Week 13 YoP

Another week, another blog update, another day to celebrate life with loved ones.  And the best part of this past week.....................Fall.  I so love that season.  Here in the Arizona Desert, fall normally doesn't truly hit for about another 2-4 weeks.  We are still living with the Air Conditioning on, but...........the nights are cooling off where we can sit out back and enjoy the fresh evening air.  Our days are still in the 90's but hopefully, the 100's have gone for the next 6 months.  

I made progress this week.  Last week I was concerned about the size of the Azel I was making.  I continued working on it all day Sunday and finally decided it was too big for the person getting it.  Rip it, rip it, rip it..................................I cast it back on to the next smaller size and am much happier with it.

I am almost done with the first skein of yarn and have 2 more to do before I switch to the back portion.  I have enjoyed learning the way this designer does button holes.  I have already completed 2 sets of them and have 5 more sets to go. I haven't worked on it much since Monday.  I decided I wanted to work on this:

I was so close to doing the heel on the pedicure sock, I just HAD to put everything else aside and do it.  I am so in love with this heel.  Never a hole and so darn easy to do.  Luckily for me, most of the people I make socks for have the same size foot as I do so I don't have to do more than one cardboard cut out for about 4 of us.

This has been my main project this past week.  With all the craziness I needed a mindless knit and this fits the bill.

Hubby's socks are back in time out until after all the Christmas knitting is done.

Ok, if you don't care about my personal life, you can scroll down to the comment section, leave me a comment and go about your day.  

As I told you in my last post, I joined WW a week ago.  I am doing well on it and am pleased with the fact, I have not really had to change the way we eat all that much.  Portion control is the big thing and I am being very careful to measure and track as accurately as I can.  We even went out to dinner last night and I was able to track what was in my wrap. 

I think my favorite line from WW is:  If it goes in your smacker, it goes in your tracker.  Love it.

I was faithful about going to the gym until I injured my hip Friday night at a concert.  There was a deep step (almost 2 feet) that I didn't see and went to step and landed on my foot but jammed my leg into my hip.  (I hope that makes sense).  We had to go through that step twice in the evening and even with me knowing it was there the 2nd time, I did the same thing.  There was nothing to hold onto going down that step and I am not exactly a spring chicken anymore.  My RA has robbed me of quite a bit of muscle tone.  That is the reason of me hitting the gym again.  I want it back!  Anyway..............I am hoping to get back there Monday morning.  Even if I can not walk my normal 30 minutes, I can work out on the machines to increase my muscle strength and tone.  I feel so much better now that I am moving first thing in the morning.

I also told you that Brother and I had looked at some group homes for my mom to move to. It would bring her much closer to my home.  We gave her all the info and she made her decision.  She has decided to stay where she is.  This actually is not a bad idea.  Her primary Doctor owns that facility and that is a big comfort to us.  He is an excellent Doctor too.  She has managed to obtain other specialty Doctors she needs on that side of town too. I figure, if she is happy and comfortable there, than that is where she should stay.  

We had our local Grand Daughter for the weekend.  She has gone home now and boy, is my house quiet, other than the football games going on the TV.  We had so much fun with her.  It is getting to the point in her life where she would rather be with her friends then with the moldy oldy grandparents.  So we cherish each sleepover we have with her.

This coming week looks pretty quiet according to my appointment calendar. Other than my normal routine, Wednesday is my busiest with appointments for me and my puppies that day.  Friday, hubby and I are going to our good friends house for the evening to socialize and chit chat.  This is my good friend with the cancer.  Right now, she is done with radiation and the brain tumor has not grown, nor has it shrunk.  So they are waiting for a couple of months and then will revisit what to do next.

Ok, I think that is about all I have for today.  I have made my menu for the week, done a load of laundry, written out my grocery list, updated my blog and now I am going to head to the grocery store.  After that it will be time to sit and work on projects until it is time to cook dinner.

Until next time....................................Happy Crafting!

Wednesday post on Thursday?

I normally like to update here on Wednesday, but as you see that did not happen this week. This week has been crazy busy but all in a good way.

Monday, my brother arrived in town for a brief visit with our mom and stayed with hubby and I.  He also has a high school friend here in town that he contacted and had dinner with one evening.  He left this morning to head home.  He lives in East Texas, so that is quite a trip and he does it on his motorcycle.  It's a nice bike though and very quite!  He said that 10 hours in the seat is not too bad at all.  Wow, I don't think I could do that.  I have a hard time doing 8 hours in a car!

