A Crafty Witch

Why is this not easier

2009-08-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

So doing this blog is supposed to be a part of my partners and I bid to become more connected to other people and to also find a way to expand our circles. I watch and read Randilin do it all the time but I am resistant. I have these life changes and I barely writed about them in my paper journal. Everything that happens I keep bottled with in me. I know I should not do this but I do.

How Am I going to change this? I don't know where to start or if in some ways if I want to or if it is just Randilin's 'encouragement'. I guess my next step is to figure that out.

a new start

2009-08-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

So I have not been blogger lately and Cliff is encouraging to blog more we are even starting a joint blog in regards to our weight loss journey. the blog can be found at our body her temple. Please check it out.

I'm Back

2009-02-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ok So I havn't been blogging much lately mostly because I seem to be stalled or at least thats how it feels. I haven't really gotten much done in my knitting and I am gaining weight as of late. The last part is what fustrates me the most. I have been eatting in a healthy manner and exercising but not only am I not losing I am even gaining weight. I have to figure this out and make the changes that need to be done.

Here are my trackers:

My Weight Chart:

Weigh In

2009-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Weight Chart:

My Weight Chart:

Creative push

2009-01-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

so currently I seem to be going thru projects at a very quick pace. It helps that I am working on some small projects as well. I made a doll shawl for an 18" doll partially as some product development for my Etsy shop once I can get that open. I am also making Cliff some felted slippers for at the Witchery. I started them last night and I am almost finish the first one and I think I should have them finished by the weekend.

In thinking about it I know it is Murphy that is at the end of this - you see I am almost out of wool currently and can not reasonably afford to buy more wool until I am working again and the crux of that is when I am working again I will be too tired to spend as much time in the evenings knitting.

I love Murphy.

Well here is the doll shawl for those who might be interested.

No more UFO's

2009-01-17T10:16:00.001-08:00

So here are the socks finally finished. I will not ever work with sock weight yarn again. The socks ar pretty and will make a nice gift but I did not enjoy knitting them. Worsted weight socks worked for my mother and for me as well and I think I will go back to them.

On to other finished objects we have the witches hat I was experimenting with.

So I am not really happy with this and I am going to try to find a different pattern, prehaps one that is felted and we will see how it goes.

Weekly Weigh In

2009-01-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Weight Chart:

My Weight Chart:

Finished knitting projects

2009-01-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

So I have finished a couple of projects in the past day or so. My Radiating Star Blanket, a felted hat that I hope to be selling on my etsy shop (once I have that set up) and the first sock of a pair of socks I was making as a yule present. I am also going to be finished the conical hat I am making which I will post a picture of when it is finished.

So here is what they look like -

The blanket (It still needs to be blocked)

The Felted Hat

The first sock.

This weeks results

2009-01-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Weight Tracker

My Weight Chart:

A healthier Me

2009-01-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

So as part of our (my Hubby Randilin and myself) plan for the upcoming year was to be healthier and part of that is weight loss. We had made these decisions originally at Samhain but it took the change of the secular year to really get our buts in gear. So one of the things that we are both doing is posting our before pics and weight loss trackers. As well we have also made a list of the things that we are going to incorporate into our life:

We will plan meals in advance
Take stock of what we have (Ie. Inventory control so we can shop smarter)
Clean out the snack shelf
Wear the ankle weights around the house
Make a shelf space for our daughter (She has turned 18, has a paying job and is buying more of her own food)
Exercise tapes
Calorie / Fat counting
Go for walks when warm enough (We have since found an Podcast that takes you from walking to running over an 9 week program)
Portion Control
Healthier snacks
More fresh fruits and veggies
Drink Water
Goal garments and target goals.

The biggest thing that I feel both of us have to understand is that these are life style changes not just something that we are going to do until we reach a magical goal number. I know for myself I also need to get it into my head that it has taken me a couple of decades to get to this shape and it will take time for me to get back to a healthy me.

