tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65658025586418639462024-03-13T21:52:52.623-05:00Knitting with my shoes offIn which our heroine <strike>bores the pants off of everyone</strike> waxes philosophical about knitting, the universe and everything.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.comBlogger1174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-60826668380471548292014-07-10T18:30:00.002-05:002014-07-10T18:30:50.830-05:00Good bye but not farewell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've decided to stop posting to both my blogs. The nature of the blogs no longer represent me so I'm going to start up one that covers my life and my spirituality in a more journal-like way. I hope to have more pictures and post more often. I haven't decided on a name or even if I will stay with blogspot so I'll have to provide that information later.<br />
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I loved doing this but the last year...not so much. Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with me. Hope to see you in the new blog but if not, have a really wonderful life. Hugs!</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-12191388681852510942014-03-13T10:32:00.000-05:002014-03-13T10:32:04.343-05:00Me...whining<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I keep meaning to write more often but I have to admit that this winter has been especially hard on me...both physically and emotionally. The depression sometimes is as debilitating as the fatigue. And so I withdraw into my shell further and further. I'm hoping that with the return of the sun and tolerable temperatures, I'll be more excited about life and knitting.<br />
<br />
Not that I haven't been knitting. I've been doing a lot of that...just not a lot of result from it. I did finish Stephen's sweater and got it out to him yesterday along with some dvds I had that I thought he would like, but I didn't get a picture of it. I had no place to lay it out to take a picture. This house is so full of stuff that there are no flat spaces. So dark that there is no place to take pictures.<br />
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Damn, damn, damn depression.<br />
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I'm working on two baby blankets...different patterns...trying to use up my stash. I'm also knitting up a pair of socks for Zach. Finished his other pair, which he wears a lot. I'm thinking of frogging his sweater since winter is almost over and hopefully we will both lose weight before next winter. In which case he'll need a smaller size. Also started crocheting a purse for myself. I get so tired of not being able to find a purse I like out there so I'm designing my own. I thought about lining it with material but I couldn't find any I liked and anyway, material has gotten so expensive I didn't want to bother. So I crocheted an insert for the purse that will slide into it after I finish up the outside. Then I'll crochet them together at the top. I might still line it with material if I can find a remnant that I like.<br />
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Won't be long before I can hang clothes out again. I need to get back to the rigid frugality I used to practice. Otherwise things will get pretty bleak pretty fast. I can't count on the overtime regularly. And those months without it were painful, especially in light of the high heating bills from the sub-zero temps we had this winter. I don't know what we're going to do with the especially hot summer we're expecting.<br />
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Yeah, I know...pretty glum here. I'm off track with my health as well. I've regained way too much weight and I've got to start over again. I couldn't lose weight on 1200 calories and got so tired of being hungry 24/7. I did find out that lack of iodine in the diet can suppress your metabolism. I'm pissed that no health professional told me I needed to watch my iodine levels when I gave up salt. They just kept telling me not to salt my food anymore. So where was the iodine going to come from? And why did they just keep telling me to exercise more when I would tell them that I was gaining weight on 1200 calories a day and 40 minutes of exercise?<br />
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I got a bit demoralized after all that work, doing things right and still gaining weight. Plus my cholesterol went up instead of down. I admit I just fell apart and went back to old habits. But I can't keep doing that. I've got to figure out a way to get back on track or I really won't have but a year or so left. In light of all the facts, it's still hard to feel hungry all the time. My biological imperative to eat just takes over.<br />
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Enough whining. I've got laundry to do and try to find the dining room floor. Not to mention all the other cleaning I'm behind on.<br />
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Some days I just want to stay in bed, hide from the world and wish someone would take care of me for a change.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-41968442185265345282014-02-24T11:40:00.000-06:002014-02-24T11:40:56.386-06:00Still a knitter even if I'm not much of a blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Still here and still knitting. I finished my older son's sweater and need to get it in the mail to him before the temps go up. I knitted both sleeves together so they would be the exact same size and then lost one of the sleeves. Then I lost the sweater. Then I found the sweater but didn't find the sleeve so I knitted another one. Got it all sewed on and washed and dried and found the other sleeve.<br />
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I blame the car key fairies.<br />
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Currently I'm working on two socks and Zach's sweater. His won't be done before the temps go up so I'm thinking of starting over in a smaller size. We're going to get busy losing weight and getting healthy so I'm worried that I'll end up with a sweater far too big for him next winter. On the other hand, that kind of puts pressure on him that would surely backfire. <br />
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Still battling this debilitating fatigue and have gained back a few pounds because I got completely demoralized by my lab results. I had been eating vegetarian, low fat/low sugar and my triglicerides and cholesterol both went up higher than they were before I started eating healthier.I'm back on track now but I know my labs in a few weeks will be horrendous since I had those few weeks of a meltdown. It's so frustrating.<br />
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We have more cold weather coming in so I'm going to pay the bills today and run the errands so I can stay inside the rest of the week. Our driveway is still icy in spite of a full bag of salt on it. The other night, I got back from my mammogram and some shopping and the driveway was a solid sheet of ice. I barely got the car in but getting the groceries in was even harder as we had to walk down the driveway and across it with bags of groceries. We ended up wading the bank of snow into the neighbor's driveway, down to the sidewalk and around to our sidewalk. We had heavy rain the day before and then a freeze. I am so ready for spring.<br />
