Some Blessings Shrink

It’s nice to celebrate your successes in life but sometimes it’s even better to celebrate someone else’s, especially when you know the effort they’ve made to get there. I’ve chosen just such an occurrence as my blessing this week.

My favorite guy has been hard at work shedding the pounds for several months now and it shows. No one told him he had to slim down or even that it would be a good idea; they didn’t have to. He’s smart enough to know all the benefits that come from managing his weight better…he just needed the self-motivation. His diet plan is simple…less food, more activity. And thanks to some good ol’ Arnall stubbornness he’s seeing the numbers on the scale go down substantially. Needless to say, I’m thrilled for him on many levels.

So I’m joining him in celebrating his successes thus far. But truth be told, I’m gaining in this too…not in terms of pounds but in benefits. While there’s less red meat on the menu, I’m getting fish for dinner more frequently. The fast food he’s been known to love may be out but those fresh fruits and vegetables I adore are in. There may be less on his plate but he’s got more energy for chores and fun escapes. And while there’s less of him to hug, good health will keep him around for more years for me to hug on him. That’s on my mind as we approach our 41st wedding anniversary next week, a blessing in itself.

Given all of that, Less Is More seemed the appropriate title for the layout I created to record this week’s blessing. Here’s the page:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Papers
Patterned Paper: Scenic Route Paper Co.
Stickers: Creative Imaginations
Pen: Staedtler
Font: Kravitz, Internet

This isn’t the color combination I had in mind when I started; in fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever created anything using these colors together. But when I was looking for another paper I found the one with the numbers and knew it was perfect…the right theme and the right colors to complement the photo yet give the design a masculine feel.

I should have been using my playtime this week to create the missing layout from the reunion several weeks ago but I was inspired to work on some journaling pages instead. Here’s the one from Week 21:

I wanted the two pages to form a full circle when opened together so I carried the same design elements over to the journaling page. I took advantage of the lines where the patterns change to create pockets to hold small tags on which I printed the journaling.

This page is similar in that the paper and arrows are a repeat of the design elements I already used. This helps unify the two pages. And since I was working on the back side of the journaling page above, I simply formatted the journaling into a half circle. I used the same technique I previously explained for the circle text but started with a large circle and positioned it so only half of it fit over the text box. A black fill and printing it on photo paper makes it a perfect fit for the transparency page it faces.

Speaking of the transparency, I wanted to be sure that the design elements on it stood out rather than competed with the items on the page that followed so I added an extra page to the album. I embossed a circle design on black cardstock to correspond with all the other circular elements without adding another color or print. A simple quote at the bottom makes it a meaningful addition, and my reunion layout will go on the reverse side.

It’s not often losing something merits celebration but in this case it does. Wayne’s dedicated to continuing to lose…his successes are a blessing to us both.

***Each Friday's post is part of my 52 Blessing project...an effort in 2009 to be more aware of and grateful for the blessings in my life.

Comments

[Pat]

Another inspiring blessing. Congrats to Wayne! I know how difficult it is to shrink - it's a battle I wage every day of my life. Wayne, I celebrate your success. Love the colors on the layout, Brenda.

[Jeanne]

What an inspiring post! I just love your way with words, Brenda! I'm so happy for Wayne in being able to shrink. It's got to be an awesome feeling.

And congrats on your upcoming anniversary. 41 years...THAT is also truly inspiring!

[Judy H.]

Good for Wayne! He looks great. Happy anniversary too!

[Jennifer R.]

Brenda,
This Gratitude book is just beautiful. And I'm not even talking about the thoughts contained on these pages. The pages alone are taking my breath away. This is the kind of work I wish I could do. Love it.

[Sharyn]

Way to go Wayne!!!!

I'm working on this myself and know first hand - it's.not.easy!

You look fabulous! Keep up the great work!