Things got really busy and I just never got around to blogging for a while. I'm still busy and tired all the time, but not as much as I was. It's either that, or I've gotten used to being so busy!
Lately, I've been working longer hours at work and have been so busy at work that even though I don't get home very late, I'm bushed! On top of that, I have chorus rehearsal twice a week and it usually ends really late. So when I get home, I only have enough time to crawl into bed, thinking about how I have to get up early for work the next day.
Chorus always takes a lot out of me, but this year, I'm actually trying to practice more at home. That means I'm actually getting more tired practicing for Chorus than in previous semesters. This spring, my group has two big concerts to prepare for, so it's a lot of work. The piece that the director is most concerned about right now is Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The first movement is really hard! Not only is it sung in Hebrew (a pretty difficult language to sing in), it's super fast and the measures have 7 beats rather than an even number.
Anyways, I've given my friend her veil and I hope she likes it! I still have pictures to post of it. I also have to make my own veil. My friend wanted hers trimmed to wrist length, but I think for mine, I'm going to make it a little longer and go for fingertip length. Once the veil is done, I can start putting together other projects.
So far I still have to:
- finish making the invitations
- make the hair flower
- make the bouquets and bouts
- make the bridesmaids gifts
- decorate the card box (I got a cardboard gazebo box from Amazon.com)
- sew my chinese dress
- make the centerpieces
I've decided that I'm going to make origami centerpieces. That way, it's easily portable and easily trashable. Making origami centerpieces fulfills the need for centerpieces at the wedding as well as the need to indulge in my love of origami! I remember with great fondness, spending hours folding pieces of paper, following the diagrams of instructions from japanese origami books borrowed from the library. I still buy origami books and instructional stuff when I see one I like, so this is a chance to put the hobby to good use! I'm planning to use some of the diagrams from Oriland.com.
Well, that's all I have to say on that for now.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The veil
Earlier in the month, my fellow bride friend and I went veil shopping. We went into the shop knowing a few things like, we didn't want the veil to compete with our dress or hair or fancy hair accessories. We also didn't want anything too expensive. To be honest, I thought there was a good chance that I would be making the veils for the both of us since it's almost always cheaper that way if the veil is simple.
So anyways, we walk into the store and they had some sample veils hanging around the room. For me, I wanted a fingertip length, oval cut veil with no edging. I think my friend wanted something rather similar, but we wanted to try veils on before we decided anything for sure. We had planned to go to a bunch of different stores, but as it turns out, our mind was made up after the first! We both ended up wanting a fingertip length veil, no edging and oval cut to get the cascading effect. Unfortunately, the veil we wanted was $125 and was gonna take a month to make!! It literally was nothing more than a big piece of tulle attached to a metal comb. It was amusing to see the sales lady try to justify it by saying it's "made to order" and it uses "special bridal illusion tulle." Yeah, the tulle is "special" in the sense that it's the sheerest weave of nylon webbing that's often used in bridal veils, but it's at most 2 dollars a yard!
So we thanked the lady for her time and went a few stores down to a bead shop. We bought some metal combs there for about $2.70 each. There are cheaper combs, but I ain't gonna quibble over a dollar when the alternative is $125! So then I went online and ordered 108 inch bridal illusion tulle for about $1.98 a yard from Fabric.com. I got other stuff that I need to fee my sewing hobby along with the tulle to get the free shipping. :-)
The tulle arrived last week and this past weekend, I made my friend's veil. Since it was the first veil I've ever made, I took it cautious and cut it too large. I figure it's better to have a veil I can trim rather than a veil I can't add to! To start, I folded two yards of the 108 inch tulle into quarters and cut a curve from open edge to open edge. When you open it, you get a big oval. I then sewed a running stitch in a line, a few inches off center so the shorter side will be the blusher and the longer side will be the back. Once I was finished stitching, I gathered the tulle on the thread and then sewed the gathered part to the comb. I think I forgot to mention I wrapped the comb in ribbon and glued the ribbon edges down with GemTac glue. This way, I can sew the tulle onto the ribbon and plus, it looks nicer.
So now the veil is almost done! See, since I cut the veil too big in an effort to be cautious and conservative, I now have to trim it. Once I get around to doing that the veil is done! I'll be posting pictures later.
Materials:
- 2 yards 108" bridal illusion tulle: $1.98
- 1 metal comb: $2.70
- 1 yard ribbon (you don't need nearly this much, but it doesn't hurt to have some more in case you want to wrap it a second time or you mess up): $0.75
- some thread
Equipment used:
- Self healing mat
- Rotary cutter
- measuring tape
- dressmaker pins
- hand-sewing needle
Some things to keep in mind when cutting the tulle:
- Tulle can get staticky, especially in the winter when the air is really dry. Rubbing a dryer sheet on it can help.
- Use those pins!
- Never iron tulle as the heat will melt the plastic
- You can relax wrinkles in the tulle by hanging it in the bathroom during a hot shower, or holding a steam iron close, but not touching the tulle, to steam out the wrinkles.
- The more you gather, the poofier the veil
- Oval cuts or curves will give you the cascading effect once the tulle is gathered
- Square cuts gathered in the diagonal middle will give you a "handkerchief" effect
- Cascading veils sometimes aren't poofy enough or are too sheer at the gathered area. To increase poof, fold the veil along the line you are going to gather it and sew your gathering thread a few millimeters to a centimeter from the fold. Sew the gathering thread through both layers and gather the tulle.
