Updates

Motivation on all fronts is getting really low. Now that I made it past Thanksgiving break I'm just really ready for winter break. So for today, a fun updates post.

Knitting: I finished my lovely multidirectional scarf last night. LOVE IT! It needs a blocking, but I want it ready for wearing so that'll probably wait. For some reason I've been having some serious gauge issues recently. This is the second project that has changed gauge midway through, although the first was after a bit of a pause and I made the mistake of switching needles partway through this one. It's just getting a bit annoying. Guess I'll just have to be more careful about it.

The reason I switched needles partway through my scarf was that I got in my first order from Knitpicks. Yeah, I'm a little behind, as usual. So I finally decided to try out their new needle system. I've had trouble with Addi's so I wasn't sure whether to bother, but I couldn't resist. The verdict---well I absolutely love them, and I thought things were going well. But I'm starting top see some trouble around the joins. The finish is wearing off just like with Addi's. I still haven't given up, if it just stays in that tiny area it might be ok, but I'm afraid it's a sign of things to come.

School: As I mentioned, no motivation. Finals are coming up and I really should be studying for an investments test. But it'll be over soon and then only one more semester. I'm not ready to leave yet!

Job Search: I still haven't heard from any of the prospects yet. I have heard that the government takes forever to get around to that though, so I guess I'm not totally defeated yet. And there are other jobs out there I'm sure. I have heard back from the US Geological Survey about a part time job doing some light accounting and filing type stuff. It seems like things are progressing and they must be interested, but now I'm waiting for paperwork and such. More money is always good :)

WW: I've had a bad few weeks as I got totally off plan and was just eating whatever. I've been trying really hard this week to do better, but I'm not sure how well it's working. Again, my motivation is slightly lacking. I've been using all the stuff that's been going on as an excuse, and I'm very convincing!

Life: Besides all that, things haven't been that exciting. My aunt and uncle were here from Louisiana a few weeks ago and we had some fun, but most of it involved antique/thrift store shopping which isn't really my thing. For Thanksgiving my mom and I cooked for Jaime and my dad. It went pretty well, although Jaime keeps whining because we didn't use any salt.

Spinning: Hah! I'm hoping to get back to that soon, really.

So, that's the past month of my life in a nutshell. I'm getting seriously in the mood for Christmas. Hopefully I'll be able to get a good shot of my scarf for you soon. Have a great week!

Busy, And A Pause

Everything is going pretty well. I don't get to knit or read (for fun) nearly as much as I'd like of course. But school is great and I'm still really motivated. Normally by now I'd be skipping classes.

I think this weight loss has just really changed things for me. It's strange, I had to get to a place where I really liked myself before I could start losing weight. And now that I'm losing weight and taking care of myself I just keep feeling better and better. I feel more in control of my life and like maybe I really can handle the stuff coming up. I almost feel ready for the big changes, not terrified of them. I want to do well in my classes and I enjoy being in school. I am still a bit nervous about the job search, but I feel like I have a lot of things going for me and someone will realize that and hire me. Some of my laziness has gone away too. Now sure, I can still enjoy a lazy day now and then, but it feels really good to get up and accomplish things.

All this is to say, I am really enjoying life, probably more than I ever have. And of course that means being busy. Didn't mean for this to get so long or mushy. Anyway, I'm going to take a break from blogging. I just can't keep up with all you, my good friends, let alone keep you updated on me. Maybe after the craziness of recruitment is over I'll be able to get back into it.

Hope everyone has a great fall! I'll be back before you know it :)

School

Yeah, that's pretty much all I've been up to. Not a lot of craftiness going on, I've been doing homework. The first few days of classes have gone pretty well. I don't think any of them should be too tragically difficult, just lots of reading and junk. Always fun.

I found out from a friend yesterday that I'm probably not going to have to get any grad level classes. This was the best news ever! See, I want to get a CPA (certified public accountant certification) but the things KU had always sent me said I needed to have 5 credits of grad level accounting to get it. Yeah, turns out that's only because I need 30 total acct credits and they only offer 25 for undergrads. Soooo, I can save tons of money (like thousands) by going to the community college for some easy accounting credits. My problems are so solved! Now I just have to find a job (for after graduation, my "real" job) in the next 3 months and I'll be completely set. Heh, wish me luck. Actually, now that the CPA weight is off my shoulders I am feeling relatively confident, which should help some.

