Fall Decor - Fabric Pumpkins

These Fabric Pumpkins were the second project we completed on our epic crafting day.  Check them out and see if you want to make them yourselves or if you just want to purchase one of these, go see Kari at the Cedarville Barn Autumn in the Country event in Oakville on Friday and Saturday September 25th and 26th from 10-5 or at the Country Chicks Harvest Fair at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday October 2nd (10-6) and 3rd (10-4).  Both of these events are really a great place to get inspiration and some really awesome handmade goods from talented people.  On to the craft...

I have to admit this is one of my favorite projects that we have done.  It was fun, quick and pretty easy.  We got our inspiration from here.  The best part for me was picking out the fabrics.  You can choose 1, 2 or 3 different fabrics.  You could do more but I think they look best with 6 sections.  No matter how many fabrics, you want your total overall size to be about 24" wide and no more than 12" tall.  These make a good size pumpkin.  Any taller and you will have some trouble with getting the long needle through.

Chose your coordinating fabrics and iron them out.  Measure your pieces on the reverse side and mark were you need to cut.  These pieces are 13 1/2" by 4".  Remember when I said no longer than 12"?  Seriously, no longer than that.  It was really difficult later.

Once your pieces are cut, match them up and sew the long sides together.   You will end up with all six pieces in one long sheet.  Now sew the ends together to form a cylinder shape.

Thread a needle and double the thread.  Tie off the thread and begin sewing one end of the cylinder closed using a running or basting stitch.  Basically just in one side and then in the other side.  At the end, pull the thread taut and tie off.  This will gather the fabric in a tight zig zag.  This is the bottom of the pumpkin.  Flip the fabric right side out and you should end up with a sack like shape. 

Stuff the sack with Poly-Fil or other soft fiber filler.  Take the same thread from before and do another running or basting stitch around the edge of the open side.  Unlike the bottom, this stitch runs around the rim and then pull it taut.  This will mostly close the other side, leaving you with a stuffed cylinder and small opening.

Take a long, slim needle (5" or so) and thread it with embroidery thread of a corresponding color.  Tie off the end and start in the center of the first side you sewed together, the bottom. Push it through and out the small opening in the top.  Go around the outside of the pumpkin, on a seam.  Continue this process for all 6 seams, pulling each tight, tufting the fabric.  Do not tie this off yet.

Use a small piece of felt, about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Fold it in half and using the same black thread from before, use a whip stitch to close the top and open side.  Leave the bottom open.  You can turn the felt right side out or leave it with the stitching on the outside.  Next you will fill it with the Poly-Fil or other filling, then stitch the bottom closed.  Take the large needle and embroidery thread and attach the stem.  You will run it through the bottom and top a few times to secure it before tying it off.

 Here are some of the finished pumpkins.  As you can see, you can use many different fabrics, textures and sizes.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

 We both disliked this fabric with anything else but it works great on it's own.

 Pardon the multiple backgrounds.  I did some of these at Kari' house, a few in my bedroom and a few in my living room.  It's a great craft to do while watching tv. I love this green pumpkin.  The leaves and stem are precious.

 I got lucky and found this sequined fabric in the remnant bin at JoAnn's.  It looks fabulous.

You can see the different sizes and variations I used.  Did I mention I loved this craft?!?!?!

Weight Loss Journey: Nephew Adventures, Gym Etiquette and Meal Prep

A few weekends ago we had my nephew Logan over.  He is almost 5 and really energetic.  We decided to surprise him and take him to the beach on Saturday.  He had so much fun playing in the sand and at the playground we found.  He and I even walked through the Battery at Fort Columbia.  My only problem was he kept running off from me and it was freaking me out.  I am not up to 5 year old speed yet.

