5 Down, 30 To Go

The three pounds of the original 5 lost that came back were gone this morning when I stepped on the scale. Giving up all that flour and sugar should be good for something! No one has said anything and my clothes still fit the same, but I do feel better, even though I can tell I am fighting some kind of bug. I think the bug-fighting has more to do with the fact that I have been going gang-busters for the past two weeks without rest.

I worked a full week before Easter, then put in a 12-hour day preparing for Easter Sunday down in the Children's Ministry on Saturday. On Easter Sunday, I was all up-and-bouncy in my role as 5-6 grade Sunday School Lady. I'm really glad that I don't have to be like the church lady from the old Dana Carvey SNL skits. I get to be me. No clucking and finger wagging here. We had a great service, but when it was over, I was ready to crash. Instead we headed out to my friend's mom's house for Easter dinner. She had gone to all this trouble and even made up Easter baskets for the kids but it was a 45 minute drive to their house. I sucked it up and headed out there and have pretty much been jello-brained ever since.

Monday and Tuesday Emi was sick and I tried out working from home. I have a job that is 90% on the computer, so I can work from home. This was one of the reasons it was so appealing to me. But working from home is no picnic. I feel truly obligated to put in that 8-hour day but there are so many interruptions. Both nights I finished my work at 11 pm. The upside was that my kids didn't have to go to afterschool care and I got to make them nice homemade dinners. Plus, I got some serious errand-running done.

Wednesday through Friday were regular work days. On Friday night Emi had a sleep-over, then on Saturday little 5 year old Elise came over to play with Emi and her friend Manon. Then it was on to a birthday party where I was wrangled in to being the face-painting lady. It would have been very fun but the face-paints were those oil-based gloppy kind and were hard to manage. I was so tuckered out by the time that was over, I fell asleep while Emi and I were enjoying movie rental night together. I think today was a good recovery day. I fell alsleep on the couch for a good hour and I must had got 10 hours of sleep last night. Perhaps by tomorrow I'll be ready to face a new day.

And of course through it all there has been knitting and all the work it takes to procrastinate on housework.

I have managed to stick to the diet very well. You would think there would be a higher weight loss payoff for so steadfastly avoiding such temptations as birthday cake, ice-cream, all the Easter candy, the after Easter-service spread that included these incredible looking frosted cupcakes, lemon squares, pastry squares, chocolate goodies and croissant sandwiches to name a few. Then there were the Easter dinner rolls, pizza, naan (Indian flat bread, my faaaaavorite), donuts at work, cookies after meetings, let me tell you the temptations are everywhere!

The good news is that I have not gone hungry and although I occasionally crave sweets, this really feels healthy and livable. Headaches are now officially gone. It took two weeks.

which is which?

This is Emi and her buddy Manon. They met last year at school. This year they are in the same class. The teacher has a hard time telling them apart and will often mix them up. Especially when they dress the same! They have fun fooling people. Manon had a sleep over last night and I thought the girls looked so cute in their little Hello Kitty pjs.

Here is something I am whipping out for the school auction. Kai's class is assembling a travel suitcase with all kinds of cute travel items. I thought I'd contribute an eye pillow. It is a basic cylinder with my now-favorite cast-on for a closed tube (think sock toes, glasses cases, hey, maybe even a hat!). I plan to take a knee high (don't worry, a never-been-used one) and lightly pack it with flax seed and lavendar buds. Then I will cut and sew it to a length that fits in the pillow, then I will kitchener the pillow closed. Voila! Eye pillow! I actually am loving this yarn. It is Lion Brand Incredible in the colorway Autumn Leaves. I loved it so much I picked up 10 balls of it at Michael's. I had to. They were $2.00 each. Don't ask me about knitting from my stash. Anyway, I have visions of a simple bell-sleeved cardigan. Loose stitches. Maybe even drop-stitch. Like one of those 'sixties crocheted vests but with stockinette sleeves. I even like the idea of the crochet-chain tie at the bust. We'll see.

