It's been a long time.

Well, it looks like I'm terrible at blogging. But I'm going to give it another shot.

I have a new hobby, quilting. As if I didn't already have enough. I'm working on about 7 projects right now.

1. Cross stitch. I'm almost done with the last carousel horse for Ky. The 4th of 4 that I started when Ky was a baby. She is now 18 and in college. But I'm finishing up the backstitching now. Soon, real soon now.
2. I quilted a baby blanket for my niece who is having twins this summer. It was from a kit and I just need to sew up the seam. Should only take a few minutes, don't know why I'm delaying.
3. Quilted placemats. All I need to do with them is do the final sewing on the binding. I'm waiting until I finish the cross stitch so I can do it while watching TV.
4. Bed Quilt. I took a class at JoAnn's last October and I've been slowing working on finishing the quilt. I finally quilted the center parts yesterday. I'm not sure how I want to quilt the borders. I need to get an embroidery foot for my sewing machine so I can do a curvy quilt pattern. Then I need to practice on something else to see how it goes. If that doesn't go well then I'll just do some straight lines and a diamond pattern or something similar.
5. I'm braiding a new glasses holder thingy. I made a beaded one a couple of years ago but it keeps getting tangled up so I thought I would try a new way. It is taking longer than I thought.
6. Gardening. It's that time of year again.
7. Riding - I'm still working on the canter. I'm not sure we will ever have a good one.

I still need to make 1 more baby blanket for Sarah. She is having twins so one won't do. I will either crochet on or make another quilt. They will not be identical (neither the blankets or the twins). Hopefully Sarah is ok with that. I also have several crochet projects I want to do.

And I'm back on the diet. I gained about 5+ pounds last year so I've been working to take them off since the first of the year. So far so good, I'm down to 130 (on my scale which weights you in about 10lbs light, so I really weight more like 140).

I guess that's about all for today.

April Recap

So, I've been a very bad girl this month. My diet has essentially stalled. I haven't really been exercising since mid March. I've been good about not eating too many snacks (baring birthday cake) so my weight has been steady at 129, though today it was down a little. I did get a little exercise this weekend though I'm not at the level I was in March. I think I was overdoing it then because I was hurting all over a lot. So I plan to take it slow.

As for horses, I've been riding a lot but the last show I went to was horrible. I'm going back to basics getting lunge lessons and working mostly on half halts. The major comment I got at the show which correlates to how my workouts have been is that Jollie is forward but the tempo is too fast. I need to slow her down without loosing the impulsion.

As for crafts, I'm working on a bolero in hpl. I have one more strip to make and join to the rest I've already joined and then crochet the ends together to make the sleeves. Soon, real soon now.

I'm talking 2 online courses on horse nutrition. I didn't work on it much in April but I finally caught up yesterday. I wrote a little web page/javascript to calculate IR in horses based on their Glucose and insulin tests. People seem to really appreciate it. That's nice.

I don't think I've done much of anything else on my list of things to accomplish this year. I've been awfully busy though, just not on things on the list.

So, lets set some goals for May.
1. More exercise, work up to 1 hour a day of walking or DDR.
2. Ride Chester
3. Finish bolero and start something else, not sure what yet.
4. Start converting videos.
5. Start on web page for equine diet balancing.

That is probably enough. I think blogging more might help keep me on track so I guess that is number 6.

January recap

First a picture of the hairpin lace stole I recently finished:


Very colorful. I made it with the strips that came with my loom that I bought off of ebay.

Now for the recap even though there is one more day left in the month.

My current weight is 132. Since I started at 134 I guess that means I've lost 2 pounds this month. Not bad if I can keep it up. I've been really hungry the last few days but have managed to not snack this week so far.

I got all my records organized, I still need to get the wills and POAs signed and some of Lawrence's records organized, though they are the same as mine for the most part.

I've done quite a few craft things. My family has even commented on it though they don't seemed to impressed with what I've done.

I need to ride more but it has been wet and cold. I have ridden 3 times this week. Not sure I'll get to today as the vet is coming for their spring shots and coggins test. Hopefully I can get a lesson in tomorrow before the rain starts again.

