Monday, November 30, 2015

Little Tricks... Comfort Food.. Post 3 of 5

Okay....  so.. we are trying to make better choices and still keep enjoy eating!

here are a few tricks I use.

Crunchy munchies.... okay so I confess.... cheeto diving used to be my premier sport.  I could eat thousands of calories of orange powdered crunch at a single sitting.

and it still can get to me

I spent a couple of years attempting the move from orange powder

to plain tortilla chips

with dip of course depending on the mood of the day

with an ultimate goal of salsa ... (tomato, right?  It's a vegetable)

Or refried beans.... (or rather mushed beans with lots of garlic, chili powder and cumin)

Better option!

But what else can you do?

FUEL FIRST.


Give yourself permission to eat your orange powder.

Seriously.

BUT

Find a produce/protein combo that works for you.
And eat that first.

Crunch works for me :-)

Celery.  Boring, I know.   But add almond butter ( or peanut butter)
And you have a snack that gives your body a veggie and a protein.  (Or substitute the celery with apples - another BORING option)

Still bored?


Eat the non-nutritive stuff you want.

Over time, you will eat less.  You will get stronger.  The veggie/protein combo will nourish your body.  You will be better able to a) withstand the orange powder temptation and/or b) eat less of it.

Until you don't eat it.

I'm convinced.

Though I'm not quite there.  [though I HAVE gotten to the point of recognizing how bad I feel after I eat too many cheetos.... and I HAVE... several times.... haunted the snack aisle wanting cheetos and settling for a better option [a low-calorie flavorful popcorn usually]    and I HAVE... ONCE.... been able NOT to buy them at all because I remembered how bad they make me feel.


Because a truth is that I eat them for my taste buds.   And I need to FEED MY BODY.

So I eat the whole bag, feel sick and guilty.... and THEN need to eat to fuel my body.

And it's a dumb idea

So fuel first. 

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

WIP Wednesday 11/25

This one is kind of split between... finish up and home and crafting on the road!


I spent the latter half of last week getting the grandquilts basted.  Each one takes several hours due to me crawling around on the floor!  I must find a better way :-)
My Kate was helping as much as she could get away with!


 I LOVE the way the Princess and the Pea turned out :-)


My lower back decided that getting 3 basted before vacation was enough!  I will be thrilled if I can get all four quilted by Christmas.. so I really don't NEED the fourth one basted for a while...

I used up a good bit of crochet thread scraps working on dishcloths....



and I had to spend some time figuring out what kind of craft stuff to bring along with me on the road.

Our trip will have at least 5 full travel days in it... so I need to keep my creative self occupied!

 A cone of crochet thread added to my scrap bits so that I can finish off cloths and start new if I make that many!

My Hawaiian applique blocks need to come so I can show my cousin - and do a little work along the way.

And my hexies.. I haven't worked on them for a while so it would be good to bring them along.



hmmm... I will need a few other choices, I am sure!  But that is good for now :-)

(I actually started traveling on Monday but will save the traveling post for next week!

Happy Thanksgiving in case I don't get back here!)

Monday, November 23, 2015

Little Tricks.... Comfort Food Post 2 of 5

Okay -

So step 2 from making your own comfort food....

is trying to 'health-i-fy' it.

A) By adding more veggies.... onions, celery, peppers count :-)

But ask yourself.....  can I toss a bean in there?  How about a carrot?

Perhaps a serving of broccoli will go nicely along with it?

More veggies = more fiber....

You know it's a good transition....  make it as painless as possible.

I save the leftover broth from veggies (even the water from rinsing out a can of tomato sauce) in a container in the freezer.   When I use the crockpot to make something.. that is the broth I use.  Makes phenomenal soups... though alas.. I cannot duplicate the seasonings :-)

Another trick I am using is to try more kinds of veggies.  Make a list of the veggies you don't choose but don't hate.  Any way you can add one of them in without too much inconvenience?

B) By reducing meat.   I am in no way a vegetarian.. though I do not care for many meats.  But I am trying to follow Thomas Jefferson in using meat as a condiment for my vegetables.

I am not arguing the virtues of protein... there are many articles on that and a lot of differing viewpoints.

However I can find little disagreement that most green vegetables are good for you.  In every way.  And in every amount.

So... more veggies..... less meat.

If you are a meat eater, the approach may be to increase veggies first - NOT decrease meat.  Get accustomed to a different ratio of meat to veggie.  Then it is easy.

