So, what did I actually accomplish?

Still taking stock on the events of the past year.  In my last post, I made mention of the to-do list that I was determined to complete by this time last year.  Well, let's see how I did:


1. Make a sock monkey! (just because) --Not yet. Does putting the socks, buttons and thread to be used aside count?
2. Learn to knit. Yes!! I am by no means a pro, but I learned enough of the basics to produce a scarf, at the very least.  Perhaps the only item I can fully strike off this list.
3. Have a tea party (yes, with all the fancy petit fours and little sandwiches. Fancy hats are optional.) -- Sadly, no tea party yet.
4. Sew 4 dresses (one for each season)  - Didn't happen. I did help my niece with hers for school though. 
5. Make several fabric party garlands (which will look lovely at my tea party) -- Only made 1.
6. Make 4 quilts (some to keep, some to give away) -- Only made 2.  One for my little niece (seen here), and completed the other one that I had started last summer (seen here).  So, I get a grade of 50% there. 
7. Open an Etsy shop (finally) -- I registered my shop...but haven't gone beyond that.
8. Post a D.I.Y project every month for the next year.  -- Sorry, didn't make it past late December/early January.  


What a shame! So, what has this taught me? To not be so ambitious?  To stop putting up sticky notes in a hope that they will nudge me into actually doing something? (Only works in the office, sadly not at home).  No, I just think I have to make an effort to stop and do things that make me happy regardless of the peripheral demands that consume my attention. Balance is key! Those tactile pleasures of cutting fabric, applying glue to paper, the hum of a sewing machine... so very cathartic.  


Will I make a new to-do list? It does not seem likely at the moment, but we shall see. Rather than measure myself against what I have and have not accomplished, or clearing that last note off my mirror, I think it best to simply share my thoughts and projects with you all as they happen.

=)
 

Oh my...

Too busy, procrastination...laziness... call it what you want. I was simply unable to keep up with the blogging in recent months.  My apologies. This new template is temporary, as my hope is to have a more unique design created that truly reflects my tastes.  This will have to do for now.

Thanks to all of you for checking in now and again. My poor sewing machine(s) have been neglected and are dying to whip something up.  I simply became caught up in the "...not enough time, too much to do, uninspired, tired...is it Friday yet?!" routine that we so easily allow life to suck us into. 

When I did have a moment of inspiration, I was sure enough to jot it down and file it somewhere for safe-keeping in the hopes of actually carrying out the task in a few days.  Of course, when I filed away the next idea, I could see the little sticky notes and scribbles piling up in my notebook, still undone.  Not cool!

I am just realizing now that it has been just about 1 year since I have started this blog--amazing!  I had made a to-do list shortly after starting this blog last year. Those of you that have been following may remember this list. Upon reflection, I see that I have fared rather poorly in execution and follow-through.

No matter. This is a new year (of sorts) and another chance to accomplish a great many things.

Stay tuned, more to come, and happy sewing...

=)

Knit One...Purl Two?

So, I am finally learning to knit! My future mother-in-law gave me a lovely basket of yarn, knitting needles, books, etc... for Christmas so that I may finally beginning the process.  This is another item that I would like to cross off my to-do list. I hope to be quite skilled enough at it to begin posting my creations.

It's been going pretty well so far. I definitely need to work on my tension and I have to actually pay closer attention to what I am doing. I have managed to drop several stitches all over the place, but I suppose when you are too wrapped up in what is on the television, this is bound to happen. I even managed to knit half a row and purl the balance. Not sure how I managed that, but I must have been knitting, put the needles down to do something and then returned to absent-mindedly purl the rest of the row.  Oh well, it's all a learning curve for me.

I am not so ambitious to start tackling sweaters, afghans or mittens. I really only want to stick to easy peices, like scarves. This is truly all that I can manage at the moment. I have to build up the confidence (and skill) to work my way up to garments and other items. As it stands now, I would probably produce a 3-armed sweater or some other terrible mistake if I ventured beyond practicing my stitches.

