Sewing

I received the May issue of Burda yesterday.  Way earlier in the month than I usually receive it.  I was totally underwhelmed.  I didn't find anything I wanted to sew.  Used to be I would find several things I wanted to make, lately, I find, maybe, one thing.  I'm considering letting my subscription lapse.  But then I think what if? There is an issue with numerous things I want to sew and I have to spend the time looking for the issue and then not find it.  I don't mind spending the money.  And I do enjoy looking at the magazine, even if I don't sew anything from it.  I really enjoy the style pages and the decorating ideas.

I spent most of my sewing time yesterday getting my cover-stitch machine re-threaded,  (It's been a while since I've used it.) and testing on scrap fabric.  I'll baste the hem in place before I stitch it.  Usually, I just eyeball it, and am good with accurately folding back the same width.  Does that make sense?  LOL I think today I'm going to pre-wash the tricot and a knit fabric for my next top.  It's McCall's 6282.  I have a cream and black leaf pattern jersey, similar to the fabric on the short sleeved dress.

There are a couple of patterns I want to get when they go on sale at Joann's.  Butterick 5575,  Simplicity 2224.  I think a pair of black pants (2224) to go with the top from 6282.  I love the jacket from 5575.  I think it looks almost like a vest and blouse on the pattern envelope.

I'm still having back pain.  Hard to sit for long periods of time as well as stand or walk.  Some of the pain from the herniated disc and some of the pain is from arthritis.  The arthritis is not limited to my back though.  The worst is that it is in my hands.  They are so stiff and achy at times, it makes it difficult to do a lot of things. Stretching helps, so I stretch several times a day.  I have an appointment with my chiropractor in an hour or so.  I had Girl on her leash when she lunged and it hurt my back, yet again.  It seems that it only took a few seconds to undo all the progress I've made over the past several months.  

I started Weight Watchers back in October 2010.  I'm about a third of the way to goal.  I haven't started a formal exercise program yet.  Just a little walking.  I still have my old workout plan, lower body, upper body, and a run/walk schedule here.  I'll just decrease the weights and work back up to the weights listed here.  

Burda

 I received the May issue of Burda Style yesterday.  Way earlier in the month than I usually get it.  I was totally underwhelmed.  I didn't find anything I wanted to sew.   Used to be I would find several things I wanted to make, lately, I find, maybe, one thing.  I'm considering letting my subscription lapse.  But then I think what if? There is an issue with numerous things I want to sew and I have to spend the time looking for the issue and then not finding it.  I don't mind spending the money.  And I do enjoy looking at the magazine, even if I don't sew anything from it.  I also enjoy the style pages and the decorating ideas.

I spent most of my sewing time yesterday getting my cover-stitch machine re-threaded,  (It's been a while since I've used it.) and testing on scrap fabric.  I'll baste the hem in place before I stitch it.  Usually, I just eyeball it, and am pretty good with accuracy.  Today I'm going to pre-wash the tricot and a knit fabric for my next top.  It's McCall's 6282.  I have a cream and black leaf pattern jersey, similar to the fabric on the short sleeved dress.

There are a couple of patterns I want to get when they go on sale at Joann's.  Butterick 5575,  Simplicity 2224.   I think a pair of black pants (2224) to go with the top from 6282.

I'm still having back pain.  Hard to sit for long periods of time as well as stand or walk.  Some of the pain from the herniated disc and some of the pain is from arthritis.  The arthritis is not limited to my back though.  The worst is that it is in my hands.  They are so stiff and achy at times, it makes it difficult to do a lot of things. Stretching helps, so I stretch several times a day.

I started Weight Watchers back in October 2010.  I'm about a third of the way to goal.  I haven't started a formal exercise program yet.  Just a little walking.  I still have a workout plan, lower body, upper body, and a run/walk shcedule here.

Football and other Ramblings

My Saints lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. It was inevitable that they would lose sooner or later. I’m not upset. They have a record that any NFL team can be proud of. Next game is against the Bucs. Whose record is 1-13. The Saints have already beat them once this season. Just sayin'.

