My attempt to rationalise/tidy/organise didn't get very far. A trip to visit the daughters intervened and, surprisingly, the chaos was still here when I returned. Wool seems to be my biggest vice in terms of volume and filling 2 large boxes and 2 smaller ones still left 3 large backs and a couple of small bags. I do not seem to be able to start on new projects at the moment, or rather I start on them then give up and start something else.
The green cotton sweater - a few rows then abandoned.
The multicolour bay cardigan - back completed, nothing else started.
The Noro baby top - a few rows.
The Noro waistcoat for me - about 6 inches.
The "use up the cotton by making dishcloths project" - 6 made now bored. The fluffy log cabin - abandoned - I don't like it.
The rusts log cabin - deliberately left with the daughters.
The owls - waiting for a daughter to visit to cut out eyes.
The grey chunky cardigan - a few rows. I don't really like the pattern.
The one thing I do like to knit - well apart from that fluffy wool - is a log cabin. There is a lot of double knitting left - ball ends from various previous projects. They are taking up a lot so space in the boxes so what about a stash busting log cabin - easy, fun, no pattern to follow. Ideal.
No doubt I will get back to other projects at some point and the organisation will go ahead but in the meantime:
If only I could remember how to inset pictures again.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
P.S.
Gremlins in the system meant that I could not finish my last post nor could I make any amendments - sometimes you have to love technology. I think I was going to finish by saying how I am loving this whole new wardrobe of clothes I haven't seen for a while. Today I tried on some size 10 jeans and they fitted - a bit tight maybe but the zip went up!
The whole new lighter me has led to a need for a lighter life so I have been tackling housework, tidying, moving furniture, cleaning house. All the music has been moved to one location. The next task is to work my way through the CDs and actually see what there is. There are a lot of CDs acquired from those left behind by the children and house clearances on both sides of the family. New clothes, new music - it's March and spring can't be far away.
The whole new lighter me has led to a need for a lighter life so I have been tackling housework, tidying, moving furniture, cleaning house. All the music has been moved to one location. The next task is to work my way through the CDs and actually see what there is. There are a lot of CDs acquired from those left behind by the children and house clearances on both sides of the family. New clothes, new music - it's March and spring can't be far away.
I'm on a diet.......
Not words that I can often be found uttering. I was never a slim child nor adult but I would rarely have described myself as grossly overweight. Big boned , my Mother would have said; broad shouldered - that was obviously a disappointment in her life. My Mother was tiny, just about 5 feet tall and, at 21 when she married she weighed 7 st 10 lb. I don't recall the time when I last weighed such a little amount but I do recall, as a teenager, probably about 15, that a friend suggested that I should lose weight. I was possibly just over 8 st at the time but embarked on a diet for a summer. No breakfast, obviously, cottage cheese on ryvitas for lunch and half a tin of salmon and 2 slices of tomato for dinner. The diet didn't last long and I don't recall losing weight. I do remember feeling awful and I am not surprised at that.
At university my weight went up, no doubt due to eating in hall and puddings. A fellow student introduced me to the previously unknown delight of golden syrup on toast - quite easy for the times no hall meals available. I don't think I made a conscious effort to lose the weight but by my early 20s I was comfortably at about 9 st and stayed that way.
3 pregnancies in 5 years made me aware of my weight - getting weighed regularly does that to you but running around after 3 little ones meant that I stayed more or less the same for many years.
Then came middle age and the spread that comes with eating more and exercising less. I made a few efforts to keep the weight down but always in extreme ways. White wine and diet coke as main staples was how I joked about one diet. I tried the Atkins diet, felt dreadful, lost a lot and immediately put it all back on again. I then tried a variation of the Atkins adding some carbohydrates and lost more weight than I had ever done before. This coincided with my 50th birthday - a birthday I had been dreading. For a few months I felt wonderful, bought loads of new clothes and rediscovered the mini skirt. An extended holiday with lots of driving pushed the weight back on a little then, coming home, it all went back on - and more.
Diets didn't work for me. I felt deprived and wanted the quick fix. I could do the exercise but never
really enjoyed it. I restricted what I ate and never looked at what I really wanted.
The incentive of a daughter getting married seemed to be a good point to restart. A New Year's resolution did not seem a good starting point. I didn't a only want to lose weight, I wanted to be fitter and I wanted to feel good. Earlier last year I had started to go to Zumba classes and really enjoyed the, I had also started dancing again. I made the decision to make changes to my diet at the end of December. I would not attempt a "diet" I would take it one day at a time and I would eat less and move more. In doing so I would keep track of food and exercise on a daily basis and see how it went.
Today is March 1st. It is my birthday, again, and so a good time to review progress.
I have kept a daily diary of food and exercise since the end of December.
I have been eating a sensible diet of things that I like to eat.
I have been measuring portions and sticking to smaller sizes.
