Motivation Is Overrated

How do you...

2013-02-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

Teach 20 teenagers to sew? It is fucking mind boggling! Today was the first 'real' class of Fashion studies I have ever taught, and although it wasn't the worst class I have ever taught, it was a bit discouraging. Nothing but issues the whole class, a few machine related, but the large majority classroom management related. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm pretty awesome at classroom management. I am a very capable teacher when it comes to keeping kids in line and on task, so today was disappointing. Nothing got out of hand or anything, and probably wasn't even really as bad as I am thinking it was; but for me, it was no fun at all. Ugh!

I think this may be one of those things that kids think is so awesome (which it totally is), until they actually realize they aren't going to be pumping out any grad dresses within the first week and lose interest. These kids make up the majority of the class so far, which is no fun. I am at a loss, but maybe I just need a good nights sleep to come up with a better plan. I've been working on report cards like a mad woman, and getting less sleep as a result. I had so much to catch up on from my medical leave, but I think I'm finally getting things under control. I even got 3 classes worth of report card comments done tonight :)

One thing that I think I am doing right to inspire the kids is wearing something 'me made' to every class. In fact, I've been pretty good about doing this since I went back to work in mid January. I told you I wasn't idle during my blogging hiatus! Here are some of the projects I have been working on, in no particular order.

1. BurdaStyle Vintage Modern 'Jamie' shift dress:

Have you seen this book yet? It's pretty fantastic. I LOVE the patterns provided, they are super cute, and the possibilities are endless for adjustment and creativity. I decided to tackle this dress first because it looked easy and quick. The good news is that it is easy, but it was not quick by any stretch of the imagination! I cut a straight 38, and the muslin looked like an honest to God potato sack! I know shift dresses are not meant to form fit, but I felt a bit like a kid trying on my mom's clothes to play dress up. It was hideous!

Instead of giving up on it or cutting a whole new size, I decided to challenge myself and fit it properly to my proportions and personal style. I signed up for a craftsy.com course on fitting, and it was seriously worth every penny. Confession - I have signed up for MANY craftsy courses, and have actively used maybe half of them so far. I'm trying to reign myself in with all their exciting offerings, but this one was just too good to pass up.

(Any excuse to grab a kitty...)

Ahem... Back to fitting. I added long vertical darts to the front and back of the dress, shortened the bust darts by about an inch, and added short darts to the shoulders. I also made it a boat neck instead of the original scoop neck, as I hate clothes that fit close to my neck. Instead of lining it, I finished the neck and armholes with self made bias tape. I sort of wish I had been able to find a knit lining though, I hate how some knits show every lump and bump.

Perfect it aint, but I am really proud of the fitting changes I made.

I used a double knit fabric, so I lost the zipper and had to take the dress in on each side by about an inch to get the closer fit that I was looking for. There are still some things I can do to make this fit better, possibly shortening the waist and readjusting the back. I am mildly irritated that the hemline got a bit stretched from hemming. I'm hoping that it will 'normalize in the wash.

2. Victory Patterns Chloe Dress:

This one is less exciting as it has been sitting in my closet for a while. I have made this one once before (for my couture project which I have just realized I never showed you... ooops!) I stuck with the size 6.

With this one I did some more fitting, and although it turned out ok, it's not likely to be one of my favourites. The fabric is this nice looking basket weave cotton that attracts lint (and cat hair) like a motherfucker. I already have quite the reputation as a cat lady, I can't afford to be covered in the hair even more than I am on a regular basis.

With the fitting I kind of fiddled with it until I got the fit that I wanted, but then sort of balls'd up the pattern in the process, meaning I have to reprint and tape it together all over again. That's probably not a bad thing, if I can make it fit in a way that is truly flattering and comfortable.

I lined it with some good quality cupro bemberg, and it is unbelievably static-y. I also misplaced (Oh, who are we kidding, lost) the neck binding pattern piece so I just attached the lining right to the neckline. The problem with this is that the damn lining doesn't want to stay down. Ugh...

Not the worst thing I've made, but it is back to the drawing board with this one. I would actually like to make one with pockets next. That would be sweet!

3. Papercut Patterns Miss. Chalmers Skirt:

I. LOVE. THIS. PATTERN!!!!!

I have been holding out for a really great skirt pattern for a little while. As much as I like pencil skirts, they aren't practical in my day to day life. I've been on the hunt for a sweet casual skirt that can be dressed up to, and this pattern is it.

Below is actually my second version. In my first version, I cut a small and followed the directions as written, including the 3/8" seam allowance, but it ended up being big. The only real change was to lower the waistband about an inch to sit lower on my hips.

I really like the fit of my second version. I kept the lowered waistband and used 5/8" seam allowances instead, making the pattern about 3/4" smaller all around. I think I may move down one size to see if it makes a huge difference in the fit. The waist still feels too big, especially in the back.

It still needs a bit of work, I feel like the back hem rides up a bit, so I'm going to need to add some fabric to my badonkadonk region (and I know how to do that now thanks to craftsy :)

Below is my very first version of the Miss Chalmers Skirt. Although a bit loose, I LOVE it. Why put it below the second version then?

Simple: Awesome Ponti pictures! He snuck into the frame so I grabbed him and he took his rightful place atop my shoulders, his most favourite-est spot in the world.

I also think I look exceptionally happy in these pictures, which is really nice considering the horrid fuckery I underwent last month.

I had the same issue with the hem being shorter in the back than the front, but with some careful cutting I was able to fix the problem. My most favourite parts of the skirt are below, the zipper and the facing.

My second attempt at putting in a centre zip in a skirt and it turned out wonderfully. I used Tasia's Lara-proof (read - idiot proof) instructions for inserting a zip and it worked so well. This will be my go to from now on. Screw invisible zippers! The black one has an invisible zip because that's what the pattern called for, but this was easier and less time consuming.

The next part I love are the facings. I used some quilting cottons I found on sale in the remnant bin of a local sewing store. I think it really makes the skirts stand out from RTW.

I have a few more finished projects still, but I'll leave at these tonight. Keeping busy has helped me feel better, so as long as I'm sewing, I'm a happy lady.

I've also started working out again, and am feeling stronger and more like myself every day. It is horribly discouraging when you are forced to stop exercising for a while to go back to it and absolutely suck balls. Fortunately it's sucking a lot less than before. I really can't wait for the snow to go away so I can safely run outside again.

I think I'd better end it here, I'm getting a wee bit sleepy. Until next time :)

Feeling Detached

2013-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

I have started and re-started this blog entry about a million times already (well, it seems that way anyhow). Maybe today is the day I hit publish.

I have been noticeably absent in blogging over the past few months, through no real fault of my own. Life just keeps getting in my god damn way, and I'm so tired of it. So, what's been happening...

Not a lot of nice things to be honest. I found out that I was pregnant at the beginning of December, much to my surprise. This was not even on my radar, I was so focused on work and other things, that it was quite shocking when it was discovered. It didn't start out well, but as time went on, things seemed to look up for us. Test results were good, and it was confirmed that there was an actual growing baby, heart beat and all. As a precaution, I was put on a medical leave for most of December, because even as test results were getting better, things were still a little off. As per usual, things did not go well for us, and I lost the pregnancy in mid January. What a kick in the teeth that was...

The question is where do I go from here? This is the 4th loss. I am at the point where I am ready to wash my hands of the whole fucking thing. Sometimes I'm angry about it, but lately I have just been feeling detached from the whole idea of parent hood. I feel like it is not going to happen at this point. This loss felt very final compared to the previous three. My doctor has been very kind, and is running a myriad of tests, but if medical science is unable to tell me exactly why this is happening and how they are going to fix it, I am not willing to do this a fifth time. There also will not be any adoption, surrogacy, or anything else. I will say that it does make me angry when people suggest these things flippantly, as if they were the easiest things to do in the world. Not only are they not easy to do, they are fucking expensive. I am not willing to pauper myself and my husband in order to have a child. What is the point of doing that? Have a child only to raise them in abject poverty? Nope, not going to happen.

I am thankful that I have loads of good things happening in my life, so it will be a full and happy one no matter what. As crappy as this whole situation has been, it has caused me to re-examine what my future plans are. Things don't seem that bleak any more, and maybe it's because I have accepted a new reality.

Here is the only proof I have that I was going to be a parent. I'm glad I have this at the very least, it makes me feel like it wasn't a lie.

Time to move on. And hit publish...

Two for two

2012-11-20T20:19:00.001-08:00

Two days gone, two days keeping with my goal of 30 minutes minimum of exercise. Gonna hit the treadmill in the morning. Weee!

An Ode to Mrs. Klein.

2012-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

It had been a while since I have posted, and I am busy as always. As much as things change, they also remain the same. Work is work, I keep fretting about the state of my body (promising myself to take things more seriously this week), and the kitties are still cute as ever. I also have a few sewing projects that are long overdue to be presented on my blog, but tonight I wanted to share my latest one, as I am going to wear it tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the funeral of one of the English teachers at my (former) high school, Mrs. Chris Klein. She wasn't my teacher, she taught my twin instead. She naturally knew who I was though, and was always kind to me, which was nice. Beyond that, she was spunky as hell, and a legend at MAC high. She had this way of getting students really interested in English, and I know many of us wanted to be in her class.