I'm having a bit of trouble with my camera and haven't been able to post the pictures of the project I made for my aroma therapy class. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Back on the 5th of this month I posted about some changes I was going to make. Well, as I usually do, I have changed my mind about some of them. I did go on a diet, but, I didn't go back to Weight Watchers. WW is a great eating plan, but I didn't think I could do it just yet. I decided to go on a low carb diet for a while. As of Monday the 7th I have lost 16 pounds. I haven't had any grains, ie bread, flour etc...no potatoes, no starches. I have tried to eat healthy fats also. And....I have had minimal to no arthritic pain since then. I feel like I'm slowly getting back to my old self. I haven't been to either gym, but I am riding my stationary bicycle each day.

I still haven't been sewing, but, I have been knitting and crocheting. Slowly. I'm just now learning how to decrease on one of the scarves I'm making. I have some knitting shows on the DVR and watch them as the mood strikes. I have a list of projects on Ravelry. There are a few things on Knitty I want to knit too. I hope to complete at least one of my projects by the 31st. Some knitters can really crank out the projects. That wouldn't be me and I'll probably never be a fast knitter, but it's something I really enjoy.

This week I'll be:
1. knitting
2. listening to Christmas music
3. reading How To Read a French Fry and Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons
4. AND waiting for Santa!

My Mother's favorite Christmas song was "Little Drummer Boy". She loved to sing along with it when it came on the radio. I'm gonna miss spending Christmas with her. It was her favorite time of the year, and mine too. I love shopping, especially at Christmas, even with all the crowds. I did the last of my shopping today. This is the latest I've ever done my shopping. How is your shopping? Almost finished? Or waiting until the last minute? Only four more days til Christmas!

Yesterday

Yesterday. Last evening, really. I didn't post because I spent the few minutes it would take to type a blog post, knitting. I didn't have much to say either. I wasn't going to do another two line post that tells of my newest cast on, or how much I was loving the scarf, just so I could say I did a post every day in December. I will keep the NaBloPoMo badge on the side bar to remind me I need to follow through though.

The weather here in St. Pete today is much cooler, and it's raining. I rarely wear jackets or sweaters, and I haven't owned a winter coat since I moved here from north Georgia in 1980. I don't miss having to put on a coat just to walk down to the mailbox. I do, however, miss looking stylish in a new coat, scarf, and gloves. I still have a couple of coat and jacket patterns on my to do list: Vogue 1129, a trench coat that I don't see on the Simplicity site at this time, and a cardi-wrap. And after glancing at the sites, I see a couple more patterns I want to put on my list, McCall's 5937 and McCall's 5815. I don't check out the new patterns the way I used to. I'm going to spend some time perusing the websites of the "big four" pattern companies later.

These days I'm really slow in my knitting and my sewing. I have a purse half done. I have the fabric and pattern laid out for the cardi-wrap, but haven't actually cut it out or started sewing it yet. I've blogged several times about the SWAP I wanted to participate in a couple of years ago. It was the reason I started this blog. I have the patterns, and most of the fabric I want to use. But, haven't started to sew anything.

Part of it, is just because I don't have any energy. There is some depression here, and I think that is because of my weight, my back pain, and stress. A vicious circle. I also believe that it is up to me to do something about it since I have named the problems. I need to own them and do something about them. Is this TMI? Maybe. But, I need to do something to change my life.

I'm a big believer in self improvement. (I love reading self improvement books, using one thing from this one, and another thing from another one.) So, here is a list of things I'm going to do (and it may change as time goes on, but at least it's a start.) I'm going to start going back to Weight Watchers, I'm going back to this gym and this gym. (Yes, I have a membership in both, and haven't been using them.) Some things I like about one and some things I like about the other. Maybe this will motivate Walt to start going again too. When I get medical insurance I'll go to my doctor and get the usual lab work, x-rays, etc..done. I'll also address depression and arthritic pain with him. Until then, I'll continue to take Tylenol, which does give me some relief from the back pain.

I also believe that I need to do something creative everyday, sewing, knitting, crocheting, altered art, etc... And I haven't been doing that until recently. So, I'm going to continue knitting, but I'm going to sew every day, even if it is just one seam.

I will be posting about my diet, workout, knitting, sewing, and other artistic endeavor until I have made all these a habit again. And this time I won't stop. It isn't how many times you fall, it's how many times you get up. So starting on Monday, I will be embarking on my self improvement program. This will give me time to write out menus, go shopping for food, get a workout class schedule from both Lifestyle Fitness and Shapes to determine which classes I want to attend, and get a new Weight Watcher's meeting schedule.