At the park, I decided to see if my skills were still up to par.  Nope!  I realized I could not hang for any more than a few seconds.  So I set a goal for myself to be able to do Monkey Bars again at some point.  I did climb the large toy in the center of the playground.  And while I was too afraid to do much else, it felt great to be up there.  I also clocked in 8 flights of stairs on my FitBit by going up and down.  If you think, because you are a Mom, you don't have time for a workout, you are wrong.  Just get out there and play with the kids.  Plus, swinging is so much fun!

I have been at Planet Fitness for 4 months now and have made a few observations I would like to share.  These are not be being judgmental, just things I see:
#1 - Get off your phone while you are working out.  Leave your phone in your locker and enjoy your workout.  I see people sitting on machines, texting or even talking.  It's rude to other people in the gym and there is no way you are focusing on your workout.
#2 - Light gray yoga pants are not a smart choice.  Just an observation but when you sweat, that color yoga pants changes color.  I felt bad for one woman.  It looked like she had wet herself.
#3 -  Make friends.  If, like me, you go to the gym at a certain time every day, it is likely that you see some of the same people.  Say hi, smile, be friendly.  You are both there for the same reason.

Through this journey I have spent many Sundays meal prepping.  Honestly, the biggest plus is that I can sleep in a bit.  My most recent set of prep included roasted vegetables (carrots, zucchini and broccoli), boiled chicken and quinoa.  I prefer to eat this kind of food for breakfast, having a morning snack at 11 and then lunch at 2:30 after my workout.  This particular week, my 11 am snack was the Kale Power Salad that I have talked about before and my 2:30 salad of greens, ground turkey and feta.  After the first day, I decided to modify the base meal and have a hot breakfast.

Here is exactly what was in each day's meal:
1.25 cups Roasted Vegetables, 1 cup boiled chicken thighs, 1 cup cooked quinoa (480 calories)
Day 1:  No Modification
Day 2:  Add 2 over easy eggs (add 147 calories)
Day 3:  Add 1 cup chicken stock (add 80 calories)
Day 4:  Add 1/2 cup egg substitute (add 62 calories)
Day 5:  Add 1/4 cup egg substitute and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (add 101 calories)
It was so good, healthy and filling.

From July 15th to August 15th, I only lost 6 lbs.  It was a rough month.  My weight loss has definitely slowed down.  In fact, I had not gained but I hadn't lost in over 2 weeks.  I did some research online, asked my fellow Blog to Lose ladies and contacted my nutritionist.  It turns out I haven't been eating enough.  I had been sticking to about 1800 calories and burning about 3800 in a day.  Well, that had slowed my metabolism and put my body into starvation mode.  So after talking to a few people, I upped my calories to 2300 to 2500 as my target.  After 2 days, I lost 3 lbs in 3 days.    I had just reset my body and my total loss is 87 lbs.  I am just 13 lbs from my 100 lb goal and 16 lbs from being under 400 lbs.

DIY Bleach Shirts

We are back folks!  I know I have sort of hijacked the blog.  It has been all weight loss and diabetes information for six months or so.  It has consumed my life too but now I am back into crafting, sewing and cooking.  As always, the blog will reflect what is going on our lives.

Kari and I made plans to meet up and get a few projects banged out in one day.  We had a very productive Saturday, even with her 3 boys there.  I honestly don't know how she does it.  They wear me out.  Her boys are almost 5, almost 2 and 1 month old.  Our first project is the one I am going to share today.

Isn't our model just so precious?!?

These DIY Bleach shirts were inspired by this pin.  The supplies are simple.

Bleach

Spray Bottle

T-Shirt (darker colors work better)

Cardboard

Stencil

 Start by placing the cardboard inside your shirt and make sure it is flat.  You can iron if you want but, umm, no.

Next, you want to lay out your stencil or design.  

We used vinyl cut on a Silhouette machine.

You just want to make sure it is straight and positioned where you want it.

Just spray a fine mist of the bleach from the squirt bottle.  We did 3 or 4 squirts and you can see it starts to change quickly.  Dab any pooling bleach with a paper towel

In just 2 or 3 minutes, you can remove the stencil and see the results.