I have been going to Zumba but not beating myself up if I haven't made every class.
I always have breakfast.
I have been out for meals on numerous occasions and eaten well but sensibly.
I did have ice cream and noted that it took me over my usual daily calorie limit but the ne t day I got back to the standard amount.
I eat 3 meals a day and have snacks in between.
I have lost 20lb.
Yesterday I went out shopping and bought a designer dress. This morning I went to Zumba. I have a fridge and pantry with the right kinds of foods - lots of fruit, vegetables, fish and lean chicken. I have yoghurt s for snacks and cereal bars. I have some instants meals in the fridge for when I don't want to cook - I note the calories. My digital scales weigh out my breakfast muesli. Frozen berries are great to add and don't add too many calories. I haven't been buying cakes and biscuits and big bars of chocolate. I eat eggs from the hens but I haven't been using gluts of eggs - like we have now - to bake cakes. If I do bake I freeze the cake.
I know very well that it is not the losing of the weight that is the issue but the keeping it off. Will this time be any different? I hope so. I want to lose more than the 29 lb but I am happy with the 1 or 2 lbs that I have been losing each week. This seems healthy. My whole body feels lighter. I really do feel as if a weight has been lifted from me. I am wearing the clothes I bought when I was last this size and it is great to have
At university my weight went up, no doubt due to eating in hall and puddings. A fellow student introduced me to the previously unknown delight of golden syrup on toast - quite easy for the times no hall meals available. I don't think I made a conscious effort to lose the weight but by my early 20s I was comfortably at about 9 st and stayed that way.
3 pregnancies in 5 years made me aware of my weight - getting weighed regularly does that to you but running around after 3 little ones meant that I stayed more or less the same for many years.
Then came middle age and the spread that comes with eating more and exercising less. I made a few efforts to keep the weight down but always in extreme ways. White wine and diet coke as main staples was how I joked about one diet. I tried the Atkins diet, felt dreadful, lost a lot and immediately put it all back on again. I then tried a variation of the Atkins adding some carbohydrates and lost more weight than I had ever done before. This coincided with my 50th birthday - a birthday I had been dreading. For a few months I felt wonderful, bought loads of new clothes and rediscovered the mini skirt. An extended holiday with lots of driving pushed the weight back on a little then, coming home, it all went back on - and more.
Diets didn't work for me. I felt deprived and wanted the quick fix. I could do the exercise but never
really enjoyed it. I restricted what I ate and never looked at what I really wanted.
The incentive of a daughter getting married seemed to be a good point to restart. A New Year's resolution did not seem a good starting point. I didn't a only want to lose weight, I wanted to be fitter and I wanted to feel good. Earlier last year I had started to go to Zumba classes and really enjoyed the, I had also started dancing again. I made the decision to make changes to my diet at the end of December. I would not attempt a "diet" I would take it one day at a time and I would eat less and move more. In doing so I would keep track of food and exercise on a daily basis and see how it went.
Today is March 1st. It is my birthday, again, and so a good time to review progress.
I have kept a daily diary of food and exercise since the end of December.
I have been eating a sensible diet of things that I like to eat.
I have been measuring portions and sticking to smaller sizes.
I have been going to Zumba but not beating myself up if I haven't made every class.
I always have breakfast.
I have been out for meals on numerous occasions and eaten well but sensibly.
I did have ice cream and noted that it took me over my usual daily calorie limit but the ne t day I got back to the standard amount.
I eat 3 meals a day and have snacks in between.
I have lost 20lb.
Yesterday I went out shopping and bought a designer dress. This morning I went to Zumba. I have a fridge and pantry with the right kinds of foods - lots of fruit, vegetables, fish and lean chicken. I have yoghurt s for snacks and cereal bars. I have some instants meals in the fridge for when I don't want to cook - I note the calories. My digital scales weigh out my breakfast muesli. Frozen berries are great to add and don't add too many calories. I haven't been buying cakes and biscuits and big bars of chocolate. I eat eggs from the hens but I haven't been using gluts of eggs - like we have now - to bake cakes. If I do bake I freeze the cake.
I know very well that it is not the losing of the weight that is the issue but the keeping it off. Will this time be any different? I hope so. I want to lose more than the 29 lb but I am happy with the 1 or 2 lbs that I have been losing each week. This seems healthy. My whole body feels lighter. I really do feel as if a weight has been lifted from me. I am wearing the clothes I bought when I was last this size and it is great to have
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Three things
Another musing on the number three.
