*Annies Ruby Slipperz

What does love look like? ...it's wonderful wednesday

2013-03-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Below is a quote that I ~~took~~ borrowed from the blog....Confessions of A Fabric Addict

"What does love look like?

It has the hands to help others.

It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.

It has eyes to see misery and want.

It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.

That is what love looks like."

You are probably wondering how this might tie into Wonderful Wednesday???

WELL...

Sarah is the wonderful lady behind Confessions of a Fabric Addict. She is also the one

behind the Friday's "Whoop Whoop" which she does with linkys to encourage us all to

get projects finished.

But, there is something that she does every year that is

EXTRA SUPER-SUPER DUPER

Wonderful!!! and that is....

There is a lot of information. So, it might be better for you to

read it straight from the source. I will tell you just a few tidbits, there are

prizes...prizes... AND MORE PRIZES!!!

Click HERE to get more info and to ~~maybe~~ sign up!!! =D

I'm partially warped!!! =P

2013-03-24T12:40:00.001-06:00

Many of you probably already understand the "warp/weft" idea from fabric/sewing/quilting.

Hold onto this idea...then, follow a beginner (me) as threads become warped so they can eventually dance and play with weft threads.

This is looking from the top...down onto my loom...an

8H Baby Wolf

And, these threads (Maysville 8/4 cotton) are going to be my warp.

(side view)

I'm soo excited (...I can't hide it!! - Pointer Sister's style). See those little loopy-ties? Each loop represents 8 single threads through the eyes of stainless steel heddles.

This is the view as I will sit in my chair to weave. Although, the loom is still not fully dressed and ready for it's weft fibers. Each of the threads still need to go through a reed

One heddle eye

I put a white paper behind so that you could see the 8 heddles in a row, threaded and

looped together.

In all, I threaded 240 threads thru those "eyes". It took about 2.5 hours. That might be slow. But, it's only my second time. First time I had someone actually helping thread. You might be thinking, YIKES! THIS looks VERY tedious. It wasn't for me. I really enjoyed the semi-relaxing, almost think-less motions of the process. I was a little sad when it was complete. That's good, right? Yep, 'cause I will be looking forward to my next threading.

However... this isn't the beginning. I had to create the warp threads from cones of thread, 240 strands of thread, each to be 5.5 yards long. The length was predetermined by how long and how many towels I'm going to make and including some waste.

I came up with a rather crazy method to get my warp threads ready. It's a bit unorthodox. You know me...I'm always looking for a way to re-invent "the wheel". Sometimes I just waste time trying to find an easier way. Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to bump into a way that works better for me than the "normal" way. =P

The three methods pictured below, all have something in common....

They use lifted arm(s), mostly (and can cause the back to feel really tired) to create the proper length and number of threads needed. It's important that each thread of the warp be the same/correct length. I see these methods, and I start to think (which is usually dangerous). After wrapping the length I need a bunch a times around the pegs, using mostly my arms and back...my arms/shoulders/back will really be complaining of aches the day after.

Now, if there was a way to use more leg, keeping my back straight and not having to lift my arm for long periods of time... that would be a lot better. I don't mind walking all that much and if they take the brunt of the work, my arms and shoulders are MUCH happier. Thought juices flow and light goes on!

...enter two saw horses from my husband's workshop and a dissected warping board.

With this method, I don't have to make as many wraps because I can space the pegs further away

from each other. And, I can walk back and forth between the pegs using a lot less arm and more leg.

If a person didn't have enough space in one room, the saw horses could be placed down a hall or (weather permitting), in the garage.

I kept the cone of thread in a bucket so that it wouldn't run all over the floor as I walked and passed the thread around each peg. One problem did surface. If I pulled the threads just a teensy taught, the saw horses slightly tipped inwards towards each other. Solution for next time - weight the legs of the saw horse down. I'm not sure with what tho. Would you have any ideas?

The important CROSS needed to help keep threads straight when they go to the loom. More info HERE

There are more steps to get the warp to where I was able to thread each thread thru a single heddle eye like the photos at the beginning of the post. Those steps are a bit blurry in my memory. Yuh...it takes ~~several~~ a bunch of times for me to learn a process with multi-steps (usually more than 3, =P!). I was concentrating while the teacher was instructing me...and I forgot to take better pictures. But, maybe next time the concentration will make a better imprint. And with photos, I can explain this area of the process more clearly.

Anyway, I'm having fun...learning to get WARPED. You're whispering under your breath..."she's been warped for quite some time now, poor thing". =P

Dare I ask for a Whoop-Whoop for a "warped" accomplishment? Are any of you, out there, weavers? or have you ever thought about learning to weave?

Fish...is it really brain food?

2013-03-23T08:39:00.001-06:00

According to many studies....

it is...

A protein source associated with a great brain boost is fish -- rich in omega 3 fatty acids, these fatty acids have some amazing benefits...

Several websites listed the following as benefits too.

*help maintain cardiovascular health by playing a role in the regulation of blood clotting and vessel constriction;

*are important for prenatal and postnatal neurological development;

*may reduce tissue inflammation and alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis;

*may play a beneficial role in cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), reducing depression and halting mental decline in older people.

The omega-3s found in fish (EPA and DHA) appear to provide the greatest health benefits. Fish that are high in omega-3s, low in environmental contaminants and eco-friendly include:

- *wild salmon from Alaska (fresh, frozen and canned),
- *Arctic char,
- *Atlantic mackerel,
- *sardines,
- *sablefish,
- *anchovies
- *farmed oysters
- *farmed rainbow trout and
- *albacore tuna from the U.S. and Canada.

