New Toy & Stitching Update

I got a new toy last week and realized today that I’ve not posted about it here on my blog yet. I got an Amazon Kindle. I.LOVE.IT!!! It’s so awesome to have so many books just a click away in something that weighs just over 10 ounces (.28 kg). Here’s a pic of my new baby:

On a lighter note, I’m sure by now many of you have heard the Oprah declared the Kindle her “favorite new gadget“. As a result of her announcement, Kindles are currently on backorder through Amazon (at least, they are according to the Amazon rep with whom I spoke today). I actually received mine two days prior to her big announcement, so I actually had something BEFORE Oprah declared it to be the latest thing. I guess that makes me one of the cool kids.

In stitching news, I’ve mostly been working on Hannah Beeby and Where There is Life lately. They are the two projects that I took with me to Hawai’i on vacation. Here are my latest progress photos:

Where There is Life (Little House Needleworks):

Hannah Beeby 1816 (Gitta’s Timeless Designs):

The little pin cushion in the Hannah Beeby photo is one that I picked up in a local Hawaiian quilt shop in Honolulu. They had some GORGEOUS quilts in there and it was really tempting to bring one home with me, but I managed to settle for just getting the pin cushion instead. :-)

We did manage to make our way to a local stitching shop while in Honolulu. It was called Fiddlesticks and they were so nice to us during our visit! I did pick up a couple of charts while there. I was mostly wanting to get some sort of Hawaiian-inspired design to stitch as a keepsake, but a couple of other charts somehow found their way into my stack, too.

Well, I guess that’s enough for now. I’ll post again later this weekend. I saw on the Fair & Square blog that my partner received her Autumn exchange that I sent, so I’ll post some pics of it then.

Friday SAT Progress

I actually managed to stitch the 4 of the 6 hours for the Let’s Stitch Friday night Stitch-a-Thon (SAT). Woo Hoo! I don’t remember the last time I’ve done that much consecutive stitching at home. About the only time I sit & stitch for that long in a single sitting is when I’m in a class.

As planned, I spent the time working on my Halloween Fairy by Nora Corbett. I really feel like I made some great progress on her. Here’s my SAT before & after pictures (click image for larger version):

I’m hoping to get in some more stitching time tonight. I’ll be working on my Hannah Beeby 1816 SAL piece. It’s been sitting idle for far too long.

No weigh in

Well, I was a bit lazy this morning and didn’t wake up in time for my WW meeting. It’s probably just as well since I know I would have been up on the scale. Let’s just say that I made less than stellar food choices during the past few days while in my dark place. Oh well, today’s a new day and I’m back on track!

As of tomorrow, I will have 24 weeks to go until my first triathlon. I’ve decided to set myself a goal of losing 24 pounds by then. I think that’s a very safe realistic goal since it will mean basically losing 1 pound per week. Would I like to drop more by then? Sure! However, I decided it would be smarter to set a realistic goal that I have a good chance of reaching than to set a very aggressive goal and being disappointed if I don’t make it. So, I went for the SMART goal:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

I finally started feeling a bit of mojo again for my stitching. I should be working on my Hannah Beeby since this is designated week of April for it in our Hannah stitch-a-long. I just didn’t feel like tackling a large project right now though, so I’ve been working a bit on a Curtis Boehringer model for my LNS.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. Until next time …

30 days down - March recap

WOO HOO! I’ve completed 30 days with no slips, cheats, or tweaks to my diet. I can barely believe it’s been a month already since I started this latest challenge with myself. Things have been going really well and I actually managed to drop 9.6 pounds for the month of March. So, I have 30 days down, and 20 to go to meet my 50 day challenge.

I really want to thank everyone for the kudos for me signing up for the triathlon. I can’t believe just HOW excited I am about this venture. So, I’ve got about 6 weeks to get really comfortable on my bike before my formal training plan kicks in on May 18. It’s a 22-week plan that will take me right to race day.

