Journey to a New Life. . . take 2

On January 3 of this year, I posted about a beginning a journey to a new life.  Things haven't changed much, and this morning, I went back and reread this post.  I had such high hopes.  But the motivation doesn't seem to have followed.  This past week, my life has revolved around food . . . not eating it, just looking at the GI Diet book, looking at recipes, and making shopping list after shopping list of what I needed to buy.  I've had a headache for about a week now, and I truly believe it's from stress.  I'm one of those people who stresses about everything - and if there isn't anything to stress about, I stress about that.  Saturday, I was so down, and cried every time I turned around.  I was feeling like I was giving up so much and Rod (who eats anything and doesn't gain much weight) was giving up nothing.  (Why I felt that he should give up things when I'm the one with the problem, I can't explain). All the diets I've looked at say you should clean all the food you can't eat out of your kitchen.  I don't have it in me to throw out good  food, and just can't toss it.  Before we went to bed Saturday night, Rod asked why I had to give up anything, and commented that there has to be a better solution than a DIET!!  Richard Simmons used to say that you should never use the word DIET because the word DIE is in it.  He suggested that you go on a LIVE-it.  I didn't sleep much Saturday night, couldn't turn off my brain.  Yet Sunday morning, I felt refreshed - like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.

Sunday morning was grocery day.  I have decided to make some changes, changes I can live with.  He bought a lite, multi-grain bread with only 35 calories per slice.  And it taste's great.  He bought tiny red potatoes which I will boil.  These little buggers have less starch that big baking potatoes.  But the biggest change that I've decided to make is to move more and to begin to journal.  Daughter Mary suggested the journal - not necessarily a food journal, but a daily life journal.  I can document what I ate and how it made me feel.  I can include my numbers, but I can also make it a gratitude journal and a journal of what makes me happy.

Do you journal?  If so, what types of things do you put into your journal?

I'm Still Here. . .

Yep, I'm still here.  Although the clock says it's supposed to be daylight, we switched to Daylight Savings Time, and it's just now starting to get light.  And my body thinks I should still be hibernating - it's hard to wake up before 7:20.  I'll have to work on that.

I've been working on blocks for Saddle Up quilts.  I have the Steeler quilt cut, and the strips are pieced.  And I have started to put the rows together.  But it's not done.  I have a teddy bear on a John Deere pedal tractor that I started for Jake and pitched across the room because I didn't like the way the quilting looked.  I dug it out, and the quilting doesn't look that bad.  So, I have to finish the quilting and do the binding.  But it's not done.  I have the panels and the sashing fabrics for a Queen of the Ranch quilt.   But it's not done.  And I have 7 blocks for a western sampler quilt finished with only 5 more to go.  But it's not done.  Are you noticing a pattern here??  But since the Saddle Up isn't until May, I have plenty of time.

And speaking of the Saddle Up, meet my newest grand-horsey.  Daughter Pam's mare, Winter, gave birth to this little guy Sunday night at about 9:00.  Pam walked into the barn to check on her just after he arrived.  Mom hadn't broken the cord yet.  Pam stood quietly by, and before Mom had finished cleaning him off, he was on his feet and looking for the milk source.  Hard to believe he's a male, he had trouble finding it.  LOL.  She thinks they might name him Warrior, since he was such a strong little guy.  Right now he looks like he's all legs, but he will fill out quickly.  Both Mom and Dad are Appaloosas, so the dude should get his spots as he grows.

I'm off to sew.

Happy Birthday Kristin

Today is my daughter, Kristin's birthday.  I call her my "middle" daughter.  Mary is older and the twins are younger, which makes her the middle.  Kristin is quite a remarkable woman.  From the time she was in 4th grade, she wanted to be a veterinarian.  And she worked tirelessly to that end.  She graduated valedictorian of her high school class.  She graduated from college summa cum laude, and was accepted to veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania with her first application.  And she graduated from Penn magna cum laude.

I hated it when she went away to vet school.  All my girls had commuted to college while they lived at home.  And leaving her in Philadelphia, which was on the other side of the state, was very traumatic for me.  Had she just said, "Mom, I can't do this.  Please take me home." I would not have hesitated.  And although she didn't want to stay, she never let on.