Wish me luck! LOL

My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match.
However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows
that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into
victories.

Bjorn Borg
(1956-, Swedish Tennis Player)

Shopping!!!

I went shopping this morning. I LOVE shopping! I had to get some electrodes for my TENS unit. Got an ink cartridge for my Dell printer and went to Barnes & Noble. I couldn't find the book I was looking for so I went to Borders where I did find the book. Organic Body Care Recipes. We studied aroma therapy earlier week in class. I was already familiar with it, but this class helped expand my knowledge. We are also required to make three items and display them in a basket for a project. I started making mental notes as to the colors, scents, and items I wanted to put in my basket. One of the scents I want to use is lemon. It smells so fresh. I am thinking I will use the colors purple and white. I want to make a small purple eye pillow. Among the other things I'm considering is an eye cream, bath salts, bath bombs, and soap. I may change my mind after I read through the book I got today and my text book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy.

I went to Weight Watchers today, I'm down half a pound. I'm not disappointed with the small loss, any loss at all is better than staying the same or gaining.

I have two sewing WIP (works in progress). They have been lingering on my sewing table for over a year. I love sewing, but just don't do it as much as I used to. I love doing other things too. I read other sewist's blogs and admire all the projects they sew. I'm ok with the fact that I'm not a prolific sewist. There is a cardi-wrap sew-a-long on Pattern Review. I've had a McCall's cardi-wrap on my WIP list for several months. I have the material and the pattern, but haven't actually cut it out. I'm going to see if I have enough material to make Simplicity 2603 instead.

The Biggest Loser starts the new season on Tuesday. The previews are showing one of the "losers" from last season coming back. He was one of my favorites and I was disappointed when he was voted off the ranch. He was working so hard to lose the weight and get healthy. I'm so glad he's getting a second chance.

Weekends

Today is the seven year anniversary of my son's death. I miss him terribly. Not a day goes by that I do not think of him, wish I could hear his voice, hold him and tell him I love him and how proud I am of him. He was only 28. I watched a Dr. Phil episode I had recorded last week. It reminded me of something I always try to do. That is, honor his life, and not dwell on the day of his death. He didn't want people crying that he was gone, but smiling and laughing that he had shared time with us, short as it was. He was truly a remarkable young man.






Currently, I'm working in a position I used to work at over a year ago. My, my, my, have things changed at this nursing home, even in the past month. I had worked there for 3 weeks (in a different position), left, and now I'm back. Anyway....I have every weekend off! woohoo!!!!

Per my usual Saturday morning schedule, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting at 10:00. Then I proceeded to Joann’s to use my coupon and get patterns (if they are on sale). I did a few errands, I took my ipod to Best Buy for repair. I went to Wally World and then Sweet Bay. Last stop was Panchero’s for lunch. I ALWAYS have the burrito bowl with a tortilla on the side. I usually blow my weekly points there, but it’s worth it! mmmmm mmmmm! LOL

The Take it Further challenge for March color scheme is:

and the challenge concept is “to pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger.” We don’t have to match the colors exactly, but as close as we can. So, I got these fat quarters at Joann’s.

I’m planning to make a quilt block if I can find one that I really like enough to do it in a much smaller size.





Friday’s picture is one of my favorite things: Pepsi One. I never liked diet sodas. But. a few years ago, I needed to cut back on calories and didn’t want to give up soda. I tried Pepsi One and liked it immediately. It doesn’t leave a nasty aftertaste like some of the other diet sodas do. When I went off the diet, I continued to drink Pepsi One.




Saturday’s picture is Bear, my ex’s black lab. She is about 13 years old. We got her from the SPCA in 2000, I think. She was to be a companion dog to Pongo our Dalmatian. Here’s a question for ya. We all know that the male dog’s name in 101 Dalmatians was Pongo. What was the female dog’s name? I dunno. I had to go look it up! Her name is Perdita or Perdy for short… Back to Bear. I swear sometimes that this dog tried to kill me. She had a habit of sneaking up behind me, lying on the floor, and when I turned around I usually tripped over her. More often than not it happened late at night when there were no lights on. When we first got her Walt took a week off from work to help her get accustomed to Pongo and our house. She's a sweet dog now but old and decrepit, all white faced and pawed. She won't be with us much longer. She has cataracts and arthritis, but doesn't seem to be in pain.


