Knit. Run. Reap. Eat.

Not bad …

2012-02-19T06:59:00.000-05:00

in an old-hippie, crunchy-granola kinda way. I'm talking about the whole-wheat crust from last night's pizza, of course. Prior to serving, my husband said if we didn't like it, we could just eat the toppings. I agreed, but was secretly hoping I wouldn't have to sacrifice a precious jar of homemade pesto. And I didn't! The crust was earthy, almost nutty, not too dense (that was my biggest

A South Beach gripe

2012-02-18T07:54:00.000-05:00

I alluded to this when I began following the South Beach plan a month ago. I'm a "whole foods" kinda gal. When it comes to dietary fat, SB suggests that you: Dispose of all solid vegetable shortening, lard, butter and hydrogenated oils. Replace them with extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil and cooking spray, and with margarines and spreads that do not contain trans fatty acids. The South Beach

It was a crafty day, indeed

2012-02-17T07:19:00.000-05:00

I ended up making 18 of the little square campaign buttons I showed you yesterday. I got them done fairly early in the day, and it rained all. day. long. so I wasn't able to walk outside. And, frankly, I decided a day off would do me good. Knitters who give knitted gifts exhibit an odd behavior in the last few days before the holidays. If they've managed their time wisely, all their projects

Who's next?

2012-02-16T06:58:00.000-05:00

Up, down, up down ... HEAVY SIGH

2012-02-16T06:55:00.000-05:00

[Before I get started this morning, did you read Mindy's fantastic comment yesterday about how she knew her husband was The One? What a guy! Thanks for sharing your story, Mindy.] Okay, I'm ready. Perhaps I shouldn't be weighing myself daily. Or perhaps I shouldn't give the number I saw this morning so much power. I have a lot to do today. I don't have time to analyze why I've bounced back up

What a card

2012-02-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

I'm the early riser in my house, so when my husband got up yesterday he found a Valentine's card and gift from me. We usually don't make a big deal of the "holiday," so he was a little surprised. Every day is Valentine's Day here in the Middle of Nowhere! Heh. He had to be gone most of the day, and when he came home he handed me a very large pink envelope. I certainly didn't intend for him to

Alter-Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T10:07:00.000-05:00

TangledLou has some great alternative heartfelt greetings today. Check them out here.

Six weeks. Ten pounds.

2012-02-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

It's been years since I could say I've lost 10 pounds in any time period, let alone six weeks. For you young whippersnappers out there who think you've got your whole lifetime to lose weight, here's a tip: Your metabolism will slow down as you age. In other words, lose it now. Because I weigh myself daily (but only officially record it weekly), I knew I was not going to have a dramatic loss.

The Grammys from four perspectives

2012-02-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

(When I finished writing this, I realized it's the first post I've published this month that actually fits the NaBloPoMo "Relative" category. Yay, me!) In case you missed it, the 54th Grammy Awards Show aired last night between commercials for CBS's Amazing Race. There were heartfelt remembrances of Whitney, of course – Jennifer Hudson pulled off a stunning performance and howdoesshedoit? There

RIP Whitney

2012-02-12T07:40:00.001-05:00

Whitney Houstonhttp://www.usafricaonline.com/ I wasn't a fan. There's not a single song by Whitney Houston on my iPod, not even I Will Always Love You, which really is an amazing song (but I like Dolly's version better). She was so iconic she could easily have gone by her first name only, like Cher or Madonna or Fergie. Or, um, Dolly, for that matter. Her vocal style didn't mesh with my

Looks like winter's finally here

2012-02-11T07:50:00.000-05:00

I can't complain. We had the mildest January in recent memory (which isn't saying a lot, as the recent memory is the first to go as we age, I think), so having a couple day of Xtreme cold and a few potential inches of snow is, um, normal. Right now we have about an inch, and according to the radar we're looking at another three or four hours of light snow. I feel so bad for the daffodils. They

I've got nuthin'

2012-02-10T08:12:00.001-05:00

No Friday quote (has anyone noticed I've abandoned it?). No photos. No words. (Well, not many. Heh.) But also? No problems. No worries. No angst. No hassles. No drama. Life is good. I think I'll do everything I can to keep it that way. I'm so grateful for your readership and for your comments and for your support in my doofusness and weight-loss efforts and the general ups-and-downs I go

What a DOOFUS I am!

