Monday Updates

Got a little bit accomplished this week.  Managed to get several things ready for the upcoming yard sale my Sister-in-law is having.  Also have got some things ready to photograph and post. Working on packaging for some of my products right now.  Almost have them ready to go.  Need to find a cheap but decent place to get some rubber stamps done. Have to finalize the logo I want to use first.

Made some progress on my first of the year goals as well.  And I actually shopped in the juniors section of a department store this week.  I have never done that before in my entire life.  By the time I was old enough to do so in High School/ Junior High I was already wearing womens/missy sized clothing.  I have to keep reminding myself that I don't have to go to the plus size department to shop anymore.  YEAH.

Weekly totals

95.6 pound to go 2.8 pounds lost
278.64 miles to walk 5.82 miles walked last week
2,675,317 steps to go, 61,900 steps taken last week.

I just hope I can keep this pace up.  Sometimes I have to force myself to get out of bed and take a walk in the mornings, but I find it seems to clear out the cobwebs and I can concentrate better the rest of the day. 

Weekly Update

Short and fast today, I've got so much to do that I am just doing a "drive by" post today.

So the new numbers

to lose 95.6 pounds (down 1.4 pounds)
284.46 miles left to walk
and 2,737,217 steps left to walk

That's it for now.  Will try for a longer post later in the week.

Projects Stalled

Okay, so I have hit a designer's block in respects to the hooded cowl I am trying to make.  It happens.  It isn't the first time I've hit a snag, and I'm certain it won't be the last.  I have found over the years that the best way to get past the block, is to put the project away, and work on something else.  Which is actually great, because a neighbor has orders some fingerless gloves for her son and daughter-in-law.  So I will get those cranked out, put a little extra cash in my pocket, and pick the hooded cowl project back up when I finish. 

I am also getting ready for a yard sale at my sister-in-law's house on the 10th of February.  This is also great, because I have a ton of "fat" clothes that I need to get rid of.  If they aren't hanging in my closet, then I can't be tempted to gain the weight I have lost to date back on.  And of course if I can get them sold, I can buy new smaller sized clothes, if I don't spend it all on yarn and craft books of course.  I usually have good luck at her yard sales with hanging dish towels with crocheted tops, and cotton cup cozies as well, so I need to get a few of those done as well.

On the plus side, I have managed to get in at least 30 minutes of daily exercise everyday this week.  Hopefully it will be reflected when I weigh in Monday morning. 

Well time to get started on those gloves, they won't make themselves.

Weekly Update

This has been a productive week, as far as personal goals go, I am down another 2.5 pounds, walked another 4.63 miles and upped my step total by another 64,270 steps.  So new running totals needed to meet goals are:

97 pounds left to lose,
290.51 miles left to walk, and
2,801,249 steps to take.

On the professional front, still trying to work out the kinks in a couple of patterns I'm working on.  I hope to have at least one of them ready to post for sale before the end of the month.  But It will probably be closer to the end of February.  I have got some items ready to photograph and list for sale, just waiting for a nice sunny day to take the pictures.  They just don't come out as nice when there is a lot of fog and clouds, both of which we have had in spades the past few days.  Maybe by the weekend I will get a chance to actually get outside and take the photos.  Then it's just a matter of editing the photos, and writing the descriptions, and listing the items.  I will of course do a blog post once the items are live on either bonanza or etsy.

I actually tried spaghetti squash for the first time the other day.  It's not going to replace the pasta in my diet completely, but its not half bad topped with a fresh veggie salsa.  And I am going to try to eat less meat (sorry not cutting it out completely), but I do like fresh veggies and can see myself doing at least one or two vegetarian days a week. 

Anyone in the Fresno/Hanford area that knows of any local craft/antique shows coming up this spring let me know.  I have been away from doing the shows since before my Mother was diagnosed with lung cancer (she lost her battle in 2014), and I think I am ready to start wading back into the pool so to speak.  Preferably smaller ones for now. 

That's it for now.  Will try to check in later this week.  Next Monday or Tuesday for sure.

Weekly Update

So starting in January I set some goals for myself.  The first was to lose weight, 100 pounds to be exact.  I am down 1/2 pound.  Not the greatest weight loss, but a step in the right direction.  The second was to walk a total of 300 miles a year.  Miles walked (actual exercise miles, not total miles from just everyday living) last week were 4.86, only 295.14 miles to go.  The third was to accumulate (according to my fitbit) 2,920,000 (two million, nine hundred, twenty thousand) steps a year.  The first week I accumulated 54,481 steps.  Leaving 2,865,519 to go.

Those were the personal goals.  And I am pleased to say it is getting easier to meet them on a daily basis.  I will check in with another update on those goals next week.

weight left to lose  99.5 pounds
miles left to walk   295.14
steps left to accumulate   2,865,519

Work in Progress

I am in the process of getting the kinks worked out of a new pattern.  It is for a hooded cowl.  Here is a picture of the finished product 

Writing the patterns can be problematic for me because I learned to crochet by watching my Granny Blanch, actually reading patterns didn't come until almost 40 years later.  My Granny tended to call the stitches the short stitch, the tall stitch, etc.  She could look at a pattern, and recreate it.  Not sure if she ever learned to read a pattern, but boy did she make some pretty things in her life.

Anyway as soon as I get the kinks worked out the pattern will be listed on etsy.  Finished products will be available on both etsy and bonanza as I get time to make them. 

New Blog, New Start

After a three year hiatus from blogging for my online craft business I decided to scrap the old blog and start new.  Especially since I have decided to take the business in a new direction.  I will still me concentrating on finished crocheted items, but I plan to add my own patterns, as well as other finished craft items, and vintage craft supplies and patterns to my shops.  Yes shops.  I have one on etsy :  EcoDeco and one on Bonanza:  The Sassy Crafter.

After a great deal of crunching numbers, and taking a couple of years off after my Mothers death to lung cancer, I am ready to jump back into the business of crafting with both feet.  I have started slow, with just a few things listed on both sites at this time.  That will change as the days go by.  I hope to have two, fully stocked shops by the end of July.

Along with restarting my business.  I am restarting myself.  I started a diet last year in July when I topped the scale at 247 pounds.  Way too much weight for a 5 foot small boned woman to carry.  I have lost down to 213 pounds just by making better choices in what I eat and walking at least half to one mile daily.  My goal is to be down to 110 - 120 by the end of 2018.

I will be adding bells and whistles to this blog as I go along,  For now its just a bare bones, plain jane undertaking.