Cathy Zielske's Blog

Winner of the Sponsor Giveaway from Jo Totes

And the winner of the cool camera bag from  Jo Totes. is:

 

Diane, congratulations! Email me at czdesign@comcast.net to claim your bag and tell me which color you'd like.

Thanks everyone! And if you didn't win, a  Jo Totes. bag is just a click away! ; )

 

One lucky blog reader will win this hip camera bag from Jo Totes. You will choose from Black, Scarlett or Noir.

About the Jo Totes Bag: Lighten your load and protect your camera. Jo Totes allow lady photographers to take along both their camera and purse items in safety and style. The padded interior can be custom fitted not only to protect a camera and lenses, but also to accommodate and organize items like a wallet, music, phone, keys, cosmetics and more. Padding is sewn directly into the interior lining on all four sides and the bottom of the bag. The bottom is also equipped with four metal feet to guard your bag from rough, dirty, or damp surfaces. Inside of each Jo Tote are six removable pads which are completely customizable—you can use as many or as few pads as you wish, arranged in the way that best suits your camera, lenses, and other items. Each bag also includes two pockets—one of them zippered—strong and comfortable shoulder straps, a top-zippered closure, and a removable cross-body strap.

To enter for a chance to win, simply leave me a comment and answer the following question: does your camera go with you every where you go? some of the time you go? or never? I want to know how many of you keep a camera on your person and with what frequency.

Comments will be closed sometime on Saturday afternoon. Good luck!

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20 points

Last weekend, it happened: I dropped into the 150s. 158.2, if we're being picky.

And while this is a cause for celebration, it's also a cause for mourning.

And what are we mourning, you might wonder, aside from the loss of additional chub?

The loss of two daily Weight Watcher's points.

For those of you unfamiliar with how Weight Watchers works, all food is ascribed a points value, based on its calorie, fat and fiber content. You are given a set number to shoot for each day, and if you stay within this range, in theory, weight will begin to drop because you will be entering into a calorie deficit.

For some reason, when I went from the 170s to the 160s, my points target didn't change. I had 22 glorious ones all to myself each day, and my challenge was to see just how much food I could fit into those parameters.

Sure, I went over my daily allotment with some frequency, especially lately with all the running and Zumba-ing I've been doing. Mama needs fuel for the workout train.

So I guess I sort of forgot that when you move into a new weight bracket you get fewer points with which to work.

For some reason, this is messing with my head this week. It could be hormones. It could just be garden variety neurotic tendencies that pepper much of my daily thought processes, but I am suddenly thinking about food a whole heck of a lot more than I have for the past four months.

And feeling very hungry.

I'm sure it's just an adjustment period, and to be honest with you, I think 20 is too few anyway, considering the workouts and what not, and I'm fully planning to go over most days, using my discretionary pool of extra pointage.

I really am focusing on the overall health picture here, and feeling stronger with each workout and each run.

But I am also having intense, obsessive cravings for a Mo's Bacon Bar, which has surprisingly fewer calories than one might think.

I'm just adjusting. And talking out loud. And wondering how those of you handle this when you move into the next weight bracket.

p.s. They sell a mini version of Mo's Bacon Bar and let me tell you this: worth every bite.

One step closer to being done

I'm still printing, trimming and organizing my Week in the Life album project. I ran out of ink and had to wait for an overnight shipment. (Did you know that HP.com offers free overnight shipping? They do!)

In the meantime, I did a layout last night that I'm going to include at the very end of the week's pages, just to serve as a punctuation mark for the project. I used some of the same digital papers that I have on my project pages.

I almost feel like something's missing this week; like I'm supposed to be taking pictures of myself eating steamed broccoli or something.

Suffice to say, it has re-invigorated my desire to document the everyday with more regularity.

If you haven't done this project yourself, there's no time like the present. Pick a week and go. I can't help but believe this would be one of the most interesting group of pages to look back on in time.

More of my album coming later this week.

Layout Supplies Template No. 55 (Cathy Zielske) • Ingrid Paper Pack, Annino Paper Pack, Aryanna Paper Pack (Michelle Martin) •Avenir font

Reflections on documenting a week in the life

Thank God for cameras, tripods, digital templates and willing family members.

I'm still gathering my photos, writing my journaling cards, and reflecting on the process of documenting one week of my life.