I didn't exercise any last week but have done better this week.

Got started on organizing pictures having put the Italy pictures in albums. Still have some misc. pictures to put in albums and I need to start converting old videos to DVDs.

Icy Saturday

Well ice is falling from the sky this morning. It isn't really that cold but it is supposed to do this all day. We'll see if anything sticks. Ky went to work and Larry is about to go to Robotics. Hopefully they will be able to get home ok and that we will be able to get Larry back to school ok.

The scale showed 129 this morning. I wonder if the temps have anything to do with it though it should always be the same temp in my bathroom. Did 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. With the snow, I should be able to do more today with the weather so bad, I'll just spread it out over the day.

I got my hairpin crochet loom yesterday. I've already started using it. I've already made one mistake with it. Seems that when joining the strips you have to make sure you have the same side up as you had when joining previous strips. I'm making another neckwarmer with some old yarn I had. It will be green and blue.

I'm a bad girl

Here it is Thursday and I haven't posted all week. Bad, Bad girl.
I was so tired Sunday after taking Larry to school, riding and then trying to do the treadmill. I don't remember how long I walked but I don't think it was more than about 30 minutes if that. I was just exhausted. I didn't walk Monday or Tuesday though I did go to Equilates and dancing Monday and Tuesday. I did walk yesterday for 30 minutes. It doesn't look like I'll get to walk today since I waited to long and Ky's friends are here playing games in the basement where the treadmill is. I think she would be very upset if I went down there and walked with them here. The good news it that I do feel better and the scales weighed me at 131.

I didn't get any crafting done this week until today. I finished up making two sets of rice therapy bags.I made these with scrap fabric. The purple and paisley came from a pant and shirt set I made for Ky about 5 years ago. The flower print is from a pillow case and the solid green (though I looks a little blueish in the picture) is from curtains I made for Larry's room when he was an infant. When we moved from that rental house I saved the curtains and have yet to have a use for the material. I plan to make another set of therapy bags from that and the print fabric that went with it.

We had snow last night and school was canceled today. Things are very wet and messy today at the barn. I haven't ridden all week. Maybe tomorrow.

I'm so hungry

OK, I'm not hungry right now because I just had lunch but I was really hungry last night and went to bed hungry. I guess I'm at that point in my diet where it is real easy to succumb to the hunger and eat. If I can get over this hump, I'll be good for a short while. What I've found in the past is that my body gets used to eating at certain times and I'll get hungry or want to eat at that time even if I had a big meal earlier. Though eating a big meal does tend to dampen the hunger somewhat. When I get out of the habit then I don't get hungry at those times. I've also found that for me anyway, I cannot eat between meal snacks at all. I gain weight. I know that some diets will have you eat say 6 small meals a day to stave off the hunger but I can't keep myself to small meals and when I get hungry at non meal times I want junk food not meal food. And then once I start on the junk food, I can't stop. Or I'll have just a little to take the edge off but I'm starving again within 30 minutes or so, so I have to eat again. Anyway, I did 55 minutes on the treadmill today and 50 yesterday. Almost at an hour.

I won't get to ride today and didn't ride yesterday. I have to pick my son up from school this afternoon so he can help his high school robotics team with their robot this weekend. The weekend looks good for riding though.

I made a hot rice therapy bag yesterday. I didn't fill it because it will be a Christmas gift and I will wait until then so that the scents that I add won't fade before Christmas. I also need to decide what to fill it with. I might use corn instead of rice and lavender buds instead of essential oils. I have enough scrap fabric to make several sets of them and the one I made yesterday looks quite nice. One of these days I'll get pictures.

Lost 2 more pounds

Well I got a surprise when I got on the scale this morning. 130 I got on the scale twice to make sure. It will probably be higher tomorrow but hopefully not. Now I just have to keep it up. I was really hungry last night a couple of hours after dinner but I didn't succumb and by bed time I wasn't hungry anymore. I did 45 minutes again on the treadmill yesterday and rode Jolie for about 40 minutes. She was very good. It is important though that I don't get too excited about it and start thinking we might do well at the shows this spring. Invariably that happens and I start trying to force it to go well and then it doesn't. You can't force things with her, she just tenses up and tunes you out.

