


12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy


13. Where were you last night? Bible Study


14. Something that you aren't? fashionista


15. Muffins? Banana Nut


16. Wish list item? creativity


17. Where did you grow up? Texas


18. Last thing you did? drive


19. What are you wearing? shorts


20. Your TV? on


21. Your Pets? 5


22. Friends? amazing


23. Your life? joyful


24. Your mood? bliss


25. Missing Someone? Stepson


26. vehicle? Pacifica


27. Something your not wearing? shoes


28. Your favorite store?By Design Scrapbook Boutique


29. Your favorite color? green


30. When was the last time you laughed? hour


31. Last time you cried?month


32. Your best friend? husband


33. One place that I go to over and over? cricut.com


34. Facebook? yes


35. Favorite place to eat? Spanish Flower

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Where's Waldo, uh I mean Fluffy?

I have been MIA for a few days. The good news is that I am 100% after my 10K. The bad news is that life has taken over my , well, uh running life. My husband started a new job this past week and is working long hours. We also run our own business and now I am doing it by myself...well and some employees also. My daughter has gone back to year round swimming so I am driving her around town in the afternoon. I am going to have to analyze my schedule and make time for running. It is a priority...like brushing my teeth and I miss it.

I have a 5K this weekend and I can't wait. I received my number this past week. So while I am contemplating whether to run or walk, I thought Iwould share some information for those that are signing up for their first 5K.

1. Don't wear your free Tshirt to the race. Save those for other races. They are usually cotton so you will probably want to wear a tech shirt anyway.
2. Have an idea about your pace and don't go to the front of the pack at the starting point unless you plan to run to win. People at the front are trying to win and to have to weave around walkers or slower pace people makes it difficult...you'll understand as you run and have to go around someone. I usually start near the back. You usually will get a timing chip, it doesn't start your time until you go over the mat at the starting line.
3. If you think you will take more than 45 minutes, take some water. There may not be water stops close enough to hydrate you.
4. Practice running and drinking out of a cup. I know it sounds silly but they handed me a small dixie cup on my first run and I found I couldn't get the water from the cup to my mouth...it ran down my chin.
5. Get there early enough to do a 5 minute warm up... you have a tendency to start running at the starting line because everyone else is running...but they probably did a warm up.
6. Adrenaline is your friend on this day. You will find you will run faster and longer on this day than on your training runs.
7. That being said...run your pace, not the guy's next to you. You could hit a wall if you start out too fast because you are trying to keep up with someone else.
8. It is okay to walk...there are no police to scoop you up if you stop to walk.
9. Most importantly, have fun and look for the free food at the end of the race...hey, you deserve it!

Happy Running!

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Shape Book Video

I have a three part series on how to create a shape book on your Gypsy. There are so many things going on in my life that it is hard to take a moment to make them. I may have follow up videos on how to complete your project. But right now, the main goal of these videos is to get you started on brainstorming your own shape books.

I have Bible Study tonight so I will get parts one and two uploaded before I leave, however, part three will come after Bible Study. They were really quick so kind of raw but you will get the idea. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will get to hone in on my video skills and produce better videos. I am new at this, so be gentle. :)

Happy Gypsying! Pin It

There is an update today!

Here is a list of the items that were updated today on the Gypsy. I did the update and I am in the process of testing them. Here is what the update offers. I put my notes next to update if I tested it.

Cricut App Version 1.2 Build 0142: 11/04/2009
Added Features:

You can now share files between Cricut® DesignStudio and the Cricut App on your Gypsy™. Yes it works.

The Cricut App now supports multi-page design. Sort of. It will bring all images over to the Gypsy but they are all on one mat. I stand corrected. There is a little plus sign to the left of the mat that allows you to add pages. YEAH!!

By holding down the Zoom button and selecting an image on the keypad, Gypsy will now display a full screen preview of the image so that you can see the details of the image without having to go to the mat screen. Yes it works. You have to go to the keypad, hold the zoom button down, tap the image you want to see full screen (just tap, don't keep your stylus on the screen) the full screen image will appear, tap it to make it go away

The name of the cartridge displayed on the keypad window now shows in non-bolded red text if you do not own the cartridge. If you own the cartridge it shows in bolded dark green. This works. However, in order to see green, you have to tilt your Gypsy just so and tilt your head like this. However, the ones I don't own are in red.***this is on the Keypad screen

On the keypad screen, if you tap and hold an image in the image queue, the cartridge name to which that image belongs will be displayed. Clicking the cartridge name switches the keypad to that cartridge. This works...this is what you do. If you are on your mat and you forget where you got an image, highlight that image (make it blue), hit the keypad, put your stylus on the image on the top bar and hold it there until the name of the cart comes up in a little box, if you want to go to that cartridge, then tap the box, if you don't want to then just tap anywere in the white bar at top

Enhancements:

Welding preview is now faster and shows a progress bar. Yes it is faster and yes, love the progress bar...yeah

Welding preview no longer has to be redrawn when you zoom in or out (you can now enter preview mode and zoom without having to wait each time you zoom). This works.

