So Far, So Good.

Here's the finished "Easy Lap Quilt" quilt top. Yes, Mark makes a lovely quilt top model, does he not? Sock feet n' all.

It went together fairly easily. I'll have to trim it to fit on the backing properly...needs some straightening andI added one more piece than was called for or something. Tonight I start on the actual quilting of it...or at least getting the top pinned to the batting and back. This makes me nervous. We shall see how it goes!

I signed up for a beginning machine piecing quilting class at a local quilting shop today! YAY! I got to meet the instructor when I went in to register and she showed me the quilt top we will be learning to make! GORGEOUS!!! I don't know what you call it, but it was a sort of star-type pattern done in my choice of brights or 30s reproduction fabrics. I am sooo excited!

Oooh! And she sells embroidery floss! WooHoo!

Quilt in the Works

Last week was crazy-busy. Hence the absence of much posting. I didn't have the time to blog nor to read blogs much. I worked late every day and and spent many hours of the weekend at school to boot. I don't feel like I had any down time last week, so doggone it, this week I'm going to have down time if it kills me!

This afternoon, even though I had an after school faculty meeting AND we had to grocery shopping...ugh...I managed to begin a quilt! That's right an actual, real live quilt! I used a rotary cutter for the first time ever(strangely satisfying), laid out my design and got my strips together. I'm using the Easy Lap Quilt pattern from Bend the Rules Sewing. Big surprise, huh? The fabrics aren't my favorites...they came from the bargain bin at WalMart, but I liked the colors and didn't want to spend too much money my first time out, in case I made a big mess of it. Oh, and they look better in person, too. But so far it is going well. I only sewed ONE piece on backwards! WOO HOO! I told myslef that was going to be my one and only mistake. We'll see and I'll keep you posted. I know you'll be salivating in anticipation.

Mississippi Mud

Mmmmmm! The mouth waters at the sound of the words, doesn't it? Or does it? I suppose if you hear "Mississippi Mud" and get an image of actual mud from the state of Mississippi your mouth might not water. But if, like me, you hear "Mississippi Mud" and think chocolate cake with gooey marshmallow and chocolatey pecan topping...you're probably going for a glass of milk right now!
This is my Aunt Rosemary. She makes Mississippi Mud nearly every Christmas and sometimes at Thanksgiving. I don't remember NOT having it at a family holiday dinner. It's my favorite thing she makes and it was always my favorite dessert at Mamaw's house on Christmas Eve. Oh heck ya'll it was always my favorite dish at the dinner, period....who am I trying to fool. Give me a choice between a plate piled high with delicious chicken and dumplings, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and homemade biscuits or a piece of this gooey goodness...I'll go for the goo every time. (Yeah, I know, my love of sweets is why I have to do a Tales from the Scales post once a week.) You can imagine how thrilled I was when Rosemary gave me her Mississippi Mud recipe for my cookbook! Thanks Rosemary! Love You!

This week I made a batch and took it to school. Rave Reviews! So I wanted to share it with all of you! As is unusual for me, I had all of the correct ingredients and did not stray from the recipe at all. Be warned: Cut small pieces and pour a big, cold glass of milk to go with!

Mississippi Mud
To 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup margarine add 4 eggs, one at a time. Next,
add: 1 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1/3 cup cocoa, 3 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup nuts.
Mix and pour into greased and floured 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 300º
30-35 minutes. While still hot, spread 1 small bag of mini
marshmallows over cake and bake 10 min. Let cool.

Mix 1 stick melted margarine
1 box powdered sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 c. milk (more if needed to spread well)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. nuts
Mix and spread on cake and let set 3-4 hours

Also getting rave reviews were Edith's Chess Squares. I used the glass dish this time and they turned out just right!

Tales from the Scales WK 4

Whew! I managed to lose the pesky pound I gained last week. WooHoo! Now it's time to try and get back on track for real. I've missed WW meetings the last two weeks. Last week I was unable due to having something more important to do. The week before I just skipped! I was getting a little aggravated w/paying 12 bucks and not seeing the results I wanted to see. Ummm, it could be that I wasn't seeing the results 'cause I wasn't following the program...I'm just saying. This week, I will track. I promise. And I'll drink more water, which should be quite easy to do considering I've had a whopping none this week. I think if I can focus on those two things along with keeping the exercise going, I'll do OK!

This week the exercise of choice is the second Leslie Sansone Walk at Home/Walk Slim DVD from the set I mentioned last week. This is the Fast Start walk/jog. The length is shorter but the workout is just as good. I think I might like it a little bit better. I like having the option of doing those intervals of jogging rather than just walking, and Leslie's jog is completely doable. Again, Leslie scores a 10 of 10 with me. I may break out the Dancing with the Stars DVD this week. I've tried this one once before(right after I bought it) and I seem to remember bouncing around like an idiot for half an hour. After that one time, I put it away and it hasn't seen the light of day since. I'll give it another go and pay more attention this time so that I can share it with ya'll!

Randomness Revisted

This is what my embroidery thread stash looked like. No wonder it took me so long to pick it back up. Digging through that mess would drive anyone to distraction! So I've been working on it and now it looks like this. Much better! Went to Walmart today. Mark had to buy some gadgety thing for the lawn mower. Me, I mosey back to the fabrics/craft dept. for some embroidery thread. Now that it is organized, I know what colors I need. I get to where I'm going only to discover they no longer carry embroidery thread!!! WHAT? NOOOO! WalMart has muscled in and pushed all the little guys out of business...they are the only store in town where you can buy anything remotely craft supply like. How DARE they stop selling what I need! Curse you WalMart! Now I will have to drive 45 min. and spend nearly 30 bucks in gas to get to a JoAnn Fabrics in order to buy .25 embroidery floss! Stupid WalMart.

An embroidery work in progress.

I made these cute checkbook covers using Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing book. VERY simple to make (as the title of the book would suggest) and fun to use! I think I need one for every season and some for gifting! I need to spend some more quality time with that book.

