WOW! In case you missed it, Etsy revealed a sneak peek of upcoming Policy and Procedure/Do's and Don'ts changes...and pretty much across the board, I'm thrilled! Definitely the right step toward making Etsy a more professional venue, while at the same time allowing sellers more protection, autonomy, and creativity.
Some of the changes do affect Etsy buyers as well, so you may want to take a moment to read the article even if you don't have a shop!
So I was going to blog yesterday, about it being Derby Day, and of course I celebrated my normal way (involving lots of Mint Julips) but with the way the Derby ended, I just didn't want to. So I didn't.
On a more positive note, the Fiber Fest at Mt. Bruce Station is this month, but I think I'm going to take a pass this time...I normally go to collect as much fiber as my arms can carry but...for the first time...I think I may have achieved Fiber Stash Maximum Capacity. As in, I genuinely don't have room for another single ounce of fiber until I spin up quite a bit. Soooo...I think I may pass until this fall, for the bigger Sheep and Wool Festival. Although I'm actually entertaining thoughts of being there as a vendor, not a buyer. Julip Bags is doing so well, especially after Knit Michigan...I'm thinking why not?
Today is Weigh-In Wednesday, and I'm so excited to report:
3.5 total pounds lost, three since last week! I know 2-3 pounds/week is considered safe and healthy, so I'm pretty thrilled! I'm also pretty sure the weight loss is due to all the manual labor I did last weekend...speaking of which, check out the "before" pic in the previous post, and then check these out:
Quite the improvement, eh? We got all the bricks for free a while back, and had just barely enough to finish the big bed, we'll do the other one after we buy some more bricks. And lookee, I've got a bird bath now (which was frozen this morning, thanks Michigan!) which our friendly neighbor has christened The Bird Jacuzzi. As long as I don't find any rats floating in it...
Before I forget again, I've joined the Fitness-a-Long to help keep me on track, head over and check it out if you need motivation!
First off, accountability (which I neglected to update on Wednesday, my weigh-in day):
Half a pound lost! Not a lot, but I'll take it...I pinched a nerve in my neck at the beginning of this week and therefore didn't exercise. Towards the end of the week, though, I went back to the manual labor known as "Fixing Up the House." I think heavy gardening is better exercise than power-walking any day, especially when it's the spring prep type.
Observe the front of the house:
Of note here, my two rose beds. Last night I spent hours raking off the old chips and weeding. I left the violets/weeds along the border because we're going to dig a trench there anyway and put in a brick border. Then I'll be able to put down new chips and peat moss on the roses, and although they're already going bananas...
They'll really take off after that! Also on the front porch, crammed in amongst all the plants that we dragged outside and yet may have to drag back in (39F degrees tonight? WTF Michigan?!?!) is...
JP's pot garden! NO, not THAT kind of pot garden...this is basil, rosemary, parsley, scallions, tomatoes, and (not yet potted) mint!
In the backyard is our real back-breaking work in progress:
Imagine if you will, that the 9x9 ' patch of clay is a deck (although note there's no door off the back of the house). Imagine that this wee little deck had 7 ' walls. Odd, no? We figured the old lady who owned the house before us must have had a thing for sunbathing in the nude...a fact the neighbors later confirmed for us. So we ripped that bad boy apart a few weekends ago, and are now slowly trying to make it into a nice outdoor patio. Pavers will be purchased when finances are a little more, um, stable.
But in the meantime back here, we have...
A raspberry bush and...
A blueberry bush! (Which JP swore was dead, shows how much he knew.) We'll have fresh berries this summer, yum! I've just got to make sure and sew up some netting to keep the birds at bay.
Finally, progress on Anice is slow but steady...
And I'll leave you with our happy African violet...we have many, but this is definitely the happiest!
All right, if I'm going to make a habit of uber-personal posts, how 'bout this one?
I need to lose weight.
Seriously.