After you remove the stencil, rinse the shirt thoroughly in cold water.

Hang the shirts to air dry.

After they dry for a bit, run the shirts through the washer and dryer on a normal cycle, just the shirts.

And Tah-Dah, there you have a simple, quick DIY shirt made from things you have in your house already.

Weight Loss Journey: Back to the Doctor and FitBit Fun

For the last few weeks, since I started doing treadmill workouts, my hip has been really bothering me.   It doesn't bother me while I'm on the treadmill, just after I get back to work and sit for a little bit.   It gets even worse after I get home and try to relax and watch tv.  Another problem I am having is that my foot begins to cramp/hurt after walking for around 5 minutes.  I have been pushing through it but It was a bit concerning.  I also, secretly, wanted to weigh in  and get my A1C checked again.

82 lbs down

Back in December when I first had my A1C checked, it was 6.9 and in February is was 6.2.  Now it is down to 5.7 which is the lowest number they consider to be pre-diabetic.  I am really happy to have dropped it so much but that doesn't mean I can let up.  I now have to maintain a good A1C so I can stay healthy and off medication.  I am currently down 82 lbs which is a little over 16% of my beginning body weight.  Being a numbers geek and Accounting major, makes me work everything down to percentages and number crunching.  I want to lose 50% of my beginning weight.  I am 33% there, 1/3rd of the way, in 7 1/2 months.  I know it will get tougher as I lose more.  But I am well on my way to a happier healthier me.

Back to my doctor visit.  Apparently my hip problem is called Bursitis and I just have to deal with it.  My foot is a ligament that is being stretched and doesn't like it.  I also just have to deal with that.  So here I am dealing with stuff.  I found some stretches for both problems but they don't seem to be working yet.  I took three days off from the gym this week to see if I could maybe rest up a bit.  When I went back on Monday, I wasn't in hip pain but the foot pain persisted.  After coming back to work, the hip did bother me but not as much as before.  It wasn't until I got home and had been relaxing for a bit that the pain returned with a vengeance.  However, I did do squats yesterday so that may have been part of it.

Here is a report from my FitBit on my work out from July 27th.  My average heartbeat is 128 bpm with half my time in a cardio zone and the other half in the fat burn zone.  My resting heart rate is around 70 bpm.  I burned an average of 15 calories a minute with a total of 504 calories burned.  I love all the information I get form this little device.  Below you can see other parts of my Dashboard.  You can see my sleep, my short term weight loss goal, my total calories burned, my active minutes, my distance, my floors and a badge I earned.  I don't understand how the floors are calculated.  I don't do many stairs and sometimes it says I have done six floors.  I just disregard that one.

Weight Loss Journey: Coffee Epiphany, New Family Member and Meal Prep

When I started this journey, I immediately cut out every beverage but water and the occasional alcoholic drink.  This means I gave up my beloved coffee.  I gave up coffee because I can't drink it without cream and sugar and those can add a lot of calories.  Well, it dawned on me this week that I could add Vanilla Almond Milk.  I always have it on hand and it's only 20 calories for 1/4 of a cup.  So, I headed to Starbucks, my guiltiest of pleasures, and ordered a Venti Cold Brew Iced Coffee, black.  I had to sip a bit out, which was pretty bitter but gave me a jolt and then added in my Almond Milk.  I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing, but Miranda Lambert was also on the radio so I can't be sure.  It was glorious, delicious and my new favorite thing.  And it's only 45 calories.  Score!

My first day at the gym I decided the treadmill would be my safest bet.  I got on, situated myself and started the machine.  I started slow, at a 1 and then got it up to a 1.5.  I lasted 5 minutes.  And I was huffing after that five minutes.  Since then, I hadn't touched one.  That was almost 3 months ago, so last Tuesday I decided to give it another go.  I set my pace at 2 and was doing well, so I upped it to 2.5.  I ended up doing a total of 20 minutes, or 3/4 of a mile.  It was a real triumph for me.  After my treadmill, I got on the stationary bike and did 10 minutes, 4 of them at 90 rpms.  That 30 minute workout helped me burn 439 calories.  I did skip the gym Thursday and Friday though.  I had a really rough period this month.  I read a few places that exercising helps ease cramps and bleeding.  LIES I tell you....ALL LIES.