Three dresses I tried on today - 2 Diane von Furstenberg and 1 Jaeger
Last 3 films I saw at the cinema - The Quartet, Skyfall, Lawless
Last 3 DVDs I watched - The Killing series one, In the Loop, Drive
3 things I ate today - muesli, bouillabaisse, smoked salmon
3 fruits I ate today - apple, nectarine, blueberries
3 drinks today - decaff tea, hot chocolate, diet coke
Last 3 things I knitted - 3 little owls
3 items in progress in my knitting bag - lace cardigan, Noro waistcoat, Noro baby cardigan
3 more items in progress in my knitting bag - shades of tan log cabin blanket, pale blues and greens log cabin blanket, cotton log cabin basket
3 items on charge in this room - iphone, ipad, this laptop (which is no longer charging)
3 people I need to contact to meet up with soon - my cousins Ian, Julie and Karen
3 things I plan to do next week - go to Zumba class, Jive class, Ceroc class
3 favourite pets when I was growing up - Inkie, Tess and Silver
Three dresses I tried on today - 2 Diane von Furstenberg and 1 Jaeger
Last 3 films I saw at the cinema - The Quartet, Skyfall, Lawless
Last 3 DVDs I watched - The Killing series one, In the Loop, Drive
3 things I ate today - muesli, bouillabaisse, smoked salmon
3 fruits I ate today - apple, nectarine, blueberries
3 drinks today - decaff tea, hot chocolate, diet coke
Last 3 things I knitted - 3 little owls
3 items in progress in my knitting bag - lace cardigan, Noro waistcoat, Noro baby cardigan
3 more items in progress in my knitting bag - shades of tan log cabin blanket, pale blues and greens log cabin blanket, cotton log cabin basket
3 items on charge in this room - iphone, ipad, this laptop (which is no longer charging)
3 people I need to contact to meet up with soon - my cousins Ian, Julie and Karen
3 things I plan to do next week - go to Zumba class, Jive class, Ceroc class
3 favourite pets when I was growing up - Inkie, Tess and Silver
Monday, 11 February 2013
I figured out a solution - sort of
Many searches for how to deal with ther error messages I kept receiving whilst trying to upload photographs of the Snowdogs revealled that I am not the only one having the problem. Many posts of forums outlining the problem but not many solutions. One suggestion was to upload as html so that is what I tried and it seems to have worked.
So much time has been wasted over the past couple of days in trying to understand technology and other things have been let slide. Last weekend I bought yet more storage for the ever growing stash - moments of weakness in the Sales, and I would like to spend some time organising myself and all my craft work. It is tempting to take over a whole room and we do have enough space. I can picture boxes of wool and patterns and needles and accessories, boxes of sewing paraphenalia, materials, embroidery silks and books of patterns, card making materials, scrapbooks and all the boxes of things waiting to be put into scrapbooks, photographs, family history research, books of Birth, Marriage and Death certificates, books about the towns and villages where relatives came from, memories from boxes from my parents, grandparents, great grandparents. Yes - I think I can fill a room - oh yes - then the 2 sewing machines and the bags and boxes of works in progress in knitting and sewing and cross stitch and scrapbooks.......
I can move a bookshelf onto an empty wall for neat storage.
There are almost enough boxes for most of the items.
There is just s slight problem with the chest full of materials - some lovely old Laura Ashley quilted material I discovered in there the other day and I don't know why my Mother had about 12 metres of white satin but I couldn't get rid of it.
Another problem is the chest of drawers full of my "stuff" too and perhaps it would be better to have a table with at least one computer and printer/scanner - so perhaps 2 rooms are needed - rather more difficult to justify but the idea of having some pleasant space with the lovely view ( I know which room I prefer) is appealling. Snow is forecast again this evening and tomorrow so maybe this is a project for a day or two indoors - progress to follow.
So much time has been wasted over the past couple of days in trying to understand technology and other things have been let slide. Last weekend I bought yet more storage for the ever growing stash - moments of weakness in the Sales, and I would like to spend some time organising myself and all my craft work. It is tempting to take over a whole room and we do have enough space. I can picture boxes of wool and patterns and needles and accessories, boxes of sewing paraphenalia, materials, embroidery silks and books of patterns, card making materials, scrapbooks and all the boxes of things waiting to be put into scrapbooks, photographs, family history research, books of Birth, Marriage and Death certificates, books about the towns and villages where relatives came from, memories from boxes from my parents, grandparents, great grandparents. Yes - I think I can fill a room - oh yes - then the 2 sewing machines and the bags and boxes of works in progress in knitting and sewing and cross stitch and scrapbooks.......
I can move a bookshelf onto an empty wall for neat storage.
There are almost enough boxes for most of the items.
There is just s slight problem with the chest full of materials - some lovely old Laura Ashley quilted material I discovered in there the other day and I don't know why my Mother had about 12 metres of white satin but I couldn't get rid of it.
Another problem is the chest of drawers full of my "stuff" too and perhaps it would be better to have a table with at least one computer and printer/scanner - so perhaps 2 rooms are needed - rather more difficult to justify but the idea of having some pleasant space with the lovely view ( I know which room I prefer) is appealling. Snow is forecast again this evening and tomorrow so maybe this is a project for a day or two indoors - progress to follow.
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