WW Update
Yeah, the downward spiral continued. After my trip to Outback which I mentioned last post, and a couple other slip ups when I decided I "deserved" a break, I had a bit of a gain, up 1.8 pounds. Frankly I was afraid it would be a lot worse. But, this week I have totally gotten back on track. I have been exercising religiously (and actually sort of enjoying it) and being very good about my eating. I made a plan for school that is really working for me and just getting out of the apartment everyday and DOING things has me more motivated. I'm really hoping to lose what I've gained and then some this weekend. *knock on wood*

I'll try and scrap together a crafty update soon. Have a great day!!

Preparations

I'm in the middle of several days of getting ready for school to start. Tomorrow is the big day. I am the type who makes a big deal of starting a new semester. I like to have some fresh supplies (a new pen and pencil is a MUST) for the fresh start. So yesterday was spent almost entirely shopping for these things. Today, I've been cleaning my spaces (have to have some order for my fresh start) and getting my backpack ready. I even have a brand new book and knitting project in my bag for use during breaks tomorrow. Yeah, I'm a little nuts. But I have fun.

Knitting has come to almost a complete standstill, thanks mostly to a good (long) library book that's due Saturday and a new video game that I can't seem to put down. I did break out my spiral scarf* last night for some tv watching, but that's about it. I really am trying to get something (ANYTHING) finished for UFO August, but I just don't see it happening. If nothing else, it has been good motivation to get out my long-ignored projects. And (besides the requisite new knitting for school) I am dedicated to finishing these projects before starting anything else.

WW Update
Yeah, downward spiral here. So, I had a tiny gain last week, up .2 pounds. Which didn't discourage me too much really, especially considering the amount of salt I had the night before. But then this week I have been just totally off plan. From a trip to Outback to a couple fast food incidents, it hasn't been pretty. But I'm back on track today and ready for the big changes tomorrow. I was afraid that going back to school would ruin my diet as I had gotten into a bit of a routine, but I have a plan that should work.

I'll report back after my first day. Have a great day!

*I'm too lazy to link, but if you ever want more info on my projects, there are links on the sidebar to my project blog. It has pictures and stats for all my past and current projects. Just FYI :)

In Which A Bad Weekend Makes For Good Crafting

It's all over. That's a plus. So Jaime's car tags expired at the end of July. But being broke now, and with the promise of money coming out our ears by mid-month, we really had no choice but to wait for the money to get him new tags. But I'm not doing a darn thing, so he had been taking my car to work. No biggie. Not ideal maybe, but nothing terrible.

Until Friday (only the 4th), when we both woke up from an afternoon nap (hey, just cause I don't do anything doesn't mean I can't get tired...) to find that his car was gone. We assumed that someone in the apartment office had it towed. Yeah, great! Jaime flipped out and after I finally calmed him down we spent the rest of the night trying to remember what "normal" was supposed to feel like. He talked to someone in the office Saturday, but she only works on Saturdays and had no idea what was going on. She seemed to deny that they had anything to do with it, suggested we try the police, and gave the name of the tow company they use. Hmmm, first hint that things weren't adding up.

So we searched for the phone number for this tow company, but they had no listing in the phone book or online. Must not get much business that way huh? Called the police station and they said that they can't tow a car from private property. Haha. Another dead end.

Meanwhile my wonderful Mommy, whom I may never speak ill of again, assured me that by Monday she would be able to get us the money we'd need to get the car back. Sure, she'd already given me $60 so we could pay our rent, but she's just that good. I got a lot of knitting done that weekend. Not much sleep, but my nervous fingers were flying! Here's some proof.

In honor of UFO August I've gone back to working on my Clapotis. It is so slow! And, I'm going to need another skein to make it as long as I want it. But I made progress none the less. You can click here for a close-up.

Sunday I went with my dad to Topeka (1.5-ish hours away) to see my Aunt Cathy in the hospital. She has been there for over a week now with some bad bladder infection turn kidney infection. I assume she isn't home yet, as I told my dad to keep my updated, but she was doing a bit better when I saw her. (Her kidney function was up to 25% and she had pretty much stopped hallucinating) On the trip, I got some work done on my socks. Gotta love passenger knitting.

Monday we called the office to get the number of the tow company. She apologized up and down, claiming that the tow company makes a sweep every so often and she didn't know whose car it was and she's soo so so so sorry. Hmmm. And gave us a cell phone number for the tow company. We called, they had the car. WOOOHOO! Yes it sucks, but it's better than it being stolen. Oh, and they'll even tow it back. No need to go to them. Again, I find this whole thing VERY ODD. But we want the darn car back, so ok.

