Category Archive

I’ve really been enjoying doing my own embroidery patterns. Just finished a simple little bag with a sparrow on it for a friend. He ran an rpg campaign for a couple years for our group and now that it’s ending, I thought I should make a little something. The little sparrow represents one of the characters I think he liked best.

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A wii fit weight slump?

I’ve worked out every day but one since I got our Wii Fit, and enjoy the work outs. But I’m in a weight slump and haven’t been able to get lower than 5 lbs less than what I started (and that counts the immediate weight loss after that lovely time of the month). It just hovers there with less than a pound change now for over a week, closer to 2 weeks. I chalked some of it up to trading fat for muscle, but I’m sure it’s not the only issue.

I started doing more aerobics so that they were the largest part of my work out (the 10 min free run, the advanced step, and the longer hula hoop are usually what I do now), but still no budge. So I also started trying to watch what I eat and eat a bit less, still no budge. Will have to start looking into this - the easy answers are not there. Grr.

UFOs were sighted and confirmed, while SOS cleaning out the craft area. A few have “evolved” into completed projects. I’ll share the best.

Insulated water bottle bags. Instead of Insul-brite, I used an old car windowshade I had on hand for the insulation. Used up the last of the leftover favorite fabric from my son’s pajamas for these. The pjs are out grown. But who will outgrow a dragon or blue elephant water bottle carrier? (If you are one of those who would - just stop reading now. Well don’t quit reading, but stop being all serious like, ok?)

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On a completely different note. I don’t like bragging and I don’t like exercise machines. So do I have to recant that statement now if I say we got a Wii Fit and I’m addicted to it? We’ve had it 2 days and the exercises are fun (most of them anyway). We’ll see if I can loose 10 pounds in 2 months. (More would be great but I don’t want to kill myself to get there. Slow and steady wins the race…)

Eep!  I almost forgot the wrap skirt!  I finished it in time to wear it on a date with my hubby last night.   The fabric was so light hearted and springish, I didn’t mind feeling silly in the skirt.

Well I’m off to evaluate my son’s room to see if it needs any more re-organizing, for Org Junkie’s round-up.

Questionaires, smestionaires. But to humor you, dear Caillie, I’ll answer a FEW questions. (Don’t have all day to answer the barage of questions you posted. Egads!)

• What was your dream growing up? To be an astronaut. Didn’t get to do that. But I did get to work with NASA when I worked at the data center. Was really cool.
• What talent do you wish you had? To play an instrument. I have tried several. There just seems to be a real disconnect between me, understanding how music works and any instrument I try. Maybe someday I’ll figure it out.
• What was the last book you read? Saturn by Ben Bova. Don’t normally read sci fi/policical stuff. But it was enjoyable. The last 1/3 I couldn’t put down.
• If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? Either save it for my trip to Japan or put it toward paying off my house (so I can get to Japan faster).

Following I’m an Organizing Junkie’s roundup - I present work done on my bedroom! Didn’t feel like much until I started writing it down. My post also served as a plan (I started writing what I did about the middle of the month, then continued writing down what I wanted to do and working off the list.)

My Closet:

• put summer and spring clothes on most accessible shelves
• donated clothes I won’t wear any more (even found a few maternity items - thought I got rid of that stuff 2 years ago - egads!)
• Stored my wedding dress under the bed until I can figure out what I want to do with it. (Hubby didn’t like the idea of a wedding dress quilt. PFFBBBBBT!) This made room for a new dress that I hope to make.
• Donated a baby gift I never got to give.

Dresser

• Went through my drawer in the dresser (organized the boxes for jewelry that I wanted to keep, left room for my jewelry box).
• Ordered tie hangers for my necklaces to put in my closet (and my daughter’s). (I never think to look in the jewelry draw unless I have a visual reminder. My necklaces will be out of the way and a reminder of my other “treasures”.)

Nightstand

• Convinced hubby to take “math club” papers and catalog back to work. They can use it, he won’t need it.
• Donated clothes stashed there.

To do

• necklaces (new hanger solution on it’s way)
• nightstand - Hubby go through drawer? (rest is done)
• donate old bedspread

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I also continued in my kitchen/dining room.

• moved the fire extinguisher to a place I can easily get it if needed
• Ordered a replacement for my broken and jageddy finances box. Nice new canvas holder.
• Took down my icky old white board on the wall and replaced it with another hanging paper organizer and an easier to clean white board on the fridge.
• Glued magnets to clothes pins for holding the kiddo papers. Each kiddo gets one clothes pin. And the space is now limited to what can be put on the fridge! (I can SEE my fridge! I knew it was there, but it was always camouflaged under the papers.) Once a month I’ll scan or photograph the papers and store them in my Zenfolio account so the grandparents can see.

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• Chair recovering project postponed until summer. Can’t just recover chairs. Need to re-varnish chairs and table too. Argh. But will do it right.

To Do:

• Finances box/organizer (on it’s way)

Taking up the challenge at Organizational Enlightenment…

Be prepared for company with a clean booster seat.

My littlest one’s always nasty dirty booster seat has been an embarrassment for me every time we have company. I HATE scrubbing the thing (beyond just wiping it down) so I always procrastinate it. Yesterday I realized the dishwasher could scrub it! (Mu-ha-ha-ha! I never have to scrub the blasted thing again!)

Our booster seat (looks like this with out the tray) comes apart. The straps fit into a little dishwasher basket that I use to hold sippy cup lids. Wash on heavy duty cycle. And wah-lah! Clean seat! (Yes, there is a bit of water that sloshes around now. But I’ll take that over the grimy stuff I can’t get out of the cracks in the seat any day.)

This may not be so much an organization as a cleaning thing. But I think the two often go hand in hand in my self esteem about my house.

Thought I’d have these posted sooner, but I was tinkering with this photo to try out HDR. (It’s the first of my HDR attempts that I liked.)

Right next to Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills. (I decided not to get George’s head in the shot - would have been just to the left of the hill here.) I was going for a photomatix dark sky effect in Photoshop. Hoping to get the technique into an action.

On to the photos…

(Arch to the old Storybook Island in Rapid City, SD)

(Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills)

(Chandelier at the Alpine Inn at Hill City, SD)

“Hey buddy, how long have you been waiting?”

(Shot at local duck feeding area.)

I’ve been tinkering with the idea of using my own bags for groceries.  I’m not so much a “save the planet” person, just one that doesn’t like waste.  I’ve been a bit shy about testing them out at the stores, people in this town don’t seem to care to do this and the stores I visit are a bit paranoid about theft.   But I like the bags so far for other uses.  Will just have to get the gumption up to try taking them to Wally World or Hy-Vee.   I used this pattern.

Here’s my second bag - gave it to a friend (thought she’d like the colors and texture).