I would be lying if I said that she was the most influential teacher I ever (or never) had. It did make me profoundly sad when I heard that she had passed away though. She was only my mothers age, far too young to die. A call was put out to all music teachers to participate in the liturgy for her funeral, and so I volunteered without question. Tomorrow I will be singing in the choir, something I am not entirely comfortable with (I am much happier hiding behind a euphonium when performing), but I will be there regardless in my new dress, Vogue 1151.

I am proud of this dress for many reasons. This pattern is helping me get over my fear of using patterns from the 'big four' companies, and dealing with the fact that I may have to alter my patterns to fit me. And that's ok! For this one, I cut a size 12, but ended up taking so much out of the chest and back area that it's probably closer to an 8 or 10. In the skirt, I added about an inch to the sides, so it is closer to a size 14. I also added 2 inches to the length, as my muslin was scandalously short. I can still see some areas that could have been adjusted a bit better (either a sway back adjustment or shorten the bodice), but I am happy with the result so far. I did a machine blind hem for the first time, and I added a bright orange zipper, something I know Mrs. Klein would have appreciated. She was the first person I knew to buy designer jeans from Holt Renfrew, and I think that's pretty awesome :)

Mrs. Klein was someone who wasn't afraid to try new things, and so I dedicate this dress to her. I hope she is at peace now.

Labels

2012-10-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

Warning: This blog entry may contain superficial insights.

I have come to dislike this time of year. It has nothing to do with the weather or anything like that, it's more of a reminder of past painful events. Events that anyone who has followed my blog for a period of time probably knows what I'm talking about. If you don't, you can go back in the archives, or just take my word for it :) When I get bummed out, I tend to be almost catatonic in my lack of doing things. I get paralysed by my sadness. This year, I have been better at combating this, I have been sewing my arse off (pictures coming soon, I promise! Lots of goodies to share, bad lighting lately for nice pictures), working out (Jamie, if you're reading this, yes, I hurt EVERYWHERE!), and cooking dinner almost every night. And yet, the sadness still lingers a bit.

It doesn't help that I'm feeling chubby lately as well. Am I chubbier? Probably not, I've certainly been heavier than I am right now, but I've also been lighter and more comfortable in my skin. I sort of wonder if my body is changing already because of my age. I know I'm only 30, so how can that be? No kiddos yet as well, so I can't blame that. At any rate, I've been finding that I HATE my jeans lately, or at least the way I look in them. They sit way too low, and feel weird and loose/tight in some places they never did before. They are a few years old, so perhaps it's time to retire them. So, in another depression conquering move, I decided to walk to the mall and do some jeans shopping.

I know what you are all thinking: Jeans shopping as a cure for being depressed? Are you on crack Lara? When I got to the mall, it occurred to me that this might not have been the greatest thing for my self esteem for a few reasons.

1. The perfect jeans are very few and far between.
2. The perfect jeans are usually $250.

I have a huge thing for designer jeans. I think it's likely because growing up, I had one pair of Levi's 501 jeans that I had to share with my twin sister, and that was it; that's how poor we were. For the last 10 years, I have been buying nothing but designer brands, you name it, it's likely been in my closet at one point. Not only that, I will have about 20 pairs at any given time. Why you ask? No idea, I'm just crazy I guess. Or maybe, it's because of the 501's thing. It's an expensive habit, but I have always been a savvy shopper and gotten my jeans at very reduced prices, mostly on line.

So how can someone who has 20 pairs of jeans at one time not have a single pair to wear? Well, buying clothes online can be a bit risky, and probably half of them didn't fit me properly. I'd either sell them on e-bay or try to lose enough weight to squeeze into them (not the smartest strategy, for sure). I am happy to say that I no longer have 20 pairs of jeans in my closet, it's more like 7. And most of them don't fit very well any more. One of them is a maternity pair that (hopefully) one day I will be able to wear.

Now, to get back to where we left, the mall. I am looking for skinny jeans, and it is a lesson in humility and patience. Miraculously, all the normal sizes I would have gone to fit (as in I could get them on without having to do any strange acrobatics), but the cut of the jeans was funny, or in the case of one pair, I couldn't get it past my calf (Note to the sales guy who gave me those Nudie jeans to try on: There is NO WAY IN HELL they were a size 28. Dick). In the second shop I went to, I found a really nice pair of True Religion jeans. My size, skinny jeans that looked half descent. Price $189. In reality, that is a great price for that particular brand, but I just didn't want to spend that much, so I kept looking, going from store to store with no luck. A voice in the back of my head was telling me to just go with them, as they were likely the best pair I would find. I almost did, but then I passed the Gap.

I haven't shopped at the Gap in years, mainly due to being a snobby cow, but I decided to chance it. And lo and behold, I found my jeans. The cut and fit was perfect, I didn't feel like I was going to flash anyone when I bent over, and vanity sizing is alive and well, which made me feel better for a few milliseconds. Better than that though, was that the jeans were super flattering, more so than the designer ones, so I bought them. If this was the Lara from 1 year ago, she would have bought the TR jeans instead, despite the Gap ones looking better AND being cheaper.

Goofy smile, casual jeans

Like my top? Yep, I made that!

All dressed up and nowhere to go. I just realized how dirty my mirror is. Sorry about that.

That top? Yeah, I made that too. Can't wait to properly show it off!

What is so different? I mean, that was a huge deal breaker for me even a year ago. Hell, those maternity jeans I have are even designer! I think the difference is that I make a lot of my own clothes now, and there's no designer label on them. I've come to realize that it's really not that important if I am wearing '7 for all mankind' jeans vs. Gap jeans, as long as they flatter. I get such a kick out of making my own clothes and having them fit me and me only. I get huge compliments on the clothes I make for myself, or no comments at all, which in a weird way is better because people think I bought it from a store. To buy the clothes that I make in store would cost me so much more money because I use high quality fabrics and couture techniques. I am proud to be able to say 'I want a new skirt' and go down to my basement and make it from scratch, because nobody else that I know does that. The label means fuck all now. It's kind of freeing :)

In the end, I bought two of the same pair as there was a BOGO event going on, in sizes 4 and 6 respectively (Good old vanity sizing, I'm not a 4). The fit is not that dissimilar actually, only the waistband on the 6 was noticeably bigger, I figured they would work for fat days. Incidentally, in both outfits pictured, I'm wearing each size. Bet you can't tell which one is the 4 and which one is the 6. All the more evidence that labels are bullshit, huh? :)

I hope my ramblings made at least a bit of sense, it was actually very cathartic to write down and share with you. I'm actually feeling a bit better now! I'm gonna crack open a diet cherry Pepsi and enjoy this feeling for a little while longer.

Cheers!

Butternut Squash Soup

2012-10-09T18:58:00.003-07:00

Hey there, bloggy peeps! How's it going? As per usual, it has taken me forever to get back to my blog, but in my defense, things have been really busy over the past few weeks. Fortunately, I have a moment to breath, as this is the first official day of my fall break. And it was spent buying groceries and sleeping :s

For some reason, I could not sleep a wink from about 2 am onward and it caught up with me this afternoon. Hopefully I don't have any more days like this, I want to be somewhat productive for the next few weeks!

Even though today wasn't as awesome as it should have been, I had an awesome weekend. It was the thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so that meant a holiday on Monday, where I sewed and my husband cleaned the house. Yep, my husband is pretty great :)

I was working on a skirt that took me way too long to make, as I decided to go all couture with it (damn that craftsy class!), but its almost done now, I just have to fix the jump pleat on the lining. Until then, here are some teaser pictures for you:

The innards. Worsted wool gabardine underlined with silk organza and all seams and hem allowances catch stitched down.

Silk crepe de chine lining fell stitched to the waist facing. The facing is stitched over a few times to reinforce the silk organza interfacing.

Inside front

Inside back

I'm happy with the final result for the most part, but I'm sort of ashamed it took so long to make. It's a skirt, damnit, it should have taken an afternoon, max! I think with all the couture touches, it took about 20 hours to make. Oh well, at least I have a great little skirt. Will model soon, I promise!

In other really awesome news, I have (finally!) convinced my mom to start sewing with me, so on Saturday we went out looking for a machine for her. It was a cool experience for me, as I got to try some pretty sweet machines that were not sold at the place where I bought my machine. I must say, I REALLY liked the Bernina's that I tried, and had to talk myself out of trying even more of them, as this may have led to doing something foolish like trading in my machine. Once I got home, I had to do some sewing on my Pfaff Ambition just to remind myself why I loved it so much in the first place. I felt like I had cheated on it! Don't worry, all is well between me and my Pfaff, but I think I know now that my next machine will be a Bernina. I guess I'd better start saving now, by the time my Pfaff breaks down, I might be able to afford a Bernina. In like 20 years haha.

Anyway, back to my maw. In the end, she went with a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 835. WAAAAY more machine than she needs right now, and not the one I thought she would go with initially, but she seems to really like it, and wants to get going right away!

Aw, so excited!

I don't know if you can see the price there, but this machine was almost 50% off the original price, so my mom got one hell of a deal. I'm excited to finally have someone in the city to talk to about this stuff now!

