Inside the Fishbowl

Weigh In--Week 2

Hey everyone!  It's Saturday again--how did that happen?  I did my weekly weigh in this morning and here are the results:

Today's weight: 141.2 lbs

Change from last week: 1 lb

Total Weight Loss to date:  2.8

Overall I'm a bit disappointed. I thought I would do better than that.  But then I wasn't as strict as I could have been with my eating.

It was a really busy week, but I managed to fit in three days of exercising.  I may get to it today, but Kaitlin has her first dance competition and I have no idea how long that will take.  This morning we have a final rehearsal, and then we're off.  Maybe I can count all of the nervous heart pounding as cardiovascular exercise?  Come on, I can. . .right?  

And what about housecleaning?  That's a lot of movement over a long amount of time, particularly vacuuming and cleaning the carpet on the stairs with the brush attachment of my carpet cleaner.  That's brutal stuff!  It takes me at least half an hour to vacuum my house.  Yes, I think it counts.  If Weight Watchers can count housework, so can I!  BUt then all of that movement was probably cancelled out on Thursday when I spent the day either laying on the couch or in bed finishing my book.

This week's goals are to increase the exercise by at least one day and to enter everything I eat into my log at Daily Burn.  I think that's the key for me right now; reallyy keeping track of everything I eat. 

Here's to another week!

Bright Star

 I watched a really good movie this week that I want to tell you about, called Bright Star. It's about the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, and it's incredibly romantic.  How could it be anything but, when it has the poetry of Keats serving as it's backdrop?  Be forewarned, this movie is sad.  Keats dies very young, before he could gain any sort of renown.  He and Fanny were never married, though they loved each other intensely.  It was a time when people did not marry until they could afford it.  People were prudent and careful.  The practicalities of life often won out over passion and love.

As I watched this movie I started to wonder, why are the tragic love stories so appealing?  Why do we enjoy crying (I would have wept had Alex not been watching me, wondering why I was sitting there crying on the couch) at the end when tragedy strikes?  I have a feeling that there are as many different answers as there are people (or at least women).  For me, I like tragic love stories because they are so far removed from the reality of my life.  There are no dishes to be done, no children with needs that need to be met. Right.  Now.  In tragic love stories, the hero and heroine defy the expectations of everyone around them.  They give in to their love for each other and go down a road that is full of drama and excitement and all of the strong emotions involved in new love.  They have butterflies in their stomachs, and therefore I get to have butterflies in my stomach.  And then they meet their end.  Inevitably the lovers part or one of them dies.  Sadness follows, and perversely, there is something wonderfully cathartic about having a good cry over something that has nothing to do with my life.  I get to give vent to all of the emotions that I have been holding in for too long.  It's a private moment for me, the end of a sad love story. I cry unabashedly.  That's why I generally prefer to watch these tragedies alone at night after my kids have gone to bed, preferably when Jeremy isn't home.  I want to have my cry out alone and for as long as I want.  

Don't worry, if you're not a crier.  I think you'll enjoy this movie for its other merits.  Though it's tragic, you don't feel emotionally manipulated.  I hate feeling manipulated into crying.  Second, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the costumes are to die for.  Third, it was really fun to see Paul Schneider outside of Parks and Recreation.  His Charles Brown is quite different from the Mark Brendanawicz of P&R, though I couldn't decide whether I liked his Scottish accent or not.  The final reason to watch and love this movie; in a word:  Poetry.  And I'm not a poetry person.  I could hardly finish my Victorian poetry class in college.  But somehow Keats poetry infuses this film with even more beauty than a good period piece usually has (except for maybe The Painted Veil, another of my favorite tragic love stories.  The cinematography really makes that movie.). 

OK, so go down to your local Red Box.  Watch this movie and let me know what you think.  Come on, you know you're looking for something do do this weekend!