C) Whole Wheat..... Just so you understand that whole grain is not the same as whole wheat.  Your end goal is 100% whole grain for bread, pasta, etc. - but any movement you can make in that direction is a good thing!

D) Make your own.
     So I am not a cook... I just don't like it.  BUT it is a fact that if you prepare it yourself, you know what is in it.  And it is easier and quicker than we think!  So it is important to learn.
   I can share more on that if you are interested! 

D)  Of course, there is always "Eat Less"
But for some of use, there are many easier challenges with food.  And if you are a comfort food eater.... "eat better" is do-able....  "eat less" is a lot tougher!

On the Road Again....

I do love traveling with my husband....

I think it's because when we are on the road.. we have to be focused together rather than at home wandering about doing our own tasks...

And the freedom of no ordinary household chores.


But I always have such mixed feelings at the point of leaving..

I spend the week before in preparation to go

When I come back, I will spend at least the same amount of time getting settled back in

And this time, I'll be turning around and doing it again for Christmas

It's a year for adventure.... not tradition

but I have to say

in spite of the emotional upheaval of family gatherings

I already miss my big brood of kids.

But again - I AM definitely looking forward to catching up with family I haven't seen in years

and the ROAD TRIP!!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Ireland!

Oh my goodness!

It's official!

I am going to Ireland!

June 2016

How crazy is that?

So... here is serendipity.   If you are a regular reader, you might remember that my husband kidnapped me last Mothers Day and we ran off to Winchester, VA for the weekend.

Looking back I didn't really write much about it.  I noted it in a One Sentence Journal Post.... but I was in the middle of the 29 Days of Giving series so I didn't elaborate..

so I will do it here.

It was a surprise weekend and my husband had found a beer tasting at a plantation house in the Winchester, VA area.  (Since the kids have been gone, we have been slowly and tentatively trying to regain some ground as a couple.  It's a difficult time of life, I think.... not enough has been said about it - but it's real!  And we have accidentally discovered that we both enjoy alcohol tastings)

Anyway - I was pleased that he found something we both enjoy and planned this on his own :-)  And a side trip to Luray Caverns on the way home.... more new fun :-)

Pulling into the hotel on Friday night, there were several Model A cars.... and my husband is a true car guy... so some interest piqued..   One of the owners was standing by his car so we had to talk to him.... and there was a car show that weekend.  Serendipity for him!  [and now a personal joke about a surprise for me that turned out to be for him too :-)]

Long story short... Saturday morning was quilt store, car show and THEN the beer tasting.....    the quilt store was the Scrappy Apple... and it so happened that the owner leads trips to Ireland.  I picked up info and we left.  And that was that.

Little bits and pieces and talking about travel and our age and things like that.  Adventure and our work trip to Hawaii and an upcoming BIG anniversary in 2016..  and months... and a week ago, we were talking and Ireland came up again.  And his question to me?   Can husbands go?

Huh?  wow... this is serious from my quiet husband.

The answer is YES.... and while it is a quilting group, it is not a trip where we complete a project or anything like that.  We are touring Ireland.  Yes we will go to quilt shops.  Yes we will tour a weaver's shop.  And quilt museums.  But mostly basic sites and resort accommodations to enjoy.  And sight-seeing.  And the Blarney Stone.

And we drove back to Winchester this week to get more info and put down a deposit.

EEKKK!!

It's real!

And I have 7 months to dream and read and get ready! [which is at least 80% of MY personal FUN!]

I am not posting this until I have my passport in hand to complete the forms....  so I will be able to


EEEKKKKK!!!!!

again.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Wip Wednesday 11/18/2015

Works-in-Progress!  And I have been busy!

One of the hardest things for me right now is my determination to use this time period for FINISHING!

I am finding more and more projects to START :-)  So I am lining them up for after the first of the year.  I will probably do a whole post on them later but this week's find is the Shenandoah Valley Botanical Quilt.  Mostly applique and lots of flowers, of course.  Kind of goes with my Hawaiian quilting (applique) and my Underground Railroad (mid-1800s period).  Not to mention how much I love flowers and history!  Here is the site if you want to play along with me.  I have no real time table but will share as I go along AFTER January 1!   Sales of the pattern also benefit the Virginia Quilt Museum.  Another bonus in my opinion!

