As If I Didn't Know...

Fitness Band Wagon
As part of my Christmas present, my parents bought me the Zumba Fitness and the Wii Fit Plus.  They hope that this will help me in my goals to get back into shape.  According to my nephew Parker, the Wii Fit Plus is "super fun".  He was very excited when he found out I had gotten it. So this past week I tried them both out. 

The Zumba was fun??  Yeah, the jury is still out on that one.  I started with the 20 minute easy level.  I was dying pretty much by the end!  I've got the booty shaking (as I have quite a lot of booty to shake) part down quite well, but the other steps?  Well, let's just say it is more of my body just flaying around than actual dancing!!! 

Today I tried out the Wii Fit.  So, when you first start it you do some testing.  It is supposed to get your BMI, weight, center of balance, posture, etc.  Ok, well it told me what I already knew.  I'm fat.  When you start out, you pick an avatar.  Well I already had one from another game so it picked that one.  When it finds out how fat you are, it makes your avatar swell up!!!  I have to say that just adds insult to injury!!! But was kind of funny to watch!

Then the "game" proceeded to tell me that according to its calculations I am 43 years old.  I have to admit, I didn't think that was quite that bad considering I am 36 years old and well, exercising is not my friend!!!  I figured I would be in the 70s or 80s in age.  Then it told me that I had a pretty good center of balance and good posture!  Ha!!!  Any one who knows me that I can literally fall down by just standing up I am so clumsy! Also, my Dad is constantly telling me to sit up straight and stop slouching.  I'm not sure how accurate this thing is!!!  It can obviously be duped pretty easily!  Anyway, I did a few of the exercises and it was ok.  I like that you can set up goals and it has a calendar which marks your progress.  I hope to keep up with it and be able to see some progress!

Projects to be finished in 2012
Ok, so I thought I would pull out all the projects that I've started and see what I had.  Not such a good idea!  LOL  I obviously have a severe case of ADD when it comes to stitching!  But I hope to finish some if not most of these projects.  They are all in various degrees of incompleteness! (Sorry for the photos, for some reason I just couldn't get very clearn pictures of some of them)

HAED Dragon Knot 2.  This has been one I've been working on for ___ years.  I can't quite remember.  I have about 6 pages to complete, some of those are just 1/4 pages. 

HAED Queen of Hearts.  I started her last year I believe.  This is 2 pages completed.  I have a goal of completing another 2 pages this year.  So this is not one that I am necessarily looking to finish.

I started this one in 2011.  It is Thomas Kinkade's Tinker Bell/Peter Pan.  This one is for my sister because she saw this and just had to have.  What Sissy wants, Sissy usally gets.  (Yes, I am quite guilty of spoiling her!)

Mirabilia's The Kiss.  This has never been a "hard" stitch.  In fact it is quite easy.  I've been working on this one off and on for about 2 to 3 years.  I usually put it aside because I run out of a thread and forget to pick it back up when I get the threads in.  Hopefully this will be the year to finish!

Disney's Snow White.  This one is for my little niece Cassady Hope.  Also another easy one.  Don't know why it isn't finished.

HAED Emerald Hearts.  This was a freebie from HAED in 2011.  It is all kitted up and ready to go.  Just never started it.

A stocking for my sister.  I haven't consistently stitched on this one because it is Aida cloth and I don't like it.  But I need to finish it since I've gotten so far!

My niece Cassady Hope's baby blanket.  Well she isn't a baby anymore.  She'll be 3 this year.  I don't have much to go.  I just find stamped cross stitch tedious.  You would think it is easier than counted, but not really.

Another one for my sister.  I can't remember the name but it is the night fairy to match the day fairy I've already completed for her many years ago.

HAED's Mad Tea Party.  This one is for my niece Marly Grace.  My goal for the year is 2 pages.  This is a really big one!  This picture reflects about 2 1/2 pages completed.

This is 10 projects. I'm sure I hav more "hidden" under my bed in storage but I'll just go with this list for now!! 10 seems manageable, doesn't it? 

This week I've been working on Dragon Knot 2. Here's a close up of the section that I've been working on .  To see the last time I posted a progress pic click here. It seems that the last time I worked on Dragon Knot was back in June of 2011.



