10/31/10 - Food

Breakfast - I made some oatmeal, but after several spoonfuls I decided I really didn't enjoy it so I made a piece of toast and had some grapes.


Lunch - at Red Lobster - biscuit, salad, shrimp, baked potato.


Supper - small bowl of tomato soup, some crackers and a wedge of laughing cow cheese, some Pringle chips, and one small Halloween Kit Kat.


Steps - 2,176

10/30/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with an egg


Lunch - small side salad, two leftover pieces of yesterday's pizza, two wedges of Laughing Cow cheese - the two new flavors.

The blue cheese had the strong blue cheese flavor which needed to be eaten on a cracker or stuffing a piece of celery.  It was too strong for me to eat alone.  The Sun-Dried tomato will make a good snack all by itself.


Supper - small portions of mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and stewed tomatoes.  For dessert, yogurt and wheat germ.


Steps - 4,254

10/29/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter


Lunch - out with a friend to an Italian restaurant.  We split a delicious salad of lettuce, tomatoes, roasted red pepper and artichokes.  Then we split a wonderful pizza with sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese and artichokes.  My friend not only paid for the meal, she sent me home with the leftovers!  She offered to split a dessert with me also, but I said "no".  I just did not need any more extra calories.


Supper - warmed up the leftover half sandwich from yesterday and the leftover French fries with truffle oil.  I only ate half of the half-sandwich and just a few fries because once again I was worried about all the calories.  I had a sugar-free jello for dessert.


The supper wasn't enough to last through the evening, so I had a snack of half an apple, a spoonful of peanut butter, and a light string cheese.


Steps - 4,145

10/28/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter


Lunch - out with friends.  I had a panini sandwich of chicken, red peppers and onions.  It was a huge sandwich, so I only ate half of it.  The sandwich was accompanied by French Fries that were sprayed with Truffle Oil.  The Truffle Oil taste was very slight, but increased the more fries I ate. They became addicting and I had to force myself to stop eating.  Then the management of the restaurant brought two gourmet desserts to our table.  (We were celebrating someone's birthday.)  I had a taste of each dessert.


The lunch was delicious and for a while I was doing the "poor me" thought process.  I really wanted to finish that sandwich and eat all of those fries, but I knew that it was way too many calories.  "Poor me - I'm fat and not allowed to eat this fattening food."  It is so easy to fall into that "poor me" trap and forget the progress I have made in recognizing when I am full.  Yes, I was full.  If the sandwich had been half the size, I would have been completely satisfied.  Today it was just hard to come to the "enough" conclusion in my brain.  


Supper - the leftover baked potato and veggies from last night.  I had a sugar-free snack size jello for dessert.


Snack - one light string cheese.


Steps -3,202 

Progress on the nine-patch

All the blocks, sashing and  rows are sewn together.

Here is a close-up of the applique block.

Next I will add two borders - one small red border and one larger blue border.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  Good friends
2.  An excellent lunch with included French Fries coated with Truffle Oil. 
3.  The wonderful colors of Fall.

10/27/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast and an egg, grapes


Lunch - at my favorite Cantonese restaurant......chicken noodle soup, vegetable egg rolls.


Supper - half a baked potato, cooked broccoli & cauliflower, vanilla yogurt with Wheat Germ.


Snack - one light string cheese.


Steps - 4,157

10/26/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast and an egg


Lunch - Subway tuna salad sandwich, Sun Chips


Snack - crackers and WW cream cheese


Supper - popcorn and grapes


Steps - 2,523

Japanese Paper Quilting

Tonight I took a class in Japanese Paper Quilting at the local card/scrap book shop.  I made four cards for Halloween.  The class was well organized and productive.  The teacher was patient with me as I was the only one that had not taken a previous class in the technique.

I will definitely take another class at this shop again.  It was well worth the cost - plus you get a 10% discount on anything  you buy.  I bought some paper because I only have 10,000 pieces at home and I just might run out.

