Merry Christmas
It's holiday time again and anyone who has to go shopping will notice a difference. Even for something as monotonous as grocery shopping one can put their life in someone else's hands. People are more aggressive both on the street and in the aisles. For one who HATES shopping of any kind it makes it all that much worse.
I do most of my Christmas shopping in July or online and am usually done before Thanksgiving. Since I'm doing mostly handmade stuff for gifts this year I've been knitting a lot. Nothing big or fancy or that needs 100% of my attention but nice, useful gifts that most people would appreciate. And if they don't I won't have to know. I still have a few things to make for fun little gifts but if, for some reason, they don't get done - No harm, no foul. No one else has to know I was thinking of giving them a little handmade gift.
I finished my slipper socks and they are great. Too big, which is why I'm using them as slippers, but they are nice and soft and look very pretty. They keep my feet warm, therefore they are serving their purpose. I also made a normal pair of socks for my daughter. Since we live in South Florida she requested they be anklets. No problem for me since it means less knitting, however they have a tendency to fall off her feet. She has now requested the next pair to be a little higher. I'm just happy she wants another pair. I want my own first so she will have to wait until then. I bought some fun self-striping sock yarn and am looking forward to knitting that up for her and I.
NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR KNITTING...
We went camping (in tents) a few weeks ago and the temperature dropped down to high 30's/low 40's. While that isn't SO bad in normal circumstances, it is hard to sleep in a tent when it's that cold. The first night I was covered from the tip of my head to my toes (and let me tell you I felt like I was suffocating) so the next day I decided to change the Christmas stocking I had started into a quick hat. I had it on 16" circular needles with 60 stitches and acrylic yarn. Within 2 hours I was done. There was no way I was going to have a cold head two nights in a row. Once the sun went down I put it on with pride and received many compliments on my quick thinking and knitting. It kept me much warmer throughout the evening and while I slept. Too bad I couldn't have made a scarf and mittens to match. I'll bring more yarn next time for those.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Happy Fall
The weather is or I should say was cooling down a bit, but now we're back to unseasonably hot and humid. We're hoping for it to cool down a little more so it will feel a little more like Fall.
Thanksgiving is coming up very fast and as usual I think to myself "The time is flying by". Christmas is around the corner and I've been fast at work to make all of my gifts. I can't post them for obvious reasons but I'm looking forward to giving them to their respective giftees.
On a "lighter" note... I've lost 62 pounds but that number did go to 66 during Halloween. I expect the weight to be removed by Thanksgiving if I will avoid the fun foods. Because of this weight loss and better eating my son is no longer addicted to McDonald's food. In fact when he is asked to go he refuses to eat their food, especially the burgers and nuggets. I am very happy for that accomplishment.
Hope everyone is having a fantastic day.
Thanksgiving is coming up very fast and as usual I think to myself "The time is flying by". Christmas is around the corner and I've been fast at work to make all of my gifts. I can't post them for obvious reasons but I'm looking forward to giving them to their respective giftees.
On a "lighter" note... I've lost 62 pounds but that number did go to 66 during Halloween. I expect the weight to be removed by Thanksgiving if I will avoid the fun foods. Because of this weight loss and better eating my son is no longer addicted to McDonald's food. In fact when he is asked to go he refuses to eat their food, especially the burgers and nuggets. I am very happy for that accomplishment.
Hope everyone is having a fantastic day.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July
It's almost Independence Day and I thought I'd update my blog.
I've lost 55 pounds since January 1st, 2008 and I am very proud of my accomplishment. June was a little tough on me since I worked all day and my evenings are usually used to run my kids to their various activities. The restaurant is closed for the season so I am free to go to the gym again at my regular time any day I want. It will be Mon-Fri for sure with one weekend day. I will take one day off and when I reach my goal I'll take 2 days off.
I'm half way to my goal and while I haven't been great the last few days I'm still doing good. Exercise makes all the difference for me. I feel so strong now and my arms are getting nicely toned. I have muscles now!