Okay...here goes...

Finally, I have buckled down and I am about to start churning out all of my holiday sewing! I have organized  myself, cleaned up, I have made my list... just a quick trip to the fabric store and then it is all systems go! This includes a very ambitious task of creating 14 gift sacs (to be used as stockings) for my entire family. If I pace myself and commit to xx amount per week, I should be fine.  I also have the task of creating 2 lap quilts, to give as presents for my nieces. Luckily, one niece is just a teensy little thing (almost 3 years old), so the quilt will not have to be so large. She is a very huge fan of cuddling and has an obsession with blankets of any kind. I hope this becomes something that she cherishes.

I really wanted to give something handmade to everyone this year, but that is just not realistic at this point. Next year, will plan ahead and get started in say, June!  I hope for this to be the first of many handmade Christmases.  I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress and share my photographs with you.

=)

And Sew it Begins...

Christmas is just around the corner! I must be one of several people to tell you this by now and I would not be alarmed if you had the urge to throttle me for saying so.  Yes, it is still a number of weeks away, but I can honestly say that as each year passes, the holidays seem to come faster. It does not feel at all the way it did when I was a child. Christmas felt like it took 2 whole years to come and when it finally got here, I thought I was going to explode.  I remember how wiped out the adults would be as I listened to their comments about "having to do it all over again, before you know it..."  Such party poopers! I totally get that now.

This year, aside from getting any shopping completed as early as humanly possible, I am making it a point to incorporate at least one handmade gift for each person. I have a few ideas brewing and I will be sure to share these with you as they come to fruition.  Also, as mentioned in an earlier post, I have to get on with churning out some gift sacs (14, to be exact).  These sacs are serving the purpose of stockings and they have to be a particular size.  You see, stockings don't actually work in my family. The story behind the need for these will be explained in an upcoming post, no to worry.

And so (sew) it begins...

For the Love of Pink!

I am doing my first charity run in a very long time. On Sunday, October 4th, I will be at the Toronto run site for the CIBC Run for the Cure, to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  I am very excited, and can't wait.  I am part of the Booty Camp Fitness women's team.  I have sponsored many friends in the past, but never physically took part. I am told that this will be a wonderfully emotional event for all participants.

For those of you not familiar with the event, this will be a 5K run or 1K walk at several locations across Canada. I just want to thank all of my generous sponsors for helping me to reach my fundraising goal.  I plan to do this run again next year and as often as I am able to in the coming years.  I have not been directly touched by breast cancer, but I have friends who have. I will be running for their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives that have lost the battle. But I will also be running for the survivors in the hopes that they will continue to overcome the disease and live long, happy lives.

So Long, Booty Camp...For Now

Today is my last day at Booty Camp Fitness (*sniff*).  I probably should have been blogging about this challenge all along, (sharing my progress) but I was on such a sewing rant for the longest while... Perhaps in the new year, I will keep you all posted on my weekly progress when I re-enlist. 

I had joined Booty Camp Fitness back in June and have been faithfully participating ever since. I have always been moderately active, but my exercise really only consisted of brisk walks or boring treadmill and elliptical programs. Sure, I dabbled here and there with a few resistance workouts, but it was hard to stay motivated and I inevitably fell off the wagon. I had no one willing to work out with me and little motivation. Having jobs that placed me in a cubicle for 9 hours a day did not help matters either.

I had seen the poster for Booty Camp Fitness several times on my regular routes around the city. One day particular day in May however I stopped to read the information:  Women's only...outdoor...just 2 nights a week?!   Why not?  I checked it out online and after some thought, I signed up for 4 weeks.  Couldn't hurt, right? If I don't like it, I can just stop going once my sessions are up. I must say, it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made, really.  I am on the petite end of the size spectrum and I am slim. I did not join for the sake of weight loss, but because I wanted to be fit, stronger, and in shape.