Choose fish that are good for you and the ocean. At the Environmental Defense Fund website they suggest to choose fish that are good for you and the ocean. You can go to their website to check out the complete list of fish that has been eco-rated . There you will find more about contaminants such as Mercury and PCBs and get help on what to look for when buying fish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baked Fish

Serves 4

- 3 tablespoons honey

- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1 teaspoon lemon juice

- 4 (6 ounce) salmon steaks

- 1/2 teaspoon pepper

---Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl, mix honey, mustard, and lemon juice. Spread the mixture over the salmon steaks. Season with pepper. Arrange in a medium baking dish.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish easily flakes with a fork.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruby's Report

Food - I didn't go out to eat much this week. So it was much easier to monitor the bad carbs

But, there are fun munchkins (grandkids) in the house since Thursday. It could be a bit food-dangerous because I bought foods that they look forward to having when they come to visit.

Treadz - skipped yesterday to visit with munchkins and their mom. But, I did do 5 days @ 2 miles

Weight(loss?) - down 1lb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of "fish"....

I thought this is an interesting potholder.

You can find it HERE

Maybe if you don't like eating fish...

you could just try kissing one to get the benefits?

And, as long as I'm still acting fishy...

I found this cute idea HERE.

Yeah, Goldfish crackers might not actually be brain food.

But, it was such a cute idea...I wanted to share. You could

use the fishy words associated with real fish..

Okay...it's starting to smell like fish here. I better go.

How did you do this week...with healthy goals? Even if it was just

deciding to park your car further away or take stairs instead of an elevator,

you DID do SOMEthing to make life healthier for you!

Decorating for Easter and the Lucky charms....winner =)

2013-03-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've not had much time (meaning...little energy left after doing other fun things!) to decorate for Easter in real life. But, because I have a fairy that waves her wand in my fantasy blog room...it's all decorated to celebrate (thank you, Emily). Do you decorate for Easter?

Do you color Easter eggs?

Do you hide eggs for youngin's to hunt?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lucky Charms Winner....

I would like to thank all of you who took the time to share your thoughts about St Patty's day. There were some clever and creative ideas to make it a day to celebrate the "GREEN". It was hard to choose just one...but, Myra had an interestingly unique way to make special pancakes to celebrate... that I'd not heard of before. I might have to try it, just to calm my curiousity of how it might taste. =P (read her comment below)

(not Myra's pancakes...pic found in cyberspace)

Myra's comment was:
My favorite thing about St. Patrick's Day is watching my kids be all concerned about wearing green and being/or not being pinched! We also like to make green pancakes by blending spinach with the milk before mixing them up! (Shhh don't tell the kids that's how we get them to be green!)

Myra has a fun blog...you can visit her at She Taught Me To Love It

Better off red? well...it depends =)

2013-03-16T08:38:00.000-06:00

ground beef

or??

or ground turkey

I was surprised when I read the following information in one of last year's Weight Watcher Magazines:

"A 4 ounce burger made with ground turkey can have up to 17 g fat. That's 13g more than a burger made with 94% lean ground beef."..."Ground turkey can contain dark meat and skin" For leaner ground turkey make sure that it is breast meat which have only 1g per 4oz."

I really like the taste of the beef hamburgers. I usually try to buy the 94% lean ground beef. But, when making casseroles, I've just bought the package that says "lean ground turkey" and mixed with ground beef. I thought that I was making the recipe leaner. Next time, I buy ground turkey to lower fat content, I'll look for the white meat. =)

What do you use for hamburgers or ground meat casseroles?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Salisbury Steak

(yields 6 servings under 200 calories each)

Ingredients:

3/4 pound ground round

3/4 pound ground turkey breast

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 large egg whites

Cooking spray

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons Madeira wine or dry sherry

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed French onion soup (such as Campbell's)

To prepare:

Combine first 4 ingredients. Divide meat mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 6 minutes or until browned, turning after 3 minutes. Remove patties from pan; keep warm. Stir in water and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add patties. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruby's Report

Activity - 2 miles 3 days...but, other days a little over 1 mile. I kinda slacked this past week. =(
Hope I do better next week.

Food - I'm still working to stay away from "bad" carbs (sugar and other white stuff) It seems to be getting easier as time passes. Fruits and veggies are looking and tasting better too. It's still hard to not "cheat" when out to eat. If, I eat a bit of protein, like 5-10 almonds and drinks some water...that seems to lower temptations towards bad carbs. I just do SO much better when we don't go out to eat.

Weight (loss?) - down .8 (feel a bit discouraged that it's not coming off faster).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I need to read this several (hundred) times!

How are you all doing...with foods?....activities?

You encourage me...

A bit of a Whoop...?

2013-03-15T21:20:00.000-06:00

This might not qualify for a "big" Whoop-Whoop

...but, maybe a bit of one?

This was machine quilted sometime the end of January this year.

Cotton Christmas print on the front and a swirly red flannel on the back.

It hung over the upstairs rod iron banister waiting

patiently for whole month to get it's binding.

The binding was machine sewn onto the front and hand-sewn

onto the back. The quilt models my signature curved corners.

They are soo much easier than mitered ones

I'm so lucky to have a super-duper travel friend that

worked on the hand sewing of the binding while riding for many

hours in the car while I drove. It was a total of 22+ hours from

here to So Cal and back.