Dragging large groups on your mat is now faster. OMG yes it is so much faster....yeah.

Load and Unload button on the cutting menu is now smart. If you have a mat loaded in the Cricut machine the Cricut App will only display the "Unload Mat" button. If you do not have a mat loaded it will only display the "Load Mat" button.

Updated keyword database. I tested "pumpkin" it did not use to show Gypsy Wandering Pumpkin and now it does...still may need further testing.

Updated the warranty to expand the warranty coverage form 6 months to 12 months (please read the warranty for details). I will wait until someone else reads. I didn't read the first one.

New firmware for the Cricut machine that enables some of the features above and improves the reliability of cutting.

You can now use the zoom and pan buttons to scroll up and down through your file lists when opening and deleting files. Yes that works.
Fixes

Reported welding issues have been fixed. I have not cut yet but it looks better on my preview

Selection boxes that appear around images and groups have been improved so that the show correctly even when they spill over the edge of the mat. The boxes display while they are being dragged. They do not show when at rest. Yes it works, you don't get a big black box around when you run off the page.

The Cricut machine remembers if you are in mm or inches after you shutdown and then restart. Yes this works.

Designs that contain templates, where the template contains images you don’t have the rights to cut, can now be cut*.
*Note: Previous to this Circut App release, if you attempted to cut a design based on a template containing an image you don’t have the rights to cut (even though the template does not cut) the entire design would not cut.

Gypsy Sync Software (MAC/WIN): 11/04/2009
Added Features:

• Add the ability to transfer files to and from your Gypsy. Files that can be transferred are *.gypsy files. Yes this works.

Know Issues:

• Skewing/SlantingWe are aware of an issue with Skewing/Slanting. This capability does not function properly when transferring files from Cricut DesignStudio and Gypsy. Files that have Skewing/Slanting in them may not have the same Skewing/Slanting or in some cases the Skewing/Slanting is completely removed. This only happens when transferring files. You can transfer files and then add Skewing/Slanting. This is known issue that we are still working to resolve. Images that have skewing/slanting that are transferred might not cut properly until this issue is resolved.
• Multi-page FilesTransferring designs with multiple pages from Cricut DesignStudio to Gypsy is available. You will also be able to create new multi-page designs on your Gypsy and cut them on your Gypsy. When transferring any multi-page design from Gypsy to Cricut DesignStudio the pages will all be combined into one page. This includes designs that were created in Cricut DesignStudio, transferred to Gypsy and then transferred back to Cricut DesignStudio. We recommend that you keep a copy of the original Cricut DesignStudio files when transferring them to the Gypsy and vice versa.
• Gypsy Sync (Mac)The installer does not automatically close the old version when installing the new version. You must close the old version when installing the new version.
• Gypsy Synch (Windows)The file list does not automatically refresh. You must refresh in order to see the updated file list.
• Gypsy HelpThe help files have not been updated since the previous version.
• Cricut Firmware Upgrades When Gypsy recognizes that the Cricut firmware needs to be upgraded the Gypsy will not tell you this until you hit the exit button. You can upgrade your Cricut firmware manually by pressing the menu button and selecting Upgrade Cricut.

I have a family to attend so I will be back later with a video of the updates and to test cutting. Off to church.

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It's not about the bike...Lance Armstrong

Ok, it's not about the book either. However, it was a very good read. On my list of must read books for anyone starting to run, bike or do anything to their heart's desire. But I digress, this is not about the book.

Yesterday for Halloween I went on a late night bike with a couple of friends and my husband. It was my first exercise endeavor since my 10K. Sure I have mopped, hobbled, ventured through Walmart (which seems like a 10K to get from pet food to trash bags), climbed up and down stairs to help people with their software issues in the scrapbook world but just moving for the sake of exercise...not yet.

But yesterday after a nice quiet dinner with friends and handing out candy to kids, we went for a bike ride. It was so nice. I love bike rides. I love the feel of the wind in my hair, cruising a new neighborhood listening to the sounds of just everyday life. But the best part is I didn't feel any strain on my ankle or leg or knee. So while I still feel a little discomfort while walking, I now can at least ride my bike. So I guess I will do that for a while. Mentally, I will tell myself that I am training for a bi-athlon. Yeah, that's it. I am training on a bi-athlon. And for the next few weeks I will be focusing on biking...except next Saturday because I have a 5k.

That is right, a 5K next weekend. I may have to walk it but that is okay..I have proven to myself that I can run a 5K and and 10K. So if I have to walk, that is okay.

Oh, and a shout out to my online pals, Mr. and Mrs. F, they just completed Couch to 5K, check out their blog A Fat Man Running .

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