Today’s picture is of a new (to me) product I found a couple of weeks ago. It’s a body wash made by Olay. It leaves my skin soft and silky. I sound like a commercial! LOL. But seriously, it’s fa-bu-lous stuff. and it’s pretty too!






We should have no regrets. The past is finished. There is nothing to be gained by going over it. Whatever it gave us in the experiences it brought us was something we had to know. Rebecca Beard

Not much

has been happening. I'm continuing to study for the CLA exam, working out on a daily basis, and looking for a job.
I always look forward to attending my Weight Watchers meetings on Saturday mornings. The leader, Connie, is very nice. She is a lifetime member, as is all of Weight Watchers' staff. I was hoping I would lose two pounds this past week to make it 40 pounds. However, it was .4. I'll take that!
#53 on my list of 101 Things is to change my hair colour and get a new style. Last night I changed my hair colour from Ľoréal Féria
#51 Brazilian Bronze (a medium brown) to #36 Chocolate Cherry (a dark burgundy). I love this colour! I've been looking for just the right shade of red and I finally found it. The Brazilian Bronze looked red on my hair, but it wasn't red enough. I do LOVE red hair! I've decided not to change the style any time soon and keep it long.












edited to include picture
I went to Joann's for their pattern sale this morning. It was crazy, as is usual during their pattern sales. They had Simplicity and McCall's on sale this weekend. I got Simplicity 3684. I love white blouses with jeans. There were other patterns I wanted, but didn't have time to check the catalogs, and I didn't have my wishbook with me. I did get the new issue of Martha Pullen's Sew Beautiful magazine. I love this magazine and the childrens clothes. Although I think it's a little unrealistic for most children to dress like this, even for "dress-up". Because I don't have any young children in my life I'm planning (it's on my never ending list of things to do) to use these lovely patterns to sew for my much loved size two walker doll and my preemie baby doll.

I've been sewing a pair of boxers for Walt. He got fabric with the Dale Earnhardt logo on it and the number 3. He was a huge fan. Now he's a fan of D. E. Junior. I am still in the dreaming and planning stage for myself. Stacy and Clinton from TLC's What Not to Wear say that you should dress the body you have, not the one you want. But I don't want to spend a lot of time fitting clothes to a body that is ever changing. I still have about 35 pounds before I get to goal weight. Until then, I'll just spend a few dollars to get a small but functional wardrobe. Burda World of Fashion has gorgeous patterns every month. Two that I love, are this dress (even though I'm not a "tall") from the November issue and this top, although not in this color, from the October issue.

Shopping!

I went to Joann's Fabrics today after Weight Watchers as is my usual routine. Since Simplicity patterns were $1.99 each, I got 4084. I'm planning to use it for the Pattern Review trench coat sew-along. I'll be using this fabric. I love the colour. It coordinates with several fabrics I got last year when my SWAP was going to include shades of purple.





So much for predictions. LOL I had lost one pound at weigh-in today. Not disappointed though. I always consider the alternative.

Today’s menu: my usual breakfast, a mocha frapaccino during the meeting, a “cinnamon bun” protein drink, a Lean Cuisine Spinach and Mushroom pizza, and some sushi.
I decided to take a break from exercise today, too. I’ll make it up tomorrow by doing the aerobics and an upper body workout. I won’t be able to workout on Monday due to an appointment with my chiropractor.

arrrrrgggggg!!!!!

In the past three weeks I have regained nine pounds. It's stress eating because I'm having a difficult time finding a job in my newly chosen career. When I first started the paralegal course attorneys were practically begging for paralegals. The school wanted to send us out to work then. The attorneys didn't care that we had just started, they needed help and were willing to work with us and teach us how they wanted things done. Now, some of the attorneys want as much as ten years experience in litigation.