We're going on vacation at the end of the month without my husband (yeah I meant to say - what a shame). The kids and I are really looking forward to going North and then West for a couple of weeks. DH will stay here to work and feed the cats.
That's all for now.
I've lost 55 pounds since January 1st, 2008 and I am very proud of my accomplishment. June was a little tough on me since I worked all day and my evenings are usually used to run my kids to their various activities. The restaurant is closed for the season so I am free to go to the gym again at my regular time any day I want. It will be Mon-Fri for sure with one weekend day. I will take one day off and when I reach my goal I'll take 2 days off.
I'm half way to my goal and while I haven't been great the last few days I'm still doing good. Exercise makes all the difference for me. I feel so strong now and my arms are getting nicely toned. I have muscles now!
We're going on vacation at the end of the month without my husband (yeah I meant to say - what a shame). The kids and I are really looking forward to going North and then West for a couple of weeks. DH will stay here to work and feed the cats.
That's all for now.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Already May
WOW, where has the time gone... I've lost 42 lbs to date but my weigh in day is tomorrow. I should have lost another 2 lbs, at least. I have been eating great and exercising by butt off. I'm down 4 sizes since Jan, 2008 and looking towards the next smaller size. I am so excited over my loss so far with more to come.
This is the first time I've been successful in losing weight, exercising and eating right. My family has been extremely supportive and my husband has noticed I haven't given up - something I WILL NOT do. This is the last time I will "TRY" losing weight, it is a FACT that I AM losing it and it will be lost for good. NO RETURNS ALLOWED.
The Biggest Loser Couples has come to an end and there is a female winner. I'm so happy she won and honestly I wanted either woman to win, although all the contestants worked very hard for their weight losses. Hard work really does pay off when eating right.
I haven't done much knitting, been too busy exercising, working and taking kids to swim practices, but I plan to start my sweater soon. Hopefully it will be ready for next winter. At least I will be knitting a much smaller size than I thought I would.
That's all for now, I'll try not to wait two more months before posting again.
This is the first time I've been successful in losing weight, exercising and eating right. My family has been extremely supportive and my husband has noticed I haven't given up - something I WILL NOT do. This is the last time I will "TRY" losing weight, it is a FACT that I AM losing it and it will be lost for good. NO RETURNS ALLOWED.
The Biggest Loser Couples has come to an end and there is a female winner. I'm so happy she won and honestly I wanted either woman to win, although all the contestants worked very hard for their weight losses. Hard work really does pay off when eating right.
I haven't done much knitting, been too busy exercising, working and taking kids to swim practices, but I plan to start my sweater soon. Hopefully it will be ready for next winter. At least I will be knitting a much smaller size than I thought I would.
That's all for now, I'll try not to wait two more months before posting again.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
9 weeks and 27 lbs later...
I am happy to report I have now lost 27 lbs as of yesterday 3/8/08. I have hooked up with a Boot camp challenge on BiggestLoserClub and I'm really looking forward to "meeting" new friends and losing more weight. I am still going strong. I've added some extra cardio at home with my new (used) treadmill as well as going to the gym Mon - Fri. We are getting busier at work since season in SW Florida is in full swing and do I burn a lot of calories there.
I'm feeling great both about my weight loss and about myself in general. My clothes are getting too lose and will have to buy more cheap clothes for work to get me through to the next stage. This makes me very happy but I really hate shopping! (I'm really not kidding, either)
Here is a current picture of me for the Journal Junkies (Boot camp name) Red Team. I still have quite a bit of weight to lose but I am doing it.
"Do, or Do Not, there is no Try" Yoda
I've chosen to DO IT NOW! I want to live a long time and see not only my future grandchildren (I still have many years to wait for those) but also my future great-grandchildren.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Going Strong
It's been a while since I posted last and so much has changed...