- If you have a long oval shape and want more poof, gather the tulle the long way rather than the short way and run the gathering thread through a fairly long length of tulle. If you're doing this, make sure that the tulle is the length you want it on both sides of the gather.
- Tulle is cheap. If you're not sure what you're doing, buy a few extra yards and experiment!
So anyways, we walk into the store and they had some sample veils hanging around the room. For me, I wanted a fingertip length, oval cut veil with no edging. I think my friend wanted something rather similar, but we wanted to try veils on before we decided anything for sure. We had planned to go to a bunch of different stores, but as it turns out, our mind was made up after the first! We both ended up wanting a fingertip length veil, no edging and oval cut to get the cascading effect. Unfortunately, the veil we wanted was $125 and was gonna take a month to make!! It literally was nothing more than a big piece of tulle attached to a metal comb. It was amusing to see the sales lady try to justify it by saying it's "made to order" and it uses "special bridal illusion tulle." Yeah, the tulle is "special" in the sense that it's the sheerest weave of nylon webbing that's often used in bridal veils, but it's at most 2 dollars a yard!
So we thanked the lady for her time and went a few stores down to a bead shop. We bought some metal combs there for about $2.70 each. There are cheaper combs, but I ain't gonna quibble over a dollar when the alternative is $125! So then I went online and ordered 108 inch bridal illusion tulle for about $1.98 a yard from Fabric.com. I got other stuff that I need to fee my sewing hobby along with the tulle to get the free shipping. :-)
The tulle arrived last week and this past weekend, I made my friend's veil. Since it was the first veil I've ever made, I took it cautious and cut it too large. I figure it's better to have a veil I can trim rather than a veil I can't add to! To start, I folded two yards of the 108 inch tulle into quarters and cut a curve from open edge to open edge. When you open it, you get a big oval. I then sewed a running stitch in a line, a few inches off center so the shorter side will be the blusher and the longer side will be the back. Once I was finished stitching, I gathered the tulle on the thread and then sewed the gathered part to the comb. I think I forgot to mention I wrapped the comb in ribbon and glued the ribbon edges down with GemTac glue. This way, I can sew the tulle onto the ribbon and plus, it looks nicer.
So now the veil is almost done! See, since I cut the veil too big in an effort to be cautious and conservative, I now have to trim it. Once I get around to doing that the veil is done! I'll be posting pictures later.
Materials:
- 2 yards 108" bridal illusion tulle: $1.98
- 1 metal comb: $2.70
- 1 yard ribbon (you don't need nearly this much, but it doesn't hurt to have some more in case you want to wrap it a second time or you mess up): $0.75
- some thread
Equipment used:
- Self healing mat
- Rotary cutter
- measuring tape
- dressmaker pins
- hand-sewing needle
Some things to keep in mind when cutting the tulle:
- Tulle can get staticky, especially in the winter when the air is really dry. Rubbing a dryer sheet on it can help.
- Use those pins!
- Never iron tulle as the heat will melt the plastic
- You can relax wrinkles in the tulle by hanging it in the bathroom during a hot shower, or holding a steam iron close, but not touching the tulle, to steam out the wrinkles.
- The more you gather, the poofier the veil
- Oval cuts or curves will give you the cascading effect once the tulle is gathered
- Square cuts gathered in the diagonal middle will give you a "handkerchief" effect
- Cascading veils sometimes aren't poofy enough or are too sheer at the gathered area. To increase poof, fold the veil along the line you are going to gather it and sew your gathering thread a few millimeters to a centimeter from the fold. Sew the gathering thread through both layers and gather the tulle.
- If you have a long oval shape and want more poof, gather the tulle the long way rather than the short way and run the gathering thread through a fairly long length of tulle. If you're doing this, make sure that the tulle is the length you want it on both sides of the gather.
- Tulle is cheap. If you're not sure what you're doing, buy a few extra yards and experiment!
Friday, February 19, 2010
School laptop horror
Apparently, a high school in a pretty wealthy district issued laptops to all their students with the ability to turn the webcam on and off remotely, and didn't tell the kids. When kids asked the school tech guy why the webcam light turns on and off randomly, he replied that it was a glitch or it had something to do with people logging on and off. So the story blew up when the vice principal decided to discipline a student for "improper behavior" in the kid's own home and showed a photo taken by the laptop's webcam as proof. Creepy much? So far, the school has admitted that they have the ability to spy on kids via the issued laptops in their homes, but denies any wrongdoing.
From what I can tell, this has to violate federal wiretapping laws, the constitutional right to "reasonable expectations of privacy" in one's home, and even child pornagraphy laws. I really hope the people who implemented, defended and covered for this get put away for a really, really long time.
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/17/school-used-student.html
Monday, February 8, 2010
No 'poo movement
I am now officially a part of the No 'poo movement! It's a terrible name for a trend where people give up using shampoo and conditioner. My hair actually feels pretty good and I have no plans of going back to using shampoo anytime soon. It's been a gradual journey to this point.