And now, to the title of this entry, the soup. As much as I try to fight it, fall is here, which means shorter days (sob), colder days (SOB!), and less and less time until my Christmas concert (I know it's only October, but that concert creeps up pretty fast). However, the great thing about fall is that I can start making soups like crazy. In fact, once I go back to work, I am starting the 'Lunch' unit in my Foods class, and I had decided long ago that there were going to be plenty of soups sampled.

This is a recipe that is inspired by other pureed soups I've had before, and flavours that I thought would work really well together. The end result is a smoky sweet, super tasty soup. This is going to be the first one we make in Foods class for sure!

Butternut Squash Soup

2 onions chopped

1 butternut squash, cut into chunks

4 tbsp macadamia nut oil, divided (coconut, olive or butter would work as well, but if you haven't tried macadamia nut butter, give it a shot)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 litre chicken stock

1 heaping tsp of each of the following: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric ground smoked paprika, garlic powder

1/2 c full fat canned coconut milk

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the butternut squash in 2 tbsp of the macadamia nut oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Liberally salt and pepper the squash, then place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a pot, and sautee the chopped onions until they are caramelized over medium low heat. I did this while the squash was baking, using the full 30 minutes.

Remove squash from oven and immediately place in pot with onions. Add the sweet potato, chicken stock, spices, and coconut milk to the pot as well. Cook over medium high heat until the soup comes to a boil, then lower heat to med low. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potato can be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove from heat. Carefully ladle the soup into a blender in small batches and puree. Place pureed soup in a new pot, and do this until all the soup is pureed. You can also use an immersion blender, which is easier, however mine is busted and I'm in the market for a new one. Any recommendations? :)

Makes 6-8 very generous servings.

The only thing that will be changed for my students in foods will be the use of macadamia nut oil. It is just too expensive, and I don't think they would appreciate it, so we will stick to coconut oil. I'm sure the kids will moan and groan when they see that it is squash, but I know that they will like it. This soup is a winner for sure!

Soooo, I hope you all enjoy my soup! Before I go, I have to ask, what machine do you use for sewing? Even if you love it, have you ever been tempted by another machine? Which ones almost brought you to change your current one?

Revisiting primal, and my complete lack of creativity.

2012-09-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

Ugh... I have NOT been feeling well for the last week. More stomach issues, yay. Although I haven't completely reverted to my non primal ways, I have been a bit lazy with my eating, and I am paying for it right now. I am starting to wonder if I am Celiac or something. I looked into what is involved in being tested, and one of the things that is required is the continued consumption of wheat. This will allow any inflammatory markers to show up in a blood test, and as such, a clear diagnosis. I'm not really sure if I'm down with that. From eliminating wheat and then re introducing it, I have figured out on my own that it does yucky things to my body, so do I really need a blood test and a doctor's stamp of approval saying that I have a problem with wheat? Also, what if the test is negative? There is clearly something wrong, but it seems like doctors are all to willing to label people hypochondriacs when they come to them with questions concerning their diet if the test results come back negative(which, I guess to be fair, there are a number of people exactly like that).

I am not a fan of being sick, and I am sort of bummed that I'm in this position right now. I haven't been truly sick for quite a while now, and I was hoping to keep the streak going a bit longer. I actually had to take a sick day today because my stomach was all cramped up. I was hoping to avoid this, as the support staff are on strike in my district and there are very few extra subs right now, but it just could not be avoided. It's totally affecting my social life too, as I've been turning down dinner invitations with friends a few times this week. I think I'm going to turn into that asshole who makes a huge fuss at restaurants from now on. Sucks.

As I have not been feeling well, I have also not been feeling great with the whole sewing thing, and my creative streak seems to have gone into hibernation as of late. I guess that's where knitting is nice, I can do it while I am curled into a half fetal position while my stomach is all cramped up. I made yet another scarflet from the craftsy.com course, and this one is quite a bit more polished than my first effort.

I'm really happy with how it turned out, I think the lace looks much nicer than in my first attemp and the whole scarf is quite uniformly stitched. I started working on another scarf just for the sake of it, and this is where I am so far.

It is definitely NOT uniformly stitched, but I don't really care. I love the colour, and it'll be a nice warm scarf once it's done. It's a pretty boring mix of knit and purl stitches, and I plan to get down to the end of the ball.

I really hope I can convince myself to get to my sewing machine this weekend. I have so many projects that I want to start working on, the getting started seems to be taking a lot out of me lately.

I am going to end this here, but I will leave you with a link to a great cookie recipe I found through pinterest. They are paleo friendly and quite tasty. They are also part of my evil plan to bring Shane into the primal lifestyle with me. He seems to like the food, but some days it's a challenge to pry the pasta from his hands. He has agreed to do a 21 day challenge with me, as his stomach is even touchier than mine! We're a little late at the starting gate, but better late than never!

Enjoy the cookies, the recipe can be found here. Just a word of caution, I find when using a coconut flour recipe, it is IMPERATIVE that you follow the instructions and recipe to the letter. If not, well, those cookies may taste crappy. Mine were awesome, and I followed the recipe as is, no substitutions or changes.

I am off to get ready for a girls night with some friends. I think I can just about stand upright now, so hopefully I'll make it for a little while. Have a great weekend!

My epiphany.

2012-09-04T21:07:00.001-07:00

Another long weekend bites the dust, but it was actually a productive one for me creatively! The bad news is that I didn't get anything better than iPhone pictures so you'll have to bear with me. Shane was away all weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle (also known as PAX, also known as the nerd convention), so I had plenty of time to get creative. I whipped up a quick top out of a McCall's pattern (M6400) that I've had lying around for a while, and here is the result:

I've sort of become obsessed with the idea of sewing with knits lately, and it's all craftsy.com 's fault! There is a brand new class being offered about sewing with knits, so I registered for it, watched most of the classes, and decided to have a crack at it myself with one of the (many) patterns in my stash instead of the ones that came with the course (I'm just not into the idea of putting together a printed pattern at the moment). This pattern was easy to make, as there were quite literally only two pieces to the whole thing. Piece-o-piss! Or so I thought....

I love and loath this top all at once. I love the styling and the overall look, and the way modal feels when wearing it; that said, the fabric conjures up feelings of rage when I think about how much of a pain in the ass it was to work with. I have decided that I don't like working with modal very much, as it is just to slippery and slide-y, the very definition of an unstable knit. See how wide the neck line is? Well, it's not supposed to be like that, I had an 'incident' involving some stabilizer and hemming, and I had to cut it down. I like the slouchy look, so thank goodness it turned out!

Will I make this top again? In a heartbeat! The pattern is so, so easy, I think the whole think took me an hour from start to finish (including cutting and pressing!), but next version will be made with a cotton jersey as opposed to modal. I'm sure had I used a more stable fiber, the top would have come together even faster. The biggest thing I have learned from watching this class and using the instructors techniques is that knit fabrics are not as scary as I thought they were, and I am definitely interested in using them more often in future projects!

With the whole knit theme in mind, I decided to take on a new challenge; actual knitting. Again, it's all craftsy.com 's fault. Their courses are pretty fantastic, and the price is beyond reasonable for the skills being learned. This weekend, I knitted myself my first ever scarf! It has lace and a keyhole!

Not perfect by a long shot, but I can't say that I care. I am really proud of myself for finishing this! It was a small project, to be sure, but a frustrating one at times. Knitting is WAY more confusing than sewing, and it's also less satisfying if you are the kind of person who is into a bit of instant gratification (and let's face it, I am that person). That said, there are some upsides. For one, if you make a mistake, you can easily undo it and start over. There is also the repetitive nature of the craft, which I imagine will be quite soothing once I get the hang of it. Is this going to take over my sewing projects? I don't think so. I'd like to knit myself a few cardigans, but I already know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow night while Shane is nerding, and it doesn't involve knitting!

So, what's the epiphany (!!!) I bet you are thinking. After all, I did title my blog post 'My epiphany', so it must be a biggun', right? For me, it certainly is. I have decided not to run my 10K in two weeks. I'm sure you are wondering why, as it is something that I have been working towards for quite some time, and it's something I have talked about doing on this blog more than once. Recently I have discovered that I hate running. Not all the time, for sure, but when there is a competitive element to it, I find that I start to loath the whole thing, and neglect to do it. I haven't been keeping up with my training as much as I should have been because the thought of running to compete has been making me shudder lately. If I'm running, I want it to be for me, not to beat some arbitrary time set by others. I have realized that I enjoyed running the most when I was learning how to be a minimalist runner, I found it incredibly freeing. I want to feel that way again about running, so I am ditching the competitive element, full stop. It's sort of funny, anyone who knows me well knows that I can be competitive as hell, but I'm learning more and more than when it comes to physical pursuits, I don't care about the competition, I care about having fun and challenging myself against myself, and no one else. When I had this thought initially, I instantly felt better, so I knew this is what I had to do. Life is too short to do something you hate!

Alrighty, I'm off to bed. I survived my first music field trip of the year today and have my second one tomorrow, so rest is a good idea. Until next time, my friends!

My summer shenanigans

2012-08-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to come back and blog FOREVER, but my summer break just didn't seem to want to let me do it. Such a shame too, lots has been going on.