I will look at these cute Christmas images and the "candy" stripe

binding...with a special fondness. It will remind me of a fun trip

with a great friend!

Quilts are such a wonderful part of life...wonderful deposits in our

Memory Banks. =)

~~this post is linked up at

Confessions Of A Fabric Addict

and

Crazy Mom Quilts

Psssst....don't foget about the Lucky Charms giveaway. Check out here

Would you want some LUCKY charms? (giveaway)

2013-03-14T09:09:00.001-06:00

...No...I'm not talking cereal...=)

I'm talking charm packs..

Three of them!!

...from Crazy Quilt Girl's fabric shop.

I love all of these Moda lines!

Let's celebrate St. Patrick's day with

a "Lucky Charm 3-Pack" giveaway

You can choose 3 different ones or 3 of the same. It's up to YOU!!!

AND...the shipping will be free too!!

To enter to win*

1) please leave a comment with what is your favorite thing about St. Patricks's day and/or what do you do to celebrate? (*must be a follower to win)

Entries will close Monday (March 18th) at midnight mountain daylight savings time.

A very kind gift...

2013-03-12T21:07:00.001-06:00

I came home after a busy day and in my mailbox there was squishy envelope addressed to me. I hadn't ordered anything recently. Could it be from a friend? I kind of recognized the first name. I didn't recognize the address. My birthday passed several months ago...so what could it be?

What a pleasant surprise! It's a pretty pieced and quilted

...small quilt.

There was a really cool letter "A" rubber stamp

along with yummy M & Ms.

Thank YOU for a very kind gift, Sunny!

You can visit her in blogland at

Quilting Dreams

================

It's getting close to St Patrick's Day! There might be some

"lucky charms" coming this way!

Can you guess what kind of lucky-ness could be coming??

MIB...and a question

2013-03-09T10:19:00.001-07:00

M. I. B.

Yeah...that stands for Missing In Blogland.

I'm sorry for not doing the regular "scheduled" posts. It's just that there

has been soo many thing going on. And, along with some clowning around,

here has been soo little time to visit Blogland or write posts.

I will try to do some catching up next week.

==========================

With regards to On My Weigh -

I've not checked in for the last couple of Saturdays. But, I am still on my quest to eat healthier and get a few more pounds off. There's been a lot of travel the last while, and it's been hard sticking to the treadmill (2 miles walking/6 days a week). It seems so difficult to get routine exercise in, for me, while traveling - especially when there are lots of hours of driving.

With foods, I've been fairly good. I'm really eating less carbs and eating more protein. I am eating more fruits and vegetables. This part wasn't too hard while traveling. And, even with a bit of cheating here and there...I've lost 1lb.

=========================

Thanks to all of you who have been soo patient with my MIB!

Now, for a question:

Is anyone else having a hard time keeping the Follower Gadget

"alive" on their sidebar? It seems when I refresh...it shows for a few

seconds and then...POOF! it's disappeared again. I don't know what to do???

Anyone out there know what I could to to fix it?

Visiting Washington...and bringing a bit back home

2013-02-24T21:14:00.002-07:00

I left for Washington state a week ago last Wednesday. I was half time visiting with our Son, his wife and three cute daughters. The other half of the time, I was playing at the Madrona Fiber Festival.

Lunch one day at the Hotel Murano with newly made friends.

Woolgatherings...beautiful hand dyed fibers.

On my last day to the festival, the older grandgirl came with me.

She chose her thread, wrapped a weaving stick

...and wove a few inches of weft.

And, here is Emma modeling a fun hat knitted with pencil roving.

My stay in Washington lasted about 5 days. Then, we...the two older grandgirls (7 & 10) and I, flew back to Utah.

It's truly is one of my favorite things, to play with grandkids...when their parents aren't around. I get to enjoy myself - with great company AND while eating over-buttered popcorn and watching chipmunks sing n'dance. I can read books with crazy changing voices and the grandkids seem to have as much fun listening as I am reading.

We went shopping for some pretty dresses.

The two girls enjoyed some uninterrupted lego time. Normally, they

would be hindered by their 2 year little sister. They do love her.

But, it's also nice to have to creative play just the two older ones.

A cute pose on a big toad. We visited the

Living Planet Aquarium and had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes

Sunday afternoon...quickly turned to Friday morning and it was time for

the grandgirls to go back home to Washington.

aaaw...do I have to

act like an adult now that the grandkids are gone???

On My Weigh...where I left off

2013-02-23T08:44:00.002-07:00

It's almost the end of February. Are motivations to eat healthier, move more...becoming weaker?
Are new year's resolutions/goals looking dimmer? My health goals can get blurry occasionally. =(

It's OK to miss a workout once in a while says fitness expert Tony Horton You can’t control everything,

so why beat yourself up about a missed workout or diet slip up?

“It doesn't erase all of the hard work you've accomplished up until now, or mean that you have to start over,” says Horton, “just pick up where you left off when you were able to”.

My week in the Tacoma, Washington area...was a bit of a set-back for me. I had packed my treadmill clothes/shoes. But, there was no treadmill where I stayed. It was a bit too cold and sometimes too wet to go outside in the early mornings to walk. So for for 5 days, I didn't do any miles. I felt bad for not keeping my routine. But, when I got home this last week... I started on Monday where I had left off the Tuesday week before. Do you ever get discouraged and feel that it's just to hard to get back into the routine? Sometimes, for me, it seems really easy to not push myself back into the routine.