2012-02-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

I've spent so much time trying to connect my wireless mouse to my computer. I've Googled and searched user forums and tried all the fixes out there, to absolutely no avail. Apparently there are a boatload of Mac users whose Bluetooth peripherals quit working after the most recent Lion OS upgrade. And there are lots of step-by-step solutions, beginning with turn the computer off and back on again

Still no mouse ...

2012-02-09T07:27:00.000-05:00

Well, except for THE REAL ONE that wandered up through the ductwork and got caught in a sticky trap. They really are barbaric, those sticky traps, but at least you can hear the mouse ticking its little claws on the floor, trying to get away, and you can dispose of the whole mess. As opposed to having one get caught in a spring-loaded trap and then just lie there rotting until the guest room

My new favorite plant

2012-02-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

February 1: Planted wheatgrass in these little pots. Covered them with plastic wrap, put them in a sunny spot. February 4: Surprise! The center pot is doing really well. Not much growth in the other two. February 6: You've already seen this, but I wanted you to see it again, next to today's shot below this one. February 8: Almost ready for a haircut!

Arghhh ...

2012-02-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

I just read Anne's lovely comment on yesterday's post, in which she said I was in a good place in so many ways. She should know; Anne's been reading my drivel for years, and has been through many of my ups and downs both at the Shrinking Knitter and here. Isn't she pretty? And she used to work! I'm actually not in a good place rightnowthisminute, but it's a technical glitch between my laptop

Oh, the weather outside is …

2012-02-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

beautiful! In an ethereal, dreamy, foggy kind of way. Yesterday morning we woke up to low clouds and thick frost. See? Today it's clear and crisp with frost covering everything on the northeast side of the house, but barely coating the stuff on the southwest side. Not sure how to explain that. And it's not nearly as picture-worthy as yesterday's icy morning greeting. Looks like we're

One more wheatgrass photo

2012-02-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

Taken just now, aren't those little drops of water cool?

You, too, can have a green thumb

2012-02-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Five days ago, I planted wheatgrass seeds in this cute little planter I bought last weekend in Asheville. Look at it now! These sprouts are already twice as tall as they were yesterday when I took this photo! What is it 'they' say about watching grass grow? I should charge admission! Wheatgrass – live or plastic – is all over the place. I first saw some displayed in a restaurant at the

Apologies

2012-02-05T07:54:00.001-05:00

I just reread yesterday's post, which totally sounds like food porn. So sorry! I went on a foodie blog kick late last year and had to quit because the pictures and recipes were beginning to make me want more. I began adding writers from their blogrolls to mine and eventually got to the point where reading about food became the gateway drug to cooking and eating more of it. I haven't gone

The whole house smells like bacon

2012-02-04T07:18:00.000-05:00

© Debora McNeer According to my daughter, a traditional Cobb salad is the low-carber's perfect meal. I made a version of one last night for dinner (aren't they all just a little bit different?): torn romaine and red onions dressed with pesto salad dressing and topped with sliced black olives, chopped hard-cooked egg, diced chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese and bacon, bacon, BACON! I bake

Suh-weet!

2012-02-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

After a long day of driving, driving, driving to Charleston, WV, and back yesterday (the older I get the less I care to drive, but the older my husband gets the less I want him to drive! So there you go, I'm the chauffeur), we settled down to watch Brian Williams, who relayed this little tidbit about sugar. Which basically says there are some scientists and policymakers who think sugar

Happy Groundhog's Day!

2012-02-02T07:38:00.000-05:00

Speaking of relatives: I love talking about and remembering my dad who, in later life, declared Groundhog's Day to be his favorite holiday. This was not always the case. I don't remember any great celebrations in early February during my childhood. But as he (and I!) got older he became less and less serious about day-to-day stuff and more and more lighthearted about, um, everything. What a

You might be a 60-year-old gym rat if …

2012-02-01T07:42:00.001-05:00

Two Aleve with your morning coffee act as preventive medicine before you leave for the gym. You wear baggy shirts and yoga pants, instead of tight-fitting tanks and bike shorts. Older patrons ask you how things work, instead of bothering that young whippersnapper at the front desk. The music blasting out over the loudspeakers is vaguely familiar, but you couldn't sing along to it. You're not in

How's that workin' for ya?

2012-01-31T07:42:00.000-05:00

Pin It Between January 1 and January 12 I lost two pounds, counting calories but not limiting any foods or food groups. From January 12 to today, I've lost seven pounds, following the South Beach plan. You do the math. I've been going to the gym for a week now. Last week I was doing 2 sets of 10 reps at a reasonably difficult weight level on both upper- and lower-body Nautilus and Cybex