Happenings With The Diet...

Well....OK, I will likely never be this thin (or tan for goodness sake) again.  But wouldn't it be nice!  LOL!

I'm plugging away on the diet front and am in my fourth week of the South Beach Diet.  I just switched over to Phase II on Monday, I'll be curious to see how my body adjusts to adding carbohydrates back into my diet. 

Good news is that I've lost nine pounds (yeah!); first goal met.  My next goal is ten pounds.  I'm thinking that will be a little slower going, but maybe by the end of April?  

I'm hoping the weather will start cooperating and that I'll be able to get outside with some daily walking.  

I was in my 20's in this photo and having fun in Myrtle Beach.  Like I said, I'll likely never be this thin again; it was (cough, cough) more than 20 years ago.  

:-)

HDP

A Little Humor...

I received this in an e-mail from a good friend. 

It brought a smile to my face, so I thought I'd share..

:-)

 

HDP

Woo Hoo! I Finished It!

I finished up dear son's Vintage Horizontal Stripe this evening.  I was busy-busy, weaving in ends this weekend and working on the border. 

The little one's been asking me, "Is it done yet?, Do you have my blanket done yet?".  What's a mother to do, but set aside all other projects and wrap this up.   

It was a cold day today and last night the temperatures dipped down into the 20's.  But the sun was shining brightly this evening...

This pattern is made using double crochet stitches.....let me tell you, that's a lot of double crochets!  Whew!

I have it in the wash right now so that my little guy will be able to take it to bed with him.  He was so excited, "It's done!, It's done!".  

And, so am I, "It's done!".  

:-)

HDP

New Trails

  “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

  - Ralph Waldo Emerson -  

 

 Wishing you new trails to discover... 

 Have a great weekend!

 HDP

Thankful....

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.

 

 - Henry Van Dyke - 

Hubby brought me flowers yesterday on his way home from work.  

Our house is still turned in-side-out from the plumbing incident.  Good news though, the plumbing leak has been repaired, the walls are dry, and the dry wall workers will be here tomorrow to start patching the holes in my walls.

Dear son is starting to feel better, I'm happy to see his little perky self return. 

Due to the down time we've had this week, I've been able to get in a nice amount of crochet time.  I finished the back of the Dainty Mesh Vest.  It moved really quickly.  I'm used to making afghans that usually take a month or two to complete...

tomorrow, I'll start one of the sides...

Grateful for the little things that mean so much.  

HDP

Progress Report...

Well, here is my progress so far on the Dainty Mesh Vest.  This is the back of the vest up to the arms.  Next row will start my decreases.  It took several attempts to get it to the point where I was satisfied with it.  I think acrylic yarn is much more "forgiving" than cotton.

I really do like the yarn though, it's very nice to work with, not splitty at all.  And, the soft green color reminds me of spring!  

:-)

Speaking of yarn, my order from Joanne's arrived this afternoon!  Yeah!  I think I'll work on dear son's blanket this evening once I get him settled in bed. He's still not feeling well, and spent most of the day lounging on the sofa.  Hope the little guy feels better tomorrow.

Joy in yarn, and crochet, and hobby time, and crochet hooks, and pattern books, and more!

HDP

Dainty Mesh Vest - A New Project

I'm going to embark on a new adventure!  I'm excited, yet apprehensive too.  I'm going to make my first article of clothing!

This book, Crochet with Style, was one of my very first pattern books I ever purchased.  I think I bought it "used" from Amazon.  Most of the projects in the book have a timeless sense of style and the patterns look easy to follow (we shall see!).

The pattern, Dainty Mesh Vest (above), calls for Lustersheen, but I couldn't find that at any of my local Michael's or Joanne's.  I did however, find this Paton's Grace mercerized cotton marked down on clearance.  They had the amount I needed, all in the same dye lot, and since it's a summer type vest, I thought the cotton was a good option.

I also had to get some new crochet hooks.  The pattern uses both a "D" (3.25 mm) and an "E" (3.50 mm) size hook; neither of which I owned.  At the time of purchase, I had a 50% off coupon, so it was actually less expensive to purchase the multiple sizes than the two hooks individually.

I still have two other projects "on my hook".  I'm at the halfway point on my Vintage Horizontal Stripe, but ran out of yarn this morning.  And, I just have a small amount of yarn left on my "surprise" project I'm working on.  Luckily, I have yarn on order from Joanne's from when they were having their on-line 30% off yarn sale and Free Shipping.

On the home front, dear son came down with a fever yesterday afternoon.  We think he caught something from when his little cousins were here visiting last Monday.  He's laying on the sofa watching "Sprout" and eating a Popsicle right now.

It's raining now and cloudy, so today is a great day to start a new project.  I'll keep you posted on my progress, this should be fun!

Hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday too.

HDP

A Wonderful Spring Day!

This afternoon, my little family headed to our local Lowe's to look around.  Spring always makes me think of projects I'd like to do around the house.

Lowe's already had a few things in their garden center at a reasonable price, so we picked up a few shrubs.  I got a new Encore Azalea (bottom left in picture) to replace the azalea that died over the winter.  I also purchased the pot of daisy-like flowers that are supposed to be hardy to 35 degrees.  I thought they added some early spring color to my shady-spot garden.  The greens poking up through the ground is a large Hosta plant of an unknown variety.  Dear hubby placed Lovely Rachael in the garden and in a couple months, I'll be able to plant my pretty impatiens...

I also bought two more azaleas for the yard, but they are the ordinary kind that only bloom in the spring.  I put them by my forsythia bushes that I'm waiting impatiently patiently to bloom. 