We got the money they told us we needed, plus a little towards the car tags which we had to go get that day too. They called and said they were on their way, and to watch for them at around 11:45. Jaime, not wanting to miss them, goes outside at 11:30. At 12:30 they call and say they're running late (really??) and are probably 15 minutes away. At 1:00 they finally show. I watch from a window, and notice that they are having to jump start the car to get it parked. Hmmm, is that normal? I don't know much about cars, obviously.

Jaime comes back upstairs, not so happy. Turns out that the battery is beyond dead. The power locks wouldn't even work. The tow guys claim that the dome light was on when they picked it up. I don't believe it for a second myself. Oh, and they tried to charge us an additional $50 for towing the car back here. Which they didn't mention when totaling the charges over the phone and giving us no choice in the matter. Jaime said he only had $25 extra and they decided that was ok. People can be so kind.

So the car was back in the lot. And after an hour sitting on the floor at the DMV, we even had it's new tags on it. Sure, it won't move, but at least we know where it is. Jaime decided that he could change the battery, now we just needed the money to buy a new one. He was going to ask his boss for a loan, but he was away for a few days and it was making Jaime crazy not to have his car, and this whole ordeal, fixed and done. So I asked my mom for a wee bit more money. I will not complain the next time she asks me to vacuum the ceiling for her. At least not out loud.

Yesterday, Jaime got the battery and switched them out. I was terrified that after all this, something else would go wrong, but it seemed to do the trick. AHHHHHHHHHH!

I've also gone back to spinning again. I've been doing one length every day, and I can see such an improvement over the last skein I spun up. It isn't completely even, but much much more so. And I'm getting pretty good at adding in a new length of roving and even at reattaching the roving when there's a break. Those two things have been giving me the most problems so it's nice to be figuring them out. Of course, I still spin the spindle, park it and then draft, but it works for me so I'm not stressing it.


WW Update
I lost another good amount this past week, 4.2 pounds. I've so far lost 22.4 pounds and I'm so happy. I'm just a little over 10 pounds away from making my big 10% mark and I'm hoping to have it gone before my birthday in September. Wish me luck!

Have a great week everyone. I sure am going to try to :)

August Already??

Sakes! I start school again on the 17th. Guess I better get in as much lazy time as possible before then, huh? hehe


Here's a picture of that yarn I mentioned spinning. It's about 60 yards of, uh, some kinda wool, and just all over the place as far as gauge. Mostly pretty bulky though I'd have to say. Oh, and with SEVERAL knots from some plying incidents. But I'm thinking they'll just add character if I ever knit it up. Click here for a close up.

I actually haven't gotten back to spinning since finishing up this little skein. I was really enjoying it, but I did all the plying in one sitting and it got me a bit frustrated. And I've actually been somewhat seriously looking at wheels, which doens't motivate me to use the spindle much. I enjoyed using the wheel MUCH more. I'm thinking today I might pick up the spindle again...

It seems that there has been a UFO bug going around blogland lately. I actually joined the August UFO KAL to encourage me to finish up some projects before the fall knitting season. Check the sidebar for the link. My UFO's are all listed in my sidebar as well, feel free to click on them for more details as usual. Some are getting pretty old now, so I think it's time to get moving on them. I have put down my socks and picked up good old clappy again. It's going well, but still awfully slowly. I'll have pictures soon.

WW Update
I had a good loss this week, down 5.6 pounds for a total of 18.2 so far. Of course, there was one day where I wasn't feeling that great and sorta "lost" my dinner. But I still think I deserved the loss for the most part. I'm trying to really stay on plan this week to make sure I can keep all of that loss and not backtrack.

Sky And Cake And Crafts, Oh My!

I'm a Kansas girl, what can I say? This looks to be a picture heavy post, so beware.

First off, my first ever on-time Saturday Sky.


And of course the end of the birthday celebration. For those of you with delicate sensibilities, I edited this picture of Jaime's cake.

I bet you just have no idea what's under that airbrush huh? I decorated it myself. Aren't I an artiste? Ha. We're goofy, what can I say...

Here's one of the birthday boy blowing out the candles. He wouldn't tell me what he wished for.

Sorry for the fuzziness. That's one of those tricky shots. So, all in all we had a great day yesterday.

So, when I haven't been partying with Jaime, or reading books like they're melting, I really have been knitting. Here's proof!