She has been my sidekick at craft shows in the past.  We have sat together in the living room and talked for hours.  We talked on the phone every day when she was in Philadelphia.  And still, we talk nearly every day.  I love watching her children, it means I also get to see her nearly every day.  And she fell in love with a man who is everything she never wanted.  And it works for them.  They have a love that most people only hope for and dream of.  And when they married, she got a ready made family.  It wasn't easy, but Kris has made it work.  This photo is of George, Kris, Izzy and two of her four step kids.  And now she also has Jake.  I marvel at how she balances everything.  She works tons of hours each week.  Both Izzy and Jake are in swimming classes.  She works out on a regular basis.  And with George's help, she maintains a wonderful home for her family.  I admire her so.  Happy Birthday, Kris.  I love you so.

I've always felt that my kids were the greatest things that I had done in my life.  Who needs riches and jewels when you have the great kids that I have.

March Snow

Here I am again with my daily weekly  whenever post.  I wish I could say that I've been really busy in the sewing room, but that would be an untruth.
This photo was taken out of the living room window this morning - just about 10 minutes ago.  It's March 5, for Pete's sake.  We aren't supposed to get all this snow, especially when it's going into the upper fifties on Wednesday.  I'm one of the lucky ones that get to sit inside and watch it snow out of the window.  Those who did have to go to work this morning say the roads were horrendous.  I always like to have the bird feeder in the snow photos because you can see how much snow we've gotten by looking at the height of the "hat" the feeder is sporting.  I admit it's beautiful, but I must confess that I'm more than ready for spring.  I need to hear the birds sing, I need to see the flowers bloom, and I need to sit on my deck and watch the fish in the pond.  The only good thing about now is that in less than 3 weeks we can make our dining reservations for our September Disney trip.  And last week, we got free dining.

I feel like my whole life these days revolves around food.  It seems that it's all I think about, internet surf about, cry about, laugh about, and, oh yes, cuss about.  My numbers are still fairly high, and I'm about at my wit's end.  Making my breakfasts and lunches ahead was a great idea.  However, there was no switching it up and I found that I quickly tired of egg cups and pasta salads.  So again this weekend, I thought and thought until my thinker was sore (to loosely quote Dr. Seuss) about what to do next.  Breakfasts will alternate between oatmeal, Special K, and poached eggs on either toast or an English muffin half.  Lunches will be varied garden salads, lean ham and cheese sandwiches, and my favorite peanut butter and diet jelly on Arnold's sandwich thins.  Mary made me some homemade salsa over the weekend, and I can use it for snacks, along with some diet jello that I made on Sunday and put into single serving cups.

Tomorrow is Kristin's day off, and I don't have the kids; so I'm hoping to renew my friendship with the sewing room.  I'm sure it's feeling neglected.

Musings of a La-Z-Boy Potato

You can't really call me a couch potato, the couch is Rod's domain.  But I am a La-Z-Boy potato.  I love my recliner - it's like my throne.  Yes, I do go to bed in the bed at night, but when I awake for a mid-night potty break, I return to my recliner and sleep there the rest of the night.  It all started after my sister passed away, I was beginning menopause, and had insomnia really bad.  Wow, am I glad that part of my life is over. But I spend way too much time with my recliner.  My goal for the next month is to spend less time on my throne and more time moving.

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here.  Did you miss me?  I'd like to say that I've been really busy, but I'm not sure that's the case.  Daughter Mary introduced me to Pinterest, and now I think I'm addicted.  No matter what I'm looking for, I look on Pinterest.  I love seeing all the pictures, I love all the ideas I find there.  Do you "Pinterest"?  Look for me and click to follow me.

I have been doing some things other than with the laptop, too.  I have hand-pieced 5 blocks for a Saddle Up Quilt, and blocks 6 and 7 are in various stages of completion.  The last of my baskets are here, and hopefully I can finish putting the fabric away this week.

