Dear Diary….

If I knew these cookies would be the last I would back or eat for 4 weeks, I would have eaten more. I would have licked the crumbs off my plate. I would have rubbed them on my body.

As I write this it has been 80 hours since I had sugar. Add to that the gluten I haven't had since December 7th, I had to eat some for some Christmas party dinners. I'd been GF for 2 months before that. And then add the new list of things Kelli Can't Eat and you have our happy household.  On that crazy ass list are mushrooms, vinegars, pickled products, honey, syrups, artificial sweeteners, peanuts, peanut products, pistachios, cheese, yeast products, alcohol, processed or smoked meats, dried fruits.  

 I remember fondly the rice crackers I ate in the car on the way to the gel nail school to have C. do my nails. 

 I'm so grateful that one of my last meals out was with Michelle. That caramel flan coffee never tasted so good. If I knew I would only be having stevia in my coffee, I would have gotten this coffee with 4 shots of syrup.

Diary, there are some things that make me happy and they don't include sugar….

I splurged, spent a $1.50, on this little elephant after seeing at my friends' Hayden and Rhian's house. I knew I had to have it and that I would put it in my baby car. I could watch it all day. 

 Memories and More got some Project Life supplies in and I added a few things to my ever growing collection. Thankfully, I am using the stuff. I've done both kids' albums, not up to date, but I got all the printed photos I have in albums. 

 It's a huge accomplishment I think.

I've also started our wedding album. We've been married since '95, that's 19 years. This sugar-free thing may test that bond, because I'm pretty sure my baking of cookies is what snagged Kerry in the first place. The sugar made us stick. 

I've been reading about sugar detox side effects and I fear the worst is yet to come. It's been good so far, knock on wood. I have had a slight headache 2 mornings, but it was gone right away, I also haven't been taking anything for them. A martyr, maybe, but I'm determined to get my gut figured out. I'm looking forward to the glowing skin and the weight loss that is supposed to come with the lack of sugar. 

I'm sure I'll keep you posted.

November 2013 Very Late

And probably out of order. I just didn't feel like blogging. But I don't want to be a quitter this late in the game. I've blogged every month with Amelia, and I'm so close to the end of the year. 

November always means Card Classes, I sort of wish I could be November busy all year!

Becky Higgins was on Creative Live talking about Project Life. I figured "what more could I need to know about it?" I thought I probably wouldn't watch all 3 days of it. I was so wrong! I couldn't do anything else for 3 days! 

 Then I had to organize my Project Life stuff. It has since been moved again to it's permanent spot in an Ikea tray.

 Dad had his knee replaced after years of waiting.

 Marg and I spent back to back weekends at Green Bay cropping. This is where I decided to start my 2013 PL album. I got all caught up that weekend.

 We celebrated Christmas with a delicious dinner at the crop. Then I made everyone pose for group photos.

 I am loving the piano music that we get to hear daily during piano practice time. I'd like a few more Christmas songs, but I have to settle for "What Child is This?"

 Kerry started the holiday baking with his crinkle top ginger cookies. Sadly, I only ate one.

 Starbuck's red cups! That's a peppermint mocha, no whip.

 I made a "blessings board" as per my Art of Holiday Goodness course.

 Kerry put up this shelf, and then 2 more, for my supplies.

 I made softies, because that's what we did in the Art of Holiday Goodness.

 I went back over my inspirational stuff from Karen.

Kerry and my dad took Linus for a hike. Then he had to have a bath, it took a long time, it wasn't worth it. 

 TV's were on sale at work so I got a couple, one for me and one for the kids. Now I can actually see what is on!

 I saw this box at Staples and thought it was pretty funny. What wasn't funny was when the cashier charged me over $60 for the $1.50 box. She thought it was full of paper, even thought it was very light.

 No month is complete without a trip to the chiropractor. 

And that's pretty much our November in a nut shell.
Please check Amelia's blog. Check back regularly, because even though she's traveling the world, she manages to blog more than I do!

Can I do it?

Yes, I can!

I've got it in my head that I can and will scrapbook my 2013, getting the bulk of it done this weekend at the Creative Retreat. Isn't that ambitious?

How you ask? I am on this Project Life bandwagon, strapped in and ready go! I have a plan, a mission, and a new found love for documenting my own stuff! I think I'll use my Honey Kit, the one I used for my week of the Hometown Workshop, I'll stick with a theme. I've already decided that my Midnight Kit will be for 2014.  I have just finished sending 200+ photos to Costco, I haven't had them print in years, but I'm in hurry so I'm trying again. I printed 30+ Intagram photos from home. Considering I have 316 photos that I took in March, I think I'm doing pretty good! I realized I don't need to keep or print or scrapbook all those photos! Gasp!

I'm pretty confident that if I keep it simple, I can get it done and be ready to start 2014!

I'm trying to get a group together to meet once a month to work on Project Life. If you are reading this and are local, contact me!

October re-cap, 13 days late.

I'm slowly making my way through the 3 week Art of Holiday Goodness course I'm taking on-line. It's self paced and I think I'm doing pretty well keeping up to myself!  (again, the first photo is not centred, I guess it feels justified.)

 I'm really enjoying the watercolour painting. This is Monte and his pumpkins.

 Speaking of pumpkins....

 Looking on-line for inspiration.

 Doodling on the table cloth.

 The supervisor had to make sure it was kid and dog friendly.

 I didn't edit this photos. I should have used my expodisc for the white balance. But then if I had, when we paint this weekend, I wouldn't have amazing after pictures for these crappy before ones.

 This one hates the smell of the pumpkins so I was a bit surprised that the job even got done.

 The finished results beside the Halloween tree, the one that will probably stay up till Christmas.

I decorated and photographed the yard in the pouring rain.

Linus got to see every single kid that rang our doorbell. He would have gone home with a few of them, and one of them tried to give him candy. 

Mid-October, I had a sleep over with these two and their mom. We attempted a small craft, made a Chinese terracotta baby pee, and I watched almost all of Brave before falling asleep. I made them pose for this picture before they went to school then M and I returned to do what everyone does at sleep overs! Filing paper work!

This happened the week, in November. Kerry took Linus out with my dad to clear mountain bike trails. Linus swam in giant mud puddles and came home filthy and stinky. So we had to bath that beast.

He was so tired that he fell asleep while we blow dried him. He was so fluffy afterwards.

 This is from today... I made cards for class.

 This one is one of my favourites.

And these are all my softies I've made for the Art of Holiday Goodness. I am going to do a whole year of Linus.

Amelia blogged (here) a few days ago, check out her cute cousins and her adventures with Atticus, the horse.