While perusing the inter webs, I came across an advertisement for the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Color Dash.  It's a 5K event around the Three Rivers Mall that includes 4 color stations.  In no way am I ready for this kind of event but it got me thinking.  If I was going to do something like that, why not be a fun one like a color run?  Now, a 5K is just over 3 miles.  At my current pace, it would take me about 90 minutes.  My goal would be under 45 minutes.  That still is a pretty slow pace but I have about a year to work up to it.  Have any of you done a 5K or more?  How did you prepare?

We have a new addition to our Pink Elephant family.  My sister Kari had her third son on July 7th.  Leo Christopher weighed in at 10 lbs. 6 ozs. and was 22" long.  He is gorgeous, as were her other two.  I am especially excited about his birth date though.   My birthday is 5/5, Kari's is 9/9 so he fits right in the middle with 7/7.  Our friend Hollie and I threw her a Sip n' See on Saturday so family and friends could come over to the house and meet Leo without overwhelming them in the hospital.  As per usual, I made way too much food, but it was a nice relaxing afternoon with my favorite people.

After having intense period cravings, eating more than I should have and being in so much pain that I was barely able to function, I did manage to lose another 3 lbs.  I am down a total of 78, with 22 to go until my next major goal.  I have had a few people ask me how I am doing it and again I will say it is all in the mind and preparation.  I spend about an hour on Sundays prepping for the week.  This prep includes making a menu, making my shopping list and cooking anything that is needed.  This week, I didn't go shopping so I am eating out of my freezer.  I cooked up some turkey breakfast sausage for burritos and some chicken breast for salads.  Trust me, the time you spend prepping will save you three-fold during the week.  There is no, "I don't know what to make, what do you want?"  It's all laid out.  You know your schedule, if you are going to be home later one night, put something in the crock pot.  There are no excuses.  Dinner can take less than 15 minutes on most nights.

Weight Loss Journey: More Zaycon, Father's Day and Eating Mistakes

BACON

Yes, I just opened my weight loss blog with bacon.  I'm evil like that!  You've heard me talk numerous times about Zaycon and their products.  We recently split a box of bacon and a box of boneless skinless chicken breast with my Mom.  The bacon came in 12 - 3 lb packs and we paid $3.49/lb.  It is really fantastic bacon.  Our first package I thought was a little salty but the second package didn't seem that way.  The Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast we got for $1.69/lb, which is a phenomenal price.  If you'd like to order, here is our referral link: zayconfresh.com/refer/zf361074 .  You can go there and check out what they have in your area.  I promise, you won't be disappointed.

The chicken comes in a large box, separated into 4 -10 lb bags.  The breasts are connected.  I quickly trim them and put 2 breasts per bag.  Each breast half weighs, on average, about a lb.

I want to warn you about reading labels.  I had bought some ground turkey, thinking, it must be better for me than ground beef.  After reading the labels, I found that the turkey have more calories and fat per serving than the 93/7 Zaycon Ground Beef.  I did find some 99% fat free ground turkey.  It's a bit expensive, $5.99/lb, but it works really well on salads.  I put about 4 ounces on a salad so it lasts 4 days.

For Father's Day, we went and hung out with my Dad at the river.  It was such a gorgeous day.  We had a BBQ and I brought this really yummy dessert.  I had frozen a bunch of strawberries after we got a flat earlier in the month.  I took 4 cups of those and put them in a greased 10x13 cake pan.  Then I sprinkled a box of yellow cake mix over the top of them.  After that, I shredded a frozen stick of butter over the entire thing.  I put it in the oven for 15 minutes at 350, then took it out and made sure all the cake mix was moist.  I baked it for another 30 minutes and it came out golden brown and delicious.  For 8 servings, its 428 calories each.