This is without a doubt, one of the busiest summers I've had. Really, it's been so busy that I don't actually feel like I got a summer break from work! I have been busy with two things: Weddings, and promoting the Body By Vi Challenge. Noticeably absent is sewing. I have done virtually no sewing this summer :(

I know I had already spoken a bit about the wellness challenge that I have been participating in, and now that it has nearly drawn to it's conclusion, I can reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good: I feel and look better than I have in a long while. I reached one goal very early on, to lose 5% body fat, which was very exciting, and I am nearly there as far as my second goal, running a 10K. I was originally supposed to run it on August 18th, but the timing was just terrible, mainly because the organizers took it upon themselves to change it to the 19th, the day of my brothers wedding.

The bad: I ran a 5K race instead on the 12th of August. It was a very informal and small race, so I don't have an exact time.

The ugly: I finished it in around 33-36 minutes. Normally, I would have been hugely disappointed with that time, but due to unforeseen circumstances *cough* hangover and rock hard calves from dancing the night away in inappropriately high heels *cough*, I had to walk for about 10 minutes. Had I not walked, I could have finished it in under 28 minutes for sure. Had I not been a hungover fool, I could have finished in 25. Oh well, I am surprisingly zen about the whole situation. I have to start focusing a lot more on my 10K training, as time is running out! Overall, the Body By Vi challenge has been a huge success and I am very glad that I participated.

******

Gah! It's happened again! I've just been away for three hours. I start to blog, then duty calls. I hope I can actually finish this blog entry today!

Shane and I did manage to get away this summer for our fifth wedding anniversary, we went to Vegas! It was a pretty sweet trip, as neither of us had ever been. The first day there we just walked around and took in the sights. Oh, and we went shopping at the outlet mall. This was probably the LEAST enjoyable part of this trip, as Shane is just a big grump when it comes to shopping. In the end I managed to walk away with a sweet new Coach bag and wallet. The next day we went to the Grand Canyon, and this is where our trip was the most exciting.

On our way to the canyon, we stopped at the Hoover dam to snap some pics. It was pretty cool, as I had never seen a dam before, but it was an awful lot smaller than I had imagined it to be.

I'm pretty sure I saw this in a movie. Some sort of dystopian story.

After this, it was on to the Grand Canyon. Hours and hours of driving..... Ugh! In the end, this is what we saw:

There is no doubt about it, the Grand Canyon is breath taking. It's too bad that any pictures we took did not even come close to showing its true majesty.

It is a place that needs to be seen in person, that's for sure!

Our last day was spent exploring the strip, so here are a few snaps.

At the MGM Grand

Our hotel, New York New York

Where we want to stay next time!

All in all, it was a great time, and I'm so glad Shane and I went together. It was a great way to celebrate five years of being married, and I'm sure we'll be back someday soon!

It's a good thing that we went earlier in the summer, because after that, it was nothing but wedding stuff! My friends Linda and Trevor got married on August 11 (hence me poor performance at the 5K), and my little brother got married the following weekend on the 19th. Here are some pictures of the events:

I must say, I do like this picture!

No me made dress for this wedding. I had been working on one up to the night before using couture techniques, but I fucked it up at the last minute. The good news is that I can fix it. It'll likely be a Christmas dress now.

Waiting for the big event!

The happy couple celebrating an event 13 years in the making!!!

Trevor's totally awesome groom cake!

Me and one of my dearest friends, Bianca

We are one good looking couple! ;)

The only thing that was bad about the whole thing was that I couldn't try the cake because of my primal eating!

With everything being so hectic leading up to my brothers wedding, I sort of let my primal eating regime go to the wayside, and man oh man, did I pay dearly for it. I felt pretty astoundingly shitty for a week, all from eating regular ol' SAD (standard american diet) foods. Things are back to normal now, and I feel so much better.

Besides feeling like a bag of shit from eating lots of bread and other wheat products, my brothers wedding was really nice. When the official pictures come out, I'll post them, but here are the few that are available right now:

The best part? Little C is my nephew now!!!

Clearly a good time had by all!

I am so glad that my brother has found someone that makes him happy!

So, that is pretty much what happened in my summer. What is up next? Well, I'm already back at work (school started for me on August 13th, my 30th birthday! SOB!!!), so once things get a bit more settled there, I hope to spend more time with my creative self, and continue to pursue my healthy lifestyle, and become reacquainted with my trusty old blog; sharing all of my creative endeavors food and sewing related. Oh yes, and organize the sewing room. There's a story behind that, but that will be told another day.

Primal Style Berry and Rhubarb Crumble

2012-07-03T15:45:00.001-07:00

I went grocery shopping this morning, and when I got home, I discovered that I had a bunch of berries in the fridge that I had forgotten about. How the heck does one forget about fresh berries?!? Anyway, some of them had already turned, but quite a few were still good to use, so I decided to try my hand at a primal version of crumble. After looking on line for inspiration, I naturally just went my own way, because that is what I do when I cook and bake. Who needs a recipe? Pfft

So in that spirit, please keep in mind that my measurements are only aproximations. I could have gotten some measuring tools out, but that would have meant more dishes, and I do not like dishes.

Paleo/Primal Friendly Berry and Rhubarb Crumble

This recipe is also great for anyone avoiding eggs or milk products, because it has none!

Berry mix:

1/2 to 3/4 cups of fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh strawberries
Rhubarb to taste (I used about 6 stalks in this version
2 heaping tbsp honey

Crumble:

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw pecans
2 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 tbsp honey, depending on taste preference
cinnamon to taste (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix berries, rhubarb and honey together, and place in an 8X8 glass dish. Bake mixture for around 20 minutes.

While berries and rhubarb are baking, take the nuts and grind them to a coarse meal in your food processor or blender. Don't do this for too long, or you will end up with nut butter. Remove from food processor and stir in cinnamon. Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the nut meal. Mix well, and top berries with the nuts. Bake for another 35-40 minutes. Serves 6.

I'm sure you can get creative with this as well using different fruits. It's not exactly like the regular wheat filled standby, however, Shane really liked it and I thought it was pretty good too. I made a plain rhubarb version of this on the weekend, and I found it actually tasted better the next day. Another bonus is that one serving is very satisfying.

Ok, before I go, I have more pictures to post of my progress. I think it is more obvious in these pictures. I am wearing the same clothes, as I was getting ready for an ass whooping from Jamie.

Can you see difference? I can, it makes me happy to no end! Ok, I promise I'll stop posting pictures of myself unless it's of a new outfit or a trip ;)

Hope you like my primal take on the humble crumble!

Summer, here I come!

2012-07-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy, is this ever going to be a long post, as there has been quite a bit going on. So sit back and relax, enjoy the show :)

First things first, SCHOOL IS DONE! A whole glorious 6 weeks before I have to be back at work, and I'm going to savour every minute of it. It's still technically a holiday here (even though Canada Day was yesterday), so I guess my 'official' summer vacation starts tomorrow. What will I do with my time, you ask? Well, lots! Here's the run down:

1. Reading. It is so nice to be able to read for myself right now as opposed to reading for school. Right now I am reading a fascinating book called 'Wheat Belly', which can be ordered here at amazon. It takes a look at all the health implications caused by eating wheat, and the reason things like diabetes, celiac, and other illnesses are so much more prevalent today than they were in the past. It can be repetitive at times, but it is a good read none the less. I have actually been conducting an experiment of one where I have cut out grains (although, there have been a few birthday bbq's, and I am not one to turn down cake!), and the effects have been quite interesting. This leads me to my next summer challenge.

2. Focus on my health. I seem to do this every year during the summer break, and I am always glad of it, but this year, my focus has been a little bit different. It is no secret to anyone who reads my blog that I have tried (and failed) to cut grains out of my diet. Well, I am trying again, and this time, I am seeing some pronounced positive effects. This all started when I saw the documentary Fat Head. This is essentially the answer to the questions posed in 'Super Size Me', as I'm sure many people have thought, Morgan Spurlock's numbers just don't add up. This lead me to the blog of the primal eating guru Mark Sisson where I started reading up on primal eating. It seems to make sense to me in many ways, so I have decided to give it a try. With this, I have also joined the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.. Now, the protein shakes associated with the challenge have soy in them, which is a big no no in primal eating, but so far, the combination is working for me. I don't have the greatest before and after shots, but I've only been taking the shakes for 4-5 weeks and been primal for 2 weeks, so hopefully my results will be more dramatic later on.

The above picture is me slacklining with my family on mothers day. It's also the day that I really found myself becoming uncomfortably chubby.

These pictures were taken last Friday. Now, I'm not sure if you can see that much of a change here, but the numbers don't lie. I've lost 22 inches total off my body, 5 of those inches coming from my (now much smaller) badonkadonk. That's hips and butt for the peeps who aren't down with the lingo ;)

I think probably the nicest thing about the shakes is that they are really helping my IBS. When I had gone grain free in the past, my IBS symptoms seemed largely unaffected, so I am going to make the assumption that the shake is doing its job that way. It's really nice not having to deal with stomach cramps and dull pain!

Honestly? I am feeling really great right now. I am sleeping really well (and this was before school got out!), to the point where I don't even need to take naps any more. I am the napping queen, so this is quite the breakthrough for me! The only time I need a nap now is if I have consumed a little bit of wheat. Interesting indeed... :)

3. Running. On this front, I have been slacking, so I am bound and determined to get right back with my 10K training. I am going to repeat week 5 of the C210K this week, and with any luck (and lots of sweat), I'll be back on track.