So here are the before pics:


Side	Front

The Weight Tracker:

So this is the start of my journey and I hope to keep you all up dated on a weekly basisas we are doing our weight ins on Mondays. I also plan to be at my first goal by my birthday June 20th which would be 30 lbs in 6 months.

I'll keep you all up to date.

Resolutions/ directions

2009-01-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

So last night my Hubby and I drew a card from various divination decks that we use to help us focus on the task for the new year. I used the following decks and got the following cards.

Rider Waite Tarot Deck

Strengh

Justice:

Wolf Song Cards
Barn Owl

Sacred Path Cards
Council fire

So basically what all of these cards are telling me is that I have a decision to make and to me the strength card means that I will need to stand by my decision.

I still have to figure out exactly what decision that I need to make but I tell more when I know.

A yearly review

2008-12-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

So every year several people in our spiritual group do every year.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Nothing that I can think of this really was a maintenance year.

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?:

According to my Journal I was going to do the following:

1. Connect and socialize outside of the house – I not sure how I did on this one

2. Live healthier - I want to be under 200lbs and feel good about it. – Failed misribly on this one

For this year:

1. Become healthier

2. To work towards my dream career

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not anyone who is currently close.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

5. What countries did you visit?

No travel this year

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

A healthier life – same as last year

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Nothing really memorable.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

No real achievements

9. What was your biggest failure?

Spending the past year just maintaining

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

A general unhealthyness

11. What was the best thing someone bought you?

My I-pod Nano

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Many people both personally and on a global perspective.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

See number 12

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills and more bills

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Nothing really

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Nothing sticks out in my mind.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) Happier or sadder?

Pretty neutral

b) Thinner or fatter?

Regrettably Fatter

c) Richer or poorer?

About the same or a little poorer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Taken care of myself

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Coasted

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With Heather and Betty P and Nathan.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

No, but I am still in love from previous years

22. How many one night stands?

None - I am not looking.

23. What was your favourite TV program?

More interested in listening to Podcasts

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No one has taken that much of my energy.

25. What was the best book you read?

Rereading the Kurshiel trilogy.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Rockband

27. What did you want and get?

A better I-pod

28. What did you want and not get?

A healthier life, but that is my own responsibility

29. What was your favourite film of this year?

Ma Mia – It was a lot of fun and just the right amount of campiness

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I don’t remember. I was 39

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I don’t know – but I think not having another year like this would be a good start

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?:

I would say my fashion concept was practical

33. What kept you sane?

I never said I was sane.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None really stood out.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election in Canada and the one in the US

36. Who did you miss?

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Liam

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:

Again just doing that coasting thing

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Nothing comes to mind

The holidays are over!!!!

2008-12-26T12:45:00.001-08:00

Well the holidays are over. Yule, Christmas, and such are done and now life can get back to normal, whatever normal is. Tomorrow I have a committee meetingand Monday I finish the contract that I am doing and then I start job search and the quest for the golden handcuffs.

2008-11-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

We're number two. I am so psyched. Jacinthe is going to lose it. Wow I am really happy about this here is the screen shot of it. Notice the red circle.

I noticed this when Cliff and I were letting the nano group hear the Yule promo. Cliff suggested that I check where we were rated so I did and know you know too.

I have to get back to writing now only 2500 more words to go.

Nano Overnight Write out

2008-11-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well its really bad I am at the last overnight write out 'The rainbow ninga write or die' and I have net access so I am not doing a lot of writing right now but I am finally relaxing a little bit. I will start to write once I relax and hopefully get to my goal tonight of 25, 000 if not that is ok too I will get it by the 30th and in reaching that goal I will have done 5 times the words I did last year and 500 times what I did my first year. Well off to surf a little and then I am off to writing.

Updates

2008-11-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

You can find an update on where things stand currently on Randilin's blog betweentheticks.blogspot.com

I am such a horrible mother.

2008-11-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

So let me explain why I am feeling this way. I kicked Becca out of the house tonight and I know that she has absolutely no where to go.

You see this has been going on for about well actually it has been going on since she turned 16 no correction it has been going on since she entered high school but we would choose to ignore the behaviour but when she turned 16 it got much worse that we couldn't ignore it anymore and the last 4 months have just been getting worse and worse, she is lying, stealing from us, and just a horrific attitude and behaviour in general.