====================

- Healthy Food Idea -

Baked Fish and Vegetables Aegean Style (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, to buy the book click here)
Serves 2

2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces red snapper (or similar white fish like grouper or tilapia)
1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch circles or julienned into strips
3 baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a medium-size casserole with a lid. Place the fish in a single layer on the bottom, sprinkle the garlic, salt, and pepper over, and place the onion, pepper, zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes evenly over and around. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper, and drizzle the white wine over all.

2. Cover and bake in the oven, occasionally stirring the vegetables to cook evenly, being careful not to break apart the fish, until the vegetables are tender and the fish is cooked through, about 1 hour.

======================

Ruby's Report

Food - While out of town, I made efforts to curb the bad carbs. I ate lots of salads and fruits.

Exercise - In 12 days of what I "should've" done...I did 7 days of at least 2 miles or more.

Weight(loss?) - I gained 1.2 =(

=================

...if I just get back up and keep trying.

===================

This definition sure explains a LOT!!!

Wonderful Wednesday...I'm in Washington state =)

2013-02-13T12:28:00.001-07:00

I just landed at Sea-Tac airport about an hour ago.

I'm now in an office/conference room where our son works...he picked me up at the airport. The beautiful grey skies that so typically hover over the PNW...welcomed me. I LOVE rain! So, I'm hoping that I get to enjoy some along with the great smell of the "BUH-zillion" trees.

It's wonderful to be able to spend time with our son, daughter-in-law and their 3 girls (2, 7, 10). It's also going to be wonderful to go to the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival!

The Fiber Festival is located in Tacoma, Washington at the

Hotel Murano.

The retail booths are located in the hotel's lobby.

I'm thinking that this could possibly be a dangerous weekend for me. I'm going to have to make efforts to get in my walking, eat healthy (with considerable yummy stuff tempting regularly). And, I will need to keep the padlock on my wallet too. =P

May the force be with me!!!

I will post more later....

The weekend went fast...a bit of a recap

2013-02-11T19:56:00.001-07:00

Friday was busy with errands, one of which was to go to a real estate office to get some copies of escrow documents for a longtime friend. Her and her husband recently bought a second house that is a rental. But, there were so many mishaps and she was being bullied around by the previous owner's

management company. This is her first experience with buying an existing rental property. The seller's agent, her agent, the title company...all dropped the ball with regards to information on paperwork securing the rights of a new owner as a landlord. The management company totally refused to give the deposits that were given to them by the tenants. And, on top of that they spoke rudely as they informed my friend that they were washing their hands of the agreement with the current tenants, that they had no obligations to do anything with a new owner. It infuriates me when people see someone vulnerable, they just turn their face and hurry away or they directly take advantage. This was happening to my friend and I had to help. So, my husband and I spent several hours on Thursday evening looking over the documents my friend received. We noticed that many things had gone wrong along the way...and it had started even before escrow was closed and money transferred. We have bought and sold rental properties over the years, and we know certain things that should be included in an offer and on closing documents. My friend didn't. (You would think that between TWO real estate agents and a Title Company that there would have been SOME knowledge of how things should be done??) So, we decided to help her out and talk with people to get something going on her behalf. We wanted to make sure she got the monies due her from the unscrupulous Management Company. We also wanted to make sure that she had a legal document between her and the those renting the property that she now owned. Husband and I did get a chance to have a nice lunch out, after the errands. =)
Update: I found out this evening, that all things with the rental problem, have been resolved. =)

Saturday I went the Knittin Pretty. yarn shop. I met a friend there about noon and we worked on our projects while chatting with the owners and other ladies that dropped in. I had a pair of socks that I had been working on ( pre-Sweet Tomato Heel). The old-traditional heel had gotten me stuck and so I thought that being at a knit store could be advantageous to getting over the "mid-evil" (mis-spell intended) way of doing sock heels. I was right!! I got the boost I needed and now the socks are well on their way to being completed...

It started to snow big flakes outside the knitting store window. It was about 3pm by then and outside it was getting cold fast. The friend that met me there had offered to take me home. Where I live has several roads that are steep hills and when it snows it can be VERY slippery. My husband was going to be gone until about 10pm. He and our daughter were going to watch the U of U gymnastic meet. My friend and I had planned to go get a bite to eat after the knit shop. Then she was going to come my house for awhile to get me started on a pair of knit-felted slippers. Those plans were quickly, sadly smashed by the looks of the weather. I didn't want her to drive home in bad weather and icy roads, especially when it was dark. She drove me home while it was still daylight. I hung out in the evening and did some spinning. It was relaxing...but, not as much fun as it would've been had my friend been able to stay.

Sunday came and reading a book (Pillars of the Earth) just started absorbing the morning hours. Late morning brought on a bad tummy ache. Something I ate, did NOT want to stay with me and it was loudly/painfully complaining. So glad that I was able to stay home, in my PJs and deal with it. I did do a bit more spinning, and some reading too...between visits to the "powder room". I did get to feeling better by late afternoon. We ended up watching some of the Grammy Awards and I did a bit more knitting on my (old tradition heel) socks.

Just need to decrease to make the toe...

Sweet Tomato Heel - blue one on the right

~~"Mid-evil"~~ traditional sock heel on the right..

Which do you think would fit a "normal" foot better?

The "pink" sock heel on the right is the same as the lavender one in the above pictures, eee-GADZ, how can it change so much with a bit different lighting?? Oh well, the real point with this picture is to show the difference between these two ways to knit a sock heel. The one on the right is a buhzillion times easier to knit too! =) Can you tell that I'm sold on it?