By the way, maybe you're wondering how my diet is going. I no longer eat sugar or flour. It has been over two weeks. Why oh, why is the scale creeping up? I lost 5 lbs. right away. After horrible withdrawals, mondo headaches and just a general yuckiness-feeling, I have crept back up three lbs. I am sure I am eating less. I am not eating absent-mindedly. I am not stuffing myself. Go figure. I think I may not be eating enough vegies. I'm doing fine with fruit. Maybe too many nuts? But I guess I need to concentrate more on vegies. Is this a balance thing? The book didn't make it seem like it was. But it would be pretty depressing to cut all the joy out of eating only to gain more weight, let me tell you.

This Is Definitely More Than Detoxing

Last week I decided to undertake a new diet. The diet is actually more of a change in how I've decided to eat from here on in. After hearing from my Internet pal Julie that she lost 36 lbs (!) by eating this way, I was convinced to try it. Basically, she cut all added sugar and flour products from her diet. Period. I did a mental tally. My favorite foods almost all include sugar or flour of some sort. I love bread, especially thick, crusty ciabattas, pasta, cookies, candy, cakes, muffins, bagels and pastries. The "diet" does allow potatoes, rice, corn, meat, fruit and of course, veggies. Hey, if nothing else, even if I didn't lose an ounce, I figured I'd get this sugar monkey off my back once and for all. The diet is outlined in a book called Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet. (Thanks, Julie! She sent me a copy of the book!) Basically, it is so simple, you really don't need the book. You look at labels and avoid anything with added sugar or flour of any kind. More difficult in some ways than you might think. Easier if you live near a Trader Joe's.

Within the first two days, I lost 5 lbs. So I decided to stick with it. I have been eating with such unbridled lack of self-control for so many years that I felt spacy, strange and disoriented the first few days. I have had a dull, throbbing headache for most of the remainder of the past week, but you also have to remember, I was hit broadside with some devastating personal news, so I can't really tell which is detox and which is shell-shock.

Yesterday at work, I just could not concentrate. It felt like more than just "not wanting to work." I just could not seem to focus. I was hungry but could not get full, craving sugar and just generally frustrated and uneasy. This morning, as usual, my alarm went off at 6:30. I could not get up. At 8:00, I realized that I better call my supervisor at work. I called in sick, even though I could not explain my symptoms,other than a headache and general malaise, rolled over and fell asleep. The next time I looked at the clock, it was noon!

Now I am up, still in my pajamas and it is 1:30 pm. The kids are with Kevin until tomorrow, so I am going to take this day to catch up on housework, blogging, and just generally putter. I just wish this throbbing headache would go away. I really think that the malaise is actually not related to the diet. Besides the wicked headache, I have felt more energetic, lighter and well, just better.

Here's some knitting content:

I decided that the impending cruise was the best reason I could think of to finally get my needles organized. As if on cue, Clara from Knitter's Review wrote about needle cases. She linked to an earlier review that I had seen but forgotten about using soft tackle fishing binders for needle cases. Being a woman of few means and no frills, this appealed to me, even more than the kitschy/chic ones of her most recent review. With my frugality in tow, I clicked over to the Bass Pro Shops website and after much deliberating, clicked and purchased this:
I love it. No, I am not in love with royal blue, nor am I enamored of the flying bass emblazoned across the front. And somehow the words "EXTREME worm binder" just don't quite set right with me.
But I LOVE the plastic ziplock binder pages, and the fact that ALL my knitting tools fit within the pockets. I love the flatness and portability of it.

I didn't want to write on my ziploc pages. What if I decide to change its use? So I printed out and laminated the needle sizes and taped them to the inside of the bag. I'm thinking I would love it more if I could sew a knitting or knitted patch over the flying bass. Suggestions?

Still Standing

Hi All. There is a reason that I haven't yet posted the glasses case pattern. It is because I love you so much that I only want the best for you. I wanted to incorporate some improvements. I am testing it out on less bulky yarn, which I think will be better, and making the "pocket" for the second set of glasses roomier, which I think will be an improvement.

In the meantime, Life in that way that only Life can, has intervened and dealt some harsh blows. Nothing that I cannot get through or withstand, thanks to the love and grace of my Hero, my Savior, Jesus. "My grace is sufficient for you" has never rang more true in my life. Please bear with me.

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this cruise. The day approaches. 26 days and counting.