Not quite, but almost

Well, from my list last week, I almost did everything on it. I was mostly successful, but lacked a few areas. Here's the updated list:

1. Apply for 2 jobs by Wednesday - done
2. Finish two knitting projects by Saturday (12/11) - done
3. Post at least 2 blog entries - not done
4. Finish up the 2 classes online I'm currently taking by Tuesday - done
5. Get Christmas decorations up - partially done
6. Workout at least 3 times by Saturday (12/11) - partially done (I worked out twice)

Not bad, considering things are still not quite normal around here. By "not quite normal" I mean I still don't have a job. I doubt I'll have one before the holidays are over. I'm hoping in January something will come open for me. There are good job leads out there, but the holidays slow everything down.

How I missed posting last week I'll never figure out. I thought about it, but it just didn't work out for me. This week will hopefully be different. It already is, since I'm posting tonight. Saturday is a little more free (the one obligation I had has been cancelled). Hopefully the knitting projects will be a little better, and the workouts will get there too. I bought a jump rope in hopes that the love I once had for it will come back. I hope I can utilize some space in the sunroom to workout; I think the ceiling fan is high enough so I won't hit it with the rope.

It's been freezing here - no really, I mean actually freezing temperatures, like below 32 degrees. That's rare for Georgia. We don't normally get that cold of temperatures until sometime in January or February. We occasionally have snow, but this year so far, we've had flurries 3 times already, and it's not even Christmas yet! I hope to have snow for Christmas. That's even rarer in Georgia than just snow. We did have snow earlier this year, in February. It wasn't a lot (by the northern U.S. standards) but anything that accumulates here is considered a lot. Growing up in Tulsa makes you realize 3 foot snow drifts are a lot of snow, not 3 inches.

On the knitting front, there are 2 more knitting projects for Christmas to be completed. Fortunately, I'm about halfway done with one and that's been about 4 days worth of knitting. This one has a lot of color changes, so it takes a little longer than normal. I'm kicking up the knitting time, and I'm hoping to get this one finished by this weekend, and get the other one knocked out before Christmas.

Goals for this week: finish the one Christmas present, get the other one started, and start the new exercise program (thanks to Oxygen Fitness for Women magazine for the routine). The rest of the Christmas decorations need to get up as well. I'm about 30% on those. Posting I'll keep at 2 times for this week as well. I'm down to one more post by Saturday. I think I can manage that. :)

Busy days and nights

These days, I'm finding more focus, and a little more time. It's becoming easier to fall into a rhythm between homework, daily chores, and all the extras I want to do. I can't promise that all my blogs will be about crafts; but hey, "It's my blog and I'll post what I want to..." (apologies to Leslie Gore). The more I can accomplish during the day, the more I feel like accomplishing and the more I can accomplish. So, here's the agenda for the next week:

1. Apply for at least 2 jobs by Wednesday
2. Finish two knitting projects by Saturday (12/11)
3. Post at least 2 blog entries
4. Finish up the 2 classes online I'm currently taking by Tuesday
5. Get Christmas decorations up
6. Workout at least 3 times by Saturday (12/11)

For those of you who don't know, I lost a good bit of weight last year, and this year it was stymied by the arrival of a new little one. However, I am determined to get back on track, even without a gym membership. I have plenty of stuff that I can do at home, provided I focus just on that. As a mom, it's hard. I see things that need doing, and immediately want to do them. I have found one thing to be true: the more you exercise, the more energy you have. You would think the opposite to be true, but really, what the experts say does hold water. For whatever reason, now that I'm home and not working out consistently, I need at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Before, when I was up at 4:30 most mornings to go to the gym, I was fine on about 6 hours of sleep. My activitiy level hasn't changed much, since I was working a day job, and now I'm working the homefront. If anything, I have a higher activity level. At any rate, the above looks good for goals for this coming week. I'll post some updates along the way (if I keep up with #3) and hopefully I'll also get the good camera back and can post some pictures of Finished Objects.

Small Victories

WOOHOO!!! I have lost 10 pounds! I'm a little excited, can you tell? I also have some super secret projects (SSP) going on, but I will hopefully take pictures this weekend and post them on Monday (if all goes well).

In knitting, I'm working on SSP1, and over halfway done with it. In sewing, SSP1 hasn't begun yet...well, not really. I have all the materials for it, but I haven't started it. The cardigan is still in a holding pattern. I have to get some buttons.

As for the weight loss, I went to see a dietician/nutritionist about 6 weeks ago, and we discussed an eating plan. It's really working for me. Most days I'm not hungry (we all have those days when we want to inhale everything, but over all I'm good on what I'm supposed to eat) and there's a little play room in it (chocolate is NOT off limits, which is good, cause if it was going to kill me, I'd die happy). It's really all about portion control, and I'm ok with that. I have tons of energy, and although some days I crawl around with my son, I don't every day, and that's ok too. Sometimes I just let him run around on his own, and I watch. The important thing is that his momma is getting healthy, and that's what I want. I want to be a healthy momma for my baby. I'm just excited that this is working out better than I had thought. I can't really tell a huge difference yet, but when you have SO much weight to lose, a little is hard to notice sometimes. The good thing is that it's MASSIVELY encouraging, and I'm excited. It makes me happy.

Working it out

Well, work is getting slightly busier...but it's still a gentle sprinkle, which leaves me some time. I have projects in mind for work (a lap-ghan, socks, and fingerless mitts) and will eventually get to them. Right now, I'm still trying to focus on finishing what I have started. Last night, there was no knitting at home. I had to stop at 2 stores on the way in, and then fix dinner. I also got to play with my baby, which was very fun and ultimately the most important thing. I'm still working on changing some bad habits into good ones, and I had a completely successful day yesterday. So far so good today too. If I can have a full two weeks like this, then I'm rewarding myself. I think I'm going to take it in 2 week increments, so that it's easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the goal. I think I'll throw in some weight goals as well, so it will give me a few more rewards to reach (since weight loss is the ultimate goal here). Since the dietician said "not food rewards" that means I have a free license for yarn! Woot! Granted, budget will be a consideration, but we're getting a nice refund back from the Fed, and although I haven't seen the state yet, I'm sure we'll get something back from them as well. It helps to have a baby. :)