I started back to the gym on Sunday and was very faithful all week until yesterday.  I needed a day off to let my muscles recoup.  This morning, I was back at the gym working all those rested muscles out again.  My energy level has increased already just from the few days I have been back at it.  I also have noticed my stress level is down too.  Ok, so maybe my Doctor was right and exercise is good for you.  Darn it.................Hate when she knows what she is talking about.

I started on Weight Watcher Sunday also.  My first meeting I was able to get to was last night.  I think I am doing pretty good and once I figure out all the ins and outs of the app on my phone/tablet, it will go much smoother.  Plus, there are some little things that are not in the app that make a big difference on your daily totals.  For instance..........If you blend your fruit into a smoothie, it is 2 points for each 1/2 cup of fruit.  (bananas are 5 points blended) If you eat/chew the fruit it is 0 points!  I had been having a smoothie each morning for the past several month and could not figure out why my weight was not moving.  Now I know.  Your stomach has to work in different ways for solid food vs. blended/liquidfied foods.  Go figure. Anyway, now that I know that, I have changed up my breakfast.  Otherwise, I am doing well on the plan and love the fact I can eat ANY food I want.

Tuesday was kind of a quiet day for us.  I picked up our grand daughter from school and took her to her volleyball game and that was about all I did for the day.  (Other than the gym) So I got some knitting done that day which will be posted about on Sunday.

Wednesday morning, Brother and I went looking at group homes for our mom to move into. She is in an assisted living home now and it is fine other than it is quite a drive for me to go and see her.  We found a couple of very nice homes that are less than 1/2 a mile from my house.  I would feel so much better with her closer to me in case of an emergency.  We gave her all the info on the homes and told her she needs to make the decision if she wants to move or stay where she is.  We won't make it for her.  

The past 24 hours have been tough on me.  I know mom will get great care where she is and also in either of the 2 new places we found.  I worry about her finances, her happiness, her ability to adjust to change, her health, and all sorts of stuff.  Talked to hubby about my concerns this morning and he gave me sound advice...................Turn it over to God.  Dang it..................another great idea.  So that is what I did.  While I was on the treadmill this morning, I turned it all over to Him and told Him not to let me take it back........EVER!

My mind is much more at peace, my stomach is no longer in knots, I feel like a large burden has been lifted off of me.  Can I get an AMEN?

So for the rest of today, I will do laundry, smoke a turkey breast, knit on my WIP's (works in progress) and maybe watch a movie or two that we have recorded.  If my mom calls and says she wants to move, than I will be doing some fast and furious leg work to see if I can get her moved out by the 8th of next month.

So...........until next time......................Happy Crafting

YoP week 12

Hello everyone.  I missed posting last week.  Hubby and I took a little trip to Las Vegas to visit his mother and we also were in a BINGO tournament.  It was a very busy time as we also visited a couple of dear friends while there too.  It went by very fast, and I am so happy to be back home and in my own bed.

Let's start this blog post with my crafting accomplishments.

Azel is completed...............almost.  I have a couple of ends to weave in and also need to purchase buttons for it.  This is one for a child size 8/10.  The next child one I make will be the 11/12.  One grand daughter is a little bigger than the other.

I started on another Azel right away.

  This is being done in the L/XL and I am not sure I very fond of the size.  The child's size was not as big as it was supposed to be and this one seems to be larger than told.  Same yarn, same needle size but yet different gauges.  Go figure.  I will continue on with this one until the first skein is used and then make my decision as to whether to keep or rip it out and do the next size down.  But here is the funny part................the next size down is only 4 stitches less/ or 1 inch.  Not a huge difference.  I am just trying to make sure there is enough room for them to wear a sweater under it.  Neither of the recipients is a large person but one has broad shoulders and the other is thick through the middle.  Hmmmmm

While I was on the road, this was my companion

Even though I had taken all my WIP's, the pedicure sock is what got my attention the most.  I worked on it for a few hours while in bingo and then for a little bit on the way home.  I have only worked on it a small amount since coming home.  I was kind of upset when I saw the pooling of the colors, but the more I knit on it, the better I like it.