I finished the cap I was crocheting. Ky doesn't like it. I was planning to give it to her but she thinks it looks weird. She had the same reaction to the neck warmer I made. So I guess I will either keep it for myself or give it to someone else that will be more appreciative for Christmas. I like them because they are a little different than they usual knitted scarf and hat. A friend's mother knits plain ole scarfs and gave one to Ky at Christmas time and she likes that. I personally thought it was -- well not ugly, just plain. I like the neck warmer idea because I find it hard to keep a scarf wrapped around my neck especially when working outside with the horses. I'll probably give away the one I just made because it is pink and green. I have already bought some blue/black/white yarn to make me one.

I pretty much finished up organizing my records yesterday. I guess I need to do Lawrence's though they are pretty much the same. I then need to figure out where to get our wills and powers of attorney notarized.

Watership Down

I just finished reading Watership Down today. I had never read it before and didn't have any thing else to read at the time so started it just before the New Year. Pretty good book. I was very glad that nothing bad happened to the bunnies. I'm sure there is lots of symbolism in the book but I have never been much good in figuring what books mean. I started reading one of the books I got from the library on funeral planning. The symbolism in it is more obvious.

Because I was near the end of Watership Down, it was easy to do 40 minutes on the treadmill today. I read while I walk. I don't think funeral planning will keep me interested enough to make walking enjoyable so I will start a new book tomorrow.

I was also able to ride today. Jolie (my horse) acted like it had been 2 years instead of 2 weeks since she had been ridden but we did finally end up with some good work. I attempt to do Dressage and have been working on canter transitions and sitting trot. Both are finally getting better and, in fact, I am starting to prefer the sitting trot. I still bounce a lot though.

I finished the neckwarmer I was crocheting for my daughter, she thinks it looked funny when I tried it on so maybe it will be for me instead. Started on a cap to go with it. I'll try and get a picture up tomorrow.

Crochet hook holder

Today I made a crochet hook holder. When I went to start a crochet project last week I couldn't find any of my crochet hooks. I had to go buy some. I decided to go ahead and make the holder to hold them all (I bought two sets) so I wouldn't loose these as well. I guess the others will show up someday. The holder was another great gift idea found on Sew Mama Sew. I plan to make a armchair organizer and hook holder for my sister for Christmas so these were good practice. I need to find some great fabric for them though. I've been using old sheets for these.

I managed to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes again today and I checked the books on funeral planning out today.

Monday is Lawrence's birthday, we are taking him out for supper tonight since Larry has to go back to school Sunday.

Busy Day

Today was a very busy day and very cold. Temps didn't get above 29 degrees which is very cold for Georgia. But I did get a lot done. Took the pictures of our Italy vacation to Rite Aid to get them printed. I'll pick them up tomorrow. I've been taking digital pictures for years but never have had any of them printed because I was too cheap. Well Rite Aid is running a special - $.13 each. I took over 600 in today, some were pictures taken previously. So that counts as working on organizing pictures. I also bought albums to put them in.

I also finished my will and powers of attorney today. Will have to work on Lawrence's (my husband) tomorrow. Word of advice, don't work on those sorts of things late at night. I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep last night, not that I was worried about them but just couldn't stop thinking about them. My sister-in-law gave me a book on getting organized for Christmas. I've known I needed to do these things but just keep putting if off, now I have a plan for getting them done. Went to the library today to get some books on how to plan a funeral. Yuck.

Finished up my latest craft project. It is an arm chair caddy to hold my work. I'm always misplacing my hooks or needles, etc.
You can find the pattern here.
I also wanted to post a picture of my before Christmas project, a purse, checkbook cover and wallet.
I found the patterns for the purse and wallet through the SewMamaSew Handmade holidays blog.

Time to go watch Dr. Who.