4. Sewing. I feel like I have not done this in ages, so it has been nice to be back on the machine. Funnily enough, I haven't been using my machine all that much because I have been making a dress couture style, which requires a lot of hand sewing, and an infinite amount of patience. Here is the progression of my project so far.

The above is where I started machine sewing the pieces together after hand basting the entire dress together. Naturally, once fabric is laid out nice and neat, Ponti will do his best to make his presence known.

Inside and outside of the dress before joining the shoulders. I used silk organza as an underlining, and it was a pain in the ass to work with. It's also itchy as hell. Luckily for me, things seem to be coming together.

Trying on the dress after (carefully) pinning the zipper in. It fits! Woo Hoo! Maybe not the best fit by couture standards, but I'll take it for now, seeing as it is my first attempt.

Part of the couture style is to hand sew all the seam allowances down. Seem like it would be easy, but I had to do it over 2 nights because it was so tedious and slightly frustrating.

The neckline inside and out. I didn't want to have any top stitching on the neck binding, but I had had enough hand sewing for one day, so I did a stitch in the ditch. I think it's decently invisible :)

This is where I am as of now. I installed the zipper with a prick stitch (read, by hand), but I am not happy with it. The bottom looks ok to me, but the top is all wonky, and I'd like my first couture dress to look, you know, couture. I'll probably fix it sometime this week.

Anyhow, this is what is up with me right now, and my plans for the summer. Until next blog entry!

Sweetness!

2012-06-17T20:02:00.001-07:00

All done my report cards, another year is done and dusted. What shall I do with all my free time? Well, I do have a few things up my sleeve :)

1. Continue with 10K training. I have been taking it slower this week, but only because I have been under the weather. I still have this pesky cough, but at least now it seems to be subsiding. I maybe should have rested today, but after 2 days hunched over my lap top scrambling to finish my work, I needed the release. It showed me that I need to start week 5 of the C210K again, but it's not a huge set back at least.

2. Continue training with Jamie. Things are progressing nicely, I want to keep it that way!

3. SEWING! OMG, I can't wait to get totally nerdy with my sewing machine tomorrow after work. I have quite a few projects in my queue, but I think I may make another Hazel dress just to get some instant gratification :)

4. Catch up on reading. I can't remember the last time I read something that wasn't work or sewing related. I need to get reacquainted with my Kindle, ASAP.

Only 4 more teaching days for me, then exams. Pray for me, I hope I make it!

Busy as usual!

2012-06-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I see that I have gained some new followers, which is just lovely. I hope you enjoy my little slice of the internet :)

It is that busy time of year again, report card season. I must say that I am more on the ball this term than I have been in previous terms, nearly all my classes are complete as far as marks are concerned. I just have 2 classes to finish up, then comes the dreaded comments. As a result, I haven't done any sewing over the last little bit, and won't be until I have finished them completely. Hopefully I'll have a new project started by this weekend. I have a few in my queue, not counting the Colette challenge I joined this month. Fortunately for me, I've already made the Hazel dress, the pattern that is currently being showcased.

It's basically between sewing and working out, and for a change, I have been smart and engaging in the latter first. I'm still slogging away at my 10K training, which I feel is going rather well. I am on week 5 day 2 of the 'Couch to 10K' program, and have been surprisingly consistent. It probably helps that I am continuing to see my awesome trainer, who regularly kicks my ass (in a good way). I will do my run tonight (after a nap, of course ;) and then finish my health marks. Then I'll have only one class to go!

I realized last night that I hadn't posted an update on my new 'natural' beauty routine, so I guess now is as good a time as any to do it. In the end, I switched over a few things, and these are the things I have observed. First, my facial cleansing routine.

I started using a mix of castor, jojoba, and sweet almond oil to clean my face in what is known as 'the oil cleansing method'. I was sceptical at first, but I am now a convert. I have been doing this method for about 6 weeks, and after a few different mixes and ratios, I believe I have come up with a winning formula for my skin. Initially, I had a few painful cystic breakouts, but they have largely subsided. My face is looking smoother and more refreshed. I also seem to have fewer blackheads, which is awesome because my pores are so large. Sometimes I use the mixture above, but if my skin is feeling sort of dry, I'll use coconut oil and castor oil instead. My skin feels surprisingly refreshed, especially after smoothing a little bit of argan oil on afterwards. I give the oil cleansing method two thumbs up!

The next things I switched over was my shampoo and conditioner. I started using Aubrey organics Island Naturals shampoo and conditioner with reasonable success.

source

It was a decent price, and although the lack of lather was a bit strange at first, I've gotten used to it. It smells nice, and leaves my hair feeling clean and looking shiny. It's probably not the best natural shampoo out there, but for right now, it's working just fine. Two thumbs up.

The third thing I switched over was my toothpaste. This one was a very interesting switch indeed. For the last five years or so, every month around 'that time', I get horrible canker sores along each side of my tongue that last around 2 weeks. They are painful and generally just awful. Sometimes, they hurt so much I can't talk or eat. In the past I had tried SLS free toothpastes, but they didn't seem to make much of a difference. When I switched to the 'JASON naturals' brand toothpaste, I really wasn't expecting that much.

source

I was very pleasantly surprised. I did get one canker sore, but it went away after about 2-3 days, and it wasn't as painful as they normally are. I am a convert. Ten thumbs up to this one!

The last thing I switched over this month was my pit stick. This one was always going to be tricky because I drip sweat at the the slightest physical exertion. Blame the genetics on that one. The sweat I can handle. The smell on the other hand is what I need to combat. Enter 'Green Beaver'.

source

I really, really wanted this to work, but its performance was spotty at best. After a day at work it wasn't too bad about 70% of the time, but it could not be counted on to hold up to a regular workout or run in the neighbourhood. I need something that will stand up to all my physical activities, and this one didn't make the cut. It's back to the drawing board as far as the pit stick goes.

As far as experiments go, I think this went rather well all things considered. I wasn't expecting a lot from my switch to synthetic to natural products, but ended up having success in all areas except one. It's encouraged me on to making my next natural switch. I'm thinking make up, and sunscreen should be next. Anyone have great natural products they love to use?

Well, I think I'll end it here. It's on to my nap, then off for my run. Then marking. Yay.

The death of a fabric store.

2012-06-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

There is a fabric/couturier in Edmonton who is going out of business after 40 years. It's an unfortunate situation for anyone who enjoys making their own clothing in the city, as the options have become quite limited. There is the big box chain Fabricland, which is good for thread and some other notions, but has terrible fabric; and then (thankfully) there is Estees, a place known for selling high quality fabrics. That's really all there is in Edmonton.

In what was likely my last trip to the closing store, I overheard the owner frustratedly explaining his situation to some customers who were curious as to why the store was closing after so many years. Essentially, it came down to the internet ruining the business. With the rise in internet fabric stores, suppliers are selling directly to consumers in much smaller quantities than the store itself is obligated to purchase. The fabric store is obligated to buy a minimum amount of fabric, say 25 meters, but the customer who buys direct can get only what they need, say 2 meters. They do not have to pay the same cost to the supplier, and people are going with the more direct and cheaper option. This is the beginning of the end of the brick and mortar fabric store in his opinion.

As I was listening, I couldn't help but feel a bit bad. I have bought most of my fabric on line, and as a result, I have contributed to the problem. Just hearing him speak, I knew that I was going to get something from the leftover stock. It was kind of a guilt purchase. However, as I looked around, it wasn't really hard to see how things have gone down hill. If you as the consumer were presented with 2 identical products (a worsted wool gabardine, for example), and one was $5-20/meter while the other was $50-80/meter, which one would you pick? It is a no brainer for me, that's for sure.

This is what I found as I looked throughout the store. It's not that I am unwilling to purchase quality fabrics, it is simply too cost prohibitive to do in Edmonton. So, I turn to the internet and it has met my needs in abundance. If the store wasn't going out of business, I likely never would have shopped there, the only way that I have been able to in the past 6 months is because everything is 60-80% off. And even then, many things are still much more expensive than buying on line!

I feel bad about this. I do my best to buy local, but in this case, I will not be stopping my on line fabric shopping. Sewing is not a cheap hobby, and this is the only way I can sustain it realistically. It would be nice if there was a resurgence in sewing communities around town, and maybe that will happen with the rise of hip seamstress bloggers like Gertie, Tilly, and Sunni, just to name a few.

Does anyone else have to deal with this where you live, or is this just a Canada thing? Maybe it's just not a sustainable business model. Either way, my city is losing a little piece of its heritage at the end of the month, and it's sad, to say the least.

Owwwww!

2012-06-04T17:12:00.002-07:00

My new trainer is really kicking my ass, but I love it! Saturday was our first real session, and I left the studio with my legs feeling like rubber. I'm pretty fit, and she had my legs feeling like jelly. Seriously, I have never had a trainer actually make my legs shake before, it was insane! Insanely awesome, that is! My session today was almost as tough. Legs like jello, walking like the tin man, the whole shebang. The only downside to this is that it has killed my desire to run as of late. Well, maybe not the desire, but certainly the physical will. I will aim to run at least twice this week. Hopefully I wont be as brutally sore tomorrow as I am right now. Speaking of, I guess I have a date with the foam roller after I finish this entry.... That I am NOT looking forward to, but it is a necessary evil.