Ok, it is time to get ready for the week!  Lunches to be planned.  Laundry to do.  And of course, the most important thing to get ready for: the National Championship game between LSU and Alabama.  I've already go the corn, black bean salsa made for tomorrow night's party!  Geaux Tigers!!!  Beat Bama AGAIN!

Hello!

It has been over a month since I last posted! Where has the time gone?  It seems to have flown by!  September has been filled with birthdays, football games, and work. 

I've been busy mostly with work this month.  I have worked the last 13 days straight.  I am tired!  Today was my first full day off of work.  It was bittersweet.  It was nice to be home but I had so much to catch up on with the household chores! 

How about those #1 LSU Tigers?  Woo hoo!  My team is #1 in the AP poll!  (We won't discuss the silly coaches poll).  While it is still early, I hope that my Tigers can hang onto this spot.  Or maybe just hang out in the top 5?  That would be good too.  #1 is too much pressure!

Yesterday was Homecoming at one of the local high schools.  My friend's two sons were attending and asked me to come out and take some pictures. At first it looked like I wouldn't make it as I had a board meeting in a town 2 1/2 hours away but I finished up in just enough time to "fly" back in time for the pictures.  (Thank goodness there were no cops on the route!!!!)  Here are a few of the pictures I took:

I've also been doing a little bit of stitching.  I try to pick up a project whenever I have a few minutes available. I am currently stitching on the Mad Tea Party but I have no update picture yet.

I had to re-start Snow White.  I flubbed a BUNCH of stitches so this is my re-start of it:

This is the project that my sister requested I do for her.  She doesn't know that I am working on it.  :)  It is a secret.  It is the Thomas Kinkade Peter Pan and Tinker Bell picture:



My latest obsession?  Pinterest.  Have ya'll found this website?  http://www.pinterest.com/  It is a place where you can gather all your favorite projects, web pages, etc and it is accesible from anywhere.  I find it hard to describe but if you can get an invite from a user, you should try it out.  It is addictive!

On Friday I went with my sister to see The Lion King.  It hadn't changed any from the first time I had seen it.  Although the 3D was pretty cool.  But as I was sitting there watching it, I realized how violent this movie is!  Wow!  Lots of death!

Hope all is well in your worlds!  I hope to find more time to blog in the future!

Last Day of July

Wow!  Where has the time gone?  Tomorrow will be the first day of August!  Only 18 more days till my beach trip!  Cannot wait!

This was a pretty good weekend even though it did rain all this Sunday's afternoon.  The sun did make an appearance all day Saturday and I was able to get some much desired pool time!  It was great to relax by the pool and read a book all afternoon!

Did some shopping Saturday morning.  Picked up two new pairs of shoes and, my favorite, a new Coach purse!  Love, love, love it!  Now I have a black purse, brown purse, and 2 blue purses.  Now I feel like I can branch out and get some other colors.  Maybe my next one will be purple or grey?  The possibilities are endless!  :)

Last weekend I finished page 2 of HAED's Mad Tea Party.  Only 36 more pages to go.  This piece is for my oldest niece.  Maybe by her 16th birthday it will be done?  (She's currently 10 years old)  LOL  This piece is going slow since I am doing 2 over 1 but I am loving the tapestry look it has.  In the lower right corner, you can see the Mad Hatter's hand appearing. 

Earlier this week I started the Tinker Bell project for my sister.  Not much has been completed and honestly I have put more stitches in since I took this picture yesterday but was too lazy to update the pic. I typically don't like working with Aida but this one isn't too bad.  It isn't very stiff. 

Only five more months left of the year.  I have so many projects I want to get done.  What will get done and what will once again linger in the unfinished pile!? 

Rainy Saturday Afternoon

Let's see if I can get this post written!  I've been meaning to write but sometimes I find it difficult to find the words to even describe the most simplest action!

Today is a rainy Saturday.  It has been raining here, what feels like, forever!  Ok, so really it is only like a week but I am missing the sun!  The sun has only been peeking out occasionally.  I am truly missing my pool time this weekend!