Speaking of books, got this one recently. Terribly cute projects inside!! Except for the stuffed poop. WHY would someone want to make a poop doll? Now ya'll know I'm all for being silly and I enjoy things that are on the wacky side, I really do! But a poop doll? I don't get it.

My one and only Halloween decoration: a vintage 50's light up jack-o-lantern and black cat. I love it! I'd like to have more Halloween decor, but I just can't seem to find what I want, or maybe I don't know what I want...

And on the cooking front. I know that making salad is not technically cooking, but this was soooo yummy I thought I'd share. My grandmother made a similar salad for my brother and me last weekend. I tried to reproduce it today. Nothin' to it really, but I'd never had this type of salad before and it's now one of my favorite things! Mamaw Doris used iceberg lettuce and milder apples, but I used what we had on hand. Toss together: dark leafy green lettuces, gala apple chunks, crushed pecans and shredded carrots. I think it may be a variation on a Waldorf Salad. Whatever you call it, it was tasty.

OK, ok, ok! I realize this has been one random post! I'll try to focus on just one topic next time :)

Fall Y'all Giveaway...Coming Soon!

I just found out that on October 29th another bloggy giveaway begins! I will be participating in the giveaway again since it was so much fun the first time around! Check back to find out what I will be giving away! I don't know myself yet but it will be something new and handmade and it might very well be another apron. You can go to the bloggy giveaways website for info on how to join in on the Fall Y'all fun or to participate in the giveaway goodness going on right now!

TA DAAA!

I started on these Days of Week Towels back in the Spring of 2006. I don't know why it took me so long to pick them back up, but regardless they are done! Managed to get in several good hours of movie-watching while finishing them! FYI: The Patriot---I had forgotten how good, Young Guns II---better n' the first w/0 cheesy music & Three Amigos---HILARIOUS every time! Have I mentioned how much I love having this week off work in the Fall?




I love these! Not bragging, mind you. I just really think they turned out nicely. The towels are Martha Stewart from KMart. They come with the days of the week pre-embroidered, so they were perfect for these cute Aunt Martha bunnies! This little guy is my favorite of the lot. Freshly washed(as they've been in my embroidery bag soooo long) and starched and now ready for gifting. I think I have another set of these Martha Stewart DOW towels in a closet somewhere. The only question now is do I use another Aunt Martha's or do I bust out the Sublime Stitching patterns? Hmmm? Either way, I think I need a set for myself! Here are some of my other un-finished projects and some I finished a while back!

Tales from the Scales Wk. 3

I think this is week 3 anyway...someone correct me if I'm wrong!

I know that so many of you who are doing the challenge are doing great! Let me congratulate you right here and now! I will be reading you're stories this week and hopefully I'll find some inspiration to get myself in gear! I'm not doing so hot. Last week I was whining because I stayed the same. Vowed to refocus. This week I actually gained a pound...that'll teach me to whine for maintaining, huh? Now I know ya'll don't wanna hear me whine more or cry over gaining a pound, so I won't do it. I've said this before ...I'm fat 'cause I eat too much and I exercise too little. Bottom line. No mystery, no deep psychological stuff with me. OK, yeah I DO tend to overeat and overeat and overeat some more when I'm feeling stressed, so maybe there is a little psychological stuff there but basically... I loves me some ice cream, pop, and cup cakes...a lot. Heck, I didn't even try last week. It was a stressful week. Still I know enough to know that had I decided to choose exercise over junk food, I'd have managed that stress just as well, probably better! But, you know, with every new day comes a clean slated and who's to say that today won't be the day that I get on board and do what I know I need to do?

This morning, after I weighted in, I thought about my plan to revisit all my exercise DVDs and how I did it for a week and just stopped. SO this morning, even though I was feeling a little pitiful over gaining, I popped in a DVD and decided to at least get back on the exercise track! Feel better for it, too! Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home. I can't say enough good things about these workouts. These are the workouts I was using faithfully when I was losing weight weekly and actually trying. You'd think I'd learn from my past success... Anyhow, compared to the others I've blogged to date, it is my favorite, hands down. This is a set of two. A 2 mile walk/jog and a 3 mile fast walk. This morning I did the 3 mile fast walk workout. There's a five minute warm up followed by a 35min. walk and a 5 min. cool down/stretch segment. The moves are very simple and straightforward. Walk in place, walk forward/back, kicks, side step, with some arm movements ...that's about it. Sounds boring, but it's not at all! I was enjoying it, despite my pitiful self, this morning. Leslie is very motivating and she's fun to watch. And 45 min/three miles, 'cmon...that's a good workout!! I was sweaty and a tad winded, but not falling on the floor begging for mercy when it was over. My rating...10!

I'm Blabbering ...and a Halloween Apron

It's 9:30 a.m. Second day of Fall Break. My house is clean. I have a bag full of DVDs borrowed from Shea and an embroidery project to work on this morning(while watching yet undetermined movie). Later today I'm meeting my friend Heather to take some photos of her family at the city park. It's a sunny, breezy and our forecast is calling for mid 80's. Harry Connick Jr's OH my Nola CD is playing on my itunes. It's gonna be a good day!

I might add that yesterday--first day of Fall break--was a great day! Managed, with the help of two friends, to box up the other half of my school library and be back home before 2:00. Watched Young Guns. What a good movie. I had forgotten how much fun(though bloody) that movie was. Here's the thing that bugged me about it, though. Right in the middle of this WESTERN there was a block of cheesy 80's synthesizer music. It played during the end credits too. WHAT? They couldn't find genre specific or historically appropriate music for the film in the 80's???? I guess it wouldn't have been an 80's movie without it. Still, good movie. Caught the new show Journeyman---time travel fascinates me---and enjoyed it. I worked on some embroidery last night as well. It's amazing how enjoyable the day is and much I can accomplish when I don't have to go to work!