Boy...the weekend went fast! And, now it's almost Tuesday!

How was your weekend? Did you have time to rest or relax...or do anything fun?

On My Weigh...Daily Mile

2013-02-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

You might have already noticed the Daily Mile Widget

on the my right sidebar...a bit lower down.

I really like being able to log in my daily exercise thru

Daily Mile.

There are lots of way to interact with others. You can start your own group and maybe set challenges. There is a way to have your friends leave comments and encouragement on your exercising within Daily Mile. It's really motivating for me to be able to look back and see where I've improved. The Daily Mile keeps track and creates charts for you so that you can evaluate where to make changes for the better. Also, there are apps for different smartphones. You can be anywhere and log your exercise/workout onto the phone app and it will update on the website. =)

I would be great if any of you would want to join me there. We could encourage each other. Do you already have a way to keep track of progress, either with eating better or moving more? I'd love to hear your ideas. =)

============================

Food Ideas

Citrus-Kissed Roasted Asparagus (as written in First Magazine Jan2013)

2 lbs asparagus

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

2 tsp coconut oil, melted

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 lemon, zested and juiced

----heat oven to 400 degrees.

----on baking sheet, toss asparagus and tomatoes with coconut oil

arrange in single layer, placing tomatoes cut side down.

----season with salt and pepper.

----Bake 15 min or until asparagus is tender

----Drizzle with balsamic, vinegar and 1 Tbs lemon juice.

----Sprinkle with 1 tsp lemon zest, toss gently to coat

================================

Ruby's Report

Food - did good with veggies/fruit and proteins. wasn't as good with water. will work

on more water this week. eating out is my worst enemy. i've got to get a better

handle on this! =(

Exercise - finally....I've done 2 mi for 6 days this week. Goal next week: to make sure

I still do the 2 mi/6days. This is going to be a bit difficult. I will be staying at

someones house for 4 days - no gym, no treadmill and very possible rainy weather.

Weight(loss?) - nothing gained...but, nothing lost

========================================

How did your week go? Maybe you did something good and/or different

that you could share with us? Even if it was one small thing...

it's important! But, even if you didn't...there is still time to make

a difference...

New fun Knit book

2013-02-08T09:06:00.001-07:00

This is a really fun book that runs the "gammet" of yarn types

and how various yarn fibers will act in your knitting projects.

I love this saying...but, I would tweek it just a bit.

"So many fibers...so little time". The book does describe

the properties of several other fibers, including pictures

and info about the sources of the fibers...i.e animal or plant.

There's sections in the book where you get to "meet" several "whose-whos"

of the yarn and knit world. You read about what things inspire them and

what are their favorite things to create.

One of the chapters...reads "Know-How". And, some advice given here

is "Try to learn a new trick every month.".

The Chapters are spelled out with yarn...kind a cool!

This picture is a bit blurry...but, I wanted to show how some of the

pages are set up. They use lots of close-up photos with tags and

very good descriptions/instructions.

The is mainly about different types of yarns and how they work

within the realm of knitting. But, there is a couple of fun

chapters about spinning, weaving and dying.

I think this is a great book...great visuals, great information,

well written instructions. You can read bits and pieces randomly as

they interest you...or, you can read through chunks from beginning

to end. I also think this is a good book for beginners as well as

those who are accomplished knitters. =)

What are some of your favorite knitting books?

Wonderful Wednesday...Annie Clark

2013-02-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, there is an individual who experiences a major hardship or life-altering change who manages to quiet a lot of our own complaints about life..
Annie Clark is just one of those people.

Annie Clark is a first grader from Pennsylvania...But, not just any first grader. She recently won a trophy and $1,000 in a penmanship competition. You might be surprised to learn that Annie Clark's award is even particularly impressive considering she doesn't have hands.

The incredible 7-year-old writes by lodging a pencil between her arms. When she’s not winning awards in penmanship, Annie enjoys painting and coloring. She is incredibly independent and needs no assistance getting dressed, eating, or using her computer

What a cute little girl! I hope that she continues to pursue her dreams!

a bit of mischief and a Valentine winner

2013-02-05T15:34:00.002-07:00

Monday, there were a few of us ladies who got together for

a Cluck n Handwork session.

(you know...like how the hens talk? cluck, cluck, cluck?)

We met at a very nice, well-lit area in a local mall's foodcourt.

On the way home - and, this was totally ALL one of my friend's idea -

(if you believe it was ALL her idea...maybe I can sell you part of the Wasatch mountains?)

we stopped at a quilt store...just to take a look. Yes, we agreed!,

JUST TO TAKE A LOOK!

Is it possible to just *look* in a fabric store and not buy ANYthing?

I saw these beautiful blues all packed nicely into a kit

aaaaah....ooooo...sigh. Yeah, but, I'm just looking.

Then, they started whimpering...crying to come home with me.

My soft heart felt so sorry for them and I ~~reluctantly~~ happily said...

~~okay~~ YES.

I Love this pattern in the kit too.

It is a free download at Timeless Treasures.

The fabric line and the download are both called

Charlotte.

==~~~~==~~~==~~~==~~~==~~~==

The Valentine's Day

machine embroidered block

winner

is.... #39

Tangos Treasures

(you can visit her blog HERE)

Thank you to all of you, followers who stopped by to visit, comment and enter the drawing!