Do you know what is not evil? The brownie recipe I am about to share with you. Before I do, I must confess something. I'm not a huge fan of brownies. In fact, I've never really understood all the hype. I mean, I don't hate them or anything like that, but I just don't find them spectacular. However, since trying a certain recipe from my brother in laws girlfriend, I have become a bit of a convert. The beauty of these is that they are flour-less, egg-less, milk-less, no extra sugar, and all around healthy. Don't get me wrong, I have no real qualms with any of those ingredients (well, maybe the flour), and I am usually quite sceptical of foods that make all those claims. One thing they usually leave out is 'tasty'. These brownies have lived up to the hype.

This is not the first version of vegan no bake brownies, and I doubt they will be the last. This is just my tasty, tweaked version.

Vegan No Bake Brownies (AKA The BEST BROWNIES EVER!)

2 cups of dates, pitted
1 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in food processor or super strong blender like a vita mix. Pulse ingredients together until it has a coarse sticky meal-y texture. Don't pulse for too long, or you will release a lot of oil from the nuts. Pour mixture into a 9X9 pan and press flat and even. Place brownies in the fridge for 15 minutes, cut and enjoy!

Makes around 16 small squares.

These are so easy, it's ridiculous. They are also healthy (although they sure don't taste like they should be!), and best of all, satisfying. I find with most baking it's hard for me to find the off button, but I can have one (OK, maybe 2) and not want to eat the whole pan. Oh, and don't worry about not adding any sweetener, the dates make it plenty sweet!

And, finally, I am going to join my first sew along! It's called Sew Colette 2.0, and it will feature all of the Colette patterns. I have enough of them now that I can certainly participate, and I'll get some handy tips to boot. This actually couldn't have come at a better time, I finished the Ginger skirt last night, and it is not the most flattering thing I have ever made. I have a super high, short waist, and this skirt emphasises it in the worst way possible. I need to adjust the pattern to have it sit much lower without losing the basic structure. Hopefully I'll pick up some great fitting tips.

I hope you like the brownies!

Nothing like a depressant to chase the blues away..

2012-05-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

*Grunt*

A classic line from 'The Simpsons'. Also, the way I would describe my last week. Andy passed away on Friday evening. Monday was difficult for me, but fortunately not so difficult for the students. Most of them knew on the weekend anyway thanks to social media. It was a bit of a Godsend, they were prepared for the news and had grieved already. One thing that I know Andy would have wanted from us was to get on with life, so that is what I've been trying to do. It's hard though, I really miss him, probably way more than I realized I would.

In my attempt to get on with things, I went ahead with my brothers engagement party on Saturday. Although I was initially unenthusiastic given the timing, I'm glad I hosted it, and a great time was had by all, even me. The count down to the wedding is on now, less than 3 months to go! It's scary how time flies!

Yesterday, I also had my first real training session with Jamie. I am paying for it (monetarily and pain wise), but this is what I get for slacking for so long. It actually went pretty well, all things considered. We started with a fit test and although the results were not as good as they would have been at my peak, they weren't terrible either. I did 11 push ups, which I was impressed by, especially considering I had to start on the ground! My flexibility is not too bad, although my right hip is comically tight, so I'm going to have a date with the foam roller for the next while. The soreness is really starting to set in, and I think tomorrow is going to be interesting. I'm a little scared to run tomorrow morning!

I also got my sewing machine back (yay!), so I made a skirt last night. I had realized that I only had the wearable muslin version of the Meringue skirt made, and it's in black. I don't know about you, but I find black skirts pretty formal, and so I decided to make my latest version in denim from a local fabric shop, Estees Fabrics. It wasn't especially cheap (fabric in Edmonton generally isn't), but I got it using a gift certificate from my mummy at Christmas time. Here she is:

Notice the twisted straps on my tank? I didn't until I looked at the pictures. 'The straps are twisted!' I exclaimed to Shane. He just stared at me. No retakes I guess.

Please excuse the lack of smiles, it's been hard to do lately.

This denim was really easy to sew, it's the first time I've used it, but it won't be the last. This is a great casual skirt that I'm sure I'm going to live in all summer.

Great, the tag is sticking out too! That's me, keeping it Klassy!

I made the straight 6 with no adjustments at all. I'm still getting used to wearing high waisted bottoms, so it was a bit strange to wear at work today, but I think I'll get used to it soon enough.

I used a fun little quilting cotton for the hem facing instead of self fabric. I love using these cottons for facings and pocket bags when I can, it makes the whole thing a little more fun and customized.

I also hemmed the facing down instead of catch stitching it. Why, you ask? Because I couldn't find my hand sewing needles. A girl's gotta make due with what she's got!

Last, but not least, look at that zipper! A thing of beauty, she is. She's just so... invisible! Best zipper yet!

I think I'm going to try and make a dress for Andy's funeral, but I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll decide by tomorrow.

G'night all! I'm going to hobble to the bathroom for some tiger balm now for my poor, poor knees.

Life sucks right now.

2012-05-25T19:26:00.002-07:00

I hate being so negative, but things just aren't going well right now. I've had a huge, earth shattering (so to speak) event happen this week, and it has thrown me into such a daze, I have hardly been able to function. I tried to do some sewing tonight to take my mind off things (sewing is GREAT for that), but my fucking machine is broken. I feel like crying, but instead, I'm on my second beer, and contemplating going to the store for some crap food.

The reason for my bad mood is not just the machine, that would make me quite superficial. No, I received some awful news yesterday, and I can't think straight. My colleague and friend, Andy, had a stroke. It was originally thought that he would be OK, but on Wednesday night he took a turn for the worse. He is now in intensive care, and his family has made the difficult and heart wrenching decision to take him off life support. As I got to the hospital bearing get well cards from Andy's students, his wife told me of their decision. Andy is officially brain dead and has no hope of recovery. This was what he would have wanted according to his wife, but I can't imagine how they feel right now, and I am at a loss as to what to do. I have never been held so tightly as I was by his wife, I've never encountered anyone who was feeling such grief. My heart is hurting right now, but I can only imagine that it's a small fraction of the anguish Andy's family is feeling. He was a healthy, active man who regularly participated in boxing, cycling and martial arts. At 59 years old, he is far too young for this.

I was the only staff member to have gotten to see Andy in the hospital, and I am grateful and honoured to have been there. Andy is an amazing teacher and friend. For the last few days, I have been expecting to see him at his classroom door, or regaling me with jokes and stories in the staffroom, with his signature laugh. I miss his acerbic wit and sense of humour, something we had in common. We could talk politics, TV, culture, and anything else under the sun. He is a wonderful guy, and I am going to miss him so much.

Before I start rambling even more, I'll end with this. A woman just came to my door with supplies to canvas for the Heart and Stroke foundation. I had volunteered to do it a while ago in the name of my brother, who has heart disease, but I'm also doing this for Andy now. It feels more important than ever to do this.

Andy, you are one hell of a guy and I am going to miss you like crazy. Until we meet again, my friend.

Lara

It's hard to admit when you need help sometimes...

2012-05-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

But last week that is exactly what I had done. I have been trying for months to motivate myself into working out and engaging in a healthy lifestyle in every way I knew, but it just hasn't been working. I realized that I needed help, or I was just going to turn into the fat, sad person I was many years ago. As educated in the area of health and fitness as I am (admittedly, mainly through reading and other self explorations), I just can't do it myself any more. After searching on-line and interviewing a few trainers, I decided to enlisted the help of a trainer from a place called PHAT Training here in Edmonton. As expensive as it is (it really is), it's the right decision for me at this moment. When you stop and think about it, we invest more money into our cars than we do our health. It's quite shameful when you think about it. It is time to reinvest that money into myself, even if it means taking the train to work instead of driving for a little while. I can do that for me.

My trainer is called Jamie, and I think that she will be an excellent fit for me. She is highly educated with a degree in rehabilitative exercise and a masters degree in nutrition. Besides the education part, she seems kind, keen to help, and very positive. This is what I need. I think above all, she seem like a human being, not the kind of trainer who thinks they are Gods gift to fitness. Already she is challenging me to engage in healthier behaviours, the first being to get rid of my scale. Imagine that, I have weighed myself every day for almost 10 years, several times a day. It certainly hasn't helped me get any healthier, so tonight, I put my scale in the basement. I hope that I am able to throw it out soon, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

This is just the start of a new phase for me. I'm not ready to talk about the assessment I had today. Some... Well, all of the numbers I got today were shocking except for one, my body fat. I've always known that it was high, and being told that I am 33% body fat was not a surprise. Every other measurement, however, was much higher than I had anticipated. It really made me wonder how off I was in my own measuring, considering that I sew my own clothes based on my numbers, and I usually have to take things in, not let them out. I am at a loss as to how that has happened, but I'm not going to dwell. It's time to make it better.

When people have heard how much it costs, they are incredulous, and wonder why I would be doing it, considering how much I know about health. Well, maybe I don't know as much as I thought I did. I also don't really care what other people think about it at this point, Shane is supporting me, and my health and wellness is important to me.

So, with that, I raise my glass of wine (probably the last for a while), and say 'Here's to my health'! Updates will follow, as will more sewing projects :)

How much does YOUR beauty regime cost?