Getting closer.

There's even been some spinning. I picked my spindle back up three days ago and for once it seems I haven't forgotten everything I'd learned. I've spun a section a day since then. I might eventually have enough yarn to knit something with. Imagine that.

For those of you who've made it this far, a special treat. This is the second thing I knit. The first being a "scarf" that was probably 14x40 inches, with variegated acrylic yarn, in garter stitch. Was fun fur a step up? That's debatable. Well, this scarf has been well loved and is now looking a bit mangy so I'm giving it to Goodwill. But first I had to take a picture.


WW Update
apparently my intuition about those gummies for breakfast was right. I gained .8 pounds this week, but I know I deserved it. Just means I'll have to get my butt back in gear this week :)

Such A Big Boy

Yep, today Jaime turns the big 2-6. Which means he's really getting hassles for being "nearly 30." I just love that he'll always be older than me, hehe. Here's a few shots of our day so far.



Jaime waiting patiently for his gifts. Yes, I did make him sit there with his eyes closed while I took a picture.



And the gift of choice for the manly man? A mandoline slicer of course. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (And he really likes it too. Go me!)



And a cute picture of both of us, now that I've figured out how to put my camera on the tripod. That's all I've got for now. We ran a bunch of errands this afternoon and we're doing the whole cake thing tonight. I'll be sure to snap a few shots of that too.

And there'll definitely be a crafty update this weekend. Really!

WW Update
Had another underwhelming loss last week, down 1.2 pounds. I'm just hoping for any loss this week. I haven't been that good. I've followed plan and all, but I just feel like a day where gummy bears was my breakfast shouldn't really be considered a success.

Support

First order of business, a tardy Saturday Sky for Sandy.



Unfortunately, it's looked like this for a couple days now. I love the rain, and the supposed cool-down (it still feels pretty warm out to me), but sun sure is nice.

And now for the main subject of this post, my sweetie Jaime. This whole weight loss thing has been a big adjustment for both of us. Sure, I'd hinted in the past that I'd like to lose weight, but he laughed it off saying he liked me round and soft. Of course this was nice to hear, but not exactly motivating. When I decided to join Weight Watchers, Jaime figured it was another time (and there have been many) when I was doing something just to make my mom happy. So he wasn't thrilled and I didn't really talk to him about what I was doing, not the program I was on or anything.

After about a week, though, he realized that this was different. I am truly doing this for myself and no one else. Since I started WW I've had a totally different attitude and I'd like to think that it shows. So he started asking questions about the plan I was on and how I was doing. He said he really knew I was serious when he offered to get us breakfast from McDonald's (a nearly weekly routine for us) and I said I wasn't interested. He has since then been completely supportive.

He has encouraged me not to give in, but he has also reminded me not to deprive myself. He pushes me towards balance and a lifestyle that I can live with as opposed to a diet. He knows that I can't handle certain things and he makes sure not to bring them in the house. And when I was discussing how I wasn't sure if I could keep up the routine once I was back in school (ya know, once I have to leave the house more than once a week...), without even thinking he said that working out 5 days a week was awesome enough and I didn't have to exercise everyday. He actually said I was doing awesome. And he doesn't say awesome, um, ever.

So this is just a big public thank you to Jaime. I won't say that I couldn't do this without him, because I've gotten to a place where I know that I'm worth the effort just as I am. But he makes it so much easier.



I love you Pookie. Thanks for everything.

WW Update
Sheesh, nearly forgot. I had a whopping loss of .4 pounds this week. I was hoping for more, but it's still a loss.

New Look

I saw the link for this lovely site from Heather B. and decided it was time for a change. I've wanted a new look for a while, but I knew it would take a time investment. And frankly, I don't see my own blog that much so it wasn't urgent.

So last night I spent a couple hours tinkering with the blog trying to get it the way I wanted it. You like?

Life has been crazy for the past week as my Aunt Vicki has been in town. She, like the rest of my mom's side of the family, has the unique ability to be completely fun and lovable one moment, and testy and demeaning the next. I used to take it personally that she still treats me like a child. I figured it was because I really have seen her since I was 12 so she didn't have time to adjust. But I realized this past week that she treats EVERYONE like a child. Completely annoying, but at least it isn't just me. So her, my mom, and I have been playing Upwords, doing puzzles, and cooking up a storm. I've been spending more time with them than at home the past week.