A new kid on the block

2013-02-03T16:44:00.003-07:00

Friday started quite nicely. I went to get my hair done. I really like going because I get to chat with one of the nicest young girls! And, it's oh-so relaxing to have someone else wash and blow dry my hair. =)

I was done about 12:30 so I was off to meet a good friend at a new local yarn shop.

This "new kid on the block"...is a REALLY fun place to visit. It's bright and cheery inside

with fun decor and whimsical ways to display stuff.

It's called Knittin' Pretty.

They are located in West Jordan, Utah

I wish I would've taken a picture from the outside. But, it's sooo much cuter

on the inside anyway!

This is the right side of the store when you walk in the front door. You can see the table and chairs in the forefront, good for sitting down to do handwork and visiting. Aren't the bicycles on the top cute filled with the baskets of goodies?

This is an up close view of part of the right side, lots of fun needlework "toys".

There's a back area with lots more fiber-eee goodies. They have some fiber for

spinning that is hand-dyed. This is side (1) of the back area.

This is a partial picture of side (2) opposite of side one.

Aaaaah, look at all the colors!

Uh...OH...they better keep an EYE on me when I'm in the back room.

I better not tell the owners how much I love frogs. It's a possibility

that these cute frogs might want to "escape" to live at my house!??

Left side partial view. There's a nice bookshelf with a good collection

of fiber-related books. I LOVE books!

purchased this one...

I quite excited about ~~several~~ most of the projects in the book,

starting with the pretty scarf on the cover (above)

I was thinking this could be pretty in brown and taupe

...and even with a few beads and/or little sparkly things here and there.

This elegant/light vest could be soo pretty over-top a short

(maybe puffed) sleeve blouse.

...or, maybe over a pretty summer princess style dress?

One of the cool things about this book is that the patterns are

listed in category order based by amount of yarn needed to complete the project.

And, besides the written pattern, there are diagrams. I'm soo much better

understanding diagrams than the actual pattern. Do you every use diagrams?

I dunno if I like the color of this vest. But, I like the style. I think it could

be pretty in a yarn with a bit more drape too. Color? ...maybe navy? or teal?

What do you think?

There are sooo many other cute projects in this book! A couple of felted things, some

crochet hand puppets, a crochet wrist bracelet with a few beads, a darling purse,crochet

socks, wrist warmers...and many more.

Of course, I'm dreaming to think that I will make all (or even half) of them. But, books

can be good for dreaming, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please, don't forget to enter the drawing for the Valentine

machine embroidered block. It ends tonight.

Click HERE for details and to enter

On My Weigh 2.2.13

2013-02-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's written that San Fen Chang was the one who started the original form of Tai Chi some time in the late 1200's or early 1300s. But, "modern" Tai Chi, a form that many people are more familiar with, actually began about 400 years ago.
As it has been passed down thru different schools of instruction, the form gradually changed from what might be "fighting" movements, to one with almost no jumps and kicks.

- that famously flowing series of stretches and poses - concluded that it is generally effective at controlling pain and improving physical function. You can check out a youtube video with some good information here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvN8oawFlXI

In an article in Science Daily (click HERE for more info), doing Tai Chi had many of the same benefits as other more strenous exercise, even though it's movements are slow. Studies have proven that it can greatly improve balance and stability in every day life. It's also been shown to help with arthritis. Other benefits include reduced stress, anxiety and depression.

Have you ever tried Tai Chi? I haven't tried it. But, after researching info, it looks pretty interesting. I'm thinking it could be great exercise even if one doesn't have arthritis. What do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Food Ideas - quick snacks

Combining healthy slow burning carbs with protien will be good "hold-overs"

until the "real" meal is available

Do you have some ideas for fruit/protein or other healthy "on-the-go" snacks? If you are going to be out doing errands for several hours, what do you when you get hungry??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruby Report

Food - pretty good, no sugar stuff, but should eat more fruits and veggies. I plan to work on this for next week.

Exercise - I improved this week with number of miles per day. 5 days/2mi and only one day @ 1.77. I'm working also to get my incline up from 3.0.

Weight(loss?) - dwn 1lb :)
================

Don't let negative self-talk keep you down. One baby step forward is better than nothing :)

Let us know about *ANY* success you made this week to be healthier. We can give you loving encouragement :)

A friendly-fiber "Outlaw" retreat

2013-01-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

On January 17th, I left my home about 9am to embark on a weekend like I've never had before. I talked myself out of going at least 100 times in the previous weeks. The weather around my home was in the teens during midday for the past week. Where I was going was going to be even colder. I was sure (almost) that it would be lots of fun, even if it was a bit of a drive to get to the destination AND, that I ~~had~~ wanted to pack up and load into my car a great DEAL of ~~crap~~ stuff - to make it more comfortable and more fun. I'm the kind of person that says, "YES"to a party a few seconds after I discover the information. Then, after a few days, I start to think about all the negatives...talking myself into how it might be more work than fun. Do you ever do that? Or am I just weird??? (don't answer yes to the weird part so fast!)

There were 3 of us in car and (almost) enough stuff for an entire Boy Scout Troup! But, it was ALL ~~necessary~~ important (sorta). After a windy and bit icy, 2 1/2 hour drive we arrived at the fairly small college campus. We found the building where we were to "camp". It was a clean, carpeted, large multipurpose room with full service kitchen attached. We were quite glad to find a VERY nice male college student who happily asked if we needed any help to take our stuff from the car and into the multipurpose room. We happily replied, "Oh, yes...thank you". Several trips in the literally freezing temps and it was all in.