It has been a busy time!  I think my last post was just prior to 4th of July? I spent the 3rd with a friend from work.  She had some of her friends over and I went even though I don't do well around strangers.  I actually had a pleasant time.  No, I'm not surprised.  Many times when I force myself to do something I don't want to do I have a great time!  We spent the day, eating good food, playing with the kids and watching the Casey Anthony trial.  I know, we are such nerds!  The 4th I had lunch with the parents.  My Dad wanted to make for me these hot dogs that he had at the College World Series.  This combination of food sounds a little disgusting but it was delicious!  A hot dog that is topped with hot wing sauce then coleslaw that is made with a blue cheese dressing.  It was sooo good.  I highly suggest that you try it!

Let's see what else has been going on?  Time passes by so quickly!  I guess that is because I am having fun! :)  There was the mini road trip to Biloxi for a concert!  My friend Jill and I made the trek to Biloxi to see Motley Crue and Poison! Yippee!  I've always wanted to see Motley Crue.  I saw Poison once before back in high school.  We started off with dinner at the Blowfly Diner.  This place was featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network.  It was so worth it!  We ate so much!  And the view is pretty awesome too!

The concert was so much fun!  It was definitely an odd collection of people.  All ages.  All types.  Great time people watching!  Tommy Lee is a phenomenal musician!  The piano, the drums.  He did his drum solo while making loops in a "roller coaster" type contraption!  It was nice to get away for an evening and take a little trip back to when we were kids! 

One evening this past week I was able to visit with a dear friend from high school.  No, we actually go back to middle school.  She is a true friend that no matter how long it has been since we talked or seen each other, we pick right back up where we left off.  We were able to enjoy a dinner together.  She picked greek.  I had to laugh because I had asked her if there was any place here that she doesn't get back in Tulsa and she picked greek.  I figured she would have picked a seafood place!  Anyway, we had a pleasant dinner and then we went back to her Mom's house to see three of her four kids and to visit with her mom.  I spent many times at that house!  All good ones!  We spent hours just talking. Catching up on each other's lives and reminiscing about the past.  I truly need to plan a trip to Tulsa to see her!

Friday afternoon was of course spent at the movie theatre watching Harry Potter.  I will only say that I truly enjoyed the movie and thought it did a great job!!  I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may not have seen it yet!  Feel free to email me if you'd like to have a discussion about the movie!!

I have been working on HAED's Mad Tea Party.  I am so very close to having the second page finished.  I hope to do that very soon!

I recently purchased a kit that my sister has asked me to do.  I typically don't like to do kits but I am caving because, well, I pretty much indulge my baby sister in anything she wants.  It is The Disney Dreams Collection by Thomas Kinkade, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland.  It is pretty large.  Finished product is 16" x 12".  Not sure when I will get to this.  I am hoping to at least start it soon.

Today has been such a lazy rainy day.  Although not very lazy.  I did get the bathroom clean.  Laundry started.  Kitchen cleaned.  A run to the produce market.  Not a complete waste.  Shopping this morning with my mom.  I also watched some of the movie, The Searchers.  The best John Wayne movie ever!  And I have spent the afternoon listening to one of my Garth Brooks CD box sets.  I haven't done that in forever!  I'm thinking tonight will be a movie night!  Tomorrow is brunch with my friend Jenny and her mother at a German restaurant about an hour from where we live.  It is well worth the drive! 

I hope everyone's summer is going well.  Mine is beginning to slow down.  At least I have no other big planned events except for a planned beach vacation in August with my mom.  I see lots of sun, sand, and water mixed with shopping!  Cannot wait.  I know it will be here before I know it!  I just need to get through this upcoming work week, I have two board meetings to prepare for and my team mate is currently on vacation.  I certainly hope there are no surprises!  Keeping my fingers crossed.  

Stitching Update

This weekend I finished kitting up two additional projects. These projects will be for Christmas presents. One is a baby quilt for my new niece. It is a kit from Bucilla called "God Bless the Babies." I don't have a picture of it yet. The next one is another kit for a pillowcase with Tinker Bell. This is for my sister since she LOVES Tinker Bell. I typicall do not like "stamped" cross stitch but am willing to "suffer" for those that I love!

I've also been doing some work on Dragon Knot. Work has been getting in the way of stitching lately so it is extremely slow progress. I'm hoping things get back to normal soon!