Progress Report!

Last night I had weigh-in at the local weight loss support group. But before that I think a little trip down memory lane would be in order.

I was a skinny little kid. Sickly and all skin and bones. Here's a photo of me on my first day of school. All 39 pounds of me.



I continued life as a thin person until I hit residence life at university. Freshman 15 found me and in my third year I joined Weight Watchers and lost 20 pounds. Still a small person at 156 pounds, losing the 20 pounds was EASY!

Fast forward ten years and two pregnancies and I was still doing pretty good with the weight. Three weeks after Erin was born I was 155 pounds.

Then came the yo-yo-ing. Up to 180 and down to 135. (1989) Up to 190 and stayed there for a while until 1999 when I started to lose weight again with the help of WW.  Here's a picture of me with
Mom in 2003  when I was once again in the 150's. BTW it was my idea that we celebrate Mom's 75th birthday by having family portraits done. Guess who was feeling pretty good about the way she looked?


The next couple of years are a blur: John's illness and passing and  Mom's sudden passing. And I found a lot of comfort during that time by going out to eat and trying to forget the sorrows and the pain. Paul moved in with me and he was a superb chef, we loved to eat and did so in style both at home and in restaurants.


When we went to Europe to visit Erin in 2007 I was acutely aware that my sister and I were the only two fat people in most places we went.  I was uncomfortable and couldn't keep up with everyone else. In Venice I honestly thought they would have to carry me back from St. Marco Square. My weight was for the first time in my life interfering with my enjoyment of life.
 
We came home from Europe and I tried SO hard to lose weight before the big wedding and did get down to 170 before the nuptials in August.

A happy time for all of us, the wedding was beautiful and our photos showed the pure delight and joy we were feeling.

We've been married 3 1/2 years and for EACH of the first 3 years I gained (don't you hate that word? Gained? Sounds like something you worked hard to achieve!) ... ok I PUT ON 17 pounds. So if you're doing the Math. I was in October of 2010, 220 pounds.



And this is probably THE most unflattering photo ever taken of me. So this will give you an indication of how dedicated I am to losing this weight. Forever!

All summer I talked about joining TOPS and when September came and went without me joining I wondered if I would join... but on Monday, October 11,2010 I joined. My progress has been by some people's standards, very modest. But on my scales this morning I am down 16 pounds. On their scales at night I am down just over 10. My pants are baggy. I can walk at a brisk clip on the treadmill for 30 minutes each day and I am truly feeling so much better about myself. AND I just went through the Christmas season and gained only 1.6 pounds after three weeks of festivities!! SOME person who lives in my house gained 13 lbs!!!

This week we have a sticker chart to fill out. We have to get at least 7/10 stickers each day.

1. Exercise 20-30 minutes per day (no problem!)
2. No night time eating (got it)
3. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. (easy)
4. Control portion sizes ( easy until supper time!)
5. Stay away from the N0-no food for the week (Milk shakes this week! EASY to avoid!)
6. Stay away from junk food (done! Cuz there's none here!)
7. Keep a food journal ( I HATE journaling!)
8. 7 servings of fruit and veggies ( Sure thing!)
9. 2-3 servings of calcium ( It will be an effort!)
10. Go to bed by 11pm each night ( Finally an excuse to go to bed early!

Anyone else out there want to do a sticker chart with me this week? I can see where it could really work!

Phyllis Schneck... Quilter

“Phyllis Schneck, quilter.”
That’s what the TV reporter said as he read a list of those killed in last week’s tragic shootings at an appearance by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona.
“Phyllis Schneck, quilter.”
As the reporter read her name, her picture appeared on the screen. It was the smiling face of the 79-year-old-grandmother and great grandmother.

I like millions of other North Americans, never met Phyllis Schneck but feel I know her just a bit. She sounds like so many women in the quilting world who value the art of hand-crafted items and are willing to give many hours to make beautiful things for others –even folks they’ve never met. I bet she had a great stash of fabric, a lovely little sewing area in her home and had put a smile on many faces through her life as a quilter. I picture her being just a tiny bit like my Mom, eager to share a technique learned at a Women's Institute meeting, delighted to chat about a project that you've taken on, pushing fabric into plastic bags as you go through the door, "Here take this. I'll never live long enough to use it."

I wonder what would be said about any of us if our passing was ever noteworthy enough to be announced on TV.  Retired teacher? Mother and Wife? Grumpy old woman? Quilter? All of the above? Maybe it won't get mentioned in my obituary but maybe oneof you out there who are out there reading this might be able to persuade the powers that be, to include the line, "We regretfully announce the passing of a crafty old woman..."

Now THAT would make me smile!

R.I.P Phyllis Schneck. And when you get to heaven, there's another Phyllis there you can sit and talk quilting with. Cuz I sure miss my chats with my momma.