In hindsight, I am so very-VERY glad that I talked my "not-so-sure" self into taking advantage of this wonderful weekend of relaxing, fiber-licious fun! Below are some pictures of the "way it was" =D

Julie and Danielle are dragging out the racks of folding chairs to use as dividers. We divided the room, one side for sleeping and the other side for chatting, watching movies and our fiber antics.

Utah State University...a branch in Roosevelt, Utah

There's my white blow up mattress, all dressed up to be comfy =)

An overhead view or the "bedroom area"

Here is the wonderful kitchen, dishwasher, stove, microwave, all the perks of home!

Oh...no puppies were aloud. But, I nabbed the chance to hold this sweetness until his new (human) mom arrived to take him home.

The was the 2-table long/2-table wide set up FULL of prizes for the regular drawing!!! Everyone that came to the retreat was to bring at least 6 gift items for the table.

There were soooo many fun things it was really hard to choose when my name was drawn.

Oh! and here is just the start of the goodies/muchies counter. By the time everyone arrived, there were twice as many "dangerous" foods =P.

The circle of friends and fiber fun

There were many different kinds of spinning wheels.

Some ladies were spinning and some were knitting too.

The long knitted item on the floor was a combination of rows that were knitted by different people and then attached together. This is only about half (or less) of the finished length. It was part of a "yarn bombing" in a nearby city a few days later. It became a 58 foot-long scarf for a huge pink dinosaur. (Click HERE to see pictures of the Dino and read more about the yarn bombing)

This yummy fiber is called "Confetti". I bought it from one of the merchants that

was there to sell her luscious wares. (Dangerous for the wallet)

50% soft Merino wool and 50% tussah silk

A bit of it spun onto my Pocket Wheel.

Here is one strand of what will eventually be a 3-ply yarn. I am planning to do 2 thin strands and one thicker one. The plan is to create a chunky textured yarn for a fun neck warmer.

We stayed up late...got up early. We had good food, lots of funny and friendly conversations. We watched a couple of good movies in the two evenings while relaxing in our PJs. We made new friends and won fun prizes. It was a great experience that I'm sooo glad I had the opportunity to enjoy. (...and, to think I almost talked myself into not going).

Saturday morning we took down, packed up, had a late breakfast and headed for home about 1:30. I have to admit it took this old body of mine a few days to recuperate. But, it was worth any inconveniences that it might of cost for all of the pleasant memories deposited in my memory bank.

Thanks to the Fiber Outlaws Spinning group who organized the wonderful events of the weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Don't forget about the giveaway! click HERE for more info, ends 2.3.13

Wonderful Wednesday

2013-01-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Below is a *wonderful* story I found in the Parade section of our Sunday (1.27.13) newspaper -

The Power of "Thank You"

A Gathering Of The Troops - Brad Meltzer (in black) visiting with troops stationed in Kuwait last October

A note from a service member sent this author on a journey that taught him one of life's most important lessons.

Shortly after 9/11, I got an email from a sailor stationed on a submarine. He had found one of my novels on the boat and was writing to say thank you for entertaining him.

The note struck me. If a novel could help take a service member's mind off things, I wanted to send many more books overseas. I called my publisher to see if we could make a donation to the USO.

"Sure," she replied, and we shipped off 10,000 thrillers. It was so easy, I called another publisher, and another. All in all, the USO delivered 40,000 books to troops. Fast-forward 11 years: I was on a USO tour with other authors last fall. We planned to visit eight bases in 10 days. About halfway through the trip, we were sharing stories with some soldiers in a briefing room when a dark-haired captain from Albuquerque turned to me and said, "I want to thank you for donating all those books."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I'd hardly told anyone about the donations.

The captain explained that 10 years ago, he'd found stacks of my novels in a makeshift library. I almost fell out of my chair. I had traveled there to "repay" the thanks from the sailor on the submarine. But here was this captain thanking me. For the next few hours, we hung out and played pool, marveling at one undeniable fact: There's nothing like the power of "thanks."

When I got home, I decided to track down the sailor from the submarine. I called him and tried to express how his note had touched me, but he seemed quiet, so I asked if he was okay. After a long pause, he told me that he'd lost his mother to breast cancer a few days earlier.

As the blood seeped from my face, I told him that my mother had recently died of breast cancer, too. Right then, I understood the real reason I was talking to him. "I think I'm supposed to give you a message," I said, my voice cracking. With that, I shared the most helpful piece of advice I'd received in the weeks after my mom passed: Our mothers never leave us. Ever.

I could hear him crying quietly on the other end of the line. More than a decade ago, this man's note had put me on a path that led me halfway around the world; later, it brought me back to him at the very moment he was in need. Sometimes we feel alone in the universe. But sometimes it is clear that we are profoundly connected.

---It's wonderful how a "thank you" came around full circle. =)

A Valentine giveaway =)

2013-01-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to do a Valentine's day - which is in 16 days! As, I mentioned before, I think that Valentines Day is more than just for sweethearts. It's a day when we can give thanks and show our love for our friends and family members. The best way for me to say THANK YOU...to all my blogland friends, is to do giveaways...so

HERE is one for Valentine's Day!

It's a Machine embroidered piece with a tiny pink polka-dot piping.

The border is a fun new Valentine fabric from a Henry Glass collection called,

"Sending My Love"

It was done on my 830LE Bernina

I used the Jumbo hoop so I only had to hoop once.