10/25/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - salad with broccoli and crab meat, Skinny Cow ice cream


Supper - chili with croutons.  Dessert at a friend's - miniature cream puffs and grapes.


Steps - 2,640

First Knitted Sweater - EVER

Today I finished my first knitted sweater ever.  It is by no means perfect, however, it is roomy, very warm, and will be wonderful for those cold, cold winter days when I am working in my basement studio.

I had a hard time figuring out how to take a picture of me actually wearing the sweater.  This is the best I could do.

The sleeves are too long and extremely roomy and the sweater itself is a teeny bit short.  I'm very proud of my accomplishment though, and it will get worn a lot at home.

10/24/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter


Lunch - at Red Lobster - a biscuit, salad, tilapia, broccoli, baked potato.


Snack - almonds


Supper - popcorn, grapes, spoonful of peanut butter, Nature Valley granola thin.


Steps - 

10/23/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast and a scrambled egg, grapes


Lunch - salad with broccoli and crab meat, Nature Valley granola thin


Snack - popcorn


Supper - bowl of chili with croutons, a few Teddy grahams.


Steps - 1,658  hardly moved at all today.  

10/22/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast and a scrambled egg, grapes


Lunch - leftover wrap sandwich from yesterday, leftover chips, leftover cole slaw, sugar-free dark chocolate candy.


Supper - leftover baked potato and carrots from yesterday, and leftover pumpkin fluff.


Snack - popcorn.


Steps - a pathetic  2,212  (Stayed home all day and the treadmill is broken - that's my excuse and it's an excellent excuse I think.  My cousins won't agree, but they are younger than me and therefore probably not as smart.  And now it is the weekend and calling for a repairman will have to wait until Monday.  Yes, yes, I could walk outside.  Ah - but tomorrow rain is predicted.  Oh boy, I'm in for some lectures from my cousins.  I can hear it coming.  Maybe I can convince them that my pedometer is flawed.)

Scrappy Quilt

This little quilt is made entirely of scraps from my 2-1/2 inch container and my 4-1/2 inch container.  My friend Moe did the machine quilting.

Here is the pieced back.

I decided to machine sew the binding as usual to the front, and then sew in the ditch to finish the back side of the binding.  I have never done that before and although the back side is not perfectly even and some of the stitching is a little wobbly, it still looks OK because it is black.

This little piece of stitchery is one I purchased recently.  Unfortunately I did not look closely at what I was buying and was dismayed to discover that the fabric is 32 count.  With my poor eyesight, 32 count is a real challenge.  I have my eyeball practically on top of the magnifying glass to find my place.  Thank goodness this is a small project!

The sweater I was knitting is now finished.  I just need to sew it together and steam block it.  Pictures to come soon.  There was one skein of yarn leftover so I decided to make a matching scarf, adding another skein of contrasting color from the same yarn family.  I am knitting it length-wise, so there are 275 stitches on my circular needle.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  A scrambled egg for breakfast.
2.  A phone call from a dear friend.
3.  The freedom to choose which project (from many) that I want to work on and which to ignore.

10/21/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - at a restaurant - half a chicken wrap sandwich, some chips, and a slice of dill pickle.


Snack - Starbucks Java Chip lite.


Supper - wasn't terribly hungry after having the Java Chip, but I prepared a baked potato and some cooked carrots.  Only ate half of each item.  For dessert I had some pumpkin fluff and again only ate half of the portion.


Snack attack later in the evening - had some of the new Wheat Thin sticks (addicting) and one piece of light string cheese.


Steps - 3,700

10/20/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - lettuce salad with broccoli and cauliflower, crackers & WW cream cheese, sugar-free dark chocolate candy.


Snack - almonds


Supper - ground turkey patty, cooked carrots & broccoli, pumpkin fluff.


Snack - skim milk


Steps - 3,659

10/19/10 - Food

Back to my normal life.  I had a wonderful week with friends and then two not so wonderful days leading up to a medical test that ended in the happy news that I am healthy.  Now it is time to start back reporting all the food that I eat so that I can continue to be aware and smart - which I intend will lead to less pounds on my body - which will make me even healthier.  