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Got to get the bills ready and clean up a bit so we can get going soon. Much more knitting to do today. And every day.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-22993397750948698562014-01-23T14:37:00.000-06:002014-01-23T14:37:00.054-06:00Apologies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm still here but I've been battling post holiday depression and my social anxiety seems to be getting worse. I can't even bring myself to talk on the phone right now and have pretty much withdrawn from all internet interaction as well. Aside from some minor facebook responses.<br />
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But I'm still knitting. Not as much though. I'm nearly done with my older son's sweater. Sewing up the arms and need to attach them to the sweater. Then in a box and off to South Dakota. I'll get pictures before I send it off.<br />
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The cold, cold weather is back and I hate to go out but I get cabin fever so badly I have to. I had many medical appointments this month and one more to go next week. Had my annual eye exam yesterday. Due to diabetes I'm supposed to do this every year. The doctor was very thorough examining me and found no diabetes degeneration of the eye. But there is one eye that has a minute amount of clouding that may or may not be the beginning of a cataract. They'll keep an eye on it.<br />
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Still exercising and still battling my weight. Still not losing any. After 6 months of almost exclusively vegetarian eating...hardly any eggs and only a little bit of cheese, my cholesterol went up. So frustrating. I just feel like I'm trying to walk up a wall. I have to go below 1000 calories to lose weight and I can't do that without getting weak and shaky. I want to scream.<br />
<br />
Well, this is as much as I can handle today. I'm trying to force myself to interact with people more. I have safe places I can go and interact with people still but my tendency is still to just withdraw and not talk to anyone. <br />
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Off to clean the kitchen as best I can. I'm also still battling the debilitating fatigue so I work in 10 minute increments.<br />
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Stay warm everyone.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-7174314643246689372013-12-31T15:28:00.000-06:002013-12-31T15:28:01.551-06:00Knitting the New Year in<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
During this brief time away from my blog, I've been doing a lot of knitting. Unfortunately I've also bought more yarn so I'm not actually making any progress in knitting up my stash. I didn't buy yarn randomly, but for specific projects...like socks for my dad and hats for a friend. <br />
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I'm working on the sleeves of my older son's sweater and have one sock done our of two pairs for my dad. I'm getting ready to shut down here and crawl into bed and knit the new year in. I really know how to celebrate.<br />
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I got a beautiful new camera for Christmas so expect pictures as soon as I learn how to use it. It's like you need to take a course on cameras these days.<br />
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It's pretty darned cold today although warmer than yesterday and it's snowing. I still love to see it snow even if I don't like the limitations it brings.<br />
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Have a Happy New Year everyone and enjoy life as much as you can. I sure plan to.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-17817323760704069772013-12-14T15:53:00.003-06:002013-12-14T15:53:43.299-06:00Time off<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So sorry for not posting lately. I'm going to take some time off from blogging and decide whether I want to continue or not. I probably will but I need the freedom to think otherwise. I'll be back after the first of the year. Have happy holidays, everyone!!</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-50074751872995837332013-11-12T14:40:00.001-06:002013-11-12T14:40:12.315-06:00Feeling winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Still doing a lot of knitting. Just started a pair of gray socks for my older son. The yarn is great...subtle shading differences that make it really nice. He's in a cold climate this year so I'm planning on lots of knitted stuff for him. A sweater, too, if I can get to it soon enough.<br />
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I dug out the winter stuff and can't find a matching pair of gloves or mittens. I have no idea what happened to them as I kept them in a bag. Possibly the car-key fairies have stolen them along with Tom's keys again. He lost them a couple of years ago and we found them a year later in the yard. This time they have to be in the house somewhere. I just haven't been able to find them yet.<br />
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It's bitterly cold out with temps in the low 20s and a wind chill in the low teens. Very cold for this time of year. I've got all the older windows taped up with plastic but I'm thinking the newer windows need it as well. They've been completely wet with condensation in the mornings. I'll get to them. One window at a time, I suppose.<br />
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I did finish up the self-striping socks the other night. I'm keeping those. I rarely knit pretty socks for myself so I'm keeping this pair. I might get some Wool ease from JoAnn's to make some more winter socks but we don't need any just yet. Maybe by February when all my socks are threadbare. They're a few years' old already so they probably won't last beyond this winter. I've darned them multiple times.<br />
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We had some snow Monday morning but it's melting today in spite of the frigid temps. The sun is very bright, thankfully and is melting it all off. I've got to get some ballast for Tom's truck so he can safely drive to work. The truck is very light in the back and is crap on snow and ice. I'm going to get some cat litter and bag it up in plastic so it doesn't break open. This way if he gets stuck, he can use the litter to get out of the snow.<br />
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We're doing pretty well with the frugal thing. I'm only shopping once a week even if we run out of something. So I'm saving on gas as well as the grocery bill. I'm thinking of shopping today instead of tomorrow though because I'm not motivated to do much more than knitting today. I've been doing okay as far as cleaning house. Since I stopped trying to work on a complete room I'm making more progress. Just doing a little bit in each room has made more progress. <br />
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Well, I need to go exercise on my stationary bike before we go shopping. I don't relish getting out in the cold but I'm going to have to get used to it.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-5093881386192125112013-11-06T18:33:00.002-06:002013-11-06T18:33:29.418-06:00Busy winterizing and being frugal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not online much at all these days. Busy being frugal, winterizing the house and knitting. Always knitting. My love/hate relationship with facecrack is still there. I love it but resent the amount of time it takes to actually read it...not because of facebook, but because it slows my computer down to a crawl. That's what happens when your 10 year old computer tries to deal with the faster speeds. <br />