Signs of spring

Today is a dreary day.  The kind where even when you open all of your shutters (or blinds) you still need to have the lights on just to have enough light to work by.  It's grey.  It's windy.  It's cold.  And it's been snowing sideways for a good part of the day.

You never would guess that I took these photos just yesterday.

 

The trees are starting to get little leaf buds!  Wheat is the proper name for these?

 

My day lilies are starting to peek up through the ground.  I just hope they don't freeze to death now that I've uncovered them.

Spring, hurry up!  Can you come any faster?

Copycat: Corazoncitos from Owlishly

Remember how when you were young one of the most terrible things you could be accused of is copying?  Unless my interpretation of Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth is incorrect, copying is still an unforgivable sin on the playground.  Fortunately for me, that is not the case anymore (unless I was going to say copy somebody and try to pass their idea off as my own.  That is bad and should never be done!), because as I embark on my year of trying to use up my craft stash, I am relying heavily on the copying the talents of others to help me on my way.

I am a collector of tutorials.  I am rather addicted to them.  A vast majority of the blogs that I subscribe to are included in my collection of blogs to read because they are either heavy on tutorials or they aggregate tutorials from other blogs on a regular (and high volume) basis.

Every Monday until I run out (and lets face it--I'll never run out!) I plan on showcasing a tutorial or free patterns that I discovered on a blog or from somebody I actually know in real life.  I don't mind being a copycat.  In fact, I love taking people's ideas and making them my own in some small way.

This week I am showing you a project that I made on Valentine's day as I was laying on the couch with a nasty cold.  It began the flurry of crocheting that I mentioned last week. This project falls firmly under the category of Granny Craft.  I have no illusions that this is the coolest thing that I will ever make.  In fact it might be laughably bad.  Just don't tell Kaitlin, ok?  She thinks I'm one cool mom for making this for her.

 I used this free pattern from my favorite amigurumi pattern designer, Etsy seller and author of the blog Owlishly, Mia Zamora-Johnson.  Mia published this pattern on her blog last year in time for Valentine's Day.  Of course I bought the yarn, but I didn't make anything from it.  This year I decided to get my act together and make those hearts already!  After I had crocheted the three different sizes, I was trying to figure out what I would do with them.  I decided to stitch the hearts together and make a chain at the top so that my kids could hang these on their doors.  Originally (last year that is) I was going to make a bunch of these and make a garland of crocheted hearts for my mantel.  I may still do that.  Next year.  Or I think it would be cute to make up a bunch of these and fill an apothecary jar with them.  Or it would be cool to make some long strands of these and create a curtain in one of my archways.  OK, that might be too much, but you can see how I get myself into trouble, can't you?

Like all of Mia's patterns, this pattern was very easy to follow.  If you are an experienced crocheter, you should be able to finish all three of these hearts in a little over an hour.  

A note, the granny craft aspect of this project, in my mind, has nothing to do with the pattern.  The pattern is so adorable I couldn't forget about it.  And believe me, that are plenty of tutorials tucked away in my tutorials bookmark folder that I have forgotten all about.  The granny aspect of it is that I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  Yuck!  I will never buy that yard again.  Never again.  Ever.  That yarn just gives me the creepy crawlies.  It reminds me of a pair of baby booties I received when Kaitlin was born.  I never used them. They were just too scratchy for my precious baby's soft feet!  If you are a new crocheter you may be tempted to buy this yarn because it is cheap and because it's easy to find.  Every big box store that sells yarn sells this stuff.  Don't give in!  Buy something nicer--at least a nicer acrylic yarn, or,better yet, a cotton/acrylic blend, like LionBrand's Cotton Ease) because it's cheaper than 100% natural fiber yarn, but still feels and looks great! Next year I will remake these hearts in better yarn.  And I may just keep going.  I have lots of ideas for them!

Kaitlin, my precious little girl, who claimed that she doesn't know how to take a nap anymore, just woke up after a nice two hour nap. This afternoon is looking up!

