Purling Oaks

Hello! Anyone home?

Yeah, I used to have this blog.......

 

2012 was quite a year......one I have absolutely no desire to repeat --- except I would like to keep the lessons learned and personal motivation derived from various happenings.  In the whole scheme of things, my 2012 "events" were actually pretty low-scale when compared to other folks' events.  I guess I just don't like any "events."  

So, here we are on the 12th day of January and I'm about ready to do some clothes shopping for work clothes.  My old stuff is old and is falling off me, which is really not the look I'm trying to project.  My goal is to get about 3 outfits worth today and keep my wardrobe small and flexible.  It helps that I'm working less than full-time and, frankly, I hope to be wearing slightly smaller clothes by summer or fall of this year.  I still have several pairs of jeans from my current body size in the back of the clothes (hope springs eternal - or something like that) so I'm fine on the personal casual stuff for a while.  Okay, I am wearing looser t-shirts right now--they're fine.  Really.

A year and a half ago, my scale showed a measurement for me over 30 pounds heavier than I am today.  Two-thirds of that amount was disposed of since the end of August.  After years of beating myself up for not being able to lose any significant weight on the classic weight loss regimens, I've finally found a method that works for me.  It is such a relief to find a method that my body responds to.  One size does not fit all, so if whole grain/calorie-counting/exerciseyourselfallday/whatever doesn't work for you, try something else!  I wish I would have earlier and saving all the negative internal-talk for something else.  I'm following real food/vegetable/meat/real fat method including no wheat or grains.  I'm eating moderate levels of carbs (vegies, starchy vegies) while working to my target weight range.  After that goal is met, I'll still follow the real food/primal/paleo method or some variation, just with different ratios of protein/fat/carbs.  I'm not 100% strict and enjoyed a gingerbread man or three this Christmas.  However, I can feel it physically and mentally when I'm "off-plan."  

So, my clothes shopping today should be a happier experience than one I would have had two years ago.  I would have gone in December, but I cannot shop when I have to hunt for a parking place.  

Well, that's my personal news for the beginning of the year.  My mom is feeling much better after having pneumonia last week but she's tough.  We're feeding her up with good food to support the continued healing.  Quite scary, that pneumonia!

Happy New Year and may we all enjoy a prosperous and joyful 2013!

 

Well, September.

I'm not EVEN going to look to see the date of my last post.  Jeepers, it has been a while.  Hmmm.  Random often works for this type of situation.  I'll try that....

• I've knit but not much and there are no finished (or half-finished) objects to share.
• I have been reading and reading and reading.  I started out with Jim Butcher and alternated with Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick with some Ilona Andrews for additional comfort reading.  Then I read Practical Paleo, Well Fed, and Wheat Belly.  I just read Enchantment, a very good and different YA paranormal romance by Charlotte Abel.  Next up:  a few Karen Chance stories.  
• Earlier this summer, I had an ER visit/surgery and, more recently, a fistulotomy.  I'm healing up fine.  Well, at least I think so.  I hope the surgeon will concur this week.  Surgery on your bum bites.
• I'm experimenting with eliminating grains, most dairy, and sugar from my list of consumables.  So far, so good.
• I watched the movie Fat Head on Netflix.  Interesting....and entertaining, well, at least to me.  
• Bought a trike.  Yes, a recumbent trike.
• I love riding it. 
• I never noticed all the hills in our "neighborhood" before.  Downhill is very fun.
• I'm still working on understanding gear shifting.
• It fits in my Jeep.
• I'm working up to riding for longer distances and expect my energy level will be improving soon.
• Our yard is green again.  But the creek is still dry.  No, that's not code.  
• We have bid farewell to the little studio apartment above the Golden Chicken and all the cooking oil fumes in the parking garage.
• TypePad's interface has changed enough to be irritating with all the linkies.  
• D and the cats are just fine.
• There has been no gardening or consistant weeding and, thus, my herb garden is looking a disgrace.  
• Blog reading was a casualty for part of the summer.
• Pink metallic nail polish is very cool.

Have a lovely first full week of September.

 

Some Saturday random

October all ready?!?  Where did the time go?  :D

Some Saturday randomness for you all since I clicked over to this compose page in an almost random manner.....

• I was the recipient of a flu shot Thursday, my first ever.  Thursday "day" was fine but that night and last evening were not so fun due to major muscle freeze on my left side, despite a massage on Friday.  I'm trying to keep it mobile today and I took some Advil so I'm crossing my fingers for better sleep tonight.
• I am happy to be home but I am missing being at Rhinebeck this weekend.  Last year was fun and I intend to make it to the festival next year, if at all possible.  I am really missing the people part.
• However, I'm missing Rhinebeck for a good reason.  My mom's family is celebrating Christmas early with our annual Lutefisk gathering Sunday.  No, I don't eat lutefisk but it is a family tradition to at least smell the stuff and I'm all for traditions.
• A monarch butterfly was waiting for me when I arrived at the DC apartment last Monday.
  