It was harder than I thought it would be, and more fun that I thought I would be.

Having never done this before, I couldn't help but wonder how this would have compared to 10 years ago, or 15 years ago. How different is the rhythm of life with teens and tweens, versus toddlers and babies?

I have loved looking at Ali's pictures for her week, thinking of where she is at in this cycle of momhood and family, and where I am at. Different stages, different ages to be sure, but how everyday life really does have a rhythm of its own, specifically tailored for each family and their unique flow.

I plan to share some more of my album as it comes together, hopefully later this week. For now, I want to post this video that was sent to be my a former student of mine, Melissa. I Tweeted this out over the weekend, with tears streaming down my cheeks (yes, you may want to have a few handy), but I wanted to post it again today in light of reflecting on a week just passed, in which very little happened, but most of what I'm thankful for in my life took place every single day. Just our ordinary lives.

Thanks to my friend, Ali, for such an inspired and inspiring project.

More Week in the Life

I'm still plugging away on my Week in the Life project. While I felt like I fell off the pace a bit on Tuesday, yesterday saw many more pictures taken, and late last night, I caught up on all of the journaling entries for both days.

I really do have a feeling of deja vu in all of this, but honestly? That's exactly how I like my daily life to be: full of predictability. I know. How exciting to be me, right?

If you were me, you'd slap your thigh and say, "Damned straight!"

Here are a few more shots that may or may not make it into the final album, which I plan to share more of next week, once I get everything printed out.

The great thing about this project is you can pick any 7 days  you like to document so if you didn't do it this week, there is always time.

 

 

 

 

One day of my Week in the Life

It's official. I heart Ali's Week in the Life project.

One day done. I took 259 photos on Monday. What? You so crazy!

I did. And there were many I loved that didn't make the final cut. Photos like these, with lots of wood in the background:

 

 

 

 

Honestly? I can't remember the last time I was this hyper-focused on visual documentation. For me, written documentation is always going to be easier. I actually have to work at remember to take pictures.

Here are what my album spreads ended up looking like:

 

 

I am using Ali's Week in the Life 8.5 Template Pack as the base for my project. I'm using the weekday opener pages and the collage pages that come in the pack for a fully digital page, then printing those on my HP Photosmart using Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl paper.

I'm using We R Memory Keepers 8.5 x 11 divided page protectors for my trading card sized elements, all of which are based off of Ali's template design. I just did some tweaking to suit my needs.

 

I love the idea of doing a project almost fully digi, and then just printing and cutting apart. I think it looks really slick in my album.

I've chosen to go with grey, yellow and white digital papers for the entire project. I'm using Avenir for my journaling and some of my circle art, to tie in with Ali's design.

I'm looking forward to seeing this project unfold. Thanks, Ali, for the great idea.

Here are my other supplies:

Album: American Crafts 3-Ring Binder, 8.5 x 11, in brown

Patterned Papers: yellow floral is Manchester by Michelle Martin; grey floral is Laurel by Michelle Martin

Digital Cardstock: Just Linens No. 1 by Michelle Martin (white)

Zielskes like videos

Cole made this little gem with his Dad the other day. I actually think it's one of his better videos. Dan truly rocks the voice over, even if he does look slightly psychopathic on film.

Now me? I have just started playing around with the video on my new iPod Nano. I made this short inspirational film to share with you. Please…for to enjoy.

Of course, when all else fails, I'll always have this:

I know what you're thinking: don't quit your day job.

But I don't technically have a day job.

We are all screwed.

Mirror in the bathroom

No, it's not deja vu. And no, Mondays aren't the new official day to post pics of me in my somewhat dirty bathroom mirror. But there ain't no law that says I cain't post about mybestlife.com more than once a month, right?

Last week I upped the ante on my Fitness Diversification Portfolio by adding a Zumba class to my weekly exercise regime.

I hadn't been to a group exercise class since 1990. That was the year I joined my local YWCA and in my first week was accused of stealing someone's swimsuit. The accuser was certain I was the culprit. Afterall, her suit was unusual: it was a black, one-piece Speedo... just like mine!

Don't worry. I was vindicated in the end, but it soured me on the whole club experience, especially the part wherein I demanded a refund for my humiliation and they refused, continuing to dock my bank account for the next 11 months, despite the fact that I never set foot in that club again. That was the last time I ever participated in any organized group fitness activities.

