What I have been up to.

I had my weigh in with the dietician today... and hate that their scale weighs me 5 pounds heavier than mine does. But still, it also recorded the two pound loss I talked about on Monday.

We talked more about environmental changes I can make, especially ones to help me over my exercise hurdle, and also about reframing some of the way I think about food. I left her feeling positive about my plan going forward. Just the type of support I needed after a few bad days of feeling in the pits.

I have been working on a couple of new projects at night, and took my first steps toward creating a quilt... I messed up the pattern I was trying to make because I paired my triangles wrong, but I still think it will make a decent little play blanket for Ava. I had it all sewn together but had to rip a few of the seams out to fix the pattern. I am getting really fast at seam ripping. Soon I will be able to be an Olympic ripper.

Here is a crude idea of what it will look like once I sew it all back together again :)

Look within

When you can't count on those around you for support... When you are kicked when you are already feeling down. Remember YOU have what it takes.

Monday... Motivation?

I have this problem... See, I seem to have lost my motivation and can't seem to find it. I feel like sleeping. I feel like eating carbs. My throat kind of hurts, and I don't want to go to work. I caught the winter blues and am having a hard time shaking them off. I think I want to hibernate.

I would love to get back to the disciplined self I was in September when I was working out every day and loving it. I want to be dedicated to eating healthy like I was in December. But I am having a hard time. I am going to need to dig deep to find my way off this path I can feel myself slipping down...

In part I think I am having a hard time balancing everything I want to do and need up do in a day. Time for myself begins once Ava is down for the night and I go finish cleaning the kitchen. Then I want to sew or craft, read, and go to bed at a reasonable time... Not go work out and shower. How do I fit it all in? How do I get to find time for myself and still take care of myself and the things I should be doing as opposed to the things I want to do?

Still working on that one... In the meantime, I thought this was appropriate. Oh and this week I am another -2 so now 36 more to hit my first goal.

My sunshine!

Our first sledding experience... Down the driveway :)

Another bag

I finished my second bag... Got the tutorial from In Color Order :) I liked how much easier this was with lining everything up and sewing. This is what I would want to do if I make the first bag again.

Here are some photos of the project.

Line up fabrics and sew together.  Then sew around perimeter with right sides together.

Leave about 1 inch opening for the drawstrings.  

Measure your triangle to box your corners... you box all 4 corners you have created.

Sew along the line and cut off excess.

Almost done!  How UGLY is my ironing board?

Now just working on cutting squares for my 1st little quilting project. I am going to start with a pillow... But a bigger one so that Ava can lounge on it. She LOVES lounging and sitting on pillows... and I LOVE her!

I realized that I can order some extra feet for my sewing machine that would really help with my projects.  I plan to get a couple of 1/4" feet to help with even seams, and a binding feet to help me with even binding.

Keeping Myself Occupied

Even though this started off as a blog to chronicle my struggles with weight loss and as an outlet to vent some of my frustrations, for the longest time I really wasn't posting very often because although I am motivated to lose weight, it isn't something I love that I have to do!

For the past couple months, I have renewed my interest in being creative... in part to help me keep occupied at night in order to avoid boredom and snacking!  I have picked up some new hobbies, kept some of the old, and find that I am happy with the changes I have been attempting to make in my life.

For the past few days, I have been contemplating trying out something new... Quilting!  I came across this great blog, In Color Order, and am now obsessed with it!  I love the colors on her blog, the tutorials, the way she explains fabric choices... and her obsession with vintage sheets and vintage glassware!

I have two quilt projects in mind right now... and both have to do with using pre-cut squares while I get the hang of this.  I feel like it will give me some good practice sewing things together, and as a bonus, once I figure out how to quilt, it will hide some of my crooked stitching!

I am waiting for this cute Christmas fabric to come in the mail... called Flurry.  I love the blue, red, and green.

I was inspired by this quilt I saw on Etsy... thie fabric below is called 12 Days of Christmas, but I couldn't find it anywhere.  I have 11 months to figure out how to put it together :)  It is like playing Tangrams... ooh, I totally just this minute see how the blocks are put together (with the large square and smaller triangles).

(Source)

The other thing her blog got me to be obsessed with is vintage glassware!  She collects Pyrex, and I completely love it!  I had just been thinking about how I need some new cute bowls, when I saw all the great colors Pyrex used to come in!  So... I went to like 5 thrift stores (looking for sheets and Pyrex)... and completely struck out!  I cannot find those old super colorful flowered sheets anywhere (friends in other areas... this is a hint).  I did find one Pyrex pattern at one of the thrift stores, but the pattern was rubbed off in some areas.  Plus I don't want to become a hoarder, and I am mostly drawn to the pink and turquoise pieces.  I still can't decide if I should go buy it anyway ;-)

I also found a small yellow square container at an antique store, but it was $15 dollars... I thought that was too much (although who knows!)

So then I tried Craigslist... and someone was selling a set right in my neighborhood!  They are so cute and pink!  I really love the set (even though the smaller pink bowl has lost its shine)... and all 4 bowls were $30 all together.  I thought that was pretty good! And look how cute they are!  This type of bowl is even called a Cinderella bowl... I am envisioning Ava and I baking cookies uh, healthy things and using these.

I can't wait to keep looking for more vintage pyrex... there are a ton of turquoise pieces that I want to get my hands on!  As for the vintage sheets... I am now on a mission!  I will find you!

Motivate Myself Monday

After a super successful December, I need a little kick in the pants this January.  I have prepared some great eating plans, and feel satisfied with what I have been eating (for the most part) but I need to get moving.

One thing I have decided from an accountability standpoint is to weigh-in every Monday.  Thus, the Motivation Monday theme :)  I think this will help keep me more accountable over the weekend, which in the past has been the culprit to some major derailments.

In December, I lost 15 pounds... and put a little back on between Christmas and New Years.  Today, from that -15, I am +3... meaning that I haven't lost any weight this month yet.  My first goal is to lose 50 pounds... and mini goals are to get into the next set of 10's.  I love when that second number is a smaller one... even if it is followed by a 9!

So from that 50 pound goal, I was at -15, and now +3.  To reach my goal, I now have 38 more pounds to lose.
I felt that this quote is fitting :)

Source

And it is especially fitting from a workout perspective... I need to stay on my workout kicks, and stop quitting!  My workout goal is to be able to jog again... not fast, not super far... but I would like to be able to go for a 4 mile run without stopping.

I know all about regret... I look at pictures from even a few years ago, and I think, "How did I get here?"
Good thing I am ready to bite the bullet and move forward... its all about being the best version of me I can be!