2012-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy peeps. I am hella tired, so this probably won't be a long post, but I thought I should check in, just to get into the habit of blogging again! So far, my week has been great, I've been running and strength training like a demon, and I hope to continue with this momentum.

One thing I am wondering about (to completely change the subject), is what your beauty regiment like? I've never really had one before, but I'd like to start, seeing as I'll be 30 (EEK!) in August. One thing that I have become more passionate about as I have gotten older (besides health and fitness) has been environmental sustainability. I have a hard time walking the walk though, because it is just so expensive to switch everything over to natural and organic products. I've started reading this book called Ecoholic Body by Adria Vasil, and it is essentially a guide to green for Canadians. She gives great tips and reviews on natural products, but some of them are so bloody expensive! I mean, $15 for a bar of soap? There has to be a cheaper alternative, that doesn't involve me making my own soap. I'm not comfortable with the idea of having lye in the house with the kitties around, so that's out. So what's a girl to do? Any tips of where to find relatively inexpensive organic soaps and such?

I have switched over my face cleansing routine, and this one is a real reversal from what I was doing before. I preface this by saying that after the awkward teenage years, I have had relatively normal skin; the breakouts do happen occasionally, but it's never that serious. I've never been loyal to one brand of cleanser or moisturiser, usually going for what is on sale. Currently (or until last week), I was using a Bliss 2 in 1 facial cleanser from Sephora, and it was certainly NOT cheap ($25. That's more than I paid for 4 yards of silk crepe at fabricmartfabrics.com. Just sayin'...). After reading my book and discovering the 'Mean 15' ingredients in beauty products, I was disappointed to see that my cleanser had a lot of them. So what are my options? Scour the stores for a new product with none of the 'Mean 15', possibly spending even more money (and lots of time in the mall), or I could try the oil cleansing method. That's right, cleaning my face with oil.

It makes sense when you think about it. Our skin produces oil, so when we use cleansers that strip it of said oil, out skin goes into hyper drive to produce more oil, causing further problems for people with sensitive or acne prone skin. By massaging the face with clean oil, it removes the dirty oil, while leaving your skin hydrated and feeling great. Well, that is the theory anyway, so I thought I'd give the oil method a shot. This is what I do: I mix a small amount of castor, argan, jojoba and (sometimes) sweet almond oil together and massage it onto my face for a few minutes. After this, I rinse it off with a clean facecloth soaked in hot water. I've only been doing it for about a week, but I must say, my skin has been feeling really good lately. I'm sure that you can use other oils as well (olive is supposed to be amazing for cleaning the skin), but as I understand it, the castor oil is pretty important. It may take a bit of trial and error to get the proportions just right (I've probably just been lucky so far), but I am going to stick with this for the next month, and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

The next thing I want to change over is the ol' pit stick. This one will be hard... I really stink when I work out if my deodorant is weak. That's probably more than you wanted to know...

This ended up being way longer than I thought it would, so I am going to sign off, wash my face, and go to bed. Nite all!

Sooo... anybody still here? I have pictures in this post!

2012-04-30T20:55:00.001-07:00

I am seriously the worst blogger. Maybe I should change the name of my blog to something like GET OFF YOUR ASS, LARA! Sheesh...

Here's what's been going on in my world as of late. The running has been a bit slow to get started, but I think I've reached the point where I'm ready to commit and be consistent about it. Shane recently asked me what my goals were, and two things came to mind; the first is to be a high school music teacher with a bitchin' program. This goal is a few years away, but it's something I'm aiming for, that's for sure. The second goal is to run a 10K. In fact, I know which one I want to do as the penultimate race, the 10K associated with the Edmonton Marathon. It takes place in August, so there is plenty of time to prepare. It is also the day before my brothers wedding, and I'm a bridesmaid. Do you guys think that it's doable? I'd like to do some shorter races before that to prepare, but I think I'm pretty set on doing it. Fingers crossed that nothing happens to side track me!

Work is actually going very well at the moment. I got my assignment for next year, and I am THRILLED to report that I will be teaching absolutely NO elementary classes at all. I am really happy for this, it is what I asked for, but I also thought it would be a bit of a long shot. I was hoping to at least get my div. 1 classes taken from me (grades 1-3 for all you non teachers), so imagine my surprise when I actually got what I asked for! Instead of elementary music, I will be teaching grade 9 social studies. I am stoked to be doing this, as I love social studies. The only thing that makes me nervous is the fact that with a grade 9 core subject comes PAT (Provincial Achievement Test) stress.

In addition to my new schedule, I took my music students to band camp. After all the 'This one time, at band camp...' jokes were done, we had an awesome time. The kids performed really well, and they had a blast to boot. It was funny, because one student who didn't come to the camp was saying to another student something along the lines of 'It couldn't have been that fun, you had four hours of rehearsal a day', to which that student replied that she actually had a lot of fun doing the rehearsals. Score! We also did the typical bonfire night, movie night, and zip lining. I didn't get to go unfortunately. You see, it was so freaking cold out that by the time all the students had gone and it was my turn (I had to clip them in and make sure their harnesses were on correctly), I was pretty sure I had hypothermia. I had to go inside and sit in my sleeping bag for like an hour! Despite that, it was a good time. The kids are so nice, they actually liked talking with the teachers, and invited me to play games with them, which was nice. I ended up playing badminton with a few of them, and after a rusty start, I thought to myself, 'Hey, this isn't bad! I bet I look like I know what I'm doing!' Little did I know, they were secretly videotaping me, and when I saw the video, I realized that I did NOT look like I knew what I was doing, In fact, I couldn't have looked like less of an athlete! Oh well, it was still fun, and it counted as exercise!

That's a lot of stuff, and I haven't even gotten to my sewing yet! This month, I have had two successful projects, both from the Colette Patterns line. They came out with their spring/summer patterns and they are pretty lovely, and I know I'm not alone in thinking that. The first one I tackled was the Iris shorts, this is what they're supposed to look like:

Iris Shorts

And here are what mine look like:

They are great! This is the first time I had ever attempted anything that was pants like, and I am thrilled with the results.

Normally I cut a 4 in Colette Patterns, but I went for a 6 this time just to be safe. It was probably the right choice at the time, as there is not much give in this fabric, but the shorts ended up getting quite big as the day went on, so I'm making a new pair in a size 4 to see how they hold up. The fabric I'm using for the new pair was super cheap, so if they don't work out, I'm ok with it.

The only modification I made to the shorts was to lengthen the crotch about an inch. In the muslin I made previously, it was wedgie city, and that doesn't look good on anyone. Seeing as I had never done pants (or shorts) before, I was sort of winging it. Luckily, it worked, God bless the internet and all its knowledgeable sewists!

Bask in the majesty of my shorts!

Ok, enough about the shorts. Colette also came out with a couple of dresses, and I managed to finish one of them, the Hazel. Here is what it's supposed to look like:

The Hazel dress

Aaaaaaand, here's mine:

Seriously? I LOVE this dress!

I made it in a size 4, but made the seam allowances larger (like 7/8") to accommodate the extra room that appeared in my muslin.

I used a really pretty Marc Jacobs floral cotton poplin from Fabric Mart, and it was a total dream to sew with.

I guess the one 'negative' thing about this fabric is with the small flower print, you can't see the interesting bodice detail very well. I'm ok with that, it just means that I get to make another version of this dress soon, and nobody will know that they are the same pattern!

This, my friends, is my life since I last blogged. I hope to have more running news soon (like breaking the 10 minute mile again), and many more cute outfits to share.

Later!

Another day, another dress.

2012-04-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

I made another pleat front dress. This pattern is seriously sweet, I'm glad I tackled it again.

Despite the pissy expression on my face, I am extremely happy with the outcome. This is the best garment I have made to date in regards to finishing. No, the pissy look is likely due to Shane moaning about taking more pictures. I mean, come on, I haven't sewed like this for a month! It's time to get back to it, right?

Maybe I'm trying to capture my inner Joan Holloway in these pictures, but failing miserably. I guess that would make sense, seeing as I watched half of season one whipping up this dress.

Although this dress isn't exactly a spring colour, I think it will be part of my wardrobe this season, as it is made with cotton jacquard and is unlined, and therefore, lightweight.

So other than this dress, nothing much is new. I'm taking a few days off of running because one of my toes is bruised and hurts a bit when I walk. I have no idea how it happened, so I'm going to play it safe.

Oh, wait, I do have big news! I'm going to be a bridesmaid (matron?) for my brother and his fiancee! It's a bit of a bummer that I won't be able to make my own dress, however, the ones that Jessica chose are really pretty, so I'll at least be able to look good ;)

Later!

One week down, one to go.

2012-03-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Of spring break, that is. I must say, this has been one of the nicest spring breaks I have had in a long time. I have spent my time doing 3 things : Running, sewing, and visiting with friends. Seriously, I don't think I've been this relaxed for a long time!

The running is going fabulously well. I started the 'Ease into 10K' program last week, and so far I am sticking with it. Actually, I'm quite impressed with my running, considering I haven't run for months and months. The worst thing about getting back to it after a long hiatus is the calf pain. This is even more painful when you are a minimalist runner! I swear, I was walking like the tin man for a week, people at work were a bit worried. Once you get over that small hump, it's easier to get going. I am feeling great so far, and I am listening to my body, as I do NOT want another stress fracture this year!