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I'm rotating my projects, trying to get some things finished up. I didn't go to the knit thing at the library but did knit all day at home. I'm not so much working on projects for the community now as working on projects for us. I do have a baby blanket on the needles, but now I'm working on my sweater coat, Zach's sweater, socks (always socks) and am thinking of starting to knit up some bags for groceries. I have some store-bought bags but I have no idea where they are. They disappeared last time I organized things. Still, they don't handle heavy things well, being made of paper, after all. I stopped buying library bags since they only last a couple of weeks before the handle breaks off. My library visits are never without lots of heavy books, after all. I have tons of stash to knit up, or in this case...crochet up. I should get busy. Or busier. <br />
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I'm making progress with cleaning. Catching up on over a year of cleaning isn't going to happen overnight so I've got a system where I don't necessarily tackle one room and clean it; I just clean bits up of several rooms and am making much more progress this way. Plus we're tackling the basement as well. I've gotten 6 big garbage bags out of there in the past two weeks. You can't tell to look at it, but I know it's that much cleaner. And I'm caught up on laundry as well.<br />
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We have a drip in the bathtub faucet when you shower so I've got a bucket under there that I have Zach take downstairs after each shower (I can't carry that much weight anymore) and put in the washer. It takes a few trips before I have a washer full of water but it does save us some money. Tom doesn't think it's worth it, but that kind of thinking is what has gotten us into trouble over the years. I've done it as well, thinking that I can spend now and save later. Or thinking that it's not worth the trouble to save money in one aspect, when it's all aspects that we can utilize frugality. I'm getting there.<br />
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I've still got some windows to put plastic on but the new screen door is making a huge difference already. I haven't turned the furnace on yet because we haven't needed to. Before, standing in the foyer, you could feel a steady breeze through the door. Now, nothing. No breeze at all. I won't need to close off the foyer at all this winter. I do have a curtain up that we can close for an arctic entry of sorts. It's not completely closed off but it does help keep the initial breeze from flowing into the dining room once the door is open.<br />
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I moved my bed back up against that wall with the bookcase headboard in place again. It just wasn't working as a living room the way I had it and with no place to prop up my pillows ( I have a hiatal hernia and have to sleep propped up a bit, plus with the congestive heart failure, sleeping flat affects my breathing) it's hard to get comfortable. It was really hard to get in and out of the room as well, with the futon opened up, making a tiny entrance into the living room. Now it's just a bedroom (which is what it was when the house was first built anyway) and more spacious. Well, as spacious as a tiny room can be. I'm getting used to it and sleeping pretty well still.<br />
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I have the guys' supper in the oven so I'm waiting until it's done and then off to bed to knit some more. Today is socks. I'm almost ready to turn the heel on the second sock. And maybe I'll dig out some yarn and start a bag for shopping and/or library. I've got some leftovers in the fridge to eat later. Butternut squash & mushrooms. It turned out pretty good for me just throwing things into the pan. I'm losing weight again, finally. Didn't lose a pound in the past 2 months. I have no idea why I can't lose weight on 1000-1200 calories a day...and exercise. I'm down to around 201 now...or just under that. I'll be so glad when I can lose all this weight. As long as I've carry this around, my heart is working that much harder and as it's already damaged, this is not good. I am trying, not cheating at all. It's just so frustrating.<br />
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Off to get supper out of the oven.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-32548303517702086122013-10-31T09:23:00.001-05:002013-10-31T09:23:55.002-05:00Another night without sleep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm having trouble with my computer so I'm not posting a lot. Some days it takes up to an hour for the computer to resolve an unresponsive script. It's frustrating but Zach can't find the problem...other than it's 10 years old and can't handle the enormous amount of crap out there in the internet. Can't replace it yet so I'll just have to make do.<br />
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I'm going to the knit out at the library on Saturday although my social phobia is causing my stomach to twist in knots and kept me up all night with anxiety. I've got to start pushing myself to get out more. I'm planning on bringing my projects that I've done over the past year: hats, scarves, baby sweaters, baby blankets and a couple of afghans. They accept anything that will keep the community warm. I've got until January to donate. Now that I know where to put my donations I can be more specific about my knitting. <br />
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I'll have to make do with the yarn I've already got because the overtime has dried up completely for Tom and with no pay raise this year, his pay is lot less than he was making as foreman. I'm not sure we can make ends meet on his regular pay. I'll have to start canceling things if it looks like the overtime is gone forever. Zach has put in another round of applications but so far, even though all the places are hiring, he's heard nothing. Without references he's limited to fast food.<br />
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This doesn't help the stress levels I'm supposed to keep at a minimum. Seriously, I'm not supposed to get stressed out. How the hell can I avoid that? Especially with the hospital visit bill still not showing up yet? <br />
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Well, got laundry to do today if I don't get anything else done. And probably a nap and some knitting. And working out a way to incorporate even more frugality into our lives.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-29673895512729569312013-10-23T16:37:00.002-05:002013-10-23T16:37:28.099-05:00Apparently I can be...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...arsed to rewind the backward self-striping skein of sock yarn after all. It just didn't look good at all as a second sock so I frogged it and rewound it. Only to find a knot fairly soon into the skein. I just snipped it and kept winding. I'll add the two together when I get there. It won't cause too much discrepancy between the socks. I hope. I do hate knots though.<br />
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Zach is wanting to learn to crochet so tonight we're going to sit down and get started. I'm thinking of doing some crochet myself. A blanket of some kind, to use up the single skeins I have all over the house. It would be nice to keep my stash down to manageable proportions. It's not that I've bought all of this yarn. A lot of those single skeins were given to me by well-meaning people who saw that I did a lot of charitable knitting and wanted to donate what they had stored for 30+ years. And I can't say no apparently. I'm thinking some blankets for the animal shelter since color wouldn't be so important there.<br />