The road trip was so much fun.  I got to try out my new camera.  Hubby was kind enough to  pull out into one of those scenic areas and let me play.

Here are a few shots:

The Colorado river running through a canyon.

Same shot without my 'special' lens on the camera.  I have the sun protector on and it seems to capture the edges of it when on wide angle.

Part of the mountains we are blessed to have in Arizona.

Every time we go to Las Vegas and I see these mountains I think of the song America the Beautiful where it talks about Purple Mountains Majesty.  I so love the state I live in.  If I head up to the mountains straight north of where I live, they are covered with beautiful pine trees.  A big difference from these mountains. Most people don't realize 65% of Arizona is mountains.  In the winter you can drive 1 hour north and go snow skiing and head 1 hour south and go water skiing.  Where else can you do that?

It also looks like I got a hair or something on the lens while shooting the photo.  It was a might bit windy out there.  We were about 2 miles away from the area where the river was running.  I am very happy with the camera and am still learning how to use it.

This week, my brother comes to town to visit mom.  While he is here, we are going to look for a group home for her that is closer to me.  I really don't like driving over 15 miles just to see her for a couple of hours.  Keeping my fingers crossed that we will find something.

I started back to the gym today.  It has been a looooong time since I had been there.  It felt so good to be there and moving again.  I don't know if hubby will be ready to start back again tomorrow, but I plan on trying to go 5-6 times a week anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Not too many people there at 8am on Sunday morning.  It was nice......I was able to get every machine I wanted to work on.

I also signed up for Weight Watchers.  I had done WW before, but only the online version. That was not a good fit for me.  There really was no motivation for me doing it alone on line. This time I signed up for meetings and received the online as a bonus.  I will give it 3 months and see how I do in that time frame. I am not expecting to be at my goal in three months........I will be lucky to be at my goal by my birthday next year.  There is a necessity to get this weight off so my blood pressure will go down, my arthritis will be better and I will be happy to shop for clothes again too.  I am also friends with a family that has been doing WW for about 6 months now and they have done so well.  They have really inspired me.

Not much else to report this week.  I have all my chores for the day done already.  So now I will turn on the TV, watch some football, knit on my WIP's and maybe take a bit of a nap.  I have been awake since 3 this morning!  That is one of the downsides of Arthur.....Insomnia. It usually continues for about 4 days and then I have a night where I will sleep for 10-12 hours.  Growing old is not for sissies!

Until next week...............................Happy Crafting!

Week 10

Happy Sunday everyone.  It is once again time to update my blog and my crafting info.

I had a finished item this week.

The men's prayer shawl is completed and delivered to the prayer shawl ministry at my parish.  I should probably start another one since I seem to have a ton of worsted weight yarn in colors suitable for a man.  Most of the colors are variegated  browns.  They remind me of fall and I now know it takes almost a pound of yarn to make this large enough for a gentleman.  It can be used over his shoulders or on his lap.  It ended up being around 5.5 feet long and about 3.5 feet wide.

I am now working on Azel number 1.  There really isn't that much more to show on it than the last time I pictured it on here.  I still have about 7 inches left to do on the back and then I can start the neck.  The bulky yarn is making this go quite fast.

I also worked a tiny bit on the pedicure sock and am now off the rib and onto the leg.  That is my take along project.  I have been taking my BFF to her physical therapy appointments and that fits so nicely in my purse....................so it goes everywhere with me.

Hubby and I are taking a little vacation this coming weekend.  I really need this vacation.  It has been a bit stressful around here and if you read my mid week post you know why.  I will take the Azel to work on in the car and also will take the pedicure sock to take with me for my short little trips we will be doing during the day.

The game I told you about, ya know, the time sucking one, is officially going to be closed as of this coming Friday.  It may close earlier than that, as most of my stock is sold out and I really don't see a huge reason to continue once the store is empty.  I have met some really wonderful people while playing the game though.  Many of them have befriended me on facebook and several others asked for my blog address.  So for those of you who are from Fashion Story.................welcome!

This weekend is Labor Day.  Today, my son and his family will be coming over to swim and have dinner with us.  Tomorrow my BFF and her hubby are coming over for dinner and a swim.  It won't be long before the pool is too chilly to get into anymore.  Once the night time temps go below 80, that water cools off quickly.  It has been below 80 all week, so we are hoping we can get another week or two out of it yet.