Saturday Weigh In

Saturday is weigh in day at my house.  I am not losing weight as quickly as I should, so I decided to publish my results here in an attempt to give myself accountability somewhere.  I'm hoping that even anonymous accountability is enough, since I know people are reading here, but not commenting! (No pressure!)

OK, deep breath.  I'm going to publish my weight for the whole world to see.  I'm nervous.  It's silly.  But. . .

TODAY'S WEIGHT:  142.2

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS TO DATE:  1.8 lbs

GOAL WEIGHT:  Between 115-120 pounds

Whew!  That wasn't so bad.

This week I only exercised 1 time.  BAD!!!

When Jeremy's away I tend to stay up too late.  This week was no different.  Now that I'm trying to be more conscious about what I put in my body, and how much I move my body I've noticed something.  When I'm tired I don't exercise.  I can't wake up early enough to exercise in the morning, and by the evening, I'm just too tired.  This week my goal is to exercise more, but to make that happen my other goal is to go to bed earlier.

I'll see you next Saturday to tell you how it went.

His Very Own

Two days ago Alex informed me that he no longer uses toilet paper to wipe his nose. . .as we bent down to the floor to wipe whatever he had just taken from his nose into the carpet.

He is now the proud owner of his very own box of Kleenex Ultra-Soft Tissue.  The elitist snob.

Comfort crafting

 

Yesterday Jeremy left for an extended business trip.  Eight days.  Eight nights of nobody to worry about but myself.  Although I will miss him, I am excited about the time alone.  I thrive on time alone.  It makes me feel happy to come to the end of a day, put the kids to bed and have nobody else wanting something from me.  Is that my inner selfish being revealing itself?  I don't know.  That's a job for a therapist and would probably take many years of intensive therapy to unravel.

Last night I was on my own by about 7:45.  The kids were in bed and blessedly not calling me back upstairs every two minutes.  I sat down on the couch and picked up my latest crochet project  a scarf from Vogue Knitting's Crocheted Scarves Two and crocheted until I could hardly keep my eyes open. I was in heaven.  Crocheting, American Idol (even if it is the total waste that is Hollywood Week) and then real estate shows on HGTV. That is my idea of an almost perfect night alone.

I have been in the mood to crochet for the past month.  It's all I really want to do when I have some time to myself.  I've made a few pairs baby booties and a gorgeous little necklace (I'll post that soon).  I made a totally granny little door hanger for Kaitlin for Valentine's day.  I've made progress on a granny square doll blanket for Kaitlin and now I'm working on the scarf I mentioned above.  Oh, and my trip to Paris in April will totally include a trip to La Droguerie in Le Bon Marche for some delicious new yarn for myself.

Just as some people turn to comfort food, I turn to crochet when life gets to be a little too much and I just need to feel cozy.  I love the smooth repetition of crocheting up a pretty little pattern.  I love that I can put a project down in the middle and pick it up with no difficulty.  I even find counting my stitches as the end of a row soothing.  I love that when I crochet I am creating something that is useful.  I love the order of crochet, but I also love it's forgiving nature.  Small mistakes are rarely noticeable.  Couldn't we all use a friend like that?  Somebody who doesn't notice our faults?  When I crochet all is right with the world.  All my problems are forgotten.  I am participating in an activity that takes me into my own mind and gives it room to wander.

I learned how to crochet in college by watching my neighbor, Tasha, work on a project.  It wasn't long before my dorm room became the place for our little corner of the world to gather whenever we found ourselves home on a Friday night.  My roommate, Leslie, had a TV/VCR combination and I had lots of good videos.  Girls would gather in our room with their crochet projects and we'd watch When Harry Met Sally, taking breaks only to sing along to "Surrey with the Fringe on Top", which is still one of the funniest scenes in a movie, in my opinion.  I have been crocheting ever since.  Oh, there have been times when I didn't crochet for a long time.  But I always come back to it.  I always will.  Crochet is my comfort craft.  I just couldn't do without it.