Anyway - I keep going back and forth... My head is DOWN into the Advanced Virginia Sampler quilt class assignments and the 4 grandquilts (8 pieced tops).  The goal is to be caught up with the class... and have the quilts basted before we go out of town for Thanksgiving (Sunday deadline).  So when I get back..... I can quilt, quilt, quilt (and make matching pillowcases)!

But you know how I work... several projects at a time.. get up, walk around, do something else....come back and focus.  So it's been days of sewing this week.. and cleaning out scraps, and dreaming.

I meant to finish binding my jelly roll quilt but that didn't quite happen.

I doggedly worked on the blocks assigned from the Virginia Sampler class I have been taking.  And I am proud to say that I did it!  Kicked my tail.. but they are done.  Here are a couple of them - but I can say that I finished NINE.....  go me!  Three of them are killer stars - two of which are very puffy in the center... but I have sprayed and ironed and sprayed and ironed.. and flattened them a lot.

Here are two of the nine.....    now Boom!  Done til after Thanksgiving!


Lighthouse Block - also known as Aerial Beacon

All American Star (you don't want to know what I called it!)
Blocks and scraps and supplies put away!

Finished up several [25!] Roads blocks while piecing Virginia blocks and grandquilts


I do these along the way and am now up to 55, I think.....  60 for a full size quilt... less for play mats.... we'll see how this goes :-)  Am kind of thinking about making another set with blue instead of gray (river instead of road) since I will have FOUR grandboys in TWO families....

But that is beside the point right now in the deadline projects!

I am excited to say that I finished piecing the grand quilts!  I did not think I would have all of them finished as of this writing....  I really thought I had a little more border tweaking but I am good :-)  I will give full stories about the quilts later when they are completed BUT here they are at the moment

This one basted:
Front

Back
After Thanksgiving I will consult with my daughter as to color of quilting thread and binding....  either white or silver for the thread, I think... and it will depend on whether she wants the binding to be invisible or frame the quilt....  white gray or a navy blue would be cool.  What do you think?

 These are not basted yet:

LOVED the way this one turned out... it is a really cool panel that needed to grow into a full size (double bed) quilt.

Front - a busy vehicle panel plus extra blocks
back
I am not sure at all how I will quilt this one and would love suggestions!  Probably white thread though... I'm not sure want to change threads throughout the quilting though I might do that anyway.


And then these for the grandgirls:
They will each get one bright and one pastel - one pink and one blue.  At least that is the plan.  Each style goes with a book so they will have books to go with the quilts.  More details of course when the quilts are done.

I don't think my girls read this blog - but if they do, they may give me suggestions :-) 

   Backs that go with the Gabby book ... a lot of the scraps in these come from dresses I made them when they were little.. so they will have their own stories to go with them.




And Fronts that will go with Princess and the Pea



I LOVE how these turned out!  The girls will recognize some of these fabrics - but some come from deep within my stash and have been around longer than their moms :-)  I plan to quilt these on the bright brickwork pattern side using the different threads top and bottom matching the primary color (light or bright pink or blue) using a cross hatch pattern.

I am still learning about machine quilting and will use my walking foot - keeping the tension straight will be enough of a challenge!

Whew!!    Done!  Basting is next.... but it's a back breaker since I do it on the floor with needle and thread.... I really need to learn to pin baste!

And in the midst of all of it - I cleaned up my scrap boxes.... red and yellow... done!

And that, my friends is plenty enough WIP for one week :-)       {Of course, I am working on using up my cotton yarn scraps into dishcloths.. but I will share those next week as I make a little progress on them!)

So... what suggestions do you have for me?

And what have YOU been up to?

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Grieved.. and a little bit proud

My heart has been aching since the news of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

I can't stop thinking.. 'what if it had been me?'

Or

'what if it had been my family?'

I have been increasingly disturbed by the number of people on my Facebook feed that are using this attack to beat the drums of their individual political agendas.  I recognize that I am singularly different than many of my peers.... and that is okay.  I live in a country where differing views are protected - though not well tolerated.

So I keep quiet.  I remove annoying types of posts.  And I recognize that most of my peers are afraid.  Of many things.

And when people are afraid, they usually either cower

Or attack.

Usually it is not worth the effort of sharing my own opinion.

But when I picked up my son today, he was clearly agitated.

He said.... "Mom, I am so mad about all the posts I am seeing where people are using this tragedy in Paris to spout their own feelings about gun control.... and immigration... and call the President names.   Don't they understand that we are talking about people who died??  People who are hurt!  People who lost loved ones!"