Finished up this Halloween apron yesterday too! I didn't know it at the time, but I chose a pattern that was WAY to difficult for a beginner! Butterick Pattern B4945 for those of you who are wondering. Spent about six hours working on it(not all at once) and there were lots of directions on the pattern I didn't understand. With my mother out of the country, I had to go it alone on this one and couldn't call her wehn I didn't know what I was doing.. Much seam ripping was done and there are still some stitches that I need to remove. Lots of things that aren't evident in the photo are wrong. Considering all this, I'm proud of it! It's darn cute when I don't scrutinize every little detail and mistake! I may even wear it to work on Halloween!

Itchin' for some Stitchin'

Where crafting is concerned, I have a touch of ADD...my attention span jumps around, a lot. I'm still digging the sewing, mind you, but I've kinda been itching to drag out the old embroidery hoop lately.

These are a few projects that I've started and a year later(two in one case) have yet to finish. I guess other projects got in the way...jewelry making, scrapbooking, building a new house, life...

This one I started as a shower gift for a friend who got married nearly two summers ago. I've started on them two other times thinking I would finish them for other people's wedding gifts. I've decided to give it another shot and give them to the person for whom they were originally intended!! How's that for a novel idea!I picked up these vintage tea towels a couple of years ago at a local antique mall and knew immediately they would have French poodles on them. At the time, I never imagined that TWO YEARS LATER they'd be unfinished!Anthro fruits & veggies are my favorite subject for embroidery! I've made one set for Jackie(my sis') and one for Shea(my bro') . These were supposed to be for me!And now, I've gone and bought this! Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching book! I've wanted it forever and I finally coughed up the money and bought it.
Basically, I've taught myself how to embroider. A friend of mine gave me her old stitch diagram from the 60's and another gal I work with has shown me some stitches here and there. But other than that, I do a lot of trial and error. Thankfully, there is a solid section on different types of stitches and how to work them in the book. Maybe now I can finally learn those stitches I've just sorta been playing around with! I might add, the patterns in this book are so stinkin' cute that I couldn't have passed it up even without that awesome "stitching school"!

Although I haven't done an embroidery in a while, it is one of my favorite hobbies. It's comfortable and relaxing to me. Yeah, I know some folks may see it as an old fashioned granny hobby, but I like that it's old fashioned! Perhaps that's what feels comfortable to me about it...my grandmothers all did some type of needlework. I also appreciate (very much)that it doesn't require any type of technology to embroider ! OK, I just realized that last sentence sounds a little like Michael Scott from this week's episode of the office! ha! Don't get me wrong, technology is great, really. I use it on a daily basis and would be lost without my computer, cell phone, ipod, etc. But don't you think our world moves awfully fast? Does anyone else long for a little simplicity every once in a while? There I go again....I'm too young to be talking this way! Sheesh!

ANYWAY...I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes it's nice to just slow down, park myself on the couch and use a needle, some thread and my own two hands to make something pretty.

I owe my sewing machine an apology...

Apparently it doesn't hate me. It just needed a little special attention. Thanks to some of my buddies at work, I managed to get her up and running again. Just when I had made up my mind to buy a nice new(but inexpensive) Kenmore! I managed to finish up the apron for my sister. I didn't think I'd ever finish it and there were many many many snags along the way with this one! I would like to have done a better job on it, but I think for a once in a year accessory, Jackie will still like it! Also made her and Scott a set of Halloween coasters from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing and some fun mixy-matchy Halloween napkins.

As far as yesterday being a black cloud day...it was BUT today was better...nothing out of the ordinary. ;) Perhaps I'm feeling this way because it's the week before Fall Break and everyone seems to have gone nuts. The students and the teachers, myself included...especially myself. Lord, get us through tomorrow and let us come back with our sanity restored!

My day was like this...

ALL. DAY. LONG.

Big Fat Zero.

That's how much I lost this week. Good thing I'm exercising or it'd be a gain! Is it just me or do you completely lose control when you get stressed out and eat everything remotely chocolate and or chip like that comes within view/smell/thought? I HATE to be off track so early in the game.

OK, will try to refocus and do better this week. In the meantime here's a little song about exercise!

Biggest Loser The Workout v.1

In the midst of my sewing machine crapping out on me and cooking an overly seasoned pot of chicken noodle soup, I have managed to get in two workouts this weekend. Go Me! The Biggest Loser Workout is another of my DVDs that has been gathering dust for WAY too long. I don't think I've used it in a year or at least since BL2 workout came out last season...and I haven't used that one in a while either!.

Friday's Workout
Biggest Loser: The Workout Warm up + Bootcamp segments. The BL Workout DVD is customizable. There are six routines, including the warm-up and cool down. You can set up your workout any way you choose. I chose the Bootcamp segment last night because it was one of the quickest of the workouts---20 min. w/ 5 min. warm up. I forgot how HARD this one was and how FAST it goes. Wore me out!

Tonight's Workout
Bigest Loser: The Workout Warm up + Low Intensity Cardio + Cool Down (approx. 50min.) After refreshing my memory last night on what a good workout this is, I decided to give it another go tonight. I went the sensible route and did the low intensity segment. Much better. Don't get me wrong, I still got a good workout, just not quite so exhausting. The movements are fairly easy to follow and similar to some of the Turbo Jam movements, only at a pace that I can keep up with. Afterwards, I definitely felt like I'd had a great workout, but I could still breathe. And then there's Bob. He tickles me. Yeah, he seems pretty touchy-feely, but not in an annoying way...and he's a little goofy at the same time. Best line on the dvd is when Bob says "I'm just up here stretching on a rock! Just stretching on a rock!" Bob's fun to work out with. And I love that the people in the workout are huffing, puffing, grunting and groaning just like me! Easy warm up and cool down segments(though the cooldown seems to drag on a bit). There's a sculpt & strength and high intensity cardio segment on this DVD but I think I'll hold off on doing those for a while yet.

I'll rate this one 9 out of 10 for the low intensity segment, the fact that I can customize it, and because Bob and the Losers are fun to watch.

Soup. With Lots of Seasoning. I Mean A LOT of Seasoning.