I was on Depo-Provera for six years and I've been in a relationship with a chef for ten...not the best recipe for keeping the weight off, if you know what I mean. I was always that SCRAWNY girl in school, the one who could pig out on whatever and never put on an ounce of weight. In college, my 5'8 self reached a low point of 108 pounds (and before you all freak out and stage an intervention, NO I wasn't anorexic but NO I wasn't healthy either...I just had my priorities screwed up. As in, I ate if I had time, but it wasn't a PRIORITY.)
And then the weight came, and even after a brief stint on Weight Watchers, it has stayed. And although I'm happy with the 42 DD "benefit" that came with it, I've had it with the love handles, the cellulite, and the general feeling of self-loathing when I look in the mirror.
So, inspired by a blog friend, here's my deets:
Height: 5'8
Weight: 186 lbs
Hips: 42
Waist: 39
Bust: 43
The idea is that accountability will keep me on track...'cause yeah, I'm lazy. After commuting an hour in rush hour traffic, when I arrive home I do NOT want to go run around the block, I would much rather have a cocktail and hang with my Russells. And although I generally do eat healthy, I am the queen of falling off the wagon in one fell swoop. I don't have a target date for this, because for my procrastinating self THAT is a guarantee for failure. But hey, I'm willing to try!
Seriously, I'm still around...just not a ton to talk about lately.
Firstly, in case anyone was looking for me on Friday, I didn't trek out to Ann Arbor for the Yarn Harlot's visit. I went the last two years and wasn't impressed with the library's handling of the hundreds of knitters who do indeed faithfully show up. The library sits smack in the middle of U of M, you're telling me you can't find a frickin' auditorium or lecture hall or something?!? From what I read on Ravelry, they started sending people to the overflow room at 5:30, so there's no way I would have made it there in time for a seat in the main room, so it's best I didn't go. I hope that someone who was in the overflow room last year got my second-row seat this year!
Knitting...hmm...still plugging away on Anice, and I did finish this for my officemate (who's having a C-section on Friday):
Another Baby Bolero from One Skein...this time I was in a hurry and did the bind-off a bit too quickly so it's tight...but that means it'll stay on the baby, right? (I can almost see Marj grinning while reading that!)
Julip Bags...I was tipped off by one of my customers that Meghan at the Stitch It! podcast had included a review of my bags! To say I was flattered is the understatement of the year...she has a really fun podcast and is a super-nice person, so a big THANK YOU to her!!!
Life...is Mercury in retrograde or rabid or something (I know nothing about astrology, I've just heard people ask that)? In between the ugliness lately all over the Ravelry forums and the downright viciousness on the Etsy forums I'm ready to call both quits (just the forums!). I'm the first one to bristle at anyone telling me to "play nice," but DAMN people! Drink some spiked Snapple and go knit!
Lastly...I really went back and forth about posting this, but I figured I could mention it without obsessing endlessly. JP lost his job a couple of weeks ago, so things have been, um, stressful. For you readers in Michigan, you already know why...for people out of state, Michigan has been in its own recession for sometime, to the point that people are leaving for other states that actually have jobs, despite the nationwide recession (since we're officially "allowed" to call it that now). We're staying positive, though...and hoping that he may get a job outside of the kitchen grind, which would allow us to actually see each other once in a while. His birthday was yesterday and he actually asked ME to cook for HIM (this never happens) so I made stuffed bell peppers...
...and even HE was impressed with the amount of work it took for me to make! (In case you're wondering, the recipe is in "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker"...of course I made a Crock-Pot recipe!)
And to make sure I end this post on a happy note, how 'bout a cute picture?
Yes, they occasionally stop running/jumping/barking/chasing/fighting/chewing long enough to chill and snuggle!
Run, don't walk over to Zafu.com. You will thank me, I promise!
For those of you who don't know, I'm naming my new knitting totes after my three adorable nieces...you've already seen the Lily, so now I present the Hannah!
So while I'm recuperating, I finally put together something I've been planning for a long time...
Julip Bags Knitting Totes!
This is the smallest of three sizes I"ll be offering, and it's currently in the testing phase. Which means I'm dragging it all over the house, dropping it, opening and closing it repeatedly, letting the Russells stampede it, and (oh yeah!) stuffing it full of knitting!
I'm hoping to have a few in the store this weekend, if this one proves its worth!