I have decided that I must do something more to lose this extra fat. Weight Watchers is helping, but I have to do more. Sooooooo........I'm starting Body for Life tomorrow. I have done the program in the past and it worked for me. I am posting my "before" measurements and a "before" pic. (oh NO!!!!!) I will also be posting my workout routine and my diet on a daily basis. On the 9th of each month Every four weeks I will post my results (measurements and a new pic) for the previous month. I will re-evaluate my routines at this time.
So here is the starting point....
Date 9-Sep-2007
neck 14.75..........hips 43.5
U chest 41.5.......R thigh 23
bust 47..............R knee 15
L chest 38.75......R calf 14.75
R bicep 14.25......R ankle
R wrist 6.75........L thigh 22.75
L bicep 14.25......L knee
L wrist 6.75........L calf
waist 37.5..........L ankle
abs 45.5............Weight 189.4

I know, I know, TMI, but bear with me. It WILL get better!
I just took the pics for my journal. I just want to cry. I must have been in severe denial as to how I really looked. Know how you look at your body, but don't really see it? It's really difficult to overlook flaws when you're looking at a pic.

Graphics and other things

Yesterday, after my WW meeting I went to Joann's Fabrics. Nothing was calling to me so I went to Barnes and Noble. My instructor, Paula, told the class that The Elements of Style would help with the communications part of the CLA exam.

I also got Photoshop Creative, a magazine on how to work with Adobe Photoshop. This is a powerful graphics program in which you can do almost anything.

Many of the digital scrapbookers use Photoshop. Many write tutorials so others can obtain similar results for themselves. Many scrappers also share freely their hard work in the form of "papers" and "elements" so that other scrappers WON'T have to do it for themselves. I am very appreciative of all their work. I tried to use a couple of the tutorials, adapting them for PaintShop Pro XI without much success. I haven't done any of the tutorials from their website or read any books about "Paintshop". So, I guess I shouldn't comment. LOL Actually, I think there aren't as many as for Photoshop. I do like Snapfire though. I have an early edition of Elements I like too. Perhaps I should just "dig-in" and study the Paintshop tutorials and search out Paintshop books, rather than lusting for an expensive graphics program......naaahhh, I think I'll just lust a while. LOL

Tomorrow is the day for my interview. I am more anxious the closer it gets. I found out last Thursday that I must have an externship by the end of this week. Something about putting it into the computer. So I'm feeling the pressure to do well with this interview. I hope the attorney will make a decision on the spot, although I know that isn't usually how things work.

On the crafty side of my life, I have picked through my fat quarters and chose some fabrics to make a couple of mats for the dogs' water bowl. They leave drools on the floor every time they get a drink, and with three dogs that is a lot of drool! Their old mat is in tatters. I also was finally able to print a proper sized heart for the Chain of Hearts Yahoo group. I'll be looking through my stash to see what I have appropriate for CQing. I'm still trying to find the silhouette of my son from when he was a child. I want to do it in cross-stitch. I have no idea which container I packed it in.

Lest I forget, I ordered from fabric from Anne's Gorgeous Things. I am going to make a "Stacy Top". This top is nicer looking than the one from Macy's! I tried to post a link, to the exact fabric, but I think she has sold out. There was only 19 yards left after I ordered.

101 Things Update
Friday I had a massage before my appointment with Dr Weller. I see her about once a month to be adjusted. Makes all the difference between walking upright and crawling. LOL It was wonderful! I haven't had one in such a long time. It was very relaxing. I had my eyes checked about three weeks ago and got new glasses. I'm going on Wednesday to order my colored (brown)contact lens. I have an appointment on Tuesday to have my nails done.

My Saturday so far

I got to my Weight Watchers meeting early this morning and got my favorite seat. LOL
I felt really good because I met my 25 pound goal this week. I had hoped to make it two weeks ago but maintained, then I gained .6 last week. This week I'm down 2.4 woo hoo!
Afterwards I went to Joann's Fabrics (didn't have much time, I had an appointment with an optometrist). They had Simplicity patterns on sale for 1.99, but I couldn't find the ones I wanted in my size. Then I couldn't find the things I needed to complete my bracelet. (I got the beads from Fire Mountain Gems earlier in the week.) I'm just gonna send them another order and maybe I can make it next week. I just felt like doing something crafty this weekend.
I watched the Dr. Keith Ablowshow Friday. The subject was "Inside The Minds Of Female Body Builders". They have inspired me to get involved again. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth I was very involved in the lifestyle. I admired (and still do) Nicole Bass and Chyna (before her life started going downhill). There are numerous female bodybuilders that I admired, Kay Baxter, Kike Eloma, Lyn Conkwright, Georgia Miller Fudge, and Bev Francis. I know there are a lot more I can't remember. I didn't want to get as big as the ladies who competed in Ms. Olympia, but I liked the fact that when I "made a muscle" people took notice. So, on Monday morning it's off to the gym.
I finally finished another book from my 2006 Summer Reading List (see side bar). I have several of them started. I keep one in the truck and one in the car, and one next to my bed. I also read several magazines (one of the 101 things is to get caught up on reading them). I spend most of my reading time reading texts and studying for class. And of course, I spend time here on the pc reading blogs and doing research for class.
I still haven't taken pictures of Hannah, the lawn goose. I'm not sure yet where she is going to be placed. And she still doesn't have any clothes.