The first thing I gave up was conditioner. I started using a cider vinegar hair rinse, which is about one tablespoon cider vinegar to a cup of water. You basically use that to rinse your hair after shampooing. My fiance generally hates the way it makes the bathroom smell like a salad bar, but fortunately, he doesn't shower the same time I do so he can avoid the bathroom after I'm done. :-)
Then I switched from shampoo to a shampoo bar. The shampoo bar is made from vegetable oils and contains no weird chemicals on its ingredients list. It can actually be used all over the body and is great for travel! At first, it was kind of weird to rub a block of soap on my head, but I got used to it. Once my hair got used to the soap, I realized that the soap was pretty moisturizing and I didn't need to use the cider vinegar rinse afterwards.
Once my shampoo bar ran out, I had a choice of either purchasing another or dropping shampoo altogether. I decided to at least try the No 'poo route. I dissolved a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water and poured it into a squeeze bottle. I worked it into my hair after wetting it and the mix felt slippery and slick. For this first time, I decided not to use the vinegar rinse to see if I even needed it. As it turns out, my hair felt a bit rough and scaly once it dried. So the next time, I used the vinegar rinse and the issue was solved.
I understand that not everyone can take this plunge and I don't generally tell people I meet that I wash my hair with baking soda and vinegar. I get strange looks when I tell people. I remember a few hair stylists telling me I have very healthy and shiny hair. On rare occasions, someone will ask me what I use in my hair and when I tell them, they fall silent and act rather awkward. The thing is, if my hair didn't feel nice and clean, I would not be continuing to wash my hair with baking soda and vinegar. It just so happens that this method works well for me. I like what it does for my hair and I like the fact that it's inexpensive AND it's not a weird chemically substance!
The first thing I gave up was conditioner. I started using a cider vinegar hair rinse, which is about one tablespoon cider vinegar to a cup of water. You basically use that to rinse your hair after shampooing. My fiance generally hates the way it makes the bathroom smell like a salad bar, but fortunately, he doesn't shower the same time I do so he can avoid the bathroom after I'm done. :-)
Then I switched from shampoo to a shampoo bar. The shampoo bar is made from vegetable oils and contains no weird chemicals on its ingredients list. It can actually be used all over the body and is great for travel! At first, it was kind of weird to rub a block of soap on my head, but I got used to it. Once my hair got used to the soap, I realized that the soap was pretty moisturizing and I didn't need to use the cider vinegar rinse afterwards.
Once my shampoo bar ran out, I had a choice of either purchasing another or dropping shampoo altogether. I decided to at least try the No 'poo route. I dissolved a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water and poured it into a squeeze bottle. I worked it into my hair after wetting it and the mix felt slippery and slick. For this first time, I decided not to use the vinegar rinse to see if I even needed it. As it turns out, my hair felt a bit rough and scaly once it dried. So the next time, I used the vinegar rinse and the issue was solved.
I understand that not everyone can take this plunge and I don't generally tell people I meet that I wash my hair with baking soda and vinegar. I get strange looks when I tell people. I remember a few hair stylists telling me I have very healthy and shiny hair. On rare occasions, someone will ask me what I use in my hair and when I tell them, they fall silent and act rather awkward. The thing is, if my hair didn't feel nice and clean, I would not be continuing to wash my hair with baking soda and vinegar. It just so happens that this method works well for me. I like what it does for my hair and I like the fact that it's inexpensive AND it's not a weird chemically substance!
Hot or Cold rice sock
This was something I actually learned from a Martha Stewart magazine many years ago, but has been travelling the "green" sites of late. Take a sock, preferably a knee high or other long sock and fill it with dry, uncooked rice. You can either sew it closed or knot it closed. For a hot pad, place it in the microwave for a few minutes. For a cold pad, place in the freezer and leave it there until you want to use it.
I personally have never used it as a cold pad. As a hot pad, it holds its warmth for about 30 minutes or longer. The rice molds itself to whatever body part it's placed upon and its heavy weight feels comforting to me. I've reused the rice sock many times over the year and it can feel really good to drape a warm one around your neck after a long day of staring at the computer screen. I've never opened the sock later to eat the rice inside though I've wondered about that. Lol!
I personally have never used it as a cold pad. As a hot pad, it holds its warmth for about 30 minutes or longer. The rice molds itself to whatever body part it's placed upon and its heavy weight feels comforting to me. I've reused the rice sock many times over the year and it can feel really good to drape a warm one around your neck after a long day of staring at the computer screen. I've never opened the sock later to eat the rice inside though I've wondered about that. Lol!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Whole wheat No Knead bread
I finally jumped on the No Knead bread craze and made some of my own! I used a whole wheat recipe and replaced some of the whole wheat flour with 2 to 3 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to help with the rise. I used the recipe from here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/082mrex.html
I left out rye flour and the cornmeal and reduced the amount of salt. Even so, I thought the loaf came out a bit too salty. My fiance loves it though. I do have to say, that this recipe has produced the nicest, crusty crust of any whole wheat bread recipe I've tried. It's hard to get a good crusty crust on whole wheat breads, even with cold water brushing and and water bath on the lower rack. So, I am very impressed with this bread. I think next time, I'll reduce the amount of salt even more and add just a touch of sugar.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/082mrex.html
I left out rye flour and the cornmeal and reduced the amount of salt. Even so, I thought the loaf came out a bit too salty. My fiance loves it though. I do have to say, that this recipe has produced the nicest, crusty crust of any whole wheat bread recipe I've tried. It's hard to get a good crusty crust on whole wheat breads, even with cold water brushing and and water bath on the lower rack. So, I am very impressed with this bread. I think next time, I'll reduce the amount of salt even more and add just a touch of sugar.