And therein lies exactly what has been bothering me.

This is not the moment to proclaim my feelings on either one side or the other.

That only focuses attention on me
and my feelings

It certainly isn't right to use

the death of someone's mother

son

husband

to shout my own opinions or satisfy my own need for attention.

It is time for some silence.

Some courtesy.

And maybe a little bit of motherly pride that my young man filled with all the vigor and strong opinions of youth recognized what we all seem to forget....

that we are talking about people.

People whose death and sorrow deserve dignity and respect.






Monday, November 16, 2015

Little Tricks...Comfort Food Post 1 of 5

I just wanted to share some tricks I have discovered over the last few years.

Maybe I already knew it - but if the light bulb went on for me....

Maybe it will help you!

I am a comfort food eater.....
nothing makes me happier than diving into a bowl of mashed potatoes
mac n cheese
lasagna

unless it's a bag of chips and dip

or some chili mac casserole thing

I'm not choosy

I like flavor and I like carbs

I like crunch and I like mush.

AND I'm lazy.  Quick is the key!

So I've been experimenting

First off was the experiment in speed.

Most of those things freeze.  Not much luck with potatoes....  but pasta & cheese combos freeze like champs.

So I can make up a batch of my own stuff with my own ingredients and freeze in 2-cup portions so we can have it whenever we want.

chili, chili mac, mac n cheese, pasta stuff like baked spaghetti or lasagna

Most soups without potatoes.... (soups WITH potatoes too if you are going to blend with milk later but that takes work and when I am searching for comfort food... I don't want to work :-)  Look at the freezer section of the grocery store.... if they can do it, you probably can too.

with your own food.

So you are not eating the best... but you DO KNOW what is in there...

so there you go!

Progress, not perfection.  It's the journey - so make sure you are traveling in the right direction!

Grab n go comfort food. 

Friday, November 13, 2015

Maybe Focus on One Week

I keep working on getting healthier

stronger

more flexible

eating better

but I am having such a hard time STICKING to it

I have done a good job of trying to create
HABITS

But they don't stick yet either - for me... a habit takes a WHOLE lot longer than 21 days to form.... maybe 21 YEARS!

So... I have gotten all practical and clear about my expectations... do great for a few weeks... see some success... and slide again.

I seem to spend more time getting back up again
which in itself is a good thing

but it doesn't feel like progress.

I do know that it's the process that is important - not necessarily the achievement
BUT I also know
that if the achievement isn't happening

then the process needs work :-)

I have many times set up a 90 day.... 60 day..... 30 day.... expectation.  And I've still managed for a bit.. and then slide back.  And then re-evaluate.   And then start over.

I think

for now

a ONE WEEK expectation.  And then re-evaluate.

[I do have to say that today is Friday.  I would never have the chutzpah to set this out on a Monday :-)]

So....  I will go for my usual game plan (which does work!)

10K+ steps daily
Log food and water into my Fitbit app
1+ dvds this week
green smoothies most days
Log weight over the weekend (I do like to take the best weight out of 2-3 days... it's my game and I'm consistent with it so it truly is irrelevant in the larger picture!)

ONE WEEK .... and

we will talk again next Friday :-)

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

WIP Wednesday. 11/10/15

Okay - so I think I am cool :-)

I wrote some of this post on my tablet :-)  Yesterday my husband and I did a surprise quick little escape road trip..... and I played around enough to figure out how to write up some posts.   I needed to edit at home with pictures - but the writing part can happen on the road - hooray for me!  

I still don't know how to edit my photos as I go and am hesitant to learn since my eyes aren't that good anyway BUT - another day's issue!  I have a larger monitor attached to my laptop to make vision easier but I keep telling myself I should learn a few more "on-the-go" photo tools anyway... just because.

Okay - well anyway - works-in-progress....   as you know I am working hard to finish up things.... which can get a little boring for me!  So.. in between things, as I hit the cutting table, I have been going through my generic scrap basket and the different color scrap boxes and neatening up.  I want to be able to get back to a few scrap projects by the first of the year and I will be happier if my bits and pieces are usable sizes....