But my friend Lesley—who is both persuasive and Canadian—convinced me that she and I should go to Zumba. And go we did. And you know what? It was totally awesome.

Sure, I had NO idea what I was doing routine-wise, but I made it through the entire 50-minute class, sweat soaked to be certain, but realizing this: I am getting in pretty damned good shape.

All of my treadmill workouts and my first month on The Shred have really started to make me believe that not only am I seeing results on the scale, but I'm seeing results in my overall fitness level. And part of me, a very small and growing part, thinks that's even cooler than the missing poundage.

I'm starting to believe in my inner athlete. You feel me on this?

 

Supplies: Frankie Alphabet Brushes & Stamps, Dotted & Dashed Brushes & Stamps (Cathy Zielske) • Art Class Frames (Katie Pertiet) • Just Linens No. 1 (Michelle Martin)

JOURNALING: At the risk of jumping the gun, I need to write about a shift in the Great Fitness Experiment of 2010. The shift of which I speak being the realization that all of these individual efforts are going to amount to more than a just number on a scale. I stop to consider this when I notice that I pop up and down the stairs while cleaning the house with much less effort than I can ever recall. I stop to consider this when I realize I can run for 30 minutes and though I’m clearly aware how hard my body is working, there’s no legitimate reason why I can’t push it another five minutes. I stop to consider this when I get home from the grocery store and am craving the freeze-dried strawberries more than the sourdough baguette sitting my shopping bag. I stop to consider this when I attend my first group fitness class in 20 years and find it more fun than anything else. Long story short: I’m connecting to the act of getting in shape and not just the much-hoped for weight loss result. Who knew?

I've been loving reading through the comments, hearing your fitness/weight loss stories of both hope and despair. I'm certainly no fitness guru, and God knows I'm prone to not just falling off of the wagon, but diving headlong into hay bales full of donuts, but right now, I'm feeling this fitness thing.

And it feels real good.

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IN OTHER NEWS: This week, I'm excited to be documenting a Week in the Life. I've never done this project before, despite knowing Ali and loving her and her ideas for years. I'm doing a mostly digital album, using her 8.5 x 11 templates, which I'm going to tweak here and there to meet my needs. I plan to share at least one of my finished days this week here on my blog. I'm printing all of my pages and pieces at home on my HP Photosmart. For more ideas on Week in the Life products you can use to document your own week, check out this link. Here's to documenting the everyday in 2010.

[winner] Sponsor Giveaway: win a charming kit from ScrapScription

And the winner of the kit from ScrapScription is:

Mara, email me at czdesign@comcast.net so I can hook you up! Thanks so much ScrapScription for the kit. Remember, any reader who signs up to become a ScrapScriber before the end of April and uses the code CATHYROCKS when checking out, will receive free shipping on their first ScrapScriber shipment!

One of my readers will be winning this charming kit from ScrapScription.  Plus any reader who signs up to become a ScrapScriber before the end of April and uses the code CATHYROCKS when checking out, will receive free shipping on their first ScrapScriber shipment!  

Read on to learn more about this kit! Memories of a simpler time - a walk down an old farm lane, fresh flowers in a large mason jar on the kitchen table, canning fresh vegetables from a bountiful garden - forget the hustle and bustle of our technological world and come "home" to a project perfect for those wonderful memories - old or new.  The newest Jenni Bowlin collection—Homespun—will be the backdrop of this unique mini tag envelope album from Melissa Frances.  From the old fashion prints to the banner stickers, pink pearl pin, antique buttons, and matching journal cards - you'll feel like you stepped right back into Grandma's house at the peak of spring when everything is fresh and blooming.  This album will be a perfect place for just about any photos - heritage, a friend's birthday brunch, your favorite flowers, planting a garden, and more!

Leave me a comment and I will draw a winner sometime Saturday after noon!

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bonjour, ouie

Meet Ouie Pierre.

 

No. He is not mine. 

 

He belongs to my friend Jason.

 

He is a French Bulldog.

 

I think he also might be part gremlin.

 

In my next life, I will study to become an apprentice pet photographer with Erin Vey.

 

Until then, we'll always have Ouie.

Actions used are from the Pioneer Woman and Totally Rad.