As for the whole P90X2 thing, Shane and I have decided to put it on hold for a few months. We just haven't been consistently doing it, and as much as I love the workouts, I can't stomach the idea of starting at the beginning again. I think I'm going to get back into rowing and Rip:60 for the time being as cross training. Or, maybe I can start hitting the pool again!

In addition to the whole 'taking care of my health thing', I have been sewing like crazy this week. Unfortunately, I only have one dress to show for all my work because there were a few mishaps. I guess I'll start with the jacket. You see, I forgot to check the test square until all 52 pages of the suit jacket pattern had printed out. I decided to go with it anyway, cutting the 6. The good news is that it fit. The bad news is that it didn't fit well, especially in the arms. They looked like salami's! So, in the end, I figured out the problem with the printer and will be attempting the jacket next week.

While I was waiting for answers on the jacket, I got started on another project, the pleat front dress from Salme Patterns.

This is what it is supposed to look like, and this is my final product:

I am so pleased with the final outcome! I used a cotton stretch sateen I bought on sale from Fabric Mart online, and it was a really great fabric to work with. maybe it was great to work with because of my new machine?

This pattern was labeled beginner/intermediate and I think that I would put it in the latter category, simply because the instructions were not great at all. I was able to figure everything out except the facing, and because of that, I wrecked the bodice. I had to start from scratch (thank goodness for paranoia and purchasing a bit of extra fabric!), but I changed the back bodice from one piece to two and redrafted the back facing. Not too shabby for improvising!

Below is the new back, with a button and a rouleau closure at the top.

This was also the first time I had ever hand picked a facing, and I think I prefer this to machine understitching. It seems to stay down much better.

Beautiful pick stitching, if I do say do myself!

As much as I love this dress, there is one thing I will do differently next time. I am going to make this dress in a solid colour as opposed to a print. I think the beautiful pleats sort of get lost in the print, as you can see below, so I think I'll go with a plainer fabric to let that detail really shine through.

Ok, before I go to sleep, I just want to give a huge shout out to my brother Bill, as it's his birthday today!

Happy birthday, Bazillium! I hope you like your gift!

Yes, this is what I got him for his birthday. It's how I roll.

March 26 already... Yikes!

2012-03-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Geez Louise this has been a crazy month. I have desperately wanted to blog, sew and workout all month, and only now I am finding the time. It's spring break, so that means 2 weeks of me time, and I'm soooooo looking forward to it.

So beside the usual work stuff, it was report card season. For some reason I had lots of changes to do, and then of course, there is the mandatory demonstration of learning. I felt like I would never get any more time to myself, especially after the car accident.

Yep, that's right, I was in an accident. I wasn't hurt (thankfully), but my car wasn't as lucky.

Poor Ol' Sandy!

The accident was not my fault, a city worker backed into me on the road. Luckily he admitted fault, so it was a relatively straight forward insurance claim. Despite that, it's been stressful. We ended up having to buy a new car because they wrote this one off. It's a newer car at least, but it's nothing special.

Once we get the car stuff sorted out (today!) I will finally have some time to myself. After a morning of running around, I rewarded myself with a little sewing time. One of my goals is to make the Starlet Suit Jacket from the craftsy.com course, so today I decided to make a practice bound button hole. Here's what it looks like:

It's not at all perfect, but I think after a few more practice versions, I will be comfortable enough to add these to my jacket. I'd never made a button hole before this, so it was a pretty cool experience.

I am so looking forward to tackling this project, because it means I can use my new sewing machine! I know I hadn't had my old one for very long, but I felt as if I had grown out of it. I traded my Janome Sewist 625e for a Pfaff Ambition 1.0. This machine is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

It is computerized with over 130 stitches, including 7 different button holes! It feels so different from my old sewing machine, but in a good way. My only gripe is how much the extra parts cost. I had to buy an invisible zipper foot today, and it was $30! The one for my old machine was $11! Sigh... I think it'll be worth the money in the end, I can't seem myself growing out of this machine any time soon.

I think I'm going to hit the treadmill soon, so hopefully this week I'll have some awesome workout new as well. And lots of sewing projects to share :)

New Green Monster Recipe!

2012-03-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

Boy, I haven't been very good at that whole 'sharing 2 recipes a month' goal, have I? I think I've only done one so far. Well, here's another one for you! Only 4 more to go to be caught up :)

Chocolate Cherry Green Monster

1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries
1 large handful of spinach
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (the high protein stuff)
1 tbsp raw hemp hearts
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Body by Vi protein - 90 calories and 12g of protein)
1 cup milk of your choice (I used 2%)

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend and enjoy.

If your like me and rarely get a chance to have a snack between breakfast and lunch (or sleep until 11 on the weekends), then this will serve 1. If you are a snacker, or just like to share, this can easily serve 2.

This is an attempt to get back on track with my eating and exercise, and I am very happy to say that it was quite delicious. Who says healthy food tastes bad?

In an effort to stick to some more of the goals I set for myself, I am signing up for a 5K with my mom this week. It will likely be a few months away so we can train for it, and hopefully I'll go on to a 10K after that.

As we are in the third month of the year, I decided to revisit the goals I made in January. Honestly? I'm not doing great at keeping up with most of them, so that is what I am going to focus on in the coming weeks. Especially the health related goals. If you set yourself some goals for this year, how have you been doing? Are you finding them easy to stick to, or are you struggling?

Happy Sunday!

A very picture-y update for you, including my latest project.

2012-02-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Ugh. You know what is worse than being sick? Being sick when you have report cards due this Wednesday. I think there is a bug going around my school, it seemed like quite a few staff and students are down for the count right now, and I am joining those ranks tomorrow. Hopefully the nausea will subside long enough to get some work done. I think I'll be OK, as long as I don't eat or drink anything... Yuck!

At least it didn't start until yesterday. Although inconvenient right now, it didn't interfere with mine and Shane's long awaited date night on Friday. We went to a burger bar called 'Local', not too far from our place.

Despite Shane's grumpy look, we had a great time. I'm not sure that Shane was all that impresses with his fish and chips (He is from England after all), but my fish taco's were awesome! I'd never had fish taco's before, so now that I have, it's something I'm going to have to recreate at home. The first bite actually reminded me of when we were in Mexico last October! Weird, eh? To top off the meal, I had a maple beer. How very Canadian of me.

After the meal, we decided that there was nothing worth watching at the theater, so we went home with the intention of watching something else, but ended up playing with my iPhone camera and (me) getting my ass kicked at various word games. It was a good night.

The next night I went to my brothers house because his girlfriend, Jessica, offered to help me mark tests once. I texted her earlier in the week to ask if she would help me, and she said yes. She was excited about it because she some kind of crazy person or something (Kidding Jess! Love you!). I'm not sure she'll help me again though, and I know my brother won't be queuing up to help me any time soon. I find it hilarious when people actually realize the amount of time it takes to mark test as a teacher. With the 3 of us working together, one math test for 2 classes (about 58 copies) took us 4 episodes of the Kardashians and half an episode of some real housewives spin off. When I taught Language Arts and Social Studies, the marking took 3 times as long as it does for math! I miss those subjects sometimes, but I do not miss the hours upon hours of grading.

Little C was with his dad, so I didn't get to see him :( Never fear though, I have a picture from earlier in the week!

I don't think we're goofy enough here, lets try that again, Little C.

Ahh, that's better!

Sunday, when I should have been marking, I decided to sew. Probably not the wisest of ideas, but I only have 3 classes out of 10 to finish grading, so I figured I could take a break.

In an effort to continue adding everyday items of clothing to my closet via sewing, I tackled the Sewaholic Renfrew top.

I tackled this one using my serger for almost the whole thing! I used modal knit, which feels wonderful against the skin, but is a bit of a pain in the butt to sew with because it stretches a lot.

I may look rather unimpressed in the above picture, but keep in mind, I am not feeling well at all right now. I wore this outfit to work, and no one said anything about the shirt. That's awesome!

Why do I think it's so awesome? Because (I think) it means that this looks like an honest to God, off the rack clothing item. Inside and out.

Using the serger was pretty intimidating, but I'm glad I did it. One thing that I couldn't figure out though, was how to get the seams to line up while serging. Is there a trick, or do I have to baste it together first, then serge?

The neckline has the seam allowances zig zagged down, and I though that it looked cool, so I did it for the waist and arm cuffs as well. It gives the shirt an even more casual look, but that is sort of the point. My goal is to make things that I can wear everyday, and this shirt fits the bill.

I cut a straight size 6 with no adjustments, and I think it might be a tad big. I'm not sure if it's because it is actually too big, or if it's because I used modal, which is notorious for stretching. I want to try it in a cotton or bamboo knit to see if it make a difference before I make adjustments to the pattern.

If I had to give a piece of advice on the construction, I would say don't serge the sleeves to the shoulders. That's what I had done originally, but I found it bulky, so I sewed a regular seam and cut the serging off. It fit much better after that.

Phew. OK, time to try and get some sleep. I may be sick, but I still have work to do tomorrow.

Oh, where are the P90X updates you ask? Yeah... still struggling to get going more than 3 days a week. Suggestions? Advice? All greatly appreciated!