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I got some plastic on my living room/bedroom window last night. I'll get two more today. It's hard work for me so I can't just do it all. I don't plan on using the furnace yet anyway. It's still not too bad in here if we dress warmly. Around 58F right now and I'm getting ready to start a load of clothes so when they go in the dryer it will vent into the house (with an old piece of panty hose on the vent.) Zach is going to tear out the tile in the foyer so we can put a rug down there this year. I wasn't thinking too clearly when I had Tom put down some ceramic tiles there. We can't put a rug down because there's no room and the tiles get so slick when you walk in with wet shoes from the snow, we've had near misses with falls and such. Especially when carrying groceries in.<br />
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Had a bit of sunshine this morning but it's looking gloomy out there again today. I haven't seen the extended forecast yet. I hope it warms up a bit so we can mow again and get the weather stripping on the front door. I thought we had more time for that. Apparently not.<br />
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I'm still working on the sweater coat and the sock. I've got a couple of baby blankets going that I should finish up. One is in candy corn colors. Just a garter stitch patchwork thing but it's pretty nice and soft. Not sure where these baby blankets will go. Maybe the food pantry or if I see a charity for donations of blankets for winter. I'll keep looking.<br />
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Time to get up off and get something done though. It's dark enough for lights in the house but I'm in my super tightwad mode right now so unless I need to read or knit, I'm not turning the lights on. Off to do laundry.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-79598407696707678292013-10-21T18:16:00.002-05:002013-10-21T18:16:47.138-05:00Very unseasonable fall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started another project. This time a sweater coat based on an old leaflet I've had for at least 25 years. Just a plain cardigan only longer. My store-bought sweater coat is fast deteriorating and I need a new one. I practically live in them during the winter. I plan on digging out Zach's sweater to get back to work on and if I can't find the pattern, start over with another one. I haven't gotten that far on it so it wouldn't be devastating if I had to. Still working on socks, as always. I'm discovering I'm not a huge fan of self-striping yarn after all. One skein was wound completely backwards from the other one so the patterns are reversed. I wasn't arsed enough to fix it by rewinding the skein though.<br />
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Zach wants to learn how to crochet. I've had my crochet books and magazines out looking through them because of the massive stash I've got to use up so I have room to actually live in this tiny house and he got interested. He knows the basics of knitting but it bores him so he thought crochet might interest him more. His first project is a crochet bag for his hooks. They're $10 at the store and no way am I paying that much for something he can crochet on his own. I've got one I made years ago but I have twice as many hooks in it. Way too many for it to hold. He can have half my hooks easily and I'll still end up with too many. I'm still looking for a project for me as well. I was thinking of an afghan since I can use up a lot of single skeins of yarn.<br />
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It's cold now. Unseasonably cold. I should turn the heat on but I don't have the plastic on the windows and I'm adverse to heating up the outside so I'm just wearing more clothes. I need to dig out my fingerless mitts so I can knit with warm hands. But it's not too bad in here. Yet. I think it will warm up again before we need to turn on the furnace. I never keep it warm in here anyway. I don't think we've had the furnace over 62 in a decade. I prefer 60 actually, unless it's really wet outside, then I'll kick it up to around 62 or so. And I love to sleep cold so we keep it around 50 or so at night. Although I might keep it at 55 now that I have congestive heart failure. I can't afford to get sick anymore. Not with a tendency to accumulate fluids in my chest.<br />
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We got the storm windows on over the weekend so it is a lot warmer inside. Once I get the plastic on the windows it will be even warmer. This year I'm putting plastic on the newer windows as well. They showed some signs of air leakage last year. Can't hurt. Maybe $5 a year extra for that.<br />
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I'm going to finish up supper and then crawl into bed under my warm covers. I don't have a blanket on the bed yet but I do have a throw on top of the comforter. I got a new comforter on sale this summer. It was $60, nice and heavy, for $26. Always look in the clearance aisles before buying anything. Back to being as frugal as I can since the overtime has dried up. His pay without overtime is a lot less than his pay as a foreman so it's going to be a tight winter. Just when I could focus on being frugal, after my cardiac rehab was over, the overtime went away so I never had a chance to get ahead. Now it's going to be a struggle just to stay where we are. <br />
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Baked spaghetti is a pretty economical meal for the guys. Don't know what I'll have but it will be healthy and not enough to eat. I haven't lost a pound in a month even eating under 1500 calories as a rule. Sometimes less but never over. Sigh. <br />
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<br /></div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-7750437366150143312013-10-14T10:10:00.001-05:002013-10-14T10:10:37.808-05:00Trying to find a normal routine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I keep hoping I'll get organized better, the house cleaned and spend most of the day knitting happily. Alas, this doesn't seem to be happening. I had one day of a burst of energy where I cleaned out a closet that was spilling out into the hallway, sorted stuff to take to the thrift store and then burned out at 5:30 p.m. and for at least 3 days following that. I need to pace myself better.<br />
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I am, also, overdoing the physical things, lifting too much and pushing myself beyond my limits. I still haven't learned to live within those limitations yet. I would probably do better if I just did a little bit each day instead of trying to do it all at once.<br />
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I started a pair of slippers for Tom last night, frogged the crocheted top I was making for myself, found 2 extra pounds of yarn, giving me a total of 3 pounds of purple yarn to make a sweater coat out of. Now to find the right pattern. I also frogged the 70s cape. Didn't love it the way I thought I would.<br />
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I worked on the second sock last night in addition to the slipper. I'm also nearly done with the baby blanket and I'm already planning the next baby pattern. Not sure if it will be a blanket or not but probably will since it's something easy to knit and light on the shoulders when knitting. Doesn't weigh me down.<br />
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Today, though, we're loading up the car to take stuff to the thrift store. I have no room in the dining room to move around because of bags and boxes. Then I can dig out more stuff to take to the thrift store next month. I might get caught up by next summer if I work steadily like that.<br />