So with a name like "She Can't Even Cook!" I figure I'd better at least try every once in a while. Today I decided to try a recipe from my cookbook called "Simple Chicken Noodle Soup". I sorta lived up to my blog title again today.

I'm a Sunday morning grocery shopper. I grocery shop at WalMart and I like to get there early in the morning before the crowd shows up. Why is Walmart always so dang crowded, anyway? I knew going in that I was going to make this soup today. I got everything I needed to make it, except the poultry seasoning and the corn starch...OK and the celery. I forgot that too. Luckily Kroger is on the way home so I stopped in there and grabbed the celery. Couldn't find any poultry seasoning anywhere in the store. Got distracted by bagels with ungodly amounts of fiber and fresh cut sunflowers. Forgot the cornstarch...again.

Jump to a few hours later. I decide it's time to make the soup. Crap! No Cornstarch. Call Mamaw(to tell her the folks are safe in Poland) and ask her about cornstarch and poultry seasoning. She tells me to just use a chicken bullion cube in place of the seasoning and not to use flour(my idea) instead of cornstarch unless I want globby-biscuity soup. And she tells me just to make the soup without the cornstarch, since all it does is thicken it. Do I listen? Of course not. I want to make this soup the "right" way and follow the recipe to the letter. SO I head out the door for the second time today to go to Kroger for cornstarch. I knew I had bullion cubes at home, so I grabbed the cornstarch, got distracted by 3 for 18.00 DVD deals, and came on home.

I begin happily chopping carrots and celery, cooking noodles, etc. Feeling pretty confident. As luck would have it when I' get to the "add poultry seasoing" part of the recipe I realize I DO NOT HAVE CHICKEN BULLION! ARG! So I frantically dig through my spices. "Um. This is Mrs. Dash Table Blend. That'll work. Put that in. Ummm. Smells kinda weird, but I won't taste it, that would make way too much sense...instead I'll add a little pepper. OH! I'll also add some lemon pepper too--I like that. Whoa...still smells funky. Salt. Maybe salt will help.Hmmm. Still not going to taste it, but maybe it could use some Cajun Spice. Yes, that's it." I kid you not. Didn't occur to me until after I'd added the cajun spice that I should probably taste it! Sheesh. What a moron. Eventually I stopped adding spices and just let the soup simmer.

I'll say this. Once complete, my chicken noodle soup had a very, uh, complex, not to mention PEPPERY taste. My tongue is a bit numb from all the pepper and every once in a while I noticed a weird taste which I think is either from the whole wheat pasta or one of the 10,000 different spices that I used. But it isn't bad, really, it's pretty good, all things considered. I'm hoping it's one of those things that gets better after it sits a while. I have something like 35 gallons of it still to eat as the recipe does make more than I realized it would. ;) Guess I'll be eating soup all week.

The next time I make this I will have poultry seasoning on hand and instead of using whole wheat pasta, I'm going to use good ole' fattening Amish noodles. And my grandma was right. I didn't need the cornstarch. Lessons Learned.

I'm posting the recipe because I figure if I can go that astray with the seasonings and it still taste OK, it's probably great when done correctly!

Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
1-1/4 cups wide egg noodles
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and
oil, and boil for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and rinse under cool
running water.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine broth, and poultry
seasoning. Bring to a boil. Stir in celery, carrots, and onion. Reduce
heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is
completely dissolved. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly. Stir in
noodles and chicken, and heat through.

*&%^@*$#!!$# Sewing Machine!

My sewing machine hates me. Maybe it's because I haven't used it in so long that it has decided to throw a temper tantrum.

I'm in the middle of trying to make what I had hoped would be a supercute Halloween apron to send to Jackie. It's turning out to be a disaster. I've picked it back up tonight after about two weeks to try and finish up and get it in the mail on Monday. I manage to get the pocket sewn on(with a zigzag stitch on bias tape). I get to the ties and all of the bottom stitches start looping. I've had the tension on every single setting possible. I have un-threaded, re-threaded, removed bobbin and attempted to clean the bobbin case and then made a new bobbin and re-threaded that, I put in a new needle and STILL the underside stitches look like this: AaARRRHhggggGGG! I wonder, will it be more expensive to have the machine serviced than to just buy a new one? It's a Brother and probably cost less than 150 bucks when it was new.

SOOOOO aggravated right now! Going to find a workout DVD with lots of kicks and punches for tonight and let out some frustration!

It's Like Tae Bo on Crack!

Dear LORD! I did Turbo Jam tonight. I have done this workout before, many times as a matter of fact, but it's been a year or more! Even thought I have exercised since then, I've skipped out on exercise the last few weeks as you know and evidently the exercise I'd been doing didn't amount to much. Cause, Man! I'm draggin'! I did not realize how out of shape I had become. Oncce, I was able to get through the whole thing and feel good at the end. Tonight, I'm tired!

Turbo Jam: Cardio Party is one of those DVDs you see on Sunday afternoon and late night infomercials. I don't even know if they still show it but I'd bet you can buy it from Amazon.

SO the DVD starts out innocently enough with five min. or so of warm up. There's a cool "wheel" move that I enjoy and the music in this dvd keeps you involved and if you can keep your breath you can even sing along. Them comes the cardio. Lots of kicks and punches and speedbags and such. I did Tae Bo at the local YMCA for a while and I bought the videotapes when they came out years ago. This reminds me a lot of Tae Bo, but on crack. SO fast and furious! It's doable, for sure, but beware if you are out of shape like I am! It is going to take a while to build up the stamina again to be able to get through it! I found myself doing the "ZHEE! SNURFF!" breathing from YBB just to keep from passing out! And what is it with loud breathers??? This instructor also breathes LOUDLY! At approximately 25min. into the torture, I mean workout, a buzzer sounds and it goes TURBO! Everything speeds up and goes non-stop. Whew! I'm tired all over thinking about it!