Breakfast - toast with peanut butter and a few spoonfuls of yogurt.


Lunch - a sandwich and some applesauce.


Snack - popcorn


Supper - small bowl of leftover tomato soup, a green salad with cauliflower and broccoli, and some pumpkin fluff (a WW recipe).


Steps - 2,530

Glorious weather

No quilting or knitting or stitching to blog about.  However, I had company here this past week and we had a great time shopping, going to the theater (Billy Elliot - fabulous), eating, laughing, talking, and thoroughly enjoying each other's company.


One day we drove to Lake Geneva Wisconsin and while they all investigated the shops, I sat down by the shore, watching the seagulls, and enjoying the sunshine.  The wind was strong off of the lake and kept the sun from being too hot on my face.  Every once in a while, the wind would pick up some sand and I could feel it pricking my face.  All the seagulls stood facing the sun too, and when the wind whipped that sand around, the seagulls all turned their faces to the right like a precision marching troupe.  


These pictures were taken on my phone, facing into the sun so that I could not see the screen at all.  Yes, that is my thumb on the one picture.  Of course the pictures do not capture the atmosphere as I felt it.  I will not forget my time by the lake, drinking in the glorious fall afternoon.

Lake Geneva is a beautiful lake with magnificent homes along it's shores.  I wish I could have seen where my camera lens was pointing so that I could have gotten better pictures.  Oh well, the pictures I took are lousy, but they will remind me of a special time.  

10/11/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - salad with broccoli, crab meat, tomatoes.  Crackers and WW cream cheese.  Dessert - Skinny Cow ice cream


Supper - half a baked potato, cooked veggies.  Half an apple with light caramel dip.


Snack - a few crackers.


Steps - 3,009


I will not be posting on this blog for the next week as I will be hosting company all week.  We will be going out for meals, seeing a play, going shopping, and laughing, laughing, laughing.  

10/10/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - at Red Lobster, biscuit, cole slaw, shrimp, breaded fish, baked potato.  Ate too much and was stuffed - uncomfortably stuffed.  I knew better but didn't want to take food home and wanted to eat my money's worth.  Stupid, I know.  


Supper - Still full from lunch, but wanted something to munch.  Had 100 calorie popcorn, grapes - and then still wanted to munch, so I had some crackers and peanut butter.


Too much food today and although I would like to beat myself up, it wouldn't do any good except to make me feel worse.  Therefore, I will vow to be more aware tomorrow.  That is the most positive thing I can do.


On top of eating too much, I didn't get very many steps in today either.  I sat in church, sat at lunch, and sat at home reading.


Steps - 1,962

On my design wall.......

On my design wall is a simple nine-patch with sashing and cornerstones - and I added two applique blocks to give more visual interest.

I still have more sashing to cut - and of course the whole thing needs to be sewn together and have some colorful borders added.  It is definitely a work in progress.  The picture is not good, so in case you cannot tell, the blocks are dark blues and creamy white.

10/09/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - chili, TJs veggie and flaxseed tortilla chips (the broken pieces at the bottom of the bag), WW fudge bar.


Supper - salad with broccoli, cauliflower & peas, a turkey burger (no bun), Jello 60 calorie mousse.


Steps - 3,103

10/08/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - chili and TJs veggie and flaxseed tortillas.  Dessert at book club - a delicious crumb top apple pie - one generous piece.


Supper - the leftover baked potato and veggies from yesterday and a small lettuce salad.  One cookie for dessert.


Snack - almonds


Steps - 3,196

10/07/10 - Food

Since I had to go to the doctor this morning, which included a blood test, I couldn't eat until after my appointment.  It was after 10:00am, I was very hungry, and I decided to treat myself to a McDonald's breakfast - a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with hash browns.  It was satisfying and filled me up so that I did not need or want lunch.


Supper - half a baked potato and some cooked veggies (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower).  For dessert I had a Jello sugar-free chocolate mousse.