I've now lost 20 lbs and 12" since New Years Day. My clothes are so loose that I went through them and will have to get rid of about 1/3. I do have clothes in various sizes so I should be ok for a little while and even after that I will only buy my "new" clothes at Ross or Bealls Outlet so I spend too much. I am feeling so good that I haven't lost my focus. I'm really doing this for me and my health. I don't know why it took me so long to figure that out. I didn't drink or smoke but overweight is just NOT healthy.
I'm working very hard training for the 5k Easter run/jog. I can now jog 1/4 mile without stopping or gasping for breath. Will try for 1/2 mile today without stopping.
Took a break from knitting to read a couple of books: "Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich and "Creation in Death" by J.D. Robb. I'm looking forward to reading the next book by both authors. Yesterday I finally started another beanie and worked on it a little at swim practice.
I'm 43 now and don't feel like I've aged up with all the work I've doing for my health. I am so glad I made the right choice.
I've now lost 20 lbs and 12" since New Years Day. My clothes are so loose that I went through them and will have to get rid of about 1/3. I do have clothes in various sizes so I should be ok for a little while and even after that I will only buy my "new" clothes at Ross or Bealls Outlet so I spend too much. I am feeling so good that I haven't lost my focus. I'm really doing this for me and my health. I don't know why it took me so long to figure that out. I didn't drink or smoke but overweight is just NOT healthy.
I'm working very hard training for the 5k Easter run/jog. I can now jog 1/4 mile without stopping or gasping for breath. Will try for 1/2 mile today without stopping.
Took a break from knitting to read a couple of books: "Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich and "Creation in Death" by J.D. Robb. I'm looking forward to reading the next book by both authors. Yesterday I finally started another beanie and worked on it a little at swim practice.
I'm 43 now and don't feel like I've aged up with all the work I've doing for my health. I am so glad I made the right choice.
Monday, January 28, 2008
New Projects
Knitting:
I have completed several new projects but I still need to take pictures and post them. I finished 2 bandanas for me that I use quite often at the gym and a couple of dishcloths using the bandana pattern then decreasing with k2tog after the yo and later that row with a ssk. They both turned out ok and I'm keeping these two anyway. I'm trying to use some of the leftover cotton yarn so these dishcloths are multi-colored.
I finally decided to start another Beanie for Angelica and believe or not - I FINISHED THIS ONE... YAY!!! I used the House Hat pattern from "Charmed Knits". I love this pattern - nice and simple, although when I tried starting the smaller size for Jonathan I would have had to use dpn's and I just did NOT want to do that yet so I used size 3 and cast on 110 st. I'll be starting to decrease today but it looks like it will fit. I have been requested to make a few for my co-worker Angie's husband and kids. I was so excited about the first one that I took it to work on Friday to show her. I'm going to make several more with our swim team colors and give one to each of the kids and coaches.
On the Weight Front...
I weigh in tomorrow, however I have lost 10 lbs and have gained lots of muscle. I can do 20 push-ups without straining myself and chin-ups are becoming easier too. I enjoy exercising now and have decided to do a 5K Easter Run/Walk with Jonathan. We did 1 1/2 miles on Saturday night and will go again tonight.
I'm using the training schedule from Cool Running - "From the Couch to 5K in 2 Months". We will start out slow - 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes including stretching. I have to buy some very good shoes today so I don't kill my feet. I just wish I could get Jonathan not to talk so much while running. He just does NOT realize I am unable to talk at that time.
I'm going to knit for 20 min then take Angelica to the bus.
I have completed several new projects but I still need to take pictures and post them. I finished 2 bandanas for me that I use quite often at the gym and a couple of dishcloths using the bandana pattern then decreasing with k2tog after the yo and later that row with a ssk. They both turned out ok and I'm keeping these two anyway. I'm trying to use some of the leftover cotton yarn so these dishcloths are multi-colored.
