my little lamb

When I got home from school on Friday I blogged and decided to make a little lamb to sit on top of my iHome. I knit all day and finished on Saturday with the assembly, and now I have my very own little lamb that was made with LB Fishermen's Wool in Nature's Brown and Natural!

I'm Bored Already...

For many people around the world, today is the last day of the 2010-2011 school year! Exciting right?
I for one was super excited until I got home from school today and I am sitting in my house. Alone. With nothing to do. My sister isn't here and I have no friends :(



Just kidding, I have friends.

Anyway, summer is here and I have an entire week until I get to go to summer school! I don't HAVE to go, but I am, so I don't experiance the boredom I am experiencing today. Anyway, I will probably end up knitting for hours on end for the next week, but I'm okay with that, because my Aidez is nowhere near finished, and I started it in January.

Good news, though... I'm almost done with the first side! I just did my second decrease at the 11.5" mark, and I am working my way up! I love the pattern and the look of the sweater, I just have no motivation. But now, I don't have anything to distract me, so I am going to renew the love of knitting to my brain/heart and I am going to finish this sweater so I can wear it in the fall! I really am excited about it.

Also, I was at the Kirkwood Knittery the other day (a month or so ago...) and I got some new yarns to make something random sometime soon! I am going to work on a little sheep guy one day probably this week because I want him to sit atop my iHome so I can see him every day! Just wait until you see the pictures! Maybe I should set apart a day this week to do that, because he won't take long, and that would be a good break from the big projects going on right now!

Hopefully I can blog more now that I have more time for yarn! I also have some fishermen's wool set aside for dyeing sometime this summer so I can make my teacher his scarf he has been begging for. Orange and Brown is only good hand-dyed, so that will be another summer project!
 Maybe I won't be lonely like this for the next two months!

the goal of a healthier me

I have been struggling with my weight and body image for a while now and I have finally decided to actually start trying to improve myself. I am not one of those self haters that is anorexic and everything, I just have a goal of feeling healthier and liking the way I look in pictures and stuff. I am only 5'3", so it's difficult enough to find clothes that fit, and my extra flab is not helping that at all.

Anyway... I found a website/iPhone app combo that has been helping me to achieve my goal of a healthier me. They are called "my fitness pal" and the app and website are both free. The basis is calorie and nutrient counting, which helps me to visualize what I am eating and how it is composed (fats, carbs, protein). The website gives me a calorie, fat, carb, and protein goal for the day and I try to be conscious enough of what I am eating that I can stay in those areas. I tried a similar app for a few months before now and I wasn't loving the setup and the range of foods, so I switched, but it was working very well.
I feel like when I was using the other app, I wasn't really thinking about what I was eating much differently because of the app and the calorie restriction, I was just trying to pick healthier options. I am honestly trying to be a healthier person, because habits made now in my life will impact me forever, and I want one of those habitual lifestyle choices to be healthy and happy.
I just wanted to share this with you because I have seen gradual results in the app before (about 5lbs lost) and I am looking forward to even more progress with this one! I am loving the setup and I am happy with my choices lately. I feel like I have been snacking less and when I am, I am snacking healthier, which is awesome!
If you are struggling to be healthier and want to maybe shed a few of those extra lbs, I highly recommend that you check out my fitness pal!

my fitness pal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

I have a little thing at the bottom of the main page of this blog that shows my progress as far as how many more pounds I have to lose to get to my healthy goal weight for my size, it will update as I log my weight loss on my fitness pal!

knit night

I went to church for the knitting group and nobody was there, so now I am a sad and lonely knitter all alone in the world :(

Music: Glorious Day-Casting Crowns

I love this song, my mom loves this song, my sister loves this song. There is no way you won't love this song!

Glorious Day- Casting Crowns
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

ROI projects

Full o' Sheep in Peony

Every year my church has an even called Celebrate Trinity (because my church is called Trinity) and they do a return on investment presentation, so for the youth, it ends up being called "Return on Investment Dinner" or "ROI". At the ROI members get to hear testimonials from kids who have gone on mission trips that have been partially supported by the congregation's donations. This is basically a way to get the people who donate to see where their money goes and to give more money. There is also a silent auction that goes on, and each Youth's family has to donate a lot for the auction.
I'm not sure what my family is actually donating, but I am making my own lot of hand-knit hats for people of all ages. (I want this to be my own, not my family's). I am now working at a very fast pace in order to get enough hats of enough sizes for a complete lot before May 7, which is about 2 weeks away. I love this idea because everyone can use a nice hat, and hand knits are good auction items!
This is also a great way to destash some of my piled up yarns that I love but don't have anything good to do with. I can also use skeins of hand dyed yarn that I don't have enough of to make anything substantial.
 
So far I have:
The Cute Noggin Baby Hat in Lion Brand Pound of Love- Turquoise for a baby boy
Foliage in Debbie Stoller Full o Sheep- Peony for a 5-12yr old girl (see my project page for the mods for size)

I made the foliage just tonight and it worked up so quickly! My only problem is that I have two sets of DPNS  and one 16"circular needle, so I don't have much of a variety of needle size. That's okay because most of the yarn I am using is the Full o Sheep I have been collecting/dyeing. I am really excited to make more hats for this because hats are so much fun and they are quick!

My church also is starting their itch to stitch knitting/crocheting group tomorrow and since I no longer have to babysit on Monday's, I am able to go! I can't wait to sit and knit with old ladies because I love to talk to them! I often hang out with the "older" crowd because I love being at my church, it really is my second home. I will definetly post about the group tomorrow or Tuesday because I am super excited!

Easter Thought

someone posted this on Facebook, and it is pretty much the best thing I have ever read. In the spirit of Easter, pass it on!

"Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him..... He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today"