I had some of the blocks prepared for the Roads quilts - the block to the right - in process for next year - and to the left, you can see the odd-shaped bits that are leftovers.  I got some 1-inch and 1.5-inch strips from each of those pieces....  the "too small" scraps are at the top and got tossed into my 'pet bed' collection.   At any rate.... I have straightened up my boxes of blue, green, white/cream and am working on purple now.  When I am ready to piece blocks with scraps, I will take the strips of different sizes and cut the length I will need!

We are heading out of town for Thanksgiving so I really REALLY need to make some headway in certain areas.

 The Virginia sampler class.   I need to keep up with it!  It is an advanced quilting class and taking a little more brain space than I want to give it right now!  I'm determined to do each block she gives me and it is a lot harder than I anticipated. 

What a challenge!  [I mean that in both a good and bad way!]  Mostly because I am not working in class but taking in info and going home to work.  I am present because I am working there :-). And I do get my questions answered.  And am actually keeping up pretty well.   





I do love my colors though and will enjoy the final product when it is complete.


I think -for my own purposes though -  I probably won't do another sampler class for a while.  I like to keep up and a semester isn't enough time - for me.  I don't like ending a class with a quilt half done... because then you lose the impetus to finish.  (I have TWO incomplete class tops in my possession that need me to get back to them! Which is not to mention the completed tops that are in my "to be quilted" collection!)

I like to be able to work at my pace. And that pace is several projects at a time!!

Right now I am stressing about the design of the 4 grandquilts.  

I am working on figuring out the backings for the two boy quilts.  Somehow in the time that passes between the fabric purchase and the construction of the backing I forget what I decided to do!   So I forge ahead and then the measurements don't work...  So its back to purchase and rethink..  <Sigh>

That said, this week I finished the backing for one of them.  And started the re-figuring on the second boy one.

And the girl quilts...  I had finished one side. But they aren't full size quilts so u need to grow them a bit.   I have a bunch of scrappy blocks leftover so am working with those to increase the dimensions.

 I call the first side the "Gabby" side because that is the name of the book I have to go with it :-)

And the second side (Princess and the Pea) I had run out of the background fabric... And found more of it when I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago. 



So I am moving ahead with the strips until I run out. And then I will figure out what to do to make the two sides the same size!


But I do feel good that I have made progress on these. I would really like to have all 4 sandwiched and ready to quilt before we take off for thanksgiving.  So the deadline is Sunday Nov 22 to have fronts and backs completed and quilts sandwiched together.

So that is sampler, grandquilts, and Roads quilt in the piecing line-up this week!

On the handwork front - I finished  the hand stitching for a Christmas wall hanging.

And started the process of using up cotton yarn scraps in dishcloths!  I will probably need to purchase a cone of plain off-white to whip up some dishcloths for hostess gifts... but have a healthy collection of small balls to use in various combinations that might work also.  Or I will use them for donations.  Or something.

Ok so that is plenty for one WIP week. Don't you think?

Next week, I need to dig into the handwork basket a bit more and also decide which projects will travel across country with me... because it won't be my machine this time!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Eating Fresh.....

The last farmers market of the season

I am sad

I have spent $20-30/week buying fresh veggies and learning how to prepare and preserve them.

And now another challenge....

Greens.

I like salad - IF I have more than just lettuce in it.

And I like other greens in small doses - IN the salad.  (I shared earlier this year about learning to add beet greens and radish greens in my salads)

but more greens?  My local farmer has tons of beautiful greens....

I did try mustard greens - I like the flavor and spice but so far only to add to a sandwich or a bit in a salad.

but greens.   Cooked greens.

Conjure up two childhood memories.

My brother's favorite birthday meal... (which I don't remember - hot dogs, I think) and.... spinach.  Canned spinach.  a Nasty mouthful of ICK.

And something my grandmother made.  Greens.  Boiled within an inch of their lives.  with something greasy and pork-flavored.  another Nasty mouthful of ICK

I really do prefer vegetables a little more under-than-overcooked.... and I must say these memories have kept me far far away from greens.

But the lovely produce in my farmer friend's fields... well

I need to learn.

So I bought some of everything - because half measures are not my style :-)

And this week....  I froze smoothie size bags of 2 kinds of kale and spinach....  I added a bit of each to tossed salads (and liked it).... and I tried a dish - kale with carrots.   I think it would be good if you like kale :-)  But I am still learning.  As a side, I did not care for it - but I also did not HATE it :-)

I had also made green beans braised in soy sauce that night - and did enjoy a combo bowl of leftovers - brown rice, green beans and the kale dish.   So I know now I can enjoy the greens if there is more than greens.

