Stitching Fool

First signs I made for the fundraiser.

I started making these cross-stitched signs a few months ago, for a fundraiser. I've only made a few since then, but I am of course happy to make anyone anything they would like. Priced reasonably. Really.

Made for my friend Adam, aka @Mr_Shizz. Custom order
and I finished three signs in two days!

I chart everything before I stitch.

Another custom sign for @Mr_Shizz. Black and gold thread.

Another detailed sign. Two-tone silver thread
with Roman Key design around the edge.

I also make hand-stitched cards. This was
for the fund-raiser, a gift-card for a custom
sign (the #usability one above).

Other signs I've made include "Where is your heart?", "Please don't tell me what to do", "You have defiled my wishes" (a Regretsy-ism), and "Thanks for sharing" (which is available for sale if you would like it). I'm working on the now-famous "I reject your reality and substitute my own" from Mythbusters for my Dad.

Let me know if you'd like anything. I work fast. I'm a stitching fool.

Willpower

This apparently is a
real product. Wouldn't
it be nice if losing weight
really was as easy
as taking a pill?

Sometimes I just don't have any willpower. (No, not the Indy Car driver, though he's kinda cute.) I'm talking about the strength to say "No, I don't need those chocolate covered pretzels. No, I don't need a bag of chips." The strength to turn off that switch in my brain that says, "You're hungry." when really it's saying, "You're bored. Stuff your face."

One year and four months(ish) ago, I made a major lifestyle change. I ate less. I exercised more. I drank a lot of water. I blogged about my weight loss goals and what I had discovered and what was working for me. And I lost 35 pounds. I didn't diet. I didn't take pills. I didn't join some expensive program that sent me nasty food every week. (If you want more info on what did work for me, feel free to send me an email at amyswiney(at)gmail(dot)com and I will be glad to tell you what "program" I used. It was free.)

Then I stagnated, stuck at the same weight, about 30 pounds over what I would like to be. I started running, but kind of fell back into my old eating habits, so no more weight came off. I set a goal for myself. Run a 5k. Joe (my husband) and I ran our first 5k on March 19 this year (which also was the day our son Andrew was born 5 years ago). After we finished, I thought, I'll take a day or two off to reward myself. And fell into the regular depression that follows Andrew's birthday every year, until April 12. Which lead to me not running.

Now I haven't run for almost three months. I feel guilty about not running. I want to run. And there's that willpower thing again. I lack the willpower to get myself out of bed early in the morning and go for a run. Or come home at night and run.

Which direction are you headed?

Don't get me wrong, I feel great about the weight I lost. I fit in "regular" size clothes now. I can wear cute dresses and outfits and look good. I love my curves. But I would like to drop this last bit of weight, not keep fluctuating up and down with the same five pounds, and stay on a regular exercise schedule.

So, it's time to find that willpower, and take that left turn to Success.

Blogging about a blog post about losing weight

My friend Tim Miles (@thedailyblur) (who I hope is okay with me calling him a friend) posted a link to a blog entry on zenhabits.net: Get Started: From Overweight to Healthy.

I have intended on posting about my own weight loss struggles, but that blog post pretty much sums up what I'm going through right now.

A year ago, I lost 35 pounds. Cut out some things, started drinking a lot of water, started walking. Started running. I ran my first 5k on March 19 this year. And then...

I stopped.

Stopped running. Stopped watching what I ate. Stopped drinking water. Well, enough water.

And what happened? I've gained back 5-7 pounds that I had lost. And I feel awful about it. I bought running shoes and a heart rate monitor and running clothes. I have no excuse.

But, this morning, before I even read the blog post I linked above, I had decided to make a change starting today. More water, back to walking (and running) and cut out the sweets again.

I know I can do this. So can you. I have faith in you.

My peeps

The one in the middle is my favorite.
I think s/he is an Ameraucauna.

A few weeks ago we got chicks from Orscheln. Twenty five total: ten Rhode Island Red pullets for eggs, and fifteen "frying pan specials". I think some of the frying pan chicks are hens though, so we may end up with a few extra egg-layers. There's one (to the right) that is my favorite and I'm going to keep it whether it's a hen or rooster.

When I was a kid we had chickens for eggs, and we would always get the extra free chicks if we bought a bag or two of feed in the Spring (I think long gone are the days of free chicks). So I grew up knowing what it was like to be around chickens but I never spent a lot of time around them or took care of them much.

This time around they chicks are pretty much my livestock, my wards. And it's really rewarding already. When I go out to feed them, they all come running. Even if I don't fill their feeder, they're all there, peeping and pecking and filling their craws. It really is cute. And it makes me feel good that they at least see me as their source of food. I think it's going to be interesting to see how they develop over the next few months.

Jake checking out his peeps.

We also got two Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix puppies a few months ago, Belle and Jake, and hopefully they will be guarding the chickens (and the sheep when we get them up to the farm finally). Jake is fascinated by the chicks but just sits by and watches them calmly.

We're probably going to have extra eggs in a few months, so keep that in mind if you want any!

You might be a redneck...

A friend sent this to me. For some reason it evokes a feeling of Jeff Foxworthy and oversized foam cowboy hats.


see more There I Fixed It

(I have an actual industrial spool holder for my sewing machine, though I'm sure it cost a lot more than this kludge.)