Made yogurt!
I've recently gotten into the groove of having some yogurt every morning. After a while, it starts to get a little pricey. I don't need anything fancy. Just some plain yogurt mixed with a small amount of fruit, or sugar, or maple syrup will do for me. What really cinched the decision to make my own was when I found out that many of the commercial nonfat yogurts contain gelatin, which isn't very good for my vegetarian practice. So this past weekend, I decided to try making my own yogurt! It was surprisingly easy!
First thing you'll need is a pot to make your yogurt in, and a thermometer and metal stirring spoon. Then you'll need some room-temperature milk. It can be whole, part skim or skim milk. Keep in mind that the fattier the milk, the thicker the texture. Next, you'll want to have some room-temperature yogurt with live, active cultures.
In the pot, heat the milk to 185 degrees F to kill any unwanted bacteria, stirring constantly. If you're using nonfat milk and would like to try for a thicker consistency, you can keep the milk at this temperature for about 30 minutes to boil off some water. Then take the pot off the heat and let the milk cool down to 110 degrees F. This is a good temperature for yogurt bacteria to grow. Place the pot near a heater or on a heated pad. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your yogurt. Then you just keep the pot covered and warm and wait for at least 7 hours. The longer you wait, the tangier and thicker the result. If you see any greenish stuff on the surface, it's okay. Just leave it alone and once it's done, stir to mix everything together evenly.
Once you're satisfied it's done, stir vigorously to mix everything, then pour into containers and leave in the fridge overnight. It will thicken a bit more once it's chilled. The yogurt will keep for about 2 to 3 weeks. Remember to save a few tablespoons of your yogurt for your next batch!
First thing you'll need is a pot to make your yogurt in, and a thermometer and metal stirring spoon. Then you'll need some room-temperature milk. It can be whole, part skim or skim milk. Keep in mind that the fattier the milk, the thicker the texture. Next, you'll want to have some room-temperature yogurt with live, active cultures.
In the pot, heat the milk to 185 degrees F to kill any unwanted bacteria, stirring constantly. If you're using nonfat milk and would like to try for a thicker consistency, you can keep the milk at this temperature for about 30 minutes to boil off some water. Then take the pot off the heat and let the milk cool down to 110 degrees F. This is a good temperature for yogurt bacteria to grow. Place the pot near a heater or on a heated pad. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your yogurt. Then you just keep the pot covered and warm and wait for at least 7 hours. The longer you wait, the tangier and thicker the result. If you see any greenish stuff on the surface, it's okay. Just leave it alone and once it's done, stir to mix everything together evenly.
Once you're satisfied it's done, stir vigorously to mix everything, then pour into containers and leave in the fridge overnight. It will thicken a bit more once it's chilled. The yogurt will keep for about 2 to 3 weeks. Remember to save a few tablespoons of your yogurt for your next batch!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Difficult people
Let's talk about wedding envy in others. In my personal life, the only people who've shown signs of envy are people who are not yet engaged or are otherwise still single. For the ones that are not in a steady relationship, my wedding planning brings up feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. I've been in that position myself, so I know it can be hard. For the ones that are in a steady relationship, on the road to marriage themselves, it seems that they are envious of the attention they are not getting. I admit that I know some pretty self-absorbed people who are used to my being content to stay in the background. My relationship with these self-absorbed folks had been manageable until I was suddenly thrust forward in front of them as dictated by societal norms and traditions. On the surface, they can't show that they're not happy for me and my fiance, but that doesn't mean they don't find ways to inject their displeasure or find petty ways to make me feel small and deflated.
Now, I try to be a nice person. I'll let stuff go if I know someone's having a hard time, but being a faulty human being, I have a limited amount of patience and grace. Normally, with difficult people, I'll start distancing myself from them. The less exposure to a nasty person, the less stress I'll feel. Difficult people become more of an issue when you're stuck dealing with them - when you can't escape! Examples would be when family members force you to take on a bridesmaid you don't get along with or a mother that treats your wedding like it's hers, or a vendor that gets nasty as soon as you sign the contract. I'm not dealing with these particular issues myself, but I do have people involved in my wedding planning process that I can't get away from. These few people have caused me and my fiance to worry about how our wedding will turn out.
When I encounter people who don't react well to my wedding, I realize that the issue isn't with me or my wedding. The issue is with them. This may be a harsh thing to say, but I think it's true. I didn't go around announcing my engagement unless I thought that person would be hurt that I didn't tell them. I never showed anybody my ring unless asked and I don't bring up wedding plans unless I have to or am asked. So all in all, I think it's safe to say that I didn't rub my happiness in anybody's unhappy face. Despite my best efforts to be sensitive, some people still react with negativity.
So who ARE these negative people in my life? Well, the common feature among the worst of them are that they're self-absorbed, attention-seeking, materialistic or image-conscious types. I am not sorry that my fiance and I will be the center of attention on our wedding day, and they'll just be the supporting cast. However, this prospect seems to cause them to lash out at us. My fear, and this is where I give them too much power over me, is that they will somehow find a way to bring me down on my own wedding day. I am aiming to have fun. These nasty people are... difficult to gain any distance from and I just don't want to be looking at their unhappy faces and hearing their snide comments on my wedding day. I am also fearful that they're going to somehow steal the spotlight. I am usually content to stay in the background and follow someone else's lead, but that doesn't mean I don't like positive attention and praise.