There's funky, upbeat music(remember "Mama said Knock You Out"?) and a low impact person you can follow. There are a few dance breaks built in. The movements cover all areas nicely...abs(standing), arms, booty and legs are all worked, trust me. The last 15 min. are much more laid back and the cool down is nice and easy with another cool move called Jenga.

Despite being completely and utterly worn out, I'm giving this workout 8 out of 10. It IS a very good workout it just will take a while to get the steps and movements down(again) and my stamina up! Regular rotation? Not sure. Still don't know how I want to do that. Montly, Weekly, Daily??? Any suggestions?

Must. Sleep. NOW!

Yoga Booty Hoodie-Doodie

Tonight I began my first in a series of workouts to try and weed my ever growing collection of dust-gathering workout DVDs. I've decided to do a different workout daily, blog my thoughts on each and at the end of my little experiment, put myself on some sort of workout rotation. You know, the omnipotent "they" say that it is best to switch up your workout routine, not to get stuck in an exercise rut. And since I haven't exercised regularly in months, I SURE don't want to run the risk of getting myself in a rut now do I?

My workout tonight was Yoga Booty Ballet Live! Light & Easy. This makes the third time it's been in the DVD since I bought it months ago. It was a 15 dollar impulse buy that came with two DVDs. A Latin workout and this one. I HATED it the first time around, hated it. But I've decided to go into all of these workouts with an open mind and really think about the exercise that I'm doing and if it would be helpful in my weight loss efforts.

Now I realize that some folks really get into the whole new age thing and I also realize yoga is an age old, respectable practice and if that's your thing I do not mean to offend. So if you take it in that way, don't fuss at me! :)

The warm up segment is, in my opinion, waaay too new age-y and silly. Personally, I get the giggles when "polishing my aura". Which amounted to flapping my arms so fast I could take off in flight, all the while listening to the instructors heavy breathing(it has a Yoga name, I've already forgotten it) which sounds something like this: "ZHeee! Snuff! ZHee! Snuff!" One was ZHeeing! while the other was Snuffing! Yeah, I know getting the oxygen in is a GOOD thing, silly sounding or not! Still, there IS a lot of talk about auras and the like in the beginning so if you are completely turned off by that sort of thing, this is not the workout for you.

After the third time around, I realized that I don't hate this workout! Once I finally got past all the new age gobbledy-gook, I realized it is actually fun(well funny, anyway). The instructors are cute and bouncy (but not scary/Denise Austin bouncy) and they do a good job of calling the moves. They don't seem to take themselves completely serious, which is a good thing. The folks working out with them come in all shapes and sizes. That always makes me feel better! The dance moves are fun and easy to follow and stay at a decent pace (not too fast, not too slow) It seems to go by quickly. It doesn't wear me completely out, yet I feel like I've done some work.

After the cardio segment, we get to the Yoga and floor work segment of the workout. AAARGH! It is hard. And I've a feeling this is Yoga Lite! You should know that I despise floor work in any and all workouts and I have been known to completely skip that portion! Get ready to hear me complain about it with each and every DVD ;) Still, my upper and lower abs are now tingly and that's good. I survived it! My guess would be that comparatively, this one is relatively moderate as far as abs, crunches and the like go.

So. looks like this one is a keeper. It may not go into my regular rotation, but it'll be good for those days when I don't really want to work out, but know that I should. I did forget to mention the cheesy music, but don't all workout DVDs have cheesy music? I also forgot to mention...no shoes required...woo hoo!

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 6. Haven't decided what I'll be doing tomorrow. Maybe one of my many Walk Away the Pounds DVDs.

Tales from the Scales Weekly Weigh In

Has it been a week already? How time does fly! This week went OK! I tried to ease myself back into the whole diet/exercise thing. Looking back at my list of "issues and goals" from last week, here's how it went this week.

1. Drank some water
2. Did some exercising
3. Was more positive this week about weight loss! Didn't beat myself up over a few bad choices and go completely off track! It was the state librarians conference this past weekend...had to eat at the Hard Rock..and drink a couple of reg. Cokes....and eat sweets...the other librarians held me down and forced me to.
4. Though I had a few over the weekend, I did cut way back on regular cokes. No, MBJ, I haven't switched to all water just yet...I'm easing, remember ;)
5. I bought some fruit. OK, I realize I have to actually EAT it to meet that goal, but I'm closer than I was last week!
6. Although I did eat less, I did not track anything. This is tough for me. I know it helps, why don't I do it???

So my weight loss this week was 1.5 pounds and I'm quite satisfied with that number!

Something I want to do this week is bump up the exercise. In order to keep it interesting I'm going to be conducting a little "taste test", if you will, of the thousands of exercise DVDs that I own. OK I exaggerate, I don't own a thousand exercise DVDs, but I do own a lot! More than I need....in fact, if I did them all I wouldn't have a weight problem! Anyhow, I'm going to work out and blog one DVD regularly and hopefully find the ones that I will actually stick with and weed out the others. I'll be starting with a Yoga Booty Ballet DVD(an impulse buy)

Randomness Steve Martin style

Ummm. What the heck???I thought I had a lot of useless 80s trivia rolling around in my head, but The New Show? Never heard of it! Must have been an SNL knock off or something! The rest of you may not think this is funny, but I think it's hysterical! And since I get to decide what the Randomness for Rhonda post will be...I'm going with the always funny Steve Martin!

Rhonda....Welcome Back! You were missed!

Look Great in 2008 Challenge

Yesterday was the first day to sign in to the Tales from the Scales Challenge but I'm sure they'll forgive me for being a bit late!

I'll continue the weekly weigh ins and scales tales posts now that the new challenge has started. I like that this challenge starts in September and doesn't end until after New Year's. That takes away the whole "New Year's Resolution" thing...at which I normally fail. The other thing that is cool about Tales is the support from others who play along. It's comforting(in a sick & twisted way) to know that other people are struggling with their weight! All kidding aside, I thoroughly enjoy and am inspired by reading their weekly posts. I will do better about leaving encouraging comments this time around. So many encouraging words have come my way and it's time to reciprocate!