Blogaversary

It was on April 20, 2006 that I began my blogging career. I spoke of SWAP on my very first post. A lot of things have changed since I started.

I have left my job and am attending classed for a new career. I've lost 25 pounds (actually 24.6, but who's counting?)
I'm in process of finding the me I thought I had lost a long time ago. But I won't go into a long monologue on the past.

In Thursday night's class I found out that the paralegal course will be over on Monday or Tuesday July 23rd or 24th. We had been told it would be over the first of October. I was looking forward to having the whole summer off. I had planned to lose a bit more weight before I started sewing my fabulous new wardrobe, spend some time doing crafts, working on my 101 Things and spending time at the gym and the beach. Oh well! At least I'll be working and not living off savings.

I did another digital scrapbook page. I didn't put pictures on it, just "elements". Whatever that means. LOL I've a lot to learn about composition. It's a lot of fun though, mixing and matching the elements. I think it's a lot less expensive working digital than with real paper, inks and so forth. Although, I want to do that also. I still have altered books, greetings cards, ATC (artist trading cards) etc on my list of things to do.

On a positive note, I got the call from Art Stone Co. telling me that my lawn goose was ready to be picked up. She was picked up and brought home. I was going to take a couple of pics of her, but the batteries had died. I have them charging now and will take some tomorrow. She's very pretty. For some reason, I thought she would have a cartoonish face. It's quite feminine and the man who painted her even put eye lashes! LOL I can hardly wait to dress her!

Tomorrow I have to go to my Weight Watchers meeting. I had hoped to get to goal by the time classes were over with, but with a July end date. I know I won't be able to make it. I would however, like to lose another 20 pounds by then. We'll see.

Making Soap

After my Weight Watchers meeting this morning, (I maintained, it's better than gaining!)I went to Central Art Supply. I browsed for a while then saw some very pretty orgami paper. I got a pack of wavy striped papers. I have been doing some simple origami, but I figured I could use the papers for digital scrapping or for some greeting cards I'm planning on making later. I will be returning to that store with list in hand to get water color pencils, gesso and numerous other things for altered art.

I have to admit that I went to Tijuana Flats for lunch. The food there is amazing and I love the hot sauces. I especially like the one called "Slap My Sweet Ass and Call Me Sally." It's a sweet not hot sauce and I like to have it with the chimichanga. Yes, I blow all of my weekly points here. But, it's THAT GOOD! I don't mind not having the extra points during the week.

When I got home, I got out the kit for soap making and got started on that. Here is a pic of the items in the kit.

It didn't take very long. It was a learning experience.





Here are the soaps in the mold.









I think they came out rather nicely considering it's my first time.
Here are pics of the liquid soap and the bars wrapped in clear plastic.
















Things I need to do differently next time. I think I left them in the mold too long because they were very difficult to get out. I also had a lot of bubbles on two of the bars, maybe I poured them too fast? And I need to remember that the bottom of the mold is the top of the soap and place the flowers or whatever appropriately. All in all I had a nice time and will definitely be doing it again with other materials, additives, fragrances, colors and packaging.


Number 80 on my 101 Things list is half completed. I need to make bath bombs in order to be able to completely check it off as completed.

ramblings

I woke up earlier than usual this morning. Got up, exercised, then got ready to go to the Weight Watchers meeting. I like to get there early so I can get my "favorite" seat. LOL I'm down another 1.4 pounds. Right on target for my 5 pounds a month weight loss. I had two soft taco supremes for lunch. I like that I can still have a bit of fast food and stay within my points range and still lose weight. I finally got around to re-checking my total daily points target and I lost a point. Now I only get 23 instead of 24. hmmmm.....not real happy about that, I have a healthy appetite and I LOVE good food. Unfortunately it shows! LOL I have to admit though, I do feel much better. And I'm not to unhappy about the number of points. I still get to eat anything I want....in moderation.