I will keep plugging away... eating local and seasonal is still a healthier, more cost effective option in the grand scheme of life and definitely is the direction I need to move in.

By the way - the website I used for the kale recipe is  www.cookforgood.com.   I found it years ago when I started experimenting with a book - Wildly Affordable Organic by Linda Watson.  

This is one of the best books out there that can help you learn to cook and eat organic on a strict budget (She used the food stamp budget and managed)

so - how do you manage to eat fresher and healthier in your life?

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

WIP Wednesday Nov 4, 2015

I know - it's really Friday - not Wednesday....

But it's been a busy week!  And an aggravating one!  One of those weeks when you set out to do some tasks and they go nuts on you....

Like....

I went to sandwich my Japanese lady quilt top....  I laid down the backing, used the spray baste on it.... laid down the batting...... spray baste...... and then carefully laid down the top.   Well - I made a mistake in measuring and the top was larger than both the backing and batting.... ARRGGHHHH......   What that means for me is that now I have a backing and batting that are too small for the top AND tacky with spray glue :-(   Can I recover from this?
Of course!  But I was so aggravated at the time, that I knew I needed to STOP
put my stuff away
and move on....

 (I had a few others to sandwich but decided to move on completely since this didn't go well... I will revisit the sandwich day another time!)

So...... I decided to look for the leftovers from my jelly roll quilt so I could make the binding.  I knew I had put it in a safe place - and you know what that means.   Yep - took me THREE days to locate it!

In the meantime, I busted through my white / off white scraps, cleaning up the collection into sizes I could use.  (when I can't figure out what to do with myself project-wise, I neaten up my scraps).  Weird week... went through my blue scraps again too.

And I had offered to make treat bags for my granddaughter's birthday party with the specialty fabric I found on vacation






I'm not sharing the tutorial for the reversible bag because I found it cumbersome and hard to manage.  And I'm not thrilled with the way they turned out.   That said, they are treat bags for a birthday party and they are in the correct theme so it's all good.  8 reversible (snowman / princess) and 6 unlined snowman.  Not particularly thrilled with the construction of any of them..... which does make me want to try again MY way and see how that goes....  ah... the challenge!  Another day..

The week was a little hectic.  I work as a substitute librarian sometimes and a coworker has been ill and in the hospital - so I've been called in to work a few shifts.  Added to my regular week makes things a little nuts - not bad nuts :-)  But change is always uncomfortable!

Meanwhile, I found the leftovers!








which I will have to rip out the seams and stitch together


and then press into a binding

I do love the way the crazy pile of strips turns into a neat roll of binding :-)  I machine stitched it onto the quilt and now all I need to do is hand stitch it down, put on a label and assess for finishing details.   My handwork basket is growing again!

I finished the last 2 lovies..... which I FORGOT to take a picture of.... more impressive was the overstuffed kitchen trash bag FULL of the 31.  I delivered them to my daughter and she promised to give me a pic of them as she fills the bags for the pediatric patients

And finally, for this week, the birthday gift!  A mermaid tale snuggle.... There are about a million patterns out there now - but when I started this one - this link is what I used.   I do think my granddaughter will love it EXCEPT that it is in fact a blanket - NOT a dress up item.   We might have to finagle some fastenings at the waist to make it more fun....  we shall see



Fortunately all I had to do to finish was the tail....  I have one in progress for my other granddaughter but it is about 2/3 finished.  I put them away when the summer got too hot to work on them - they are heavy and warm!  I was fussing the other day and all I had to do was sew on the tail!

So that's it for this week....  what's in YOUR craft basket?

Sunday, November 1, 2015

60 Days Until 2016 Nov 1

Yikes!

Where did the last 10 days go?

Oh yeah - I was at the beach

I walked a lot - but didn't pay too much attention to food... water.... and gained back 4 flipping pounds!  Poo


and got nothing done on the list

well - not true

I spent a little time with my husband
I spent time at the beach - always good for the spirit
I made myself go places by myself
I bought lots of fabric - which makes me happy but doesn't help finances much!
I did finish up several craft projects
And, of course, end of month bills and paperwork

and I have a bit of a plan for now that I am home.
'
BUT I hit the ground running - work, house, life..... and need to STOP

take a breath


and actually write out a plan or checklist or something

or this time will slip away