Yes, I did lose some weight during the May Day challenge! I had lost a few pounds before it ever started as well. However, if I'm being honest, the last time around the weigh ins kept me from gaining more than anything else. SO, rather than just continuing on, I want to start over with this challenge. Try harder. Be stronger.

I've been thinking about what my weight "issues" are.

1. I don't like to eat healthy. I just don't. I like junk food, I'm not gonna lie!
2. I don't drink enough water. Sometimes I go for weeks without drinking a drop.
3. Exercise. I can take it or leave it. I don't hate it, but given the choice, I won't do it.
4. I'm seriosly addicted to regular sodas, especially Coke.
   
5. I don't hold myself accountable. I KNOW I should track what I eat, but I don't.
6. I'm not an overly positive person. I tend to see the bad first and get hung up on it.

So there we have it. I' could probably come up with a few more roadblocks if I really thought about it, but in the interest of becoming more positive, I'll stop here. So I know what my major hangups are. What do I need to do lose weight?

Ummm... Try this...

1. Eat healthier! You like fruit, right? Start there and move on to veggies a little at a time!
2. Fix yourself a glass of water everyday in that huge WW mug of yours and drink it...twice! Just twice and you're at the recommended amount of H2O for the day!
3. Do not let exercise be an option. Just Do It!
4. Write down what you eat!
5. Stop drinking regular cokes! Just suck it up and drink the diet stuff..or WATER!
   
6. Quit being so stinkin' negative! Focus on how much better you'll feel 37 pounds from now!

I feel I should tell you that I don't normally talk to myself...

Anyhow, those are my goals. Just six little things. Shouldn't be that difficult, right? As far as a targeted amount of weight loss for this challenge, I think if I stick to the list above, I should be able to lose at least 16 pounds by the Jan. date. If I can lose more, hey, that'd be great! 16 pounds is about a pound per week, if I counted the weeks correctly. As much as I'd like the weight to fall off, I know that if it comes off slowly I'm more likely to keep it off . Now if we're talking big picture, I'd like to be 62 pounds thinner than I am in the horrid before-before shot you're about to see. I'm not one to cry over being fat. I figure I made myself this way with bad eating habits(ironic that I'm about to feed my face in that picture)and a lack of exercise. Still, this picture nearly makes me want to cry(nearly, but not). I was FAT!!! OK, I'm STILL fat, but good grief! Put me in a red suit and I could've passed for Santa last Christmas!
As a reminder of my progress thus far and to gauge progress for the NEW challenge, I'm posting my before pic for this challenge as an after from the last! It's not a huge difference, but it is a difference and it shows that I am capable of losing weight! Hopefully by January, I'll see some real progress.

Good luck to everyone participating in the challenge! IF you want to get in on the action, read some great articles and motivational postings then head on over to Tales from the Scales!

An Anniversary!

Today is Mark and my 20th Wedding Anniversary. That's right, I said 20 years! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by... I thought rather than go on with a long narrative about the ups and downs of married life or get all mushy-gushy(I'm so not a mushy-gushy girl), I'd simply post a picture from our special day.And one from now. This is what 20 years of marriage looks like, folks :)Mark, I love you! Happy Anniversary!

Tales from the Scales Check-In

Just got in from parent-teacher conferences and I have mere minutes before my all time favorite reality show ever, the Biggest Loser begins for the season. Gotta make this quick! FYI: No one ever comes to see the librarian at Parent/Teacher conferences!

• This week I lost a pound. One puny pound. But I DID lose...will try a bit harder this week.

• I did start back to WW meeting this week! Go Me!

• Hoping that watching people who are much more overweight than I exercising ten times harder and longer will motivate me to do more in that area!

Off to the couch with me!


ACK! Not off to the couch just yet! I just went to sign up and realized this was the last weigh in! I'll say this...I really appreciate all of the encouraging comments and kind words(not to mention a song) that the TFTS gals have given me through the challenge. Thanks so much! I hope there is a new challenge issued, I'd like to keep playing! OK....now...gotta run...I'll post my before/after and whatnot later. I'm seriously NOT missing a minute of BL!!! Sick and twisted, I know! :) Any other BL fanatics out there?

Cookbook!

Here it is...my cookbook! I'm pretty proud of it! I love the cover...it's the same picture as my blog header, a vintage sour cream ad! The title, Kellie Cooks: A recipe collection including favorites from family & friends. The fun vintage illustrations came from "the home meal planner: a key to better meals". These were available on the heritage cookbook website and free for use, but I was lucky enough to find my own copy at a local antique mall. The illustrations worked perfectly for section dividers once I added my headings! Part of the fun in this whole project was being able to include photos and personalize it to suit my own needs and tastes! My main intent was to have a cookbook that would work for me, and that's what I got!
I sent emails and letters and generally bugged the crap out of people for recipes. They knew this was going to be a cookbook for me to use, and they all know of my cooking skills or lack thereof. My friends and family really came through for me! Thankfully, the recipes are relatively easy! No longer must I fear potlucks! And the food...things that I will actually eat! No crazy ingredients! Lots of chicken, potatoes and desserts. But hey! that's my kind of eatin'! There are even a few vegan recipes included for Mark and he was very happy about that! Of course, if I actually make those vegan dishes for him, I'm sure he'll be even more appreciative...once he picks himself up off the floor! I was able to add a few of my own recipes along with some that have been on my list to try. It's so convenient to have them all in one handy-dandy little book! In addition to those easy recipes I mentioned, there are special recipes from the people I love the most...my immediate and extended family, my closest friends. I won't lie, Mamaw Doris' Whole Wheat Rolls, aren't easy, but they are an icon of my childhood and not one person in the entire family doesn't smile and make yum-yum noises when they are mentioned! Having those recipes and others, like my Mama Lucille's carrot cake for instance, makes it more than just another cookbook!Thanks again to everyone who sent me a recipe(or several)! Actually, I got so many recipes that I wasn't able to put them all in! How's that for generosity? I hope you all know how much I truly appreciate it!Since it was ME who put this together after all, ya'll won't be surprised to learn that I managed to get at least one recipe in that was missing a step(Edith's Chess Squares). I thought I proofread thoroughly, but evidently not. It's possible that I'll discover a few more that are wrong, but nothing I can't pencil in and correct! I was disappointed when I realized that I somehow managed to leave out Grandma Doris' recipe for homemade noodles. They are delicious and deserve to be cooked and eaten...often! If you're even considering putting together a cookbook...and I'll bet you are...I cannot recommend heritagecookbook.com enough! The process was fun and easy easy easy! Susan, the head honcho, was very helpful and always friendly! If you are more organized than I, you can finish it up in the free 30 day trial membership period and pay only printing/shipping costs. Alright...I'm starting to sound like a commercial. Don't mean to, but I want to mention how thrilled I am with this company and I think they do offer an awesome service!I'd like to invite you all to leave your favorite simple recipes in my comments (anytime, anywhere) or leave links to your EASY, non-fussy ingredient recipes! For my friends who don't have a blog and I can't talk you into one(leave me floating around in cyberspace looking all friendless, why don'tcha!), you CAN leave comments & recipes! No one will ever know your true identity---so stop worrying about bad grammar and typos! You know who you are, girls and boys!