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It was cold this morning when I got up. We had one window still open but I think I'll close it tonight. It's time to get the storm windows cleaned and on. I don't want to wait until it's really cold to do that. Zach is going to mow one last time this week as well. We haven't had to mow in over 2 months due to the drought conditions we experienced here again this past summer. I hope the farmers are doing okay.<br />
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I've got all my summer stuff put up. Have to work on Zach's this week so he has room for his winter stuff. Well, I don't have to work on his stuff but he's got to. Tom's on his own, too. <br />
<br />
I stopped taking the lasix except as needed but I have needed it this past week somewhat. It's hard to tell how much water weight I've gained since I'm eating 1200 calories a day and exercising. I gained 2 pounds last week but my jeans were getting tight around the waist so I took one a day for a few days until they got looser. Still, I don't understand how I can keep gaining weight on 1200 calories a day. Since I write down every calorie I eat at the time I eat it, I'm not underreporting. This has happened to me every time I've tried to lose weight. I lose initially and then stop losing and start gaining. I've even gained weight on 900 calories a day. It's frustrating how my body resists weight loss. Still I have no choice but to continue. Although I switched back to vegetarian because I get more volume that way. And I'm not as hungry all the time. Although I will eat meat if I'm craving it. <br />
<br />
Well, I should get busy and get some work done. I've already cleaned the kitchen and my bedroom. I guess I'll do a load of clothes before Tom needs the shower.<br />
<br />
I really just want to crawl back in bed though. I'm sleepy all the time lately.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-57530119003640061922013-10-03T14:08:00.002-05:002013-10-03T14:08:28.855-05:00More car problems and much knitting.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had planned to go down to Indiana this weekend, tomorrow in fact, but things are in limbo right now as the car started making some strange grinding noises in the right wheel. Tom is out there right now looking at it but as it's already mid-afternoon and the clouds are threatening rain, I don't think anything can be done about it today. If it does need something done to it. I'm nervous about driving all the way down there...a 10 hour trip...not knowing for sure what the noise was so as far as I'm concerned, the trip is off. I'm not a risk-taker. Driving a car with a problem doesn't make the problem less...it makes it more of a problem and more always means more money, too.<br />
<br />
I'll have to call my dad and let him know. <br />
<br />
I had stayed up late making a gift for my niece's daughter since her birthday is coming up. We were going to celebrate all of ours since they're all so close together: my dad's is the day before mine, my niece's is a week or so before his and my baby sister's in on the last day of the month. I'll just mail the gifts to them since we probably won't go down now until the spring. Tom will be doing some training at work and since his vacation days start counting down again very shortly we can't take that many days again just now. Plus deer hunting is coming up next month. We don't travel much in the dead of winter because of the weather so it will have to be spring. <br />
<br />
To be honest, this will give me time to get a bit healthier before we make the trip. I've been feeling a bit "off" the past week. Some heart palpitations, although not much, and some anxiety. I'm no longer on the lasix except as needed. I took a couple this past week because of some shortness of breath. I'm still not sure how to live with congestive heart failure. All the information I got during rehab was about the stent. The insurance doesn't cover treatment for congestive heart failure. <br />
<br />
I've been knitting up a storm. I just wish I could finish up a project before I start another one. I got a free Crochet magazine and loved some of the projects in that so I started an overshirt. My gauge is impossible to get right so I just adjusted the pattern to fit the yarn instead. I have no problem doing that with crochet. Just can't do it with knitting for some reason.<br />
<br />
I'm also still working on the 70s cape and the baby blanket. I have to kitchener the toes of the sock and start its mate. Since we're not going down (unless Tom can pronounce the car wonderfully healed) I also need to start cleaning. The house hasn't had a good cleaning for over a year at least. And the past couple of weeks have been bad for me with the fatigue so it's gotten very cluttered. Time to clean.<br />
<br />
I do much better with fall cleaning than spring cleaning anyway.<br />
<br />
Also time to put up my Halloween decorations.<br />
<br />
Well, I'm going outside to see what Tom has discovered so far.<br />
<br />
I've closed the contest for the book. Susie B has gotten hers but the other entry never came back to my blog to notify me or even just to see the results so as far as I'm concerned the second book is mine. :) <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-28643326187889320002013-09-23T16:02:00.002-05:002013-09-23T16:02:55.174-05:00Winners!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I only had two entries on the giveaway so I'm going to give both of them the book. I can get another copy for myself later so the two winners are: SusieB and <span dir="ltr">Kymberly Pray. Please email me your addresses so I can get them in the mail by next week. I rarely ever check my gmail address so email me at kawaski@charter.net and I'll get your book out to you.</span><br />
<br />
<span dir="ltr">Thanks for entering the contest. Even though I didn't have many entries, I enjoyed this and will offer something else in the future. </span> </div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-41462567162142129812013-09-14T14:32:00.002-05:002013-09-14T14:32:59.892-05:00Loving the knitting mojo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm frogging the red sweater because it's just too bulky. I don't like the drape...heck, there isn't any drape at all. Too stiff. So I'll do something else with the yarn. I was on gauge but it didn't look a thing like the picture. Instead I'm knitting socks. I had bought some sock yarn at the new JoAnn's we got recently. Good price so I got several skeins. Some is self striping. That's what I'm working on now. I might give them as gifts to the nurses in cardiac rehab. They're so nice.<br />
<br />
I love that the weather is cooling off. I'm taking the a/c out of the window this weekend so I can watch the bird feeder while I knit in bed.. Still pondering turning it back into a living room but not yet anyway. Maybe sometime when Tom is home for the whole weekend.<br />
<br />
I still don't have a lot of energy even with the exercise and the weight loss...which isn't a lot but is steady now and while miniscule, is at least a sign I'm moving in the right direction. I've got one more week left in my 50s. Next Sunday I turn 60. <br />
<br />
I've got laundry going today. I was going to restring the clothesline but I think I'll do that tomorrow and dry the white clothes in the dryer since socks feel so much better machine-dried. At least the dryer will feel nice today since it's so cool.<br />
<br />