• A chrysalis had been hanging from the doorway of my basement apartment when I left ten days before but I just didn't register that a monarch would emerge from it.  (Thinking about other things, I imagine.)  So, excellent timing, Butterfly, to greet me before heading out on your journey.  
• Have I ever mentioned that I love this variety of butterfly?  That as a child, I made construction paper butterfly wings (in orange and black), had my mother pin the wings to the back of my shirt, and ran down the road imagining the beauty of wings sprouting from my body? I'm still smiling thinking about Monday's happy occurrence.
• The trees are far more bare today at home in Wisconsin than they were a week ago.  
• I had a nice week of (almost) stay-cation before returning to see my doorstep visitor.  
• I started a sourdough starter.  That sounds odd but I think you know what I mean.  Now we just have to keep using it and feeding it in hopes of it developing a nice tangy flavor....probably in six months or so I've read.
• I made a skirt and top without using a paper pattern that I felt confident enough about to wear to work.  (IPhone photo in the apartment hallway.)  Nothing fancy but I'm pleased with myself.  :D
  
• I walked home one night this week and was able to take this photo from the National Mall:  
  

General Friday update

My Trust Your Journey coffee mug from our Stacey.  I am better at trusting my journey in the morning when I have a cup full of coffee and a good eight hours or so of sleep behind me.  Just saying.   I was pretty tuckered out at the end of yesterday after getting home at 7:30 pm.  I did meet another knitter Monday on my way to DC, which was very cool, especially since she works at a LYS twice a month.   She showed me a new Jenny Watson pattern book and I should have written the title down.  Now I have an excuse (ha!) to go to the Knitting Tree in Madison.

It seems like I'm approaching the end of my Simple Yet Effective Shawl, but the yarn balls don't appear to get any smaller.  Watch, when I'm binding off, the available yarn will shrink at an alarming speed. 

Our washer has had a non-functioning computer chip-thingy for about two weeks now.  The repair man is here as I type and I'm hopeful I'll be able to tackle the laundry mountain today without moving the mountain to the laundromat.  Traveling gets really old when there is house-related stuff requiring attention and you aren't in the house.   The sounds coming from the laundry room are not too encouraging at this point. 

I started the online Weight Watchers last weekend.  I'm not attending meetings.....no way!  Just me, my computer or iPhone/Blackberry, and the scale.  Results are promising as of this morning.  Tomorrow is my official record-keeping day.  I'm giving it four months, which just happened to be the length of the deal I signed up for.  I like the structure it provides while allowing me a glass of wine or beer without shooting the whole day's worth of "dieting."  I even was able to go out to a nice restaurant (Tosca in DC) for our instructors' dinner and have tiramisu for dessert.  (Yes, I did blow a few points on that dinner but I had a salad for lunch which provided some balance.)  Probably TMI for you all, but this paragraph is "blog as journal."

Early this afternoon, Wilson and I have the pleasure of taking our feline family to the vet for their annual exams.  Joy. 

Happy Friday!

Thursday's row count

Is it really Thursday all ready?  My sense of time seems to be a bit out of step with the days this first full week of the new year.  I'm hoping that it doesn't race too quickly to Valentine's Day! 

Stacey and I have set and shaken on a goal of finishing Chart 1 of Icarus by February 14.  There's nothing (material) wagered, we're just setting a first step goal so that we can enjoy wearing our Icarus shawls, which others have completed in the Knitting with Nora KAL.  Although Stacey made our goal public by blogging about it yesterday so there's just a bit more pressure.  Little minx.  That's fine really.  I do very much want to finish this shawl and if this works, I'm happy.
  As of this moment, I have 105 more rows to go in Chart 1 with 37 days remaining.  It seems very a reasonable goal with some time management and skillful packing for my trip to the east coast next week.  It is probably about time for me to throw a lifeline into my knitting to thwart Murphy.  What do you think?  Do you have any hints for fitting lace knitting into your day?

Yesterday, I finally realized the dull headache I experienced all vacation was not stress-related.  In fact, my sinuses have been trying to tell me they need attention and I almost left it too late.   I found (and used) the Mucinex in the medicine drawer and drank more warm liquids, besides adding hot sauce to my lunchtime noodle soup.  This morning, I do feel better and I expect continued progress, now that I've clued into my body a bit.  Flying next week would have been no fun if I hadn't had the light-bulb moment.