We have told her to get out a couple of times since the summer but we always let her back in with promises of improved behaviour, which she would do for a while and then go back to the bad behaviour.

So what happened tonight?

Well everything started this morning soon after Becca got up I was cleaning up the in the kitchen and I realized that stuff was missing (stuff we had specifically asked her not to touch) and after confirming with Cliff that I was not mistaken. Cliff and I started to talk to Becca and reaffirm that this was not acceptable behaviour and that is when the attitude started that we wanted her to be perfect and that we were horrible parents and people in general and that anything that she did wrong was not her fault and that she would do what she wanted. At that point both Cliff and I were getting really upset and were going to lose our cool. So we told her to go talk a walk and to be back at noon for when we were leaving for book study, that was at about 10:30 this morning.

Cliff and I decided that we would continue with the consequences that existed the last time she stole from us. She would not have keys to the house and could not be in the house when we were not there.

So at about 11:40 she walked back into the house and I asked her to finish the dishes from last night before we leave for book study so that when we get home the kitchen was clean for making supper. She refused and said that she was moving the f*** out as soon as she could afford to. we told Becca to keep her jacket on as we were leaving right away and since she was a thief she would not be able to stay in the house while we were not at home and that she had two choices she could come with us to book study or she could just meet us back at the house afterwards and to hand over her key. She refused and started to head down to her basement room Cliff got between her and the basement and reiterated that she needed to give us her key and that she would not be allowed to stay in the house while we were out. So in the end we had to take the key from her and when we left she came along and sat in the back room during the book study. So after the book study we got home and Becca flopped down on my chair in the living room. I told her to get off of my chair as I couldn't afford to replace it. She snarked at me that it was just a chair and that it didn't matter but she got off my chair and sat on the floor. Cliff and I started to put supper together and I told Becca that I needed her to please make sure that all the dishes were done and put away by 8pm (doing dishes is Becca's one of three chores we expect of her the other two being keeping her room reasonably clean and taking care of the litter box in the basement, not a lot in my opinion). She refused saying that she didn't have to do dishes for us because she was moving out when she could afford her own apartment. That was it, I couldn't do this anymore, I love Becca very much but I can't deal with her BS anymore and I told her to get out if she hated it so much here and refused to follow our expectations she could leave. Once again she refused to do anything I told her again that she needed to show us that she intended to follow the expectations (ie start on the dishes) or leave she said no and turned back to her book. I grabbed her boots, coat, mitts etc and put them out the front door. At this point she said that it would be my fault if they got stolen over night. Cliff said to her they are not going to get stolen as she will be wearing them. At this point we lifted her up and put her out the door. During this time she kicked and punched both of us several times and bit Cliff and pinched me. Once the door was closed we got her purse together a handed it out to her with a couple of extra bus tickets so she could get to her course tomorrow. We have phoned her sister if she goes there we will get a call and this time we are not letting her back in tonight (Cliff has promised that he won't) Tomorrow after our Point meeting we will talk with her and hopefully it will have finally gotten thru her head. I hope so this hurts so much.

Starting My Classes

2008-09-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

So this past Monday I started my first class in the Apparel Design course that I am taking. This first class is on Pattern Drafting and I love it. I will post pics of my completed homework and be putting updates about the course. It is late now so I am off to sleep.

A beginning

2008-09-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have succumb and given in, even. I am starting this blog. I have a lot to say and need a place to say it so blogging it shall be. I am not the type of person who spends alot of time on the computer outside of work but I need to get with this century and become more familiar with what blogging has to offer.

What do I plan to talk about in this blog? Mostly my random thoughts and what I am working on right now. The one thing that I find funny about this is I expect most of what I will telling everyone that I am working on is the more traditional arts and crafts that I will be working on such as knitting, cross stich and sewing (both garments and decor). Which tend to be on the more low tech side but all is good.

Well that is all for now. Once I get things more set up I will write more.