I am looking forward to some milder temperatures.  By September, I am pretty well tired of the 105F and above temps.  This coming week, we are not even suppose to hit 100F which will be a welcomed change.  BUT...................yes, there is always a but................We will still be in the 90's with rain which makes is horribly sticky and yucky outside.  So, you will see me inside with needles or hooks in my hands, crafting away.

After we return from our little vacation, I will be heading back to the gym.  Now that the time sucking game is completed, I will have the time in the morning to head out, exercise, come home, shower, do some housework or run errand, and then go and see my mom or transport my BFF to any appointments she may have.  My BFF is hoping to have her boot off soon, but I am kind of thinking it could be another week or two before she can drive again.  I really don't mind taking her to work and appointments, it gives us time to talk without interruptions, which is so nice.  

Oh!!!!!!  I got my new camera.  I am so excited.  Now, I just need a degree from MIT to learn how to use it.  One of my lovely blogging buddies suggested doing Utube videos.  I think, that is what I will do.  I have played around with it for the past two days and love the photos I am getting with it.  I really want to explore more of it's features and what it will do especially since I have lots of lenses for it too.  Hubby said he will help me with some of it.  He use to do photography for the police department he worked for, at crime scenes.  (They didn't have a CSI unit when we were first married, so the officers had to do forensics AND solve the crime).  So that will give us a bit of a hobby to do together.  I keep offering to teach him to knit or crochet, but he just doesn't seem all that thrilled with that idea.  LOL

My brother is coming into town, this month, to visit our mom.  Normally he only comes once a year, so this will be so nice for her to see him again this year.  It won't be a long stay, but everyday she gets to see him is a bonus.

I had better get off of here and get the steaks marinated for dinner tonight.  There will be a  nice salad to go with it too.  Not to mention cupcakes that are going to be baked for dessert.  YUM!

Until next time......................Happy Crafting

What Happened?

What happened to my life?  Seriously.   It seems to be running away from me and I am having a horrible time catching up.  So much has been happening in the past few months.  Things I have no control over. 

When I retired, I had been informed I would be busier than if I continued to work 40 hours a week.  I thought these people were nuts.  Dang it........they were right.

Let me just tell you what's going on.

One of my dear friends was diagnosised with Lung cancer a couple of months ago.  She has a fantastic Dr and has been receiving radiation treatments for it.  She is not a surgical candidate because of other health issues.  She had finishe her treatments and the lesion had shrunk.  Yippee! Then she ends up in the hospital with what everyone thoight was a stroke.  Nope, her cancer has metastasized to her brain.  More radiation treatments are started immediately.  Her hair fell out this week,  she is now wearing a wig (and it looks fantastic).  She knows she is incurable and has pretty much made her peace about that.  Her family......not so much.......me.......it hurts to think of life without her.  But, she is here now and I am trying to spend more time with her to make lasting memories.

My BFF fell last week and has a messed up ligament in her right leg.  She can not drive so I have been taking her to and from work and to her physical therapy appointments.  Hubby picks her up twice a week, from work.  Hopefully she will be out of her boot in about 10 more days.  She hates depending on others for help.

I got hooked on a time sucking computer game this year.  Last week I informed my fellow players I was leaving the game.  It takes at least 2 hours a day to complete the daily work on  the game. I was becoming obsessed with the game.  Since I started playing the game, I have gained weight.........more than is healthy.  The time I spent on the game will be used for going to the gym.   So I did take control of that part of my life.

I still go to see my mom twice a week for 2-3 hours.  That, I do not mind doing.  She is stuck in her group home and can not get out to visit others.  After all she did for me during my life, I owe her more than I will ever be able to repay.

We leave next week for a little get away.  I need it to recharge my batteries.  I need to take contol of my life again.  I need to learn to say NO.  I need to sort priorities.  I may have to hurt feelings a time or two.  So be it.  I need some ME time and right now, I am not getting any.  My social calendar from now until the first week of December is jammed packed.

I have bought airline tickets for a trip to Dallas to see my other Grands.  I am going by myself and the kiddos are in school and the parents work so........sounds like a dream come true.   Some truly alone time,

Ok, I'm done venting. Thank goodness for this blog.  A place to air my i ner most thoughts.  It doesn't even matter if anyone reads this.  I am just happy to spew it out.

Now to go back to my knitting

Until next time..........Happy Crafting