My walk/running miles for March were much lower than normal because I was taking part in a bike challenge on the tri board where I post. Virtually all of my cycling miles were doing on a stationary bike, but that was allowed for this particular challenge. Here were my final totals (time & distance) for the month of March:

Bike: 6h 30m - 78.9 Mi
Walk/Run: 4h 12m 22s - 15.9 Mi

I’m also taking part in another challenge during the month of April. It’s a multisport challenge, so you had to set a goal for a minimum of 2 sports for the month. I set mine for cycling and running. I’m really hoping to make good strides in my bike riding confidence this month, so hopefully there will be more miles done outdoors and less on the stationary bike during April. Here are my goals:

Bike: 50 miles
Walk/Run: 30 miles

On the stitching front, I haven’t really done any stitching in the past several days. I did get in 4 days of stitching time last week for the Hannah Beeby SAL. I think I made really good progress for round 1. Round 2 will take place on April 20-27. Hopefully I can make as much progress during the next round as I did this time. Here’s a photo of where I ended round 1 (again, pardon the wrinkles):

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll close with my WW stats from the past couple of days.

Monday:

Total Points: 23.5 (skipped usual evening snack for early bed time)
Exercise: 1.3 miles walking (1 AP)
Weekly Points balance: 35
Water: 64 oz
Days OP: 29

Tuesday:

Total Points: 31
Exercise: None
Weekly Points balance: 35
Water: 72 oz
Days OP: 30

Until next time …

Sweet 16, Baby!

Yes, it’s Thursday, so that means it time for more March Madness. The Vols will be facing off tonight again the Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. The Vols are the #2 seed and Louisville is the #3 seed, so it should be a GREAT game! It starts at around 7pm PT, so I’m going to try and get out of work a little early to be sure I’m home in time to watch the game.

I got in some more stitching time last night on Hannah. I’m really enjoying this piece so far. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just find myself not wanting to put it down. It’s going to be VERY difficult to stop working on it after Sunday. The SAL group is working on this piece the last full week of each month, so that means waiting until April 21 to work on it again. Here’s my progress as of last night (pardon all the wrinkles, but I just didn’t feel like pressing it every day to take new progress pics):

I’m not sure how much I’ll have a chance to post over the weekend. I’m heading down to Oceanside to volunteer at the Ironman California triathlon with Terri. Her DH is participating in the event, so this will be a great way for us to be up close and personal to cheer him on during the race. Some other friends from the Beginner Triathlete forums are also in the race, so it’ll be fun meeting them in person for the first time and cheering them on as well.

I’m SOOO excited to be part of such an amazing event, even if it is as a volunteer. I have HUGE amounts of respect for what these athletes will be undertaking this weekend. The race is a half Ironman distance, so that means they’ll be starting with a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride and capping things off with a half marathon run (13.1 miles). I do hope to finish a triathlon myself one day, but I seriously doubt it will ever be a half Ironman distance.

Anyway, I’m going to attempt to set things up so I can post messages to my blog from my BlackBerry. I’ll try a test post later today. If that works, I’ll try and post a few pics from the event to my blog over the weekend.

In closing, here are my WW stats for Wednesday:

Total Points: 30.5
Exercise: 45 mins stationary bike - 3 APs
Weekly Points balance: 33.5
Water: 80 oz
Days OP: 24

Until next time …

First Row Finished

I finished off the top row of Hannah Beeby last night while watching TV. I’m really loving how my fiber selection is looking on the fabric. The farther I get, the more I like it.

Here are my WW stats for Tuesday:

Total Points: 32.5 (used 1.5 WPA)
Exercise:
Weekly Points balance: 33.5
Water: 64 oz
Days OP: 23

Until next time …

A New Start

Yes, I’m fully aware that I’ve not yet completed my WIP Killer Challenge, but I started a new project. Today is the first day of the Hannah Beeby 1816 SAL that I signed up for several weeks ago. This was one of my planned exceptions for my WIP Killer Challenge. I’ve been so looking forward to actually starting this piece that I got up a little bit early today so I could start on it this morning.

Ok, so I realize it’s not much, but it’s a start. I’m pretty sure I’ve already mentioned my fabric & fiber choice, but if not, I’m stitching this over 2 on 36-count Tundra from Lakeside Linen. I’m using 1 strand of Snoqualmie Falls overdyed cotton from Needle Necessities. I still don’t think I’m capturing the color of the fabric that well in my photos. According to the Lakeside Linen site, the approximate DMC equivalent for it is 3024.