A few Fridays back, I woke up with a killer headache so I decided to stay home from work.  I got up early anyway and cleaned the house up.  Around 11, Roger texted me and suggested I take my Suburban in to Les Schwab to have it checked out.  After 2 hours, and a walk over to Fred Meyer, The conclusion was that I needed a new front hub and my tires were separating.  The tires are under warranty at Wal-Mart so my next trip was to them.  I dropped off my vehicle and walked around the store for an hour before I went back to the Tire Lube Express.  The guy came out and told me he couldn't find any leak in my tires.  Well, that wasn't why I brought it in so I sent him back to check out the real problem I brought it in for.  Turns out my tires were out of balance.  They fixed it, at no cost but I was there for 2 hours.  So my final stop for the day was to our friend Al's Auto.  He quickly changed my hub and did an oil change.  I was so grateful not to have to sit around much longer.  He had it all done in an hour.

Now that the long part of the story is over, I can tell you what I did wrong.  My first mistake was that I hadn't ate breakfast.  So I had a bag of popcorn at Les Schwab.  While at Fred Meyer, I grabbed 2 bags of chips.  I was tempted by the candy bars at the check out but I restrained.  If I had been smart, I would have just walked over to the Grocery section and grabbed something healthy, but I wasn't.  I ate one bag at Les Schwab and then didn't touch the other until I was at Al's, 3 hours later.  I also had a Diet Coke and a Diet Pepsi.  Again, I should have made smarter choices, but these things happen.  I guess my point is, don't let slip ups get you down.

I have been doing really well though.  I am eating good, sleeping better and feeling better.  I am able to do things at the gym that I wasn't able to do before.  My FitBit is awesome.  I find myself trying to beat my previous days or set a new record.  My cousin called me a few days ago to ask me how I had changed things and what I had done.  She needs to lower her blood sugars.  I explained what I had done but I told her, in the end, it's all a mind game.  And I am serious about that.  It's all in your head.  I have a constant inner dialogue about not eating a certain way, pushing 2 more minutes on the stationary bike, 3 more reps, or get off your butt and clean up from dinner.  Anyone who has tried to lose weight can tell you that once it clicked, it was easy.  You can think you are ready a million times but when you are truly ready, you will know it and feel it.

Weight Loss Journey: Six Months In

Here I am.  June 10th, 2015.  Exactly 6 months since that first phone call about my Diabetes diagnosis.  I can't begin to tell you how much I have changed in these 26 weeks.  Besides the 71 lbs that are gone, I have gained so much.  I have gained a renewed confidence in myself.  I am much happier.  I met a woman for the first time this week and she commented on how vibrant and full of life I seemed to be.  She said I had a glow about me.  She's right!

If you've been following my blog at all, you know I have been working pretty hard and it hasn't been easy.  But in reality, it's all a mental game.  I am constantly having conversations with myself about exercise, food and what to spend my time on.  It's about making smart choices.
"Oh, I haven't made it to the grocery store so let's just order pizza."
"No, we have plenty of food in the freezer, you can just cook something."
"But I have been really good and worked out extra hard today, Pizza won't hurt."
"It won't hurt, but it won't help either.  Just cook dinner."
Then I go cook dinner because arguing with myself is silly.  It's a battle within myself.  Luckily, my husband understands it and is patient with me.

I have been going to the gym now for 9 weeks and I figure I must be doing something right since they know my name.  I have my workouts down to a routine and now it's time to start keeping better track.  I am taking a small notebook with me to write down what machines I use, the reps I do and the weight I am doing them at.  I have also been trying to incorporate a few short walks a week into my routine.  I got my FitBit Charge HR today from Amazon.  I am so excited to integrate it into my activities.  It will take some getting used to as I have never worn a watch or bracelets.  So far I love it.  It's Purple!!!