Otherwise I'm spending the rest of the day knitting and a bit of cooking. I have some shopping to do but that might wait until tomorrow. I'm not in any hurry. I have 3 blankets on the needles right now so I think I'll dig out Zach's pullover and get back to work on it. I'll have to figure out where I am in the pattern and relearn it, I suppose. I much prefer working on pullovers to cardigans. And I really hate the buttonhole bands that are folded over. Too thick and the buttonholes never look right to me. I got some purple yarn several weeks ago on sale so I think I'll make a wrap out of it. Something to throw on when it's not freezing out. Or something to wear while knitting. I do have lots of things like that so maybe I'll do a pullover instead.<br />
<br />
I started getting Knit 1*2*3, a knitting magazine in the mail. I really like this one because the patterns use yarn I can afford and have access to. It's frustrating to fall in love with a pattern that only will work in the yarn they have chosen and it's out of reach financially and is completely unavailable. I have lots of things to watch while knitting this winter so I'm really feeling the knitting mojo today. Lots of projects, lots of possibilities. I also have plans to work on other crafts as well, like spinning, some crocheting, drawing, maybe some painting and hopefully I'll get some writing in as well. Which means much less time online. I haven't managed to be done with facecrack yet. It's the only place I have to see some of my friends so it's hard but it lags my computer so much that I am more tempted each day to just give it up.<br />
<br />
I've barely gone to Ravelry lately. I should check it out more often and facecrack less.<br />
<br />
Off to put the clothes in the dryer and back to knitting.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-12039786812080740222013-09-06T16:48:00.002-05:002013-09-06T16:48:46.545-05:00At least I'll have the pain meds for a few months<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The nurse called back to tell me that the dr has refilled my pain meds but it didn't sound like the dr was happy about it and WILL see me again in a few months to discuss this. I'm thinking of looking for a new doctor. One who will treat all of me and not send me to a specialist every time something comes up. I talked to some nurses today and found out no other doctor does that.<br />
<br />
I nearly started a new project last night but I couldn't get it to come out right. I may still do it. It's a tunisian crochet cable scarf that I would like to learn how to do. I know how to do tunisian crochet but this cable thing is a but difficult to understand. I saw it on a knitting show but I deleted the program so I don't have it anymore. Maybe it's on the site. It's either Knit and Crochet Now or Knit and Crochet Today. Can't remember which.<br />
<br />
I must get back to work on my dad's sweater though. Which I will work on tonight as I'm not doing much more than fixing supper. It's been a hectic and frustrating week full of stress and little sleep so I'm tired and in a lot of pain right now. Thankfully I can take some tramadol in just a few minutes and put my feet up for a while.<br />
<br />
Still plugging along with the baby blanket, too...the sherbert green one. I should get pictures of all that I'm doing. I just keep forgetting to do it. Maybe next week.<br />
<br />
Not sure if I'm going to the family picnic on Sunday. I'd like to go but if it's hot and I still feel this bad then I just can't sit that long in pain. I'm going to try to make it. I'll just have veggies to eat though. Can't think of anything to take. I'm too tired to fix much of anything to take.<br />
<br />
Off to go lie down for a bit before fixing supper.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-3166688407160379162013-09-05T12:02:00.000-05:002013-09-05T12:02:08.189-05:00Not a happy day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Had my annual physical today and walked out of it frustrated and nearly in tears. My rheumatologist retired in February and there are no others in my network so my gp told me she would manage my tramadol, my pain meds. Today, when I asked for a refill, she told me she wasn't going to manage them because she's not trained. My rheumie herself was frustrated that the dr wouldn't take care of my fibromyalgia as well. Now I don't know what to do. The dr told me there is a new rheumie at the hospital but there isn't and I still don't have anyone in my network who treats that. I'll be out of pain pills by the end of the month and even if I could find a rheumie, it would take months to get in to see one. The thought of being in pain again makes me want to cry. I mean, I'm already in pain even with the pills. Without them...<br />
<br />
I guess it's possible my cardiologist might manage them for me but I don't see him again until January. That's a long time to go without pain pills.<br />
<br />
She also got me to agree to various other tests since my deductible has already been met. Not sure if I'll do all this, because the deductible isn't all of the cost. We still have to pay the 20%...plus I haven't received the bill for the heart cath, stent and hospital stay yet.<br />
<br />
I'll wallow in yarn today in order to console myself. I'm not nearly close enough to finishing up my dad's sweater so I'd better knuckle under and get it done.<br />
<br />
Or cry. Not sure which I'll end up doing today.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-33624879360570379592013-09-02T13:36:00.001-05:002013-09-02T13:36:12.591-05:00Giveaway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I posted this on my other blog but since I haven't had any response there, I'll post it here as well. You only need to comment on one post to enter the contest. Either post will get you a chance to win.<br />
<br />
I've never done one of these but I got an extra copy of a book that I
ordered and rather than send it back, I thought I would offer it up to
someone out there who likes fantasy books. It's not a new
book...several years old, in fact, but it's one of my favorites. I read
it to Zach when he was little...many times. I had loaned my original
out but never got it back so when I ordered a new copy, got the extra
one, too.<br />
<br />
The book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tailchasers-Song-Tad-Williams/dp/B002BNU7OI/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1378073667&sr=1-1">Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams </a>and it's fantastic. More like animal mythology/fantasy but reminds me a lot of Watership Down in many ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wTCLsESCL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wTCLsESCL._SY346_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
So if anyone wants to enter the contest, just comment on this post and
on September 22nd (my birthday!) I'll randomly draw a name and send it
off to the lucky winner.<br />
<br />
I hope whoever wins it likes it as much as I do. </div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-52488646849111230262013-08-27T17:52:00.001-05:002013-08-27T17:52:24.634-05:00Just a little post today<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Still knitting away but with this heat I put aside the sweater and started a baby blanket in a beautiful sherbert green color. It's a two row repeat so very easy, just a mild ripple pattern. I'll pick up the sweater tomorrow when it cools off but for now...<br />
<br />
Didn't get much sleep last night. Don't know why; I just couldn't get my eyes to stay closed. Got up after 3 hours of sleep thanks to Anne from Cardholder Services. And the dog. I'd like to sic the dog on Anne.<br />
<br />
Supper tonight is using up stuff that is going bad in the fridge. Potato/leek/mushroom soup and green beans with onion and some hamburgers. I'm really craving meat tonight so I'll fix one on the Foreman grill.<br />
<br />
Rehab is going well but I'm still not losing any weight at all. I'm really tired of being hungry all the time and no weight loss. If I add any calories, though, I gain weight. Even at 1400 calories a day. Sheesh.<br />