After the meeting I went to Joann's Fabrics. They had a sale on McCall's patterns. I picked up these patterns:
5317, a bubble dress, usually I don't like bubble dresses, but this pattern isn't obvious, 5179,
another dress, which I love in the blue, and will probably make it in that color, and 5330,a straight skirt.

I also got a one pound skein of yarn from Caron. It's a beautiful soft baby pink color. I'm using it to make pattern swatches. I printed out the pattern swatch directions from Lion Brand. I started with the wide rib pattern. It's an easy one. I like the simple basketweave and will probably do it next.




This is My Virtual Model, I can "try on" outfits in online dressing rooms. It gives me an idea of how some clothes will look on me. There are several virtual dressing rooms, Sears, Glamour, Lands End etc.....It isn't quite as rubenesque as I am LOL I used to wear my hair that way though. Right now it's below my waist. I am considering coloring it a nice red with chocolate and caramel low-lites and getting it cut very short. Kind of like Lisa Rinna's do.

I tried to put MVM in the side bar, but for some reason it wouldn't take the code. I've had this happen several times. I still can't get the flickr code to work or the code from bloglines. I've emailed bloglines, but I'm still getting the error message indicating I'm not using the correct user name or that I'm using my email address. Neither is true, I'm using the user name they gave me. This is very frustrating. I'd very much like to have the flickr badge there.

I finally found ALL the CDs Dell sent with the computer that was delivered in December. They had all been neatly put away for safe keeping, just not in the place where all the other important CDs are kept. This is the third Dell computer I've owned since 2002.

My first computer was a Gateway in 1998. I got rid of the dinosaur last year. I loved it when I first got it. top of the line! Didn't take long for it to become obsolete though. I remember when Walt and I (for those who don't know Walt, he is my ex-hubby who I share a house with) first went shopping for a computer. I had a list of specific things this computer MUST have. The guy at the store laughed when I said I wanted a hard drive with eight!!!! GB of memory. He said no one will ever use that much memory! LOL How short sighted!

The next one was a HP bought at Walmart at 6 a.m. on a September (2000) Saturday morning after having been up until 4 a.m. working on the Gateway, because of a virus. The only thing I can say about the HP was that it was an ok computer. It was, after all to be just a back-up for when I got the Gateway working again. However, it was the other way around. The Gatgeway became a back-up for the HP. Somewhere along the way, I realize that I MUST NOT be without a computer. I go into withdrawal. LOL I not only have a back-up computer, but a back-up ISP also.

In 2002, September, I got my first Dell. LOVED IT!! Fast forward to 2004, Walt decided he wanted a computer. I had been trying to drag him kicking and screaming into the 21 century to no avail. But wait! He wants a computer??? So we get him a Dell! Doesn't take long for him to retreat. Take it, he says. Don't have to ask me twice! So my Dell goes into back-up and his Dell becomes mine.

It's December 2006, and we decide it's time for a new computer, back to the Dell website. We choose another Dell and it's here in a matter of days.

So, now we have five dekstops, and two laptops. Time for some house cleaning.
The Gateway and HP get trashed. Too old and slow to do bookkeeping and playing with VB code on any longer. The hard drive from the HP gets put into the first Dell and given to my sister and brother-in-law whose computer had just bitten the dust. Now, I have a new Dell with RoadRunner, and a back-up Dell with MSN, just in case. LOL

Tomorrow

Is my last day of work. Only 8 hours to go. Funny, I'm feeling a little anxious about it. Looking forward to it too! I have two assessments I have to complete tomorrow and then I'll just be there to answer any questions my replacement may have.
I'm still attending my Weight Watchers meetings. I've lost 11 pounds so far. It's a start. I'm not being obsessive about it, eating too much of some things I shouldn't. But as long as there is a downward trend I'm happy. My goal was to lose 5 pounds a month and so far, I'm meeting that goal.
Starting tomorrow I'll be able to work out on almost a daily basis. I'm looking forward to that too! I love to exercise and workout with weights. I like feeling strong...being strong. Before I injured my knee and had to have surgery, I worked out six days a week.....had a 6 pack! LOL Looking forward to having one again.
Looking forward to having a new wardrobe too! I've talked a lot about the SWAP storybook. I'm holding off sewing anything until I'm about five pounds from goal weight. I'm still collecting patterns and fabrics to make the new wardrobe. I'm watching What Not to Wear getting ideas for clothes that will look good on me. I'm also checking out magazines such as Vogue and Glamour. Although Glamour may be a little too "young" for me. I think I could adapt some of the fashions to suit me.
I'm also going to get started on "The Artist's Way" tomorrow too. I've been putting that off until I have some free time.
I want to make the most of the three-four months I have off. there is so much I want to do and I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to complete all my goals.