Now, you might be wondering if I've spoken to these people about their snarky pettiness. In the beginning, I let it go. These days, I push back. Thus far, pushing back has only resulted in more negativity, drama and stress. Now, they're actually mad at me and my fiance and I don't know where these relationship will end up on the day we get married.
So right now, I'm trying to not care about these people anymore. If I care about someone, I care about their opinions. They have already shown that they don't care about my feelings so I should stop caring about what comes out of their mouth. This is a lot harder said than done, but since the only person I have any amount of control over is me, I'll have a higher chance of success with this route than the confrontational one. The other thing I want to do is to tell the MC and DJ that they are not to give the microphone to anybody under any circumstances! All speeches can be made at the rehearsal dinner so we can spare the wedding!
Now, I try to be a nice person. I'll let stuff go if I know someone's having a hard time, but being a faulty human being, I have a limited amount of patience and grace. Normally, with difficult people, I'll start distancing myself from them. The less exposure to a nasty person, the less stress I'll feel. Difficult people become more of an issue when you're stuck dealing with them - when you can't escape! Examples would be when family members force you to take on a bridesmaid you don't get along with or a mother that treats your wedding like it's hers, or a vendor that gets nasty as soon as you sign the contract. I'm not dealing with these particular issues myself, but I do have people involved in my wedding planning process that I can't get away from. These few people have caused me and my fiance to worry about how our wedding will turn out.
When I encounter people who don't react well to my wedding, I realize that the issue isn't with me or my wedding. The issue is with them. This may be a harsh thing to say, but I think it's true. I didn't go around announcing my engagement unless I thought that person would be hurt that I didn't tell them. I never showed anybody my ring unless asked and I don't bring up wedding plans unless I have to or am asked. So all in all, I think it's safe to say that I didn't rub my happiness in anybody's unhappy face. Despite my best efforts to be sensitive, some people still react with negativity.
So who ARE these negative people in my life? Well, the common feature among the worst of them are that they're self-absorbed, attention-seeking, materialistic or image-conscious types. I am not sorry that my fiance and I will be the center of attention on our wedding day, and they'll just be the supporting cast. However, this prospect seems to cause them to lash out at us. My fear, and this is where I give them too much power over me, is that they will somehow find a way to bring me down on my own wedding day. I am aiming to have fun. These nasty people are... difficult to gain any distance from and I just don't want to be looking at their unhappy faces and hearing their snide comments on my wedding day. I am also fearful that they're going to somehow steal the spotlight. I am usually content to stay in the background and follow someone else's lead, but that doesn't mean I don't like positive attention and praise.
Now, you might be wondering if I've spoken to these people about their snarky pettiness. In the beginning, I let it go. These days, I push back. Thus far, pushing back has only resulted in more negativity, drama and stress. Now, they're actually mad at me and my fiance and I don't know where these relationship will end up on the day we get married.
So right now, I'm trying to not care about these people anymore. If I care about someone, I care about their opinions. They have already shown that they don't care about my feelings so I should stop caring about what comes out of their mouth. This is a lot harder said than done, but since the only person I have any amount of control over is me, I'll have a higher chance of success with this route than the confrontational one. The other thing I want to do is to tell the MC and DJ that they are not to give the microphone to anybody under any circumstances! All speeches can be made at the rehearsal dinner so we can spare the wedding!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
- Make effort to walk around office floor once every hour
Pennies earned:
54
I am now over halfway to a whole dollar! As you can see, I've added a fifth goal this week. I want to try to keep active even at my desk job. Truly, I didn't really start to gain lots of weight until I started sitting on my rear for most the day, every day! I'm hoping that forcing myself to just walk around my office floor once every hour will help mitigate some of my mid-section spread. In terms of everything else, I'm still having a bit of trouble building consistency . I am also having some problems fitting in a balanced diet that doesn't go over my calorie limit. I blame it on my sweet tooth and my love cheese. Oh how I love cheese!
What's a bit discouraging is that after all time time, there is no progress yet. I did lose an inch around my hips, but my weight and everything else is still the same. I'm starting to lose my motivation. If I don't start to see results soon, I'm not sure I'll want to continue this much longer. I mean, if all this effort doesn't amount to anything, then why bother making the effort, right?
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
- Make effort to walk around office floor once every hour
Pennies earned:
54
I am now over halfway to a whole dollar! As you can see, I've added a fifth goal this week. I want to try to keep active even at my desk job. Truly, I didn't really start to gain lots of weight until I started sitting on my rear for most the day, every day! I'm hoping that forcing myself to just walk around my office floor once every hour will help mitigate some of my mid-section spread. In terms of everything else, I'm still having a bit of trouble building consistency . I am also having some problems fitting in a balanced diet that doesn't go over my calorie limit. I blame it on my sweet tooth and my love cheese. Oh how I love cheese!
What's a bit discouraging is that after all time time, there is no progress yet. I did lose an inch around my hips, but my weight and everything else is still the same. I'm starting to lose my motivation. If I don't start to see results soon, I'm not sure I'll want to continue this much longer. I mean, if all this effort doesn't amount to anything, then why bother making the effort, right?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
Pennies earned:
41
I haven't posted one of these in a while. As you can see, I really haven't gotten anywhere since the holidays started. I should have earned a great deal more pennies by now, but it's been difficult getting back on track. However, I'm trying keep myself accountable with these posts, for honesty's sake, the above is where I am.
