{Post #804} Changes on the Horizon

There are big changes going on in my family.  As of this morning, we are going vegan.  For those not in the know, vegan is a stricter form of vegetarianism.  It means NO foods from animal products.  No butter, milk, eggs, cheese; also no oils of any kind.  Yes, the reality of the diet change has probably hit you by now.

Last night we watched the Forks Over Knives DVD (where, oddly enough, the knives they are referring to are surgical scalpels, not dinner knives).  We were impressed by the health changes after being on a plant-based diet.  So as of this morning, we are heading towards much better health.

I will let you know how we progress, and how I do specifically.  I am too embarrassed to post my present weight, but I will be giving occasional updates in the form of X-10 (meaning my original weight minus ten pounds, etc.).

My BP has always borderlined on too high.  I will also be monitoring that, but not posting updates about it.

So, what DID we eat today?  I have several friends who are curious about what one can eat after being on the standard American diet of way too much animal-derived proteins and fats.  Here you go...

Breakfast:  pan-cooked old-fashioned oats with chopped apple, raisins, and cinnamon (so sweet w/o even adding any sugar)

Lunch:  white rice topped with steamed broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower

Snack:  one gala apple and about a handful of peanuts

Supper:  spring mix (mixed green lettuces) salad with raisins and fresh broccoli; added a smackerel of non-fat raspberry viniagrette dressing, but did not like it (will eat it plain next time)

Lots of water throughout the day, which is my norm.

Yes--I thought of all the things I could NOT eat ALL day, but my kids were being such troopers that I didn't want to be a wet blanket. 

This war will be won one meal at a time.  Susanna was a huge help.  She cleaned out all the off-diet foods from our pantry, Lazy Susan, and frig.  She even cleaned the actual frig.  One of the downsides is that I have a huge stash of frozen meats in my freezer, but it's an opportunity to be a blessing to others.  I will be taking my Emily a huge box of pantry staples as well as frozen meats when I next visit her.

Here's to good health.

~Joan

{Post #803} Mailbox Re-do ~ Easy Peasy!!

I was inspired by this mailbox make-over.  It's from here.

Our mailbox (before below) needed sprucing up.  Since we had the same type of box and post, I figured ours would look good like this, too.  Instead of paining the numbers (as was my original frugal thought) I bought reflective ones.  My husband cut out the wood, nailed on the letters, and attached them to the post.

I cut the dry clematis vine off at the ground (not sure what will happen come spring), removed the gray Velcro straps that used to hold the vine up, and sanded the grunge off the post.  Then I wiped the wholel thing down and applied a coat of black matte finish paint.  I got carried away and painted our (nearby) lamp post, too.  Monday I will go out with the paint and a small brush to paint the screw heads black, but here is the finished product (taken in complete dark with a nearby streetlight for illumination...no flash to take the picture, but see how those numbers SHINE)...

{Post #802} On The Move

Knocked two items off my to-do list.  Earlier this week (when I was languishing in bed because I was ill) I made up a list of my current UFOs.  My list was much longer than I thought it would be.  I decided to finish a couple.   

My girls' piano teacher's husband, when seeing me hand quilting at his kitchen table during their lessons asked, "Do you ever work on more than just one project at a time?"  To make a long story short (for him), I just said yes!!

Here is an I Spy that Rachel started.  I already have a recipient in mind.  The alternate red squares have tiny yellow dots circled with black.  It is cute.  I already have the backing cut and ready to go as well as the binding.

Then I decided to quilt one of the toppers I pieced yesterday, using a gentle swirl pattern I learned of through Michelle.  So easy!  Here is a pic where you can really see the texture even though it's quilted with invisible thread...

I cut, pieced, and pressed the binding last night after I pieced the top, so it was ready to go.  I am going to hand sew it down as soon as I have some extra time.

~Joan

{Post #801} Sewin' Again

Cut these out yesterday.  Two are Christmas gifts.  Guess who got her sewing machine back?  It took about 3 hours to piece these.  They measure about 21" across.

~Joan

{Post #800} I Gone And Did It

I just did something I have not done in years.  But is was time.  There just isn't room for everyone and everything.

I listed 3 of my quilt tops on eBay.  And I'm not sorry (yet!).  The first one is a top that I like soooo much.  I had planned on hand quilting it.  But it doesn't really match any room in my house.  And I would have liked it to be bigger if I was going to paint a room to match it.  And...you can see why it is on eBay.  Here it is...

The other two are recently made.  I like them both but have quilts I use in their places for those holidays.  I thought of finishing them to give to someone else.  But there are so many variables in what a person likes that I didn't want to chance giving something to someone who would never use it.  Can you relate?

Check out my auctions if you want...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/whistlersmother10/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

~Joan

{Post #799} Countdown on SOK

I decided to keep a countdown so I can show that I am making some progress on this quilt.  Many people blog for many reasons, but my reason is for posterity.  I like to see the progress on projects.  Sort of like a diary. 

As of right this minute, I have 18-1/3 more rows to quilt plus 7/8 of the border.  Stay tuned!

~Joan

{Post #798} Seeds of Kindness 3/4 Hand Quilted

I read something really funny on someone else's blog today.  Made me feel all organized and together.  Ha ha ha...

It had to do with hand quilting, in case you're wondering about the relevance...

"This week I had a delightful addition to my morning ritual. After my typical activities (pawing through the basket of clean laundry for my clothes and running to the bus stop with wet hair), I tried a little hand quilting on my way to work."

If I quilt in my spare time this next couple of weeks instead of starting new projects, this might really happen!!

If you have just recently started reading my blog, let me introduce you to my baby, my pride and joy, my hand-cut, hand-pieced, and 3/4 hand-quilted labor of love...

My Seeds of Kindness quilt.  You can read all about its history here.  This picture shows it lying on top of my queen-sized bed.  See the spool of gold thread and the little piece of white ribbon near the bottom in the center? 

There is it...I have quilted on both sides of the core going horizontally as it lies, and from the left side all the way over to the spool.  So you can see I have about half of the quilt (the right half) to quilt one direction.  I also have about 1/8 of the border quilted.  I plan to devote my hand quilting time to this project until it is finished.  Stop laughing!  I mean it.

I use the safety-pinned ribbon to mark my place when I get to the end of a thread.  It used to take me 10 minutes or more to find where I left off quilting.  Now I just hunt for the ribbon.  Much faster!

Elisabeth has started taking piano from Rachel's piano/violin teacher.  The interpretation of that is I don't need to be there since E can drive herself and R there.  That means I have at least 2 more free hours on Mondays.  I think I'll just hand quilt while I wait for my laundry to need processing! 

My machine (Janome) is still at the shop.  Just got off the phone with the repairman.  Sounds like he hasn't even looked at it yet.  Yikes!!

~Joan