Here's a picture of Mom with the three precious granddaughters, Erin, Valerie and Heather. Hoping at least one of them continues the quilting traditions that she inspired in all three of her daughters!

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Everything has a price...

Tomorrow I am parceling up a little bit of Lethbridge love and sending it off to my second cousin's granddaughter. She'll be one soon and while it is not a gift from me ( Her Nana commissioned it), it was sewn with love and I know her Nana loves her very much.  Yep, you guessed it... I made a quilt for her.

I get requests all the time to make quilts for people and I rarely turn anyone down, although as the time seems to be speeding up a whole lot and I am slowing down at the same rate, the tasks are getting more difficult. Picture this: Shopping to find the perfect fabrics; hours spent leafing through books and magazines and browsing websites to find the right pattern and then at least a hour studying the pattern to figure out how it all goes together and which fabric gets cut into what shapes; 2-3 hours standing at a cutting table using a rotary cutter and ruler; 12-24 hours piecing the top; another 2-3 hours cutting the backing, the batting and layering the three layers (top, batting and backing together; 4-10 hours sewing squiggly lines to keep the quilt together; 1-2 hours preparing and sewing the binding on by machine; and finally 1-3 hours hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. And THEN "selling" that quilt for the cost of the materials and maybe 50-60 bucks for my time!! At the top end I get maybe 3.00 a hour.

So believe me when I tell you, that what gets sent out in those boxes thru the mail, IS love... I love making them, and I love the joy I know they give to the people who have asked for them.

And any of you people who are ever given a handmade quilt I sure as heck hope you will remember reading this and acknowledge with a huge smile and a hug, that you really do appreciate the effort that went into making that treasure that you're now able to wrap around you!! Because even if the quilter is a totally unknown to you, you are still wrapping yourself in love.

And I guess that's the real reason that I will continue filling those boxes and making my trips to the post office! I am sending Love from Lethbridge!

And here's the room where all that love is made!

Exercising...

I was going to title this entry "a Love-Hate Experience", but truthfully? I probably will never love exercising. And any one who has around me in the last 10 years knows that I have the body to prove it!  But I also know that I have to lose weight if I am going to be around to enjoy old age. I know that diet alone will not remove the excess poundage. I know I am very unhappy inside of this body. AND I know that exercise is my ticket to freedom.

So with that in mind, I've begun a pilgrimage... on my treadmill. The music is downloaded to the iPod, the shoes are comfy, the water bottle full and off I go... And AMAZINGLY the music is what keeps me moving! I've downloaded music that reminds me of my children... "Slipping Through My Fingers" and  "Feet of a Dancer" for Erin and "Lighthouse Heart" and "Calypso" for Ryan. There are songs there that keep Paul close to my heart: "Dirty Old Town" and "Sweetest of All". Then there's a whole bunch like, "Time Don't Run Out on Me", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!" and "Rhythm of My Heart" - GREAT treadmill topics! Gotta love iPods!

So how am I doing? I am down 15 pounds since October and I can do 30 minutes before the old hip joints start to moan. Not a marathon runner yet, but you have to start somewhere!

And just to show how committed I am to this, here's a before picture of me. Not the most flattering picture in the world, but that's what BEFORE pictures are supposed to be!

A New Experience...

Blogging... seems like the whole world writes one. Some are followed and some are doomed to obscurity... lost in cyberspace. I seem to remember starting a blog once before but the passwords, blog name and even the host site were doomed to obscurity... lost somewhere deep in my grey matter!

2011 is going to be MY year! Not that the past 52 years of my life have been all bad! Not at all! But there are changes afoot for me!

• I began a weight loss journey in October and while the results thus far have been modest, it is nevertheless a start and I truly expect that I will do well with my fitness quest. Blog topic #1!
• I am taking a trip BY MYSELF to go meet Erin in Spain! Big quest for me. #2!
• Paul and I are going to be grandparents in May. A precious little bundle of joy! #3.
• My children may spend the last half of 2011 on the same continent, same country, same province and almost the same city! Exciting times as Raisa and Ryan move from B.C. and Erin comes home from teaching in France! #4

• And then there are all the ongoing things that make my life rich and full: My quilting and writing and making American Girl doll clothing; Paul's family visiting and us visiting them; our little paradise in Bay Bulls during the summer; substitute teaching; my sisters and their families; hiking; photography; and our heartfelt and entertaining conversations as Paul and I relax in the hot tub, in the screened gazebo or by the fireplace....

I think I'll finish this blog by showing you our fireplace mantel decorated for the winter. Christmas stuff all relegated to the basement and the snowmen and winter things all hauled out for another winter! Who cares that we have yet to see any snow here in Lethbridge! There's lots of love and that's what matters most to me!