Snack - almonds


Steps - I changed clothes this afternoon after a hair appointment and forgot to put my pedometer in my pocket, so the steps registered for half a day is 1,500.

10/06/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - bowl of chili, some stale popcorn that I heated in the oven hoping the heat would take away the stale taste.  Snack size applesauce for dessert.


Supper - salad with veggies and crab meat, some crackers, and half a nectarine.


Steps - 2,375

9-patch and knitting

On my design wall is the beginning of a simple 9-patch with sashing that I started today.  I'm trying to use up more of  my blue stash.

I got a nice start on my second sleeve tonight while watching TV.  Only 111 more rows to go.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  My quiet home
2.  Unending fabric stash
3.  Challenging Sudoku puzzles.

10/05/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - sandwich, snack size sugar-free vanilla pudding


Snack - a few crackers, a tiny piece of cheese and some grapes


Supper - salad with lettuce, grape tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and peas.  Ground turkey burger - no bun.  Sugar-free Jello chocolate mousse.


Steps - 3,310

A finish and a start

Finished the mini quilt tonight.......................

and started the second sleeve of my sweater.

Today I am grateful for -
1.  juicy red grapes
2.  shopping at the local quilt shop
3.  reliable twice-weekly garbage pickup
4.  reading my favorite blogs

10/04/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - (see picture below) Smart Ones Tuna Noodle Gratin.  As you can see,  the picture on the package is quite different from the actual food inside.  The sauce was watery, the tuna sparse, and the taste very bland.  Not at all like the wonderful casserole that my mother used to make!   I had a few Pringle Multi Grains just to give me some salty crunch and a WW fudge bar for dessert.

Supper - scrambled Egg Beaters, toast.


Steps - 2,324

Miniature Quilt

Today I worked on a miniature quilt for our guild's upcoming Mini Auction.  Doing a paper pieced log cabin, I found it easier to do it assembly line style.

I got the quilt finished and quilted.  All I have left to do is add the hanging sleeve, sew down the binding, sew on the decorative butterfly buttons, and sew on the label.

Little by little I have been working on the sleeve of my sweater, and tonight I finished knitting the first sleeve.

I love a day when I can see visible progress on my projects!

10/3/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - at Red Lobster - biscuit, cole slaw, breaded shrimp, baked potato.


Supper - two pieces of homemade wheat/millet bread toasted and buttered, a nectarine, and some dark chocolate covered plum bites.


Steps - 2,516

10/02/10 - Food

Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - lettuce & tomato salad with deli chicken, crackers & WW cream cheese, one piece of sugar-free candy.


Supper - last of the leftover crock pot chicken, part of an onion, some mini rice cakes.


Snack - small glass of skim milk


Steps - 3,138

10/01/10 - Food and Thoughts

It has now been six months since I started this blog.  Half a year.  So what have I accomplished in those six months?  


Wouldn't it be nice to say that I lost 50 pounds and have found the secret to losing weight and keeping it off for the rest of my life.  But that would  be a lie and it would not be in line with my motive.


My motive/goal was to be more aware of what I was eating, to be more sensible about my eating, to learn to recognize when I was full, and to stop eating when I reached that "full" point.


It is with a happy heart that I tell you that this plan seems to be working for me.  I have lost some weight - very slowly.  I am much more aware of when I am full and I am much better at stopping when I am full.


This is not a contest with myself.  I am not trying to eat less and less each day.  If I attend a party, I will have a piece of cake.  If I crave potato chips, I will have some -not the whole bag - just a few.  


I am only recording the food I eat and the steps I take so that I can be aware.  If I am aware, that means I am thinking.  And if I am thinking, I can be more conscious of making good choices.  


Breakfast - toast with peanut butter, grapes


Lunch - small bowl of chili, some crackers with WW cream cheese, a few mini rice cakes.


Supper - leftover crock pot chicken, leftover broccoli, 1/4 onion, half an apple with light caramel dip.


Steps - 2,783