We raked up last years leaves, let me tell you, swinging that rake back and forth is good exercise!  There are plenty more to rake up and that job seems never ending. But, there will be more pretty spring days to work on the yard, I'm sure. 

Joy in a pretty fresh-air day!

HDP

First Walk of Spring

After school lessons and lunch, dear son and I took our first Spring walk through the neighborhood.  It felt good to get out and stretch my legs while dear son burned off some energy riding his bike. 

It was refreshing to get outside and see such prettiness...

The only things blooming were the crocuses, but their bright and cheery colors were good for the soul...

My crochet work has taken a bit of a backseat, but I'm still working on the Vintage Horizontal Stripe here and there.  I also have another project on my hook that I'll share with you when it's complete.  I'm looking forward to getting back into my routine...

Joy in early spring beauty...

HDP

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For each petal on the shamrock

 This brings a wish your way -
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.

 
- Author Unknown -

Wishing you the luck of the Irish today.  

HDP

Simple Beauty...

 

The best remedy

for those who are

afraid,

lonely

or unhappy

is to go outside,

somewhere where they can be quiet,

alone with the heavens,

nature and God.

Because only then

does one feel

that all is

as it should be

and that God wishes

to see people happy,

amidst

the simple beauty

of nature.

- Anne Frank -

Wishing you simple beauty today and throughout the week.  

HDP

Vintage Horizontal Stripe...

It's still a work in progress, but I wanted to get some pictures of the colors in the light...

We had a sunny day today, but the temperatures remained cool.  That's OK, because I'm starting to see some life pop up out of the ground!

Isn't it exciting!  After what has seemed like such a long winter.....

We are going to be a bit out of our routine this week...

My sister and her little ones will be coming over late tomorrow morning.  Their electric will be turned off all day due to some work they are having done.  I know the boys will have a ball playing together though...

Joy in the greens springing up from the ground, that brought a smile to my face and brightened my day.  

I hope Spring is putting a "spring" in your step!

:-)

HDP

The Calendar Says March...

But, this is what we woke up to this morning...

Whenever it snows like this, I can hear the faint tune of "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" playing softly in my ear...

I think the seasons are a bit mixed up...

It is pretty though, so I won't complain...

Joy in early morning beauty....even if it is snow...

HDP

My New Love...

I have a new love...

Chai Tea!  Have you ever tried it?  I might be late on the bandwagon, I don't know, but I really like it.  The "recipe" just calls for low-fat, low-sugar soy milk (brought to a boil) and add your Chai tea bag letting it steep for a good 5 minutes.  Yum.  :-)  You can add sweetener if you like, but you don't really need it.

I started South Beach this week......unfortunately it's a diet, not a vacation spot.  The first two weeks are the most restrictive with no caffeine, sugar, or carbs (most carbs anyway).  Then after the first phase you start adding in your fruit and whole wheat type carbs.  

My cholesterol was a little high at my last doc visit and I'm trying to take better care of myself.  

Hope everyone is having a nice week!

Joy in a little Chai......tea that is.

HDP

Balmy 35 degrees...

The temperatures stayed cool today.  Right now it's a balmy 35 degrees.  Our obscure sun is setting on the day that was mostly highlighted by shades of gray...  

I stayed warm this afternoon though, working on dear sons new blanket.  I think I've made some decent progress over the weekend.  It's for the little guys twin bed, so I still have a way to go...

We have a few signs of spring, despite today's temperatures, as I noticed buds forming on our weeping cherry tree out front...

It's dark outside now...but, next week we'll have a little extra light at the end of the day with daylight savings time and setting our clocks forward.  

A quiet Sunday evening and I'm wondering what's on Masterpiece Theater tonight?  I'll have to go check.

Wishing you a pleasant evening...

HDP

Rainy Day...

It's a rainy day here in Southwestern Ohio...

But all is well, because...

Buzz Lightyear, "who comes in peace", is out there protecting the universe...

In the classroom, we had a productive morning with our schoolwork...

with a new book on Trucks (Book 19; we are moving right along in the school year) and in Math, we are being introduced to fractions...today we talked about thirds...

Later today, I'm hoping to spend some quality time with my hook and yarn.  My crochet time has been seriously lacking this week...

Enjoying a quiet rainy day in my corner of the universe...

What is going on in your "quadrant"?

:-)

HDP

It's in the air...

 

"Spring is when you feel like whistling

even with a shoe full of slush."

 

 - Doug Larson -  

 

It's in the air...

 

 

HDP 

Chit-Chat...

Just popping in for a little chit-chat...

The sun decided to come out today; she is shining brightly in a pretty light blue sky.  

With this in mind, I was able to get a few photos of a project I started this past Sunday...

 

It is the Vintage Vertical Stripe Afghan.  It's a super easy pattern, worked in double crochet stitches.  You can find the pattern by clicking the link.  I decided to do my stripes horizontally vs. vertically though... 

For the pattern, I chained 135 and I am using an "I" hook.  

This is the Vanna's Choice yarn I purchased this past summer.  I thought the colors went well with the "vintage" theme of the pattern.  I'm making it for my son's bedroom.  This will match the things in his room and orange just happens to be one of his favorite colors ... 

It won't be long and the left side of our backyard fence-line will be alive with color...

I have a yellow dogwood back there along with an old "red bud".  Also, last year, I planted three forsythia bushes.  In another month or so, the neighbor's yard will fade away into a beautiful spring flowering tree display...

Easy dinner tonight of grilled chicken Cesar salads...I made some Italian herb bread in the bread machine to accompany the salads.  

The bread is done.  It smells really, really good....

Enjoying some simple pleasures today...

HDP