Isacord thread of several colors, including variegated

It's not finished with a back. This is so you can decide how you

would like to finish. You might want to make it into a pillow, a

wallhanging, or possibly in the center of a table topper.

To be entered to win*:

1) please, leave a comment on what fun things you like to do for Valentine's Day

*must be a follower to win

Entries will be closed on Sunday February 3rd, midnight/mountain time.

On My Weigh 1.26.13

2013-01-26T15:10:00.001-07:00

I really goofed up the On My Weigh post for this week. UGH! Okay...so, early this morning, I went in to the draft posts and worked with one of the posts that I had already written. One that was supposed to go up last Saturday (the 19th). I was making additions, spiffying it all up! I was writing in all of the Ruby's report for the last two weeks, since my internet was down last weekend. And, I was out of town and off the internet for several days before that. Then...when I tried to "publish" it, it wasn't uploading???

What? How come? Is blogger being all stupid again? What the heck??

Then....

No way! That was ME who did it???

The post went up "on time" just as I had set it to do...and forgot. O shoot and darn it all. So all the leetle additions I put in the post are now posted in PAST tense!

"WAY...TO...GO!...miss smarty-pants!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(The information below was copied and pasted from last week's *updated* post.)

Ruby's Report (2 weeks)

Food - (1) I wasn't a good as I could've been with food choices when I went the retreat, a weekend ago. There were LOTS of fun/sweet/fattening munchies setting out at all times. I did turn down things, only having minimal treats. But, I still want to try better in the face of food temptations next time I'm faced with the goodies.

(2) This (current) last week I was much better. But, I was in my routine and

there weren't any real temptations.

Exercise - (1) I did have the opportunity to use a treadmill a the retreat I went to (the previous weekend I did both mornings - 1.6 and 1.2. It helped that I took my walking shoes to motivate me. I also had a book to read while on the treadmill.

-(2) This past week I did get on every day at least 1.5 miles. A few days were 2 miles. I'm still trying to get back to 2 miles/6 days a week. I was there before. I can do it again (at least that's what I'm telling myself!)

Weight (loss?) - I gained 1lb after the retreat. But, this week I am down 1.2

How have things been going for you? =) I would LUV to hear your comments. It's always encouraging to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Book (fiction) review and donkey ears

2013-01-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's the first book that I've read on my iPhone. I was adamantly opposed to reading anything that wasn't an actual paper-pages, hold-in-your-hand book for quite a few years.

(You can probably see me wearing these?...and, them fitting on me quite nicely =P)

Well, reading a book on my phone was really quite nice. I adjusted the size of font and the brightness of the back light several times. I eventually found certain adjustments that felt to me just like a "real" book page. It was always with me, so that I could read a few pages on a moment's notice.

I really liked the book. It was fast easy reading and I didn't get bored. The story line was a bit along the lines of the fairytale Cinderella...which the title kind of eludes to. It's a futuristic fairly tale, though. There are "hovers" that move in the air, instead of cars on roads. But, there is a palace, kings, queens, etc as well as cyborgs (half machine/half human) and Lunars (human-like creatures that live on the Moon). And...Cinder is actually a Cyborg.

I felt the author writes in a way that is fun and descriptively realistic. If I were to rate the book for readers it would be PG and probably middle or high school readers up through adults. I would give it an overall rating of 3.5 stars. The sequel to Cinder is due out the first part of February 2013. It's called Scarlet.

I would love to hear any of your comments, if you've read this book, (good, bad or in between). Or if you are or have read some good books lately? I'm always looking to put books on my "to-read" list.

a closed window

2013-01-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

I know there are so many other more important things happening in the world. There are definitely more tragedies...than in my small corner of the world where the internet was down for almost 3 full days.

And, I do have lots of other things I can do when the internet goes down.

I feel a bit lost without the ability to ~~shop for~~ look up stuff on the internet!

AND...

for me, the internet is kind of a "window" to the world. When the internet is down

...it's like a BIG "window" is closed.

It's quite interesting how much I take the internet for granted. I've thought many times that I could

go without a clothes dryer, a dishwasher, a microwave and quite a few other things before I would want to give up access to internet and my laptop. =)

What about you? How big of a roll does the internet play in your life? What are your thoughts, when the internet goes down either at home or at work?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Martin Luther King day comes to a close, I've been reminded of how hurtful prejudice can be. I need to make even stronger efforts to be aware of prejudices in my own thinking. I like to think of this day as a day to remember how there are many diverse people in the world with many different religions and customs. They might think differently than me, I might not agree with the way they choose to live. But, I need to be careful not to think my way is the *better* way for all. =)

*Annies Ruby Slipperz

What does love look like? ...it's wonderful wednesday

I'm partially warped!!! =P

Fish...is it really brain food?

Decorating for Easter and the Lucky charms....winner =)

Better off red? well...it depends =)

A bit of a Whoop...?

Would you want some *LUCKY* charms? (giveaway)

A very kind gift...

MIB...and a question

Visiting Washington...and bringing a bit back home

On My Weigh...where I left off

Wonderful Wednesday...I'm in Washington state =)

The weekend went fast...a bit of a recap

On My Weigh...Daily Mile

New fun Knit book

Wonderful Wednesday...Annie Clark

a bit of mischief and a Valentine winner

A new kid on the block

On My Weigh 2.2.13

A friendly-fiber "Outlaw" retreat

Wonderful Wednesday

A Valentine giveaway =)

On My Weigh 1.26.13

Book (fiction) review and donkey ears

a closed window

Would you want some LUCKY charms? (giveaway)