  I had planned on tossing some fabrics that I have been saving for no special reason.  But over the weekend, I bought and downloaded this pattern from Carlene Westberg's Etsy shop.  I love it!! and can't wait to get started on one. I saved scraps of Pitt and Penn State fabrics, and hopefully these will make a great drawstring bag.  Might try to sell them somewhere.  I need to decide what fabrics I will use for mine.  Wouldn't this be a great bag for Mary, who begins her student teaching on March 5?

Since my first cold this fall, I have had congestion and wheezing in my chest and throat, and I have had shortness of breath when I move around.  Don't know why, but it had become really irritating.  Yesterday, we made plans to go out to dinner with the twins.  As I was getting dressed, I got a coughing spell.  It lasted about 20 minutes, it scared me, and when it was finished, I felt exhausted.  On the way home from the restaurant, I got another coughing spell.  When I got home, I was tired and didn't feel too well.  But when I woke up this morning, there was no congestion. . . no shortness of breath.  I don't understand it, but I'm thanking God for whatever it was.  It feels so great to breathe free again.  Hopefully moving more, drinking more water, and sitting less will keep me feeling this great.  Have a great week.

Happy Birthday to My "Babies"

Today my "babies" turn 32.  Hard to believe, and today I think back to when they were born.  I was only 29 weeks into my pregnancy, and the doctors had stopped my labor twice before.  But this time, there was no stopping it.  After I had labored for 10 hours, the doctors decided that a C-section was necessary.  Because of my diabetes, the babies were large - 3 lb. 4oz. and 3 lb. 6oz.  But they were given only a 10% chance of survival.  Each time we thought we would get them home, there was another setback.  But after 7 weeks, they were ready to come home.  They had a tough time getting started, but have had few health problems since.  I call them my miracles.

This picture was taken when they were a little over a year old.  Pat is sitting with her Pap, and Pam is sitting with her Dee.

These are Halloween costumes we put together when Rod wasn't working.  I dyed mop heads red, added red tape to their tights, and they went as Raggedy Ann's.  They were not amused, to say the least.

This was the day they made their First Communion.  Again, the dresses were homemade.

This was one of their Senior pictures.  It's one of the few times that they had seriously different haircuts.

These are two of the greatest young women you would ever want to meet.  They love their horses and their dogs.  They own cows, drive the tractor, plow fields, cut hay and clean stalls.  They are completely devoted to their family.  When Bubba is hospitalized, they are there every day to offer support to Mary and Jim.  They take Izzy swim class when Kristin has to work.  They do all they can to make my life easier and are there whenever their dad needs help.  And they are soooo much fun.  We are planning a trip to Disney in September, just the four of us.  I can't wait. They are great friends to each other and to those who are lucky enough to be called their friends.   And so, Happy Birthday to my youngest girls -you are truly my heroes.

Gettin' There

Just sitting here watching the Super Bowl.  Loved Madonna's half-time show.  She was always one of my favorite singers, as long as I didn't have to watch her.

I worked most of the weekend in the sewing room, and I am really pleased with what I got accomplished.  Rod came in and fixed the one drawer in the filing cabinet that didn't work.  I'm just a shorty, and of course it was the third drawer.  Wouldn't have mattered much had it been the top drawer.  Then he helped me clean up the floor.  On Friday, we had picked up the two sets of baskets that I had ordered from Walmart and had shipped to our store.  Today, we used all them, and today I ordered two more sets.  That makes a total of 7 sets at $20 a pop, but I love the way they look, and my fabrics like them too. (they told me so)  And in cleaning up the floor and emptying some boxes, I found the strap for the Tinkerbell dress (can you see me doing the happy dance?), and I also found a quilt that is almost finished for the Saddle Up.  I was thinking that I was going to have to order some fabric to put together the transportation quilt that I had started for Bubby; but in cleaning up, I found a two yard piece of fabric with lots of cars, etc. on it.  Rod hung up my new dry erase/magnetic/ cork board, and I printed out my word for 2012 onto card stock, attached some magnetic tape and positioned it onto the magnetic board.  I have some fabrics left to put away, and need to put away the T-shirts and I'm ready to begin the raffle quilt for Becky's spaghetti dinner.  The more I accomplish, the more I want to do.  So, move on McDuff!