My class was every Tuesday and Thursday evening for one hour.  It was nice that it was outdoors, the fresh air pumping through your system... I was unsure about the idea at first, for fear of rain or cooler temperatrures. But I have come to prefer that setting to the smell of rubber and body odour that one may find in a gym.  I loved that I never knew what to expect. Our instructor, Courtney, was awesome! One day we got our derrieres handed to us as we were put through what felt like a sequence of endless (but challenging) lower body exercises. The next day, we were doing a number on our triceps and biceps.  Lunges, cardio, squats, push ups, resistance...you name it, we did it.  I felt encouraged each day and it was great to be surrounded by other strong, positive women. The soreness in my entire body was alarming the first week, but I soon came to look forward to the feeling. It was as if it provided me with satisfaction in knowing that I had put in 110% each class. 

Between sessions, I used my Booty Camp DVD at home (provided to you when you join).  I also managed to include in a few Yoga and Pilates DVD's that I already owned, ensuring a minimum 5 days of some sort of physical activity.  Aside from the active lifestyle, common sense was applied in watching what I ate.  Yes, I treated myself to the odd little treat once a week (shhh!), but I was never overboard.  The way I see it, If I completely deprived myself of any tasty, creamy, sugar filled treat, it was only a matter of time before I would just freak out one day and down 2 pounds of candy in one-fell-swoop.  Why negate all of the hard work by slipping off the rails completely?  I was never a horrible eater in the first place, so it was just a matter of improving where possible.

In my first 8 weeks, I had only dropped about 2 pounds, but  lost 1.5" off my waist, and a whopping 3" off my hips. That was major to me!  I also went from 23%  body fat down to 17%.   My arms, legs, shoulders, back--all incredibly toned and in the best shape I can remember.  I have not been in this sort of shape since I was in high school!  No sessions were held in August, but our awesome instructor held running clinics 2 nights a week for those that were interested. I surprised myself here as well. Not having run since high school, I expected to fizzle out after the first 2K. On our first night, we ran 5K, and I was able to keep up with almost no trouble.  As the weeks passed the distance increased as far as 8K and I managed quite well. Again, my level of fitness catching me off guard.

Aside from the incredible physical transformation, I have been able to push myself far further than I imagined. Push-ups were my least favourite thing to do because of my chicken wing arms that provided zero strength.  I can now easily churn out a series of 100 on my toes before dropping to my knees. I can hold a plank for well over 2 minutes and my endurance over all is surprising.  I also make an effort to run a few days each week.  There were only a couple of day on which I was unable to get a workout in (outside of Booty Camp), for whatever reason. I was really surprised to see that I felt so guilty for missing out. I am hooked!

Classes began again in September and I was happy to see that I was able to more or less maintain my progress from the previous sessions.  I had actually lost another 2 pounds in the 4 weeks since the last class.  Today being my final class, I am really going to miss it.  I am anxious to see my results thus far and I want to do my best to at least maintain it.  Booty Camp runs through to the end of October and officially breaks until January, at which point it is held indoors until the Spring.  The reason I am not attending the final 4 weeks of classes is simply due to the fact that I am starting a new job next week.  My schedule is such that I anticipate missing too many classes in the next little while. That said, it would be wasteful to join and I will not be able to manage make-up sessions, not now anyway. I will only be short-changing myself in the end. Once I figure out my groove I will re-join for the next available sessions for sure!

Will I just pack up the workout gear and slide into a vegetative state for the next 3 months? Absolutely not!  I will continue to use my DVD's to keep the momentum going. I will get creative. I have already drafted a schedule to get me through the holiday season. Perhaps we will see what I can find in the way of drop-in classes at my local Pilates/Yoga studios and community centres.

Is it possible to become addicted to exercise? Who would have thought?

hmm.... what to do?

So, I've started this blog as a way of tracking my progress through (finally) opening up an etsy shop, my sewing escapades, sticking to a workout schedule and meandering through life in general. I would like to have interesting topics posted here in the coming weeks. I hope to inspire you, spark your interest and develop a dedicated following in the not so distant future.

Check back soon for updates!

cheers!
Aa