<br />
Well, supper is nearly ready and I'm starved so...</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-76065914413741440702013-08-13T11:42:00.001-05:002013-08-13T11:42:38.618-05:00Pushing myself too much<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I really pushed myself yesterday at rehab and spent last night in a great deal of pain from the fibromyalgia. Today is just as painful except I'm not trying to sleep in spite of it. So it's a bit easier to live with today. I don't think I'll push myself again like that. Still, I put in 30 minutes on the exercise bike and will do another 25 later today.<br />
<br />
I'm still working on my dad's cardigan. Finished up the back and am working on the right front. I'm past the pocket and nearly ready to start decreasing for the v-neck. So far, so good. I do need to get back to work on other projects as well since I'm doing so well on the cardigan. Although the sleeves have cabling on them so that will slow me down a bit. But still, I think I can finish up other projects while working on it. Like the little girl's sweater. It might be big enough for my great-niece but I doubt it. And I want to start a pair of socks for my dad. It's not too complicated a pattern and the yarn is self-striping so I need a very simple pattern for that. Just a small fake-cable down the sides, I think.<br />
<br />
I'm gaining weight again. I can't figure out how that's possible since I'm not eating more than 1300 calories a day. I only seem to lose when I go below 1000 calories. But I'm getting hungry all the time so I'm going back to eating meat again. It looks like I'm only losing a couple of pounds a month though so it's terribly frustrating. But I am increasing my stamina and my heart is getting stronger so I suppose I should be happy about that. Just don't know why I'm not losing weight and gaining on 1300 calories a day.<br />
<br />
I have some errands today so I won't be able to knit as much as I want and I'm not getting as much cleaning done as I would like but I am getting there. Slowly, but I am making progress. Time to go fix some lunch though so I'm off.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-56607338113725903562013-08-09T13:35:00.003-05:002013-08-09T13:35:45.487-05:00Still working through the fatigue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As if I didn't have enough projects going on right now, I woke up the other morning thinking my dad would look great in a red cardigan. So you know where this is going. I had to go to the library to find a nice cardigan pattern and then found red yarn and away I went. I'm almost done on the back because it's straight stockinette. The only pattern is in the sleeves. A lovely cable. I should be done by the time we go down there in early October. And I'm thinking a pair of socks for him as well. <br />
<br />
I frogged the Monkey socks I was working on because I just didn't like them anymore. In fact I really disliked them. I think I'll put them away for a while and work on other projects. My older sister, who was to be the recipient of the socks, has the socks I knitted for Mom so she's set for a little while. I can get hers out later, when I decide on a pattern.<br />
<br />
The past couple of days have been very full of fatigue for me. Not sure if it's the fibromyalgia or the congestive heart failure. Maybe a combination of both. It's the consensus with all the nurses at rehab both here and at the other hospital that my chf is from the chemo rather than the heart attack. The cardiologist won't consider the chemo as a factor but I'm going with the nurses on this one. My heart attack was apparently pretty mild and the damage from it, they don't believe is significant enough. Still, there is improvement in my heart function so who knows?<br />
<br />
Today will be a lot of knitting because I'm still very tired. I had rehab this morning and did all that was required of me but I don't have a lot of energy left to do anything else. So tv and knitting. And some cooking because we need to eat.<br />
<br />
Off to finish up online, which I'm spending less time there because I have so many other things that need to be done. Just not today.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-60417395837523882182013-08-03T14:14:00.000-05:002013-08-03T14:14:12.172-05:00Time to sort my priorities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Continuing to make progress with my health. I'm eating totally vegetarian now although I am using milk and the occasional egg in my diet. Not sure I will ever go fully vegan but we will see. I'm knitting more now because I've decided to spend a lot less time on facebook. It's like a vampire that sucks all my time and life so I'm only going to check it once a day for messages. It's a love/hate relationship. I love the people I've met there and learn some good stuff, but it takes so fricking long to read anything because my computer lags badly. Even if it didn't lag it still takes a long, long time to get caught up.<br />
<br />
I have a lot of knitting to catch up on in addition to the extra cooking I'm doing and the other crafts I want to work on as well. Still not reading as much as I would like though. But I hope that will come with time. <br />
<br />
Zach's sweater if coming along. I'm almost to the point I was when I had to rip back and start over. It's a really nice cable pattern, easy to memorize. I haven't decided on Stephen's patter yet. I want to finish up the socks first. And possibly the little girl's sweater. I've totally lost interest in it but I do think I should finish it up. Same with the feather and fan blanket, although I know my interest will return on that one soon. It's a pattern I can work on while online or while reading so when I get to the point where I'm reading again, I'll prop the book up (or use my Kindle) and knit away.<br />
<br />
I'm making progress catching up on the cleaning as well. Not huge leaps and bounds, but I am catching up slowly. I'm still not allowed to do general housecleaning although I'm not far off from it so I work, but slowly and take frequent breaks. Today is mostly knitting and cooking though. I don't have rehab today but I am tired from the week of rehab, cooking and cleaning so I am taking the day off. Supper will be simple for everyone tonight. A taco/rice dish for the guys and potatoes/corn/green peppers/ mushroom casserole for me. I'm just going to make it up as I go along. <br />
<br />
I've got some vegetarian cookbooks from the library but most of the meals call for ingredients that are expensive or impossible to get so I'm just getting ideas from them. I work better when I'm just winging it anyway.<br />
<br />
Off to do more knitting. I've done half my exercise already and had my lunch of salad and home made cornbread without salt. I used curry by mistake when making it. I thought I had the cumin. But it turned out really good so I plan on putting curry in next time as well. I don't miss the salt so much and Zach didn't seem to notice it at all.<br />
<br />
The store now carries Earth Balance, a vegan "butter" but I plan on using up what I've got now...Smart Balance, an olive oil/margarine combination. We'll see. I don't use soy much because my breast cancer was highly hormone receptive and soy has phytoestrogen in it. No proof one way or another but I prefer to be cautious. I use rice milk instead. Tried almond milk but didn't like the taste. I can drink rice milk on its own. Not so much soy. Still, I'm limited on fluids so I don't drink milk at all now.<br />
<br />
I miss coffee a bit but I will probably drink tea in the cold months. Instead of ice drinks.<br />
<br />