I did add a new goal though. This is to encourage me to maintain and increase my flexibility as I continue to try to keep to an exercise routine. Plus, I just love the way my body feels when I do it regularly. I may increase the number of minutes but for now, 10 minutes will do.
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
Pennies earned:
41
I haven't posted one of these in a while. As you can see, I really haven't gotten anywhere since the holidays started. I should have earned a great deal more pennies by now, but it's been difficult getting back on track. However, I'm trying keep myself accountable with these posts, for honesty's sake, the above is where I am.
I did add a new goal though. This is to encourage me to maintain and increase my flexibility as I continue to try to keep to an exercise routine. Plus, I just love the way my body feels when I do it regularly. I may increase the number of minutes but for now, 10 minutes will do.
DIY stone bath mat
A stone bath mat is definitely an interesting project. Personally, I like a fluffy mat, but if you prefer stone, you can make one yourself with the tutorial linked below! I really like the looks of this project and am considering making a welcome mat version.
http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/stone_bath_mat_0110.aspx
http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/stone_bath_mat_0110.aspx
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Lemon powered battery
http://www.mnn.com/family/education-activities/blogs/how-to-make-a-lemon-battery
Sunburst mirror
You know those circular mirrors stuck in the middle of a bunch of sticks radiating out in a sunburst design? Turns out you can make a simple one of your own without spending loads of money on the designer brand name! Check out this tutorial:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=307583.0
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=307583.0
Analog Animation Tutorial
This is a really cool tutorial on how to make your own animated images with paper! Another great one from Dude Craft:
http://www.dudecraft.com/2010/01/scanimation-style-tutorial.html
http://www.dudecraft.com/2010/01/scanimation-style-tutorial.html
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wedding ring? Check!
So how did I come to buy this ring and not another? Well, from the start, I knew I wanted something very thin, no more than 2mm wide. I have thin fingers and have always had a problem finding rings that are small enough to fit or at the very least, won't look like it swallowed my whole hand. I think my engagement ring is about 2mm wide. My all-time favorite ring was my mother's, and is a lovely rose gold ring about 1.5 mm wide. On occasion, I'll wear a thicker, more flashy ring, but I have to be in the mood for it. For everyday wear, I prefer something very simple, won't draw the attention of random thieves, and won't get caught on fine fabrics and delicate yarns when I work with them. I work with my hands a lot and some of the yarns and fabrics I've handled will get caught on nothing more than dry skin! So I would rather my everyday jewelry not give me grief in that respect. I have no patience nor presence of mind to keep removing and replacing my jewelry for every craft project.
I admit that the Wedding Industrial Complex did briefly tempt me to consider the currently wildly popular wedding band that is set with diamonds all around. That got me thinking. Conformity with your peers may make you more acceptable because people think they understand you and know you, but is it really what you would choose had you been left completely to your own devices? I don't know if I mentioned this before, but sometimes, I am sad that I ended up with a diamond engagement ring rather than a ruby ring like I had always wanted. What was kind of upsetting is that even though I ended up with the kind of ring everyone thought was "appropriate," it was still looked upon with pity and scorn because apparently, the diamond wasn't big enough for some people. So my caving into social pressures did nothing but make me unhappy and left me feeling inadequate. In the end, it's my ring and I do love it. It's just that sometimes, I wish I had stuck to my guns and chosen a ruby ring.
Anyways, I originally thought about getting something more ornate, like this or this, but I eventually decided I didn't like the look of the ring. Those are made with a mold, rather than hand-carved, which seems to make the details less striking. I then saw this post on Etsy Wedding. I saw how pretty a simple, really thin band looks and I just knew that it was something I would wear every day. It turns out that very thin rings tend to be known as stacking rings and doing a search for stacking rings will yield some beautiful results on Etsy! After some browsing, I noticed that I gravitated towards rings that were either totally plain and looked like a fat wire around a finger, or rings with a hammered texture. I wanted a ring as thin as possible. I eventually found a lovely 1mm ring. The concern is that 1mm rings are very thin and may bend and break over time. So when I saw a strong, platinum version, I knew I found what I wanted!
I ordered it last December and a month later, I received it! When I finally got to see and touch the ring in person, I was able to appreciate just how tiny the ring is. I was a little afraid I would lose it! This is definitely a ring I wouldn't want to take off cause I would definitely lose it somewhere! I tried it on and rubbed covetously before my fiance demanded that I hand it over to him. He promptly pocketed it and hid it when we got home so I can't secretly wear the ring around the apartment when he's not around. Oh well, I guess I'll see it again on our wedding day! Now all we have to do is go ring shopping for him!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Avoiding the loss of your camera
http://www.andrewmcdonald.net.au/a-pictorial-guide-to-avoiding-camera-loss/
WIC (Wedding Industrial Complex) burnout
When I first started wedding planning, I dove right in. I bought magazines, registered on websites, researched blogs and trolled through the wedding goodies on Etsy. I was immersed in it and soon realized that in order to have that magazine wedding that everyone seems to be telling me I must have, I'd have to spend a phenomenal amount of money that I don't have! In fact, now that I'm slowly coming back to my senses, I regret having lost myself and put down deposits on so many things that I now feel may not have been worth it. Some things I've come to realize lately:
- It's just one day. All of this time and money is being spent to try a make one day look like a magazine shoot.