sigh

I gave notice at work yesterday. I am SOOOOO looking forward to having time to my self. I'll be able to work on my 101 things. I hope to complete quite a few of them the first month or so. I'll be able to get my summer reading list finished also. I'll be off for 4-5 months. At least I hope I'll be off that long. I should be able to get a job as a paralegal.

I've lost almost 10 pounds since I joined Weight Watchers. I still don't feel like I'm dieting at all. I still get to eat burgers and fries at least once a week. (Of course I only eat a whopper jr and small fries) I'm not looking for a fast loss. Just a slow steady one. I use the flex plan and it works very well for me. I like several of the Lean Cuisine dinners. I'm also going to try and adapt some of my favorite recipes for WW.

The new computer came yesterday. I LOVE it! It has a 19 inch viewable monitor. It's huge compared to the 17 inch one I was using. The old Dell I was using will go into the living room/library to be used as a night light/photo viewer. I use family photos in Webshots as my screen saver. That way I can see my old photos more easily. I'm trying to scan and get them all on a computer.

I had hoped that my Dad would come down for Christmas, but he is having cataract surgery on both eyes before the first of the year. I'm going to miss being with him this year. My family doesn't get together very often. I miss the old times when we got together almost every year.

Weight Watchers

I joined Weight Watchers on November 18th. So far, it hasn't been too bad. I don't really feel like I'm on a diet. I was a member many years ago and it has really changed! There are two plans to choose from now. The Core Plan and the Flex plan. I'm going to do the Flex Plan until after the first of the year and then I'll alternate it with the Core Plan. (So, I took another step in completing my 101 things.)

A couple of people I work with said they would join this coming Saturday.

One of the nurses I worked with is, I guess, no longer working at my facility. It's a shame too. She is one of the nicest people I have worked with in quite a while. She was one of the MDS co-ordinators. They cut one of the positions and she volunteered to leave the position, allowing me to stay. She worked short of hours in various positions since the end of September. She didn't work this week at all. I really enjoyed working with her and I will miss her a lot. However, she is one of the people who said she is going to join Weight Watchers. I will try to keep in touch with her even if she doesn't join.

I LOVE this time of the year. It's a little sad too. I don't have my Mom or my son, they died in 1998 and 2001 respectively. I miss them a lot and am thinking about the holidays we spent together. I don't see the rest of my family very often. I only see my sister when I go to her house and usually it's because my Dad is visiting. She hasn't been to my home since she moved to Florida over 10 years ago. And my brother lives in Georgia, but he will come to Florida and visit with my sister and not call me even though we live less than 15 minutes from each other. My nephew (my sister's son) will text me every so often, but we haven't spent much time together in a long time. We used to be very close. He is only 3 years younger than I am. My sister is 16 years older and my brother is 11 years older.

I'm thinking that I will try to "build" a family from my friends. I have one friend that I haven't seen in a couple of years, even so, I consider her my "very best" friend. She got married a few years ago and surprised everyone. Then a couple of years ago she had surgery, I think it was a lap band, and has lost probably well over a hundred pounds by now. After the first of the year I will try to contact her and see if we can have lunch or something.

And speaking of 101 things, I'm accumulating quite a pattern library to use to make my new wardrobe. I've ordered a two pieces of fabric one for a skirt and one for a pair of trousers. I also got a really pretty black sweater that has lace on it, a black/gray striped shirt and a white shirt.

I love pretty clothes. It seems I got away from a lot of things I love, pretty clothes, makeup, hair, exercising, going out, and a lot of other things. Yes, those things make me seem shallow, but there's more than just those, that I've lost. Sometimes I don't even recognize the person in the mirror.