Random & Utterly unFascinating Facts about Me

So I got tagged by Kristiem10 whose blog you'll find here. Thanks for inviting me to play along, gal!

These are the tag rules:
Post the rules before you give the facts. Post eight random facts about yourself. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag eight people and list their names. Leave the people you tagged a comment on their blog, letting them know that they've been tagged.

Eight random & not so fascinating facts about me that you may or may not know...

1. I am seriously and I do mean seriously creeped out by monkeys. ESPECIALLY chimpanzees. ooooh...I have full body shivers from thinking about how much they creep me out.
2. I really dig Rockabilly clothing and am jealous of girls who can pull off that look. If I were 15 years younger and fifty pounds thinner, I'd totally wear it.
3. I like raisins but I don't like anything that has raisins in it.
4. I LOVE showtunes, Broadway, and movie musicals. Secretly, I dream of starring in a Broadway musical despite my overwhelming lack of singing, dancing and acting skills.
5. Back to # 2...I used to sell vintage clothing (even though I was too fat to wear them) on ebay and made tons of money! Once I made enough to pay cash to install a patio on our old house.
6. I like doing laundry.
7. If do-overs were possible, I'd go to an artsy-fartsy school and study photography instead of becoming a librarian.
8. In real life, I'm even more of a doofus than I appear to be on this blog.

So there you have it! However, I'm changing the rules at this point. And since I never break the rules in "real life", I'm being a real rebel here, ya'll! ....my rule is if you wanna play, post a comment here and a link to your eight random facts :) if you don't, that's OK too!

Edith's Chess Squares

Funny that in my last post I was mentioning my weight gain and here I am minutes later talking about chess squares. I'm nonchalant like that.

Since this blog is supposed to be partially cooking related I wanted to let everyone know that YES, I have actually made some edible treats as of late. Not everything has been stitched or stuffed!

I've made several dishes that I've already blogged, so won't rehash those at the moment. BUT I did prepare some of the most delectable(if overly gooey) desert bars ever last week & the week before that; Ediths Chess Squares. My good friend Stacey gave me the recipe. I've had them several times when Stacey has made them and I swear time stands still when sink your teeth in. They are that good. As I mentioned, mine were gooey, both times. But did that stop me from taking them to family functions? NO. Did it stop my family from eating them? HECK no! I don't think anyone even talked while they were sampling...except for the occasional nearly incoherent comments made with our mouths full "Nish es Gooo!" and "MMM!...wa ush innis?" and you know, those noises you make when stuff tastes really good? Like "ahmahamaha! "?

I talked to Stacey about these bars today at work and she figured out my gooey problem. It was the pan. I was taking them to Mom's and wanted the ease of not having lug around and wash a dish so I baked them in a flimsy aluminum baking dish instead of the glass dish the recipe called for. I didn't think it would make a difference. When I got home tonight I checked my cookbook and realized, being the ditz that I am, I had left that part out when I put it in my now published Cookbook. Dangit! I don't know if I read it wrong, was trying to save space and left out a few words(which wouldn't make sense), if I just got in a hurry and skipped it or what! I guess I'll have to tell everyone who gets a copy to pencil that important detail in. I wonder how many more of my friend/family's recipes I screwed up in the cookbook process??

If you bake these, make sure you use a GLASS BAKING DISH. It's the secret to non-gooey bars. But I'm telling you this after telling you that...they were heavenly...despite my goof up and their gooeyness! HEAVENLY!

Edith's Chess Squares
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted

1 80z. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 box powdered sugar

Combine butter, cake mix and 1 egg in mixer bowl; mix well. Press
into 9x13 inch GLASS baking dish. Combine 2 eggs, confectioners' sugar and cream cheese in mixer bowl; mix until smooth. Spread over cake mix layer. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cut into squares.
32 servings

Thank you Stacey for sharing this recipe with me...you know how I loves me some chess bars!

Tales from the Scales Tuesday

OK, so...last week I refused to weigh and vowed to weigh this week...Good or Bad. Well, it's bad. 3 pounds bad. Now, I could look at it this way: I mainted for three weeks and somehow managed to gain three pounds last week, OR I might say that since July 31 I've ONLY gained 3 pounds while being totally off program OR I could put an even more positive spin on it and say I gained something like EIGHT pounds in the month I was off program and managed to lose a whopping FIVE pounds of it this week???!!! Since I refused to weigh last week and haven't a clue what I've weighed the last month, I guess we'll never know! But that's OK. I have a new starting point, anyway.