Full 180

Hi everyone!  Sorry to be away for so long.  I've been working on being more focused, and unfortunately blogging is a huge focus buster for me. Also, thanks for the supportive comments on my last blog post.  It's nice to know I'm not alone.  Two weeks ago I was seriously feeling like I needed some sort of medication to help me focus.  All of that has changed now.  I am having an awakening of sorts.  I'm realizing that I like having a clean house even if it takes me half a day to keep it that way.  I owe a huge thanks to my friend Kara who told me her method for keeping her house clean.  She does one thing a day.  Each day of the week is always set aside for the same thing.  Last Monday I decided to follow her lead.  I had a pretty good week last week, with some success.  I kind of lost steam by Wednesday night, though, and over the weekend my house reverted to its usual messy state.  This week I decided to write down a daily cleaning schedule. It's made all the difference.  My house is cleaner than it's been in a long while--I spent yesterday and today cleaning windows.  I've never cleaned my own windows.  Ever.  I've always paid somebody to do it.  Yeah.  I know.  Tomorrow I'll do the windows in the basement and then I'll be done!

The best part about doing my housework in the morning is that my afternoons are free to do whatever I want.  This week and last week I did a ton of crafting.  Here's what I did. . . 

It pretty embarrassing, but I generally don't get my Christmas gifts for my book club friends done in time for our annual Christmas gathering.  This year was no different.  I knew what I was going to do, I had a good start, but I wasn't finished.  With my past history in mind, I had already planned to do a Valentine's Day gift--I made banners.  I was totally excited to give these to my friends.  They turned out really cute!

Here's a closer shot.

Unfortunately this was not my original idea.  In fact, I don't think I've ever copied something so exactly. Check out this blog to see where I got my inspiration.  Seriously, I would like to copy everything that Kelly Lunceford does.  I really like her style.

I've also been working on some baby gifts.  Here is a pair of booties that I crocheted.

I really love making these little shoes.  I bought the pattern from this Etsy shop.  If you crochet, check it out! I think Sylvia Schuchardt is one of the best crochet pattern writers on Etsy.

Of course with Valentine's Day coming up, I made Valentine's for the kids classes.  I used the Paisley Cricut cartridge.  Can I just say how much I love this cart?

These are the Valentines that I made.  I wrapped boxes of conversation hearts in white cardstock and then placed the elephant on a foam square to give them some dimension.  I was very pleased with how they turned out.  But.

 

As I was glueing together all of the little tiny parts of these I realized that I was spending an awful lot of time on something that's going to get thrown away.  Oh well.  Kaitlin loves them and that's all that matters, right?

Finally, I've loved those rolled fabric flowers for so long.  I'd found a tutorial on how to make them here, but then this week I found this video by Rhonna Farrer.  The method she demonstrates is so simple that I had to give it a try.  I made a little clip for Kaitlin to wear to school tomorrow for her Valentine's Day party.

The colors in the photo are a bit off because I photographed this tonight, but you get the picture, right?  I love this project!  I have plans to make lots more of these.  Maybe I'll get ambitious and make something like this or this.  The one I made was from a scrap of dupione silk I had laying around the craft room.  I was tempted to buy some green fabric so I could make leaves.  But then I overcame, I stuck to my new craft supply ban, and decided to use a leaf from a stem of silk flowers that I bought to make clips for Kaitlin last year.  Not exactly a rose leaf, but I don't think it matters very much.  Anyway, I'm thinking this is a great way to use up all of the bits of fabric I have left over from other projects. What I do know is that I will never be tempted to pay $32 for a rolled flower necklace again!  These can be made for pennies!

All of this crafting, and still, my house is clean, my days are organized and I'm actually not exhausted when the kids go to bed!  Life is good!

So that's it for now.  Did you make it to the end?  I have a few more projects started that I'll share as I complete them.  Thanks for looking!