Off to knit.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-54316213297663358282013-07-30T16:56:00.000-05:002013-07-30T16:56:07.852-05:00Lots of cooking, catching up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been pretty busy lately, catching up on the cleaning, although slowly since I'm not supposed to do general housework yet, and a lot of cooking, which I am allowed to do. I'm eating vegetarian now and the guys aren't so I'm cooking two meals. Because of the low sodium restrictions, nearly everything has to be cooked from scratch, including tomato sauces and such. I'm trying to get a bunch of stuff made up ahead of time so I don't have to cook as much but it involves a lot of cooking in the meantime. I've been in the kitchen since around 1 today and I still haven't gotten supper done yet. In fact, just started. It's chicken and dumplings for the guys and I'm working on a tomato sauce so I can fix some Italian or chili or something. It's a pain but necessary. The guys haven't been eating very well lately and Zach needs to lose weight, too, so I've got to make sure their meals are healthy as well. <br />
<br />
I've lost 10 pounds since the angioplasty but only 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I have no idea why but I'm not eating that much. Only about 1200 calories a day, plus 40 minutes of exercise a day. I don't know what else I have to do but it's extremely frustrating. <br />
<br />
I've gotten some knitting done but not a lot because I've been so busy and because I go to bed around 10 every night. I don't know why I go to bed so early but I get sleepy then so I shut the lights off and go to sleep. I've been getting up around 7 although today I slept until 8:30. But the dog got me up several times last night so he could go sit on the porch for a while. So frustrating.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I'll catch up with the house soon and be able to spend less time cooking and then I'll spend more time knitting. I'd like to get Zach's sweater done before Fall so I can start one for Stephen. He's in Montana now and needs warm clothes to wear. Plus I like knitting sweaters. I'll knit him up some mittens, too, and maybe a hat.<br />
<br />
Well, supper needs my attention now so I'm off to get some more work done.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-91011686388215364112013-07-24T13:40:00.000-05:002013-07-24T13:40:02.953-05:00As I continue to get better<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Had my 10th session of cardiac rehab today and am doing fabulously. I'll be done the end of September, which is great. I hope I lose another pound or two by then. Sheesh. What will it take. I gained another 2 ounces yesterday. On 1100 calories.<br />
<br />
Not knitting as much as I should be because I've got a huge stack of books from the library. Everything comes in at once apparently. Still, I'm alternating on Zach's sweater and the feather and fan afghan. They have done away with the yarn I'm using at StuffMart so I hope JoAnn's still has some. If not, I'll switch to Super Saver. There will be some difference but as I'm not selling it or anything, it won't be a huge deal.<br />
<br />
I should get back to the purple socks I'm knitting for my older sister. Just not in the mood for little yarn right now. I will be again...soon, I'm sure. <br />
<br />
Right now I just want a nap. I've been getting up around 7 a.m. which is fine when I get to bed early but last night I got woke up around 11 (I went to sleep around 9:20) and couldn't get back to sleep for a couple of hours. Still woke up an hour and a half before the alarm so I'm dragging.<br />
<br />
I have a dr appointment on Friday with the cardiologist. My rehab has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. so I'll grab a bite to eat from Subway, probably, drive back to Waupan and sit around reading until it's time. No point driving all the way home. I would just have to turn around and come back by then. I'm the only one scheduled for that afternoon so it should be pretty quiet then.<br />
<br />
Little by little I'm making progress on the house. The kitchen is staying clean now that I'm not using the dishwasher anymore. I'm thinking of storing food in there as the "pantry" is overflowing. It's just two racks in a cubby that the refrigerator used to be in so there's not order to it. It would be so much easier to grab the stuff out of the dishwasher. I'd really rather have the cabinet space rather than the dishwasher. I have to keep the dishes and glasses/cups in the hutch in the dining room. It's huge and heavy and takes up a lot of room that I need so we aren't so crowded in here.<br />
<br />
Well, time to get ready to take some stuff to Goodwill. It's nice and cool today. Not even 70 degrees yet so it's a good day to run errands.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6565802558641863946.post-67865496331560824622013-07-19T18:17:00.000-05:002013-07-19T18:17:01.640-05:00Cooler weather on the way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's still hot although cooler weather is on the way. I heard some drops of rain out there just a few minutes ago but they stopped already. More should come later and cool off the air enough to shut off the a/c. I did try this morning because there was a nice breeze out there but by the time I got home from rehab, it was in the 90s and the wind was hot. So I turned the a/c back on but shut the curtains to the bedroom to try to contain the cool air. Professor had been in Zach's room because it was too hot for him out here.<br />
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I started another afghan last night. Why on earth did I start an afghan in a heat wave? No idea but it's a feather and fan afghan in red, black and white. I will probably need a bit more so I checked out StuffMart but they are in the process of rearranging their yarn so nothing was out. I think JoAnn's has some so I'm not sweating it. I can use another brand if I need to. Super Saver yarn is very similar to what I'm using now.<br />
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I love feather and fan so I think I'm going to use up a bunch of the Super Saver yarn I've got around the house. I've got some pastel colors that would go well together.<br />
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But I do need to get back to the socks and the little girl's sweater before I forget where the patterns are. I've done that many times. More than I would like to remember.<br />
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Next week Zach and I are going to tackle the dining room and set aside some crafting areas for working on various things, like drawing, painting, sculpting and any other crafts I can think of. He's also going to set up his desk for a crafting place as well. I'm welcome to use it so I might since he has a/c in there.<br />
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I also want to get busy doing more cooking from scratch. I'm able to eat more foods if I cook them myself so I'd like to eat more food. This diet isn't any fun especially as I'm not losing any weight at all. Which I don't get since I'm not cheating and eating less than 1300 calories each day. And exercising.<br />
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This sucks.<br />
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I'm fixing supper for the guys right now. Just grilled cheese and onion rings and a veg. It's still a bit too hot to cook although the kitchen isn't as bad as it was earlier in the week. <br />
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Off to finish it up and then into my room where it's cool and knit.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01277981757643955577noreply@blogger.com4