Moat------No Moat

The renovations have started.  Here is the sunroom with the moat and a regular occupant.

 

The red bordered photo displays poison ivy.....a rather frequent volunteer plant at Chez Purling Oaks.  The moat received its name on the day we inspected the house with our inspector in the month of February about 3 or so years ago.  Little did we know it would really become a moat this year with water streaming down the glass and squishing back into the house.  However, as of today, the moat is no more!

   

Looking for a toothbrush?

This morning I went to Curves.  It was good.  I also worked and then went to visit the dentist for my six-month cleaning and check-up.  I had a great check-up!  About five months ago I purchased an Oral-B Triumph electric/cordless toothbrush and I've been using it consistently.  My dental hygienist said my teeth looked like they had been whitened.  Plus, my gums were super healthy.  They were healthy before but now they are super healthy.  So, if you are on the fence about one of these fancy toothbrushes, you can leap down now and run over to the market and feel good about your purchase.  I am not receiving any compensation for this plug.  It is just a good thing and I think it shouldn't be a secret. 

Just a little babbling and a review

Monday's journey to Kansas City, MO was without any major incident despite having to connect through O'Hare, the absolute worst place to have to make an airline connection.  I also see that TypePad's automated timed posting worked well, even if I can't compose a complete sentence.  The weather is warmer here than Wisconsin with no jacket required but an umbrella is a pretty good idea.  I need more hairspray applied in the morning if I want to keep my hairstyle past 11 am due to the humidity.  (I also need a haircut.)

I'm experimenting with the Diva Cup this week and I'm having a great experience.  I read about the Diva Cup at Enchanting Juno's blog, where she has written several super posts about menstruation and related issues--read the comments to the posts, too, if you haven't all ready.  The Diva Cup isn't hard to get used to and it is handling my heavy flow easily.  Where I would be changing a pad and tampon hourly, I only have to deal with the cup every four hours.  I find it pretty interesting to actually measure the volume of my flow.  It feels better than tampons, too.  It was about $25 or maybe a bit more at Whole Foods Market and it was worth it.  It is making me more confident that I won't have an *accident* at work, and in a place far away from home at that.

Winter Sugar

First things first: Dad got some sleep last night and felt alot better this morning so he went home from the hospital this afternoon to sleep (actually, he used the word "crash") in his own bed. I spoke with him just before dinner and he was really enjoying a glass of beer. We won't be able to get the results from the tests for several days, so I'm just thinking positive thoughts. Dad's able to breathe better and is happy at home. All good things.

Winter stuff: Winter continues to grip Wisconsin and points west, east, north, and a bit south. I got away from my skin care routine for a few days and now I'm experiencing a severe case of winter alligator skin. I have my excuses...I was out of my body oil and had the winter blahs and family stress had set in, so I didn't care for myself as well as I normally do. BUT, I have now replenished my body oil supply and will prepare my super, ultra-effective remedy for winter skin that will make me feel like a smooth, hydrated, and (dare I say...) sexy woman again. I'll share my recipe since it is so simple. You all probably know it all ready but just in case you don't here it is:




To remedy my current winter skin malady, I will mix about a half cup (maybe a bit more) of sugar with several tablespoons of apricot kernel oil--enough oil to saturate the sugar--and, maybe, a drop or two of lavender essential oil. The essential oil is not, well, essential. Definitely go light on it if you add it because a drop will go a long way. Then I hop in the shower, get wet, then rub the sugar concoction all over and rinse. Be careful if you do your feet because the oil will make them slippery. Then I soap up my essential bits, shampoo, rinse, and towel off. In my current state, I'll have to do this for two days to achieve complete recovery. Then I just use a few drops of apricot kernel oil before I step out of the shower to keep my skin moisturized. I try to repeat the sugar scrub once or twice a week when the weather is this cold. I like apricot kernel oil but there are different kinds like almond or avocado or even olive oil....it just depends on your preference and skin type. You can substitute salt for the sugar, if you want, but if you have ANY cuts it will sting, sting, sting! I think this routine is healthy (no weird additives), pretty darn inexpensive compared to what you can buy at Target or the drug store, and quite effective (if you remember to DO IT!).

Sonnet: I've made my way to the back but not too far on the back so you really would not see any progress in a new photo.

Bath to Tub Conversion: This evening DH and I talked with a representative for a firm that will replace our at-the-end-of-useful-life basement bathroom fiberglass BLUE tub with a nice shower with all the fixings. This is our first bid and this guy's number$ just made me sit back in my chair. Looks like I'll be doing some cost comparison shopping this weekend to see if the fancy-pants shower is worth it.