I did manage to get in some good stitching time over the weekend as well. I put in more time on my Dazzle canvas project. I’m really loving how this piece is coming together. Since it’s nice size square when finished, I plan to use this as a topper for a wooden box. Here’s my latest progress pic for it:

You KNOW I have to give a March Madness update, too. My beloved Vols pulled out the win over Butler in overtime. It was a real nail-biter, but we did it! The East region is pretty much going as one would expect. The 1-4 seeds are all through to the Sweet Sixteen. So, now it’s on to Charlotte where we’ll face off against Louisville. If we can win that game, then we’ll face off in the Elite Eight against the winner of the North Carolina - Washington State game to see who will be off to the Final Four to represent the East region.

I’m doing pretty well in my bracket pool, too. In my most successful bracket (I submitted 3), I’ve correctly picked 35 of 48 games thus far. I’m in 2nd place so far. I’m actually trying to defend my title since I won last year.

In closing, here is Sunday’s WW stats:

Total Points: 31.5
Exercise: 45 minutes stationary bike - 3 APs
Weekly Points balance: 35
Water: 16 oz
Days OP: 21

Until next time …

Silkweaver Sunday

I received my Silkweaver grab bag that I ordered recently in the mail yesterday. I didn’t get around to really looking at the fabrics until today. I think most of them are fabrics I can definitely put to use. Here’s a photo of what I received:

Today has been a fairly low key day for me. I got together with Darla for a late breakfast. While we were there, she showed the the fabric and fibers she’s selected for the Quaker Turtles from Ellen Chester of With My Needle. I also handed off her copy of the Hannah Beeby 1816 chart to her. We’re both participating in a SAL that starts tomorrow, so we decided to order together to save ourselves a little bit on shipping.

I have managed to get in some time on Dazzle the past couple of days, too. It’s too dark tonight already to try and get a decent photo, so I’ll take one in the morning to post tomorrow. It’s really coming along quite nicely, IMO.

On the weight loss front, I tried a really tasty new cereal yesterday. It’s Fiber One Caramel Delight. For a high fiber cereal, it was amazingly tasty and nothing like a typical cereal from that category. I don’t know how often I’ll actually eat it with milk though. It’s definitely one of those cereals that will be tasty dry as a crunchy snack food. Here are the basic nutritional stats for it:

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 3g
Fiber: 9g (Total Carbs: 41g, Sugar: 10g)

Saturday’s WW stats:

Total Points: 31.5
Exercise: 2 miles walking & 35 mins bike riding - 4 APs
Weekly Points balance: 35
Water: 64 oz
Days OP: 20

Until next time …

Hannah test

I did a test swatch today using my fabric and fiber that I have selected for the Hannah Beeby 1816 SAL. Here’s a photo, but I don’t think it really captures the true color of the fabric.

I really love how it turned out, so I’m very happy with my selections. The fabric is Tundra from Lakeside Linens, and the fiber is Snoqualmie Falls from the now defunct Needle Necessities. I’m thinking of finishing this into either a pinkeep or scissor fob because it seems such a waste not to do something with it as pretty as it is.

As usual, I’ll close with my WW stats for Saturday:

Total Points: 42 (used 3 APs and 8 WPs)
Exercise: 40 mins stationary bike - 3 APs
Weekly Points balance: 27
Water: 48 oz
Days OP: 13

Until next time …

Broom Hilda Ta-Dah!

I can’t believe it! I finished the Broom Hilda’s Hat canvas project last night. Compared to where I was at on Sunday night, it’s really amazing to realize I finished this piece on Wednesday night. That just shows how quickly it stitches up. There is another hat design that is a companion piece that I have kitted up as well. Once I get past my WIP Killer Challenge, it will definitely be on my list of starts.

Edit to add: I meant to include this when I posted this initially and let it slip my mind. For those wondering, this is how this piece will look when I get it back from the finisher. The inside lining fabric I selected is a bright lime green with cute little witchy bras & panties on it.

Speaking of the WIP Killer Challenge, 3 down and 7 to go. It’s kind of nice seeing that I’m getting some of these knocked off pretty quickly. I’ve done a couple of exchange pieces this year already as well, so I’m actually at 5 finishes for 2008 already. I feel like I’m off to a very productive start.

The Hannah Beeby 1816 charts I ordered for the SAL arrived from Gittas today. YAY! I just need to coordinate with Darla to figure out a time to hand off her copy. We ordered them on a single order to save on some shipping charges since we literally only live about a mile from one another.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. As always, I leave you with my WW stats for yesterday.

Total: 29.5
Exercise:
WPA balance: 35
Water: 48 oz
Days OP: 10