My Weight Loss Journey

I have decided to not attend any more Weight Watchers meetings. I know their program, have their books, point calculator, and all I need to do it on my own. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought the same scale that they use on "The Biggest Loser", and set it up in my bathroom, and will weigh myself on the first of every month, and also every Sunday, and every day, just to be sure I see a steady downward slope in my weight. This week, since Sunday, I have lost 3 pounds. So that is pretty good. I am eating healthy, lots of fruits and veggies, a hard-boiled egg with my lunch of steamed veggies, and if I have enough points at the end of the day, then I can have a frozen Tostinos pizza (I add oregano to it, because it is pretty bland without it). On the days I don't have a lot of points available, I microwave an enchilada dinner, organic and vegetarian, and delicious. And if I REALLY don't have but a few points left, I get a raw vegetable tray and use fat free ranch dressing for the dip. My goal during the day is to eat as little as possible. This morning, I'm going to treat myself to a new cereal - an organic whole grain flake cereal with strawberries in it, and 1 cup of it is 3 points, and I put just a smidgen of milk on it (I need to find a low-fat or nonfat soymilk), and have that for breakfast, and 1 banana. And that will hold me until about 2:00. Then, I'll steam a bag of vegetables, and eat those plus a hard-boiled egg. Then, I'll decide on dinner - probably an enchilada. Oh yes, and as a snack, I'll have an apple at some point during the day or evening. Have one of those every day. And I'll drink 8 glasses of water, and have one zevia cola to help me swallow my meds in the morning and one in the evening when I have to take my nighttime meds. They are 0 calories. For some reason, they make downing my meds easier than taking them with water. Perhaps it is the fizz.

So, I am on my own now, with nobody to blame but myself if I do well or not on my diet, but I feel revved up and in charge, and want to make a chart of date and weights, to see that I go down and stay going down. YAY! for me! I can do this!

Trip to California

I had been planning on a trip to see my dad and mom on May 28-June 4, but with the death of Osama Bin Laden happening yesterday, and fears of retribution, I am reluctant to fly now. I emailed my dad, and he emailed me back and said he and mom were in total agreement with me. They will be moving this summer from Sonora to the San Clemente area, and I will come out in October to their new home there instead. Two bonuses for me are 1) that I'll be near or at my goal weight by then, and 2) that I'll have their Yosemite Quilt finished by then and can bring it out with me. I felt a huge sigh of relief that they took the news so well, and agreed with us that this is a bad time to take a flight. Because I really wanted to be at goal weight when I saw them, and I wanted their quilt to be done, and it wouldn't be either one of those by May 28th. Now I have the chance to get those accomplished.

I'll be taking a workshop on May 19 and 21st, and working on the Yosemite quilt then, finishing up the top of it, and perhaps even getting it to the quilting part of it. I'll be learning how to do upside down applique, so I am saving the applique portion of the quilt for that workshop. And trying to get the rest of the quilt ready to receive those things.

Michael and I are in a mood to clean up the house real good and to rearrange the house. Yesterday and the day before, we worked on the master bedroom, and today we'll get it done.
I've got to wash the mini blinds, then re-hang those, I've already washed the curtains and they are ready to hang back up. When we finish the master bedroom, we want to work on the living room and dining room. Of course, while we are doing that, we'll also be working on the kitchen in baby steps, because it needs some work. I want to make a chocolate silk pie, using white chocolate, for Emily and Chris, but Michael and I each get a piece of it first. Then, I'll take it over to them. I'm going to only have a sliver of it. Don't need the calories of it.

That is it for now!

I am selling almost all of my quilting books, except for about 4 that give me true inspiration. That is because I want my art coming from MY heart, not some derivative from some other artist. So I'll be working on my own, and seeing what happens. I've started dyeing my own fabric, and love that experience. It is extremely satisfying, but I need more experience with it.

It Is Going to Be a BOY!!!!!!!

Well, I haven't posted anything here in a while, for I have been so busy with LIFE, that I have just not had time to do anything!
Emily had her ultrasound done, and they determined that the baby is a boy! Chris, her husband nearly did a cartwheel in the room, he is so excited! He wanted a boy so bad! They've picked out his name - Anthony Richard Smith, so he'll be our little Tony. His due date is Nov. 27th - Thanksgiving Day. Now we can start buying clothes for him, and I've started knitting on a pair of overalls and a sweater to wear over the pants for him. I'm going to go looking today for a red striped t-shirt for him to wear under the overalls. Or a red t-shirt if I don't see a striped one. Or dotted one. Something with red on it. Because I am knitting this up in denim blue yarn, and it is going to look so adorable. I'm doing it up in newborn size, so it will actually fit him to come home from the hospital in. Unless he turns out to be a huge baby. The OB told Emily that she was big enough to be able to handle a 14 pound baby being born, and she hopes he didn't jinx her with that pronouncement! Me too!!!!!!! Everything else I have knitted, clothes-wise, I've made in the 3-6 month size, except for the baby booties. And they are all newborn size. Or 0-3 month size. At my local yarn shop, one of the best knitters I've ever seen works there, and I timidly asked her what she would charge me to knit the overalls part of the pattern, while I knitted the sweater, and she said she wouldn't charge me a thing. She said she would do it as a gift for the new baby. I could have kissed her. So she is doing up those, and I'm working on the sweater, and she'll have her part done in no time, she is so expert, and it will take me the rest of August and all of September to make the sweater. Due to my Parkinson's Disease, which slows you down so much. So I am extremely grateful for her help with this. It will allow me to start on the knitted blue jeans pattern I have bought the yarn for. This baby is going to be a well-decked out baby!

And I have started another blog = http://anniesweightlosstrail.blogspot.com detailing the drama of weight loss at a snail's pace. I hope to reach my goal weight by next Christmas.

I got my hair cut off the shortest I've ever had it in 35 years. I like it, and would actually like it just a little shorter. I go in on Tuesday (tomorrow) for a trim. I'm going to tell her not to hold back on cutting it. Never thought I'd hear thoughts like that coming from my brain. Guess I'm just getting older.

Well, I'm going now to Yahoogroups and dropping some of them out of my inbox. Don't want to have so many to sort through every day. More important things to do.

I get all my paper at The Paper Temptress:

Boy or Girl?

We don't know yet if the baby is a boy or a girl, so everything I make has to be green or yellow or a neutral color - no pinks, no boy blues. Thus the hand-dyed green yarn for the sweater and booties. It is much prettier in person than the scan shows. Hopefully she'll be far along enough soon, to be able to tell if it is a boy or a girl. Meantime I am knitting for either, with greens, and creams, teals and yellows. I am so excited about this baby! Mom is doing well - hungry all the time. Better than the opposite.