- Your wedding is not a magazine shoot.
- Nor are you a stick figured model. You are a real woman, who is loved enough by someone that he/she wants to spend the rest of his/her life with you - not because you look like you could model a wedding dress, but because you're beautiful as you are, inside and out.
- Your partner wants to marry you, with or without professionally applied makeup.
- All the money in the world will not make your guests remember if the colors of the napkins match the chair sashes.
- Most people throw away the invitations.
- Your guests may not even care if you skip favors altogether.
- You are throwing a party to celebrate the beginning of your new life together, not putting on a show. What I mean is, the people who are there are supposed to be there to love and support you, not judge you based on how "fancy" your wedding appears to be and if they will judge you on how expensive and showy your wedding is, then maybe they don't love you as much as a good show.
- The MOST important thing about a wedding is that everyone has a good time. Your guests are not going to remember what your wedding colors were, but they'll remember if your wedding was fun. They'll remember things that make them go, "Wow, that is SO them!" and "Now THAT was a great party!"
- The above comment applies to you and your partner as well.
- It is HARD not to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex!
- But it IS possible to stay grounded as long as you keep reminding yourself that you're not doing this to show off to other people, but you are doing this because THIS is how you want to throw a celebratory party!
I also want to say is if you are like me and have already spent a lot of money and put down deposits with promises to spend lots more money, it's okay. It is indeed hard to stay grounded against the Wedding Industrial Complex and almost no woman I've ever met is completely immune or hasn't been sucked into it - even a little bit. So if the money's already been spent or promised, then let it go and enjoy a day of extravagance when it comes around. I don't believe in going into debt to pay for a party, so I haven't been spending money I don't have, it's just that I feel a little sick when I realize just how much I'm actually going to spend on one brief, shining moment. The truth is, that moment will be shining whether or not you have that poofy dress, the sparkly lace veil or a giant sculpture made of cake. When I realize that last bit, I also realize how frivolous and unnecessary a lot of my wedding expenses are and will be. So right now, I'm just trying to be happy with what I've done and be okay with the amount of money that's going into it. It's already done. The money is as good as gone. No point in crying over spilled milk, right?
So the other thing I've been dealing with is Wedding Industrial Complex burnout. Lately, all I've been feeling is utter disgust and defensiveness when I see, hear or read about wedding related stuff that even hints at attacking how I'm going about getting married. It's my business how I get married. I seriously don't understand this urge to butt in and judge me and my wedding decisions. This includes the people around me who look at my engagement ring with an expression of scorn and/or pity, and the people who look at me and say I need to lose weight if I want to look pretty on my wedding day. I've been beaten down enough just living as I do. I don't need proponents of the Wedding Industrial Complex adding to my lifelong issues with my body image, manipulating me through my ingrained fear of failure, and pressuring me to lose my identity for the sake of conformity.
The truth is, my fiance and I probably could have a more conformist wedding, but it wouldn't be us. The most memorable weddings, for me, have been ones that focused more on having a good time at a good party than on the dying flowers, the matching color scheme and how every detail will look in photos. Even if we were to call our wedding a "budget wedding," we did not interview and contact hundreds of vendors to find the best of the best of the best for our price range. We usually just hired the first person who was good enough for our price range. In my experience, obsessing over getting the best or the best deal will only cause more stress and frustration than not. Like the saying goes, "Don't let 'the best' be the enemy of the 'good enough." Also, my fiance and I simply do not have the time nor the patience to devote to searching and then interviewing tons of vendors. Once I get an item off my list, I move on to the next item and/or doing things like maintaining my job and preparing for married life. It is because I moved so fast through my checklist that I'm now so far ahead that I can actually take a break from wedding planning and just enjoy life for a few months!
Now, if I can only lose 20 pounds during those few months...
- It's just one day. All of this time and money is being spent to try a make one day look like a magazine shoot.
- Your wedding is not a magazine shoot.
- Nor are you a stick figured model. You are a real woman, who is loved enough by someone that he/she wants to spend the rest of his/her life with you - not because you look like you could model a wedding dress, but because you're beautiful as you are, inside and out.
- Your partner wants to marry you, with or without professionally applied makeup.
- All the money in the world will not make your guests remember if the colors of the napkins match the chair sashes.
- Most people throw away the invitations.
- Your guests may not even care if you skip favors altogether.
- You are throwing a party to celebrate the beginning of your new life together, not putting on a show. What I mean is, the people who are there are supposed to be there to love and support you, not judge you based on how "fancy" your wedding appears to be and if they will judge you on how expensive and showy your wedding is, then maybe they don't love you as much as a good show.
- The MOST important thing about a wedding is that everyone has a good time. Your guests are not going to remember what your wedding colors were, but they'll remember if your wedding was fun. They'll remember things that make them go, "Wow, that is SO them!" and "Now THAT was a great party!"
- The above comment applies to you and your partner as well.
- It is HARD not to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex!
- But it IS possible to stay grounded as long as you keep reminding yourself that you're not doing this to show off to other people, but you are doing this because THIS is how you want to throw a celebratory party!