I finally decided to start another Beanie for Angelica and believe or not - I FINISHED THIS ONE... YAY!!! I used the House Hat pattern from "Charmed Knits". I love this pattern - nice and simple, although when I tried starting the smaller size for Jonathan I would have had to use dpn's and I just did NOT want to do that yet so I used size 3 and cast on 110 st. I'll be starting to decrease today but it looks like it will fit. I have been requested to make a few for my co-worker Angie's husband and kids. I was so excited about the first one that I took it to work on Friday to show her. I'm going to make several more with our swim team colors and give one to each of the kids and coaches.
On the Weight Front...
I weigh in tomorrow, however I have lost 10 lbs and have gained lots of muscle. I can do 20 push-ups without straining myself and chin-ups are becoming easier too. I enjoy exercising now and have decided to do a 5K Easter Run/Walk with Jonathan. We did 1 1/2 miles on Saturday night and will go again tonight.
I'm using the training schedule from Cool Running - "From the Couch to 5K in 2 Months". We will start out slow - 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes including stretching. I have to buy some very good shoes today so I don't kill my feet. I just wish I could get Jonathan not to talk so much while running. He just does NOT realize I am unable to talk at that time.
I'm going to knit for 20 min then take Angelica to the bus.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to a New Me.
I've decided it was time to make some New Years Resolutions again:
1. Stop cussing - each bad word costs me a quarter.
2. Stop nagging - if I have to tell the kids again to do their job it costs me a quarter but them a quarter also if they fail to do the job.
3. Biggest One Here: Eat Healthier and get more exercise - a/k/a Lose some weight.
My ultimate goal will be 100 lbs over time. I know it won't happen right away but I will be happy with 1-2 lbs/week. Of course more will always be accepted. I'm keeping track of my calories and exercise on my D & E Assistant and so far the week is looking pretty good. I've really had to push myself to get extra good calories but I just need to add some milk. Normally I'm a good milk drinker but there are times I forget to drink it - that won't happen any more.
Yesterday was J's 10th birthday and I allowed myself one slice of pizza and a cupcake. I ended up eating only half the cupcake as it felt like a brick in my stomach. The kids had a great time ice-skating while us mom's talked and watched them skate. We all had a great time. Had dinner at my mom's house and made great choices and felt good after dinner. I did go to the gym for some cardio and to burn the cupcake off.
Today I go to the gym with my personal trainer who should be proud that I've done so well this week but will be even happier when I tell her I'm committed to the weight loss and exercise - thanks to the Biggest Loser. She said it would inspire me and was she right. I want to live a long time and asked dh how long he would like me to live. I made it clear I need support from everyone: family, friends and co-workers. So far - soooo good!
Tuesdays are my weigh in day so I will post my ups and downs on this day.
I've decided it was time to make some New Years Resolutions again:
1. Stop cussing - each bad word costs me a quarter.
2. Stop nagging - if I have to tell the kids again to do their job it costs me a quarter but them a quarter also if they fail to do the job.
3. Biggest One Here: Eat Healthier and get more exercise - a/k/a Lose some weight.
My ultimate goal will be 100 lbs over time. I know it won't happen right away but I will be happy with 1-2 lbs/week. Of course more will always be accepted. I'm keeping track of my calories and exercise on my D & E Assistant and so far the week is looking pretty good. I've really had to push myself to get extra good calories but I just need to add some milk. Normally I'm a good milk drinker but there are times I forget to drink it - that won't happen any more.
Yesterday was J's 10th birthday and I allowed myself one slice of pizza and a cupcake. I ended up eating only half the cupcake as it felt like a brick in my stomach. The kids had a great time ice-skating while us mom's talked and watched them skate. We all had a great time. Had dinner at my mom's house and made great choices and felt good after dinner. I did go to the gym for some cardio and to burn the cupcake off.
Today I go to the gym with my personal trainer who should be proud that I've done so well this week but will be even happier when I tell her I'm committed to the weight loss and exercise - thanks to the Biggest Loser. She said it would inspire me and was she right. I want to live a long time and asked dh how long he would like me to live. I made it clear I need support from everyone: family, friends and co-workers. So far - soooo good!
Tuesdays are my weigh in day so I will post my ups and downs on this day.
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