Of course this didn't leave much time for craftiness. I'm still working on the sock, but it isn't much longer. Hopefully I can knit away on it today and get a picture for you soon.

WW Update
I was so nervous for weigh-in this week, again. Of course I really had no reason to worry. I've been sticking to my plan and i have been exercising religiously. And it worked! Down another 2.6 pounds for a total of 11.8 so far. The exercise is still a challenge for me though. I have been enjoying the warm days by exercising in the pool, but my new sunburn means I'm going to have to go back to the treadmill. It's so hard to walk past the nice cool pool into the warm exercise room to walk. Ugh! But it's worth it. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

Be Guilt Free Today

WW Update:
Just a quickie today. I was SOOO scared I was going to go up I was actually considering shaving and wearing a skirt just to have a better chance (I normally wear jeans, they weigh a little...). I even considered using my "no weigh-in" coupon. I was just terrified of having a gain and feeling like a loser. But I finally decided that eventually I was going to have a gain, even if just a tiny one, and it was better to have one now and get it over with.

Surprise, surprise I was actually down .2 pounds this week for a grand total of -9.2 so far. I'll take it!

Today in meeting we talked about positive self-talk and the title today was my favorite affirmation because it's just what I was talking about yesterday, taking my mistakes and looking at them positively; not letting them get me off track completely. It is also really how I try to live my life. Admittedly I don't run around announcing every part of my life, but I try to never do anything I would be ashamed to admit. If it makes me want to hide it, then it's probably not how I want to be living.

So, be guilt free today!! It feels amazing :)

Refocus

Well, I decided on a new project. And it apparently was just what I needed because I can't stop knitting. Here's my progress so far.



Anyone recognize this? It's the reverse of the socks I made for my sockapal2za pal so long ago, the (Not) Padded Footlets. Hers were turquoise with pink stripes and of course mine are going to be pink with turquoise stripes. These were the best fitting socks I had ever knit, and it was REALLY hard to send them away.

Here's a close up of the heel flap detailing. Did I mention I LOVE these socks?



WW Update:
I finally made it down to the workout room this morning and it felt SO. GOOD. Of course, it was mostly to make up for the poor choice I made for dinner last night. Lets just say it involved someone delivering food. I feel so guilty!! But I guess if that's what it took to get me to start the exercising habit again maybe it wasn't soooo bad. I'm just not going to let it make me get down and do anything else bad. Weigh in's tomorrow...

Go Me!

Ok, so I'm usually not one to brag... But I lost myself 9 pounds this week! This new program must have been a total shock to my body. I have been drinking lots of water and actually eating fruits and vegetables for the first time since I lived at home and my mom made me. And lets face it, I hid and tossed most of that anyway ;)

So, I'm LOVING Weight Watchers. I highly recommend it. Everyone there is so nice. My new friend was on vacation this week, so I can't wait to get back together with her and see how she's doing. This week I'm going to try and focus on getting more exercise in. We'll see how that goes...

A Good Day

Although you probably can't tell it from my blogging schedule, I've finally gotten over the summer lazies and have begun the productive phase. I do this same thing every break, waste a couple weeks doing nothing and then suddenly decide I have to DO something. I've been making lists and getting stuff done all week.

*I've started my online class, Technical Writing. It shouldn't be too bad. I have to write a sales letter and a user manual among other things, but no 10 page papers. Thank God!

*I've applied to a few places for a job. So far I've applied at Michael's, JoAnn's, a scrapbook store and Kohl's. Still hoping for a call...

*There was a bit of a booboo in my mom's taxes from '04 (which I did for her) so I had to write a letter to get that straightened out.

*More cross stitching (progress pictures eventually, it doesn't grow very quickly though).

*I've finished up a bit of spinning. I spin until I feel it's about full, then roll it off onto a toilet paper roll and try to spin the same amount to ply with it. Halfway to a skein of yarn, woohoo!

*I've managed to clean up a bunch of my clutter, like my desk and our file drawer.

And the biggest accomplishment, I finally got my butt in gear and signed up for Weight Watchers. My aunt goes on and on about how amazing it is and finally convinced me to try it. Well, and a girl who works with my mom's financial planner wanted to start too so I had a buddy. I'm so pumped to get going and lose some weight. I'l try to post my progress from time to time to keep me honest.

Mom Update
I really should rename this the Mommy and Me blog ;) My mom is doing really really well. She's now been through two sessions of chemo and still she's up and active. There has been a bit of nausea and constipation, but nothing bad at all. SUCH a relief.