I also want to say is if you are like me and have already spent a lot of money and put down deposits with promises to spend lots more money, it's okay. It is indeed hard to stay grounded against the Wedding Industrial Complex and almost no woman I've ever met is completely immune or hasn't been sucked into it - even a little bit. So if the money's already been spent or promised, then let it go and enjoy a day of extravagance when it comes around. I don't believe in going into debt to pay for a party, so I haven't been spending money I don't have, it's just that I feel a little sick when I realize just how much I'm actually going to spend on one brief, shining moment. The truth is, that moment will be shining whether or not you have that poofy dress, the sparkly lace veil or a giant sculpture made of cake. When I realize that last bit, I also realize how frivolous and unnecessary a lot of my wedding expenses are and will be. So right now, I'm just trying to be happy with what I've done and be okay with the amount of money that's going into it. It's already done. The money is as good as gone. No point in crying over spilled milk, right?
So the other thing I've been dealing with is Wedding Industrial Complex burnout. Lately, all I've been feeling is utter disgust and defensiveness when I see, hear or read about wedding related stuff that even hints at attacking how I'm going about getting married. It's my business how I get married. I seriously don't understand this urge to butt in and judge me and my wedding decisions. This includes the people around me who look at my engagement ring with an expression of scorn and/or pity, and the people who look at me and say I need to lose weight if I want to look pretty on my wedding day. I've been beaten down enough just living as I do. I don't need proponents of the Wedding Industrial Complex adding to my lifelong issues with my body image, manipulating me through my ingrained fear of failure, and pressuring me to lose my identity for the sake of conformity.
The truth is, my fiance and I probably could have a more conformist wedding, but it wouldn't be us. The most memorable weddings, for me, have been ones that focused more on having a good time at a good party than on the dying flowers, the matching color scheme and how every detail will look in photos. Even if we were to call our wedding a "budget wedding," we did not interview and contact hundreds of vendors to find the best of the best of the best for our price range. We usually just hired the first person who was good enough for our price range. In my experience, obsessing over getting the best or the best deal will only cause more stress and frustration than not. Like the saying goes, "Don't let 'the best' be the enemy of the 'good enough." Also, my fiance and I simply do not have the time nor the patience to devote to searching and then interviewing tons of vendors. Once I get an item off my list, I move on to the next item and/or doing things like maintaining my job and preparing for married life. It is because I moved so fast through my checklist that I'm now so far ahead that I can actually take a break from wedding planning and just enjoy life for a few months!
Now, if I can only lose 20 pounds during those few months...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2010 Resolutions
Tis the season to make resolutions! Well, I have to admit that I usually don't keep them throughout the year, but I still do it for the fun of it! So here is my list of resolutions for this year:
- plan out my meals better
- lose 20 pounds!
- exercise regularly every day
- get married!
- drink more water daily
- make apartment presentable to guests
That's all I got so far. Hope I get it all done this year!
- plan out my meals better
- lose 20 pounds!
- exercise regularly every day
- get married!
- drink more water daily
- make apartment presentable to guests
That's all I got so far. Hope I get it all done this year!
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
23
I didn't get home in time to exercise last night as the dinner party lasted quite a while. I am definitely feeling unhappy about not having been able to exercise yesterday and I'm definitely feeling my level of motivation dropping because of the unhappiness. I better get my rear in gear and push myself to do something tonight!
Surprisingly, I stayed within my calorie range, but I attribute that to my having planned for a heavy dinner by having a very light salad lunch. Too bad I couldn't get in any exercise though. As I mentioned before, I am a bit sad about that. Well, we'll see what happens tonight!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
23
I didn't get home in time to exercise last night as the dinner party lasted quite a while. I am definitely feeling unhappy about not having been able to exercise yesterday and I'm definitely feeling my level of motivation dropping because of the unhappiness. I better get my rear in gear and push myself to do something tonight!
Surprisingly, I stayed within my calorie range, but I attribute that to my having planned for a heavy dinner by having a very light salad lunch. Too bad I couldn't get in any exercise though. As I mentioned before, I am a bit sad about that. Well, we'll see what happens tonight!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
21
I missed two of my three goals. I missed my exercise goal by 5 minutes and I went over my calorie range. I did manage to get in six cups of water though. So at least, I did one thing right. Yay!
Well, today is a new day. I actually have a friend's going-away party to go to where there will be more food and drinking. I am playing with the idea of foregoing the drinks altogether tonight. Now is the time to start reining myself in and getting myself back on the track I was on before the holiday season started. I suppose in preparation for a heavy dinner, I should have a light salad for lunch. Not particularly looking forward to having a salad on a cold winter day, but I know that's what I should do. At the very least, I hope to get home early enough to squeeze in my exercise goal!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
21
I missed two of my three goals. I missed my exercise goal by 5 minutes and I went over my calorie range. I did manage to get in six cups of water though. So at least, I did one thing right. Yay!
Well, today is a new day. I actually have a friend's going-away party to go to where there will be more food and drinking. I am playing with the idea of foregoing the drinks altogether tonight. Now is the time to start reining myself in and getting myself back on the track I was on before the holiday season started. I suppose in preparation for a heavy dinner, I should have a light salad for lunch. Not particularly looking forward to having a salad on a cold winter day, but I know that's what I should do. At the very least, I hope to get home early enough to squeeze in my exercise goal!
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