Went to the grocery Monday and bought healthier foods and low WW points snacks. Plan to get in at least a 30 min. workout before bed tonight. Feeling pretty good, regardless of todays numbers. Thanks to those of you who offered words of encouragement last week. Someone said and I agree...fessing up...that helped get me in a better frame of mind.

taking a bloggy break from cleaning

Was messing around in iphoto this morning and came across these pictures. The Puss in Boots puppet (all handmade)was gift from Jackie and Scott. I love him and can't wait to show him off to the kids at school, but am trying to find a good version of Puss in Boots to read.

NOW...I really should be house cleaning. I don't know how two people and three cats can make such a mess, but somehow we manage. Since I've started back to work, the house is unbearably messy. SO today I've locked myself in (while Mark is off at the flea market)to at least try and get it to the point where I'm not embarrassed if someone comes to the door! Been at it a while, SO...decided I needed a break. I sat down to check up on some blogs and see what photos I had to post and realized I've got a few things to share. Here you go:

I have finally finished my bears in waistcoats from Toys to Sew. Here's a look at them. I'm mostly happy with them.. I d like to try again in felt and hand stitch rather than machine stitch. They were literally a bear to turn and stuff so they next time I may enlarge the pattern a bit.

I made this apron to put in an auction basket from my region for the upcoming KY School Library/Media Association Conference. Ours was a cooking theme, so I thought what better to add than an apron? I'm really pleased with this one. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination...but I do like the color/print combinations. It's Simplicity Pattern 3752 and was one of the easier aprons I've made. Except for the waistband. I have a strong disklike for sewing on waistbands. Someday I WILL master it!

Finally, for now, this is the dog made from a glove from the appropriately named book, Sock & Glove. I'd like to try more of these. I had some trouble getting the arms on, but I think this is one of those things where practice really does make perfect. Still, he is pretty dog-gone cute! (I hear ya'll groaning!)Allright, the dirty cat hair covered floors are calling, better get at it.

Scared of my scales

Yeah, ummm, so I've not been participating in the challenge for maybe three/four weeks now. I think I actually feel worse about not signing in and not checking up on the other participants than I do over not losing any weight myself. How crazy is that? Anyhow, I hope I can weigh in next week, because this week, I don't wanna. So, please forgive me for not weighing in, TFTS gals.

This week, I just don't want to know. What happened? Don't really know. I just sorta stopped, and when I was doing good too! I've eaten my way through family get togethers, birthdays, Saturday afternoon movies and weeknight binges in the past three weeks. I 've stopped exercise for no apparent reason. Have skipped WW for three weeks. I've not had a glass of water in weeks.

I could blame it on the stress of going back to work after nearly three months of Summer bliss, but I'm not sure that's it. In fact, I don't think there is any deep psychological reason behind my current slump. I just got lazy. This girl, like Cyndi Lauper and her pals, just wants to have fun. And, well, food is fun. I don't even hate exercise, but couch time & crafting are more fun, so I've been doing that instead.

But alas, I've noticed some of my new clothes(which I bragged about so loudly on this blog) are starting to hit the "they still button/zip but are no longer comfortable" point. And I hate that.

It probably wouldn't take much to get the weight loss going again. A trip to the grocery store for some decent food would help. Putting on my walking shoes after work would help and drinking some water would help too. NOT stopping at McDonald's every morning before heading into school would really help. Staying far away from the Dr. Pepper machine in the teacher's lounge would probably help most of all. Luckily I haven't fallen so far off the wagon that I can't pull myself back up.

Calories in vs. calories burned. I know the drill. I know what I need to do, guess I'll try and start doing it. Still not fun.

HOWEVER, shopping is fun. Maybe I should reward myself with every five pounds by going on a little shopping spree or by putting back 20 bucks per every 5 pounds till I have enough $$ for a shopping spree? I may have just discovered my new motivational strategy. Will think on it more...

I will sign in next week and I will weigh, good or bad...I don't want to be a quitter. The challenge ends in a few weeks, hopefully I can lose at least one more pound by the end. If I do, perhaps I'll be properly motivated to jump in if a new challenge is issued.

My First FQ Swap

I joined a FQ swap on Flickr. I was assigned a swap partner and we each were to send three FQ and a gift of some sort. Once received, you snap a photo and share your goodies in the flickr gallery. Sounded like fun to me!

The August swap was my first and my partner was Lori. After reading through her likes and dislikes, I settled on patriotic and cats for a theme. I found some cute red and blue FQ at Jo-Ann Fabrics to send along with a cat notepad. I also sent along a set of two dishtowels on which I had embroidered some WWII Victory patterns that just happened to have cats on them. The photo is posted here. It was fun trying to decide on what to send. Then of course I worried that she wouldn't like it...but she did! Yay! Except once I received her package, I kinda felt like I should go out and shop and send her more stuff!

I got THIS from Lori... Have you ever seen the like? It's fantastic! WAY more goodies than I ever expected! And the fat quarters? Gorgeous. Love the colors and patterns, especially the circle print! You've got to get a good look at it...click on the photo for a closer view! Can't wait to use them, but at the same time I'm going to hate to cut into these, they're so stinkin' cute! Along with the fun and happy FQ she sent:

1. A set of critter tea lights! So cute!
   
2. A pink patchwork handmade bag that is absolutely darling! Love, love, LOVE it!
3. A fun mulit-colored ribbon trim.
4. A pattern for making a bag from FQ.
   
5. Some super cute fabric flowers w/tiny button centers in wonderful colors.
6. A pack of heart shaped buttons which I didn't find till after I'd taken the photo(there was sooo much stuff in the box that I missed them!)
7. A magnet w/ladies sewing that reads "Friendship"
   
8. The most adorable button bouquet...never would have thought of that in a million years! I will be borrowing this idea for later gifting.
   

I love it all...the more I dug through the box the more shocked I was! What? There's MORE!? Woo Hoo! Everything was wrapped and packaged so nicely...it was a treat just opening the box and pulling stuff out! I can't gush enough! Now I've never met my swap partner Lori but she's mighty generous, thoughtful and she's obviously a lot of fun to pick out such a happy bundle of goodies. She really made my day!