Recycled Leggings

Its been cold here the past few days. We had a day of ice, a day of spring, and then some snow. Its just crazy how the weather changes her in North Carolina.

I had a pair of nice soft leggings that I though were just ugly on my legs. I bought them to go with a sweater I have but cream color legging and fat legs do not go together. So, I'm going to show you a couple things I made with the leggings instead of giving them to the good will. I wanted to get some use out of them somehow.

When its cold in the house, we get this draft under the door that I'm sure is not suppose to happen. But it does. You know how those 1960's homes are. I fixed that by making a door draft stopper.

First I cut one of the legs off and sewed one end. Then I got an old towel and rolled it up to fit inside the leg. I could have used stuffing, but this way, I can take the towel out and wash the draft stopper when it gets dirty.

 

I cut a slit in the hem of the legging and threaded a ribbon into it and I slid the sock over the towel and tied the end shut for easy removal for washing. Works perfectly.

 ******

With pieces of the other leg, I decided to make a couple hand warmers.

 These cute little things are filled with rice.

All I have to do is pop them in the microwave for a minute, stick them in my pockets and have warm hands for approx 20 minutes.

Perfect if you have to stand outside in the cold or for kids at the bus stop. These hand warmers will work great with the snow we are getting.


Ive shared this at:
be-inspired-features-and-link-party at elizabethandcovintage

Extra Ice and Yarn Tutu

This week has been a long one. Starting on Sunday, I skipped church to be an extra in a small film that was filming in my hometown. That was a fun experience. I didn't have to say anything, thank goodness, because I have a fear of public speaking and this would be in line with that. I did however have to pretend to be talking and eating in a restaurant.... over and over and over. Maybe I will see my ear or back of my head when the movie comes out, who knows.

Then we get an ice storm on Monday which kept me out of work on Tuesday only to be bored all day. It was nothing worth going outside and breaking my neck for. There was no snow, just a thick bed of ice over the whole town. I could only do so much bird watching.

So,I decided to do something with my scrap pieces of yarn. I grabbed my stash, curled up in my chair and started wrapping yarn around an old picture frame. My husband gave me that look again. I said "don't ask, I have an idea". He knows something is about to happen when that light bulb goes off in my head. He still gives me a look though.

I did not have a color plan, I just grabbed colors until I was out of scraps. Then I cut the yarn to have a bulk of strings all the same length. I took pinches of yarn and tied them onto a piece of sewn elastic and created this yarn tutu. 

I call it a gypsy tutu. It has a mix of different textured yarns. Some strands are braided. Some have knots, and some unraveled. The textures give it a unique one of a kind look. I can just picture this on a little toddler with a headband, big bow and bare feet. I think it would be so cute. 

I think it turned out so well that I put it in my shop. It was a little bit time consuming to make but I only priced it to pay for some new yarn to make more items. I will make more as I accumulate more scraps. I still have enough to make another one if its requested.

Meanwhile, the ice has melted from the roads but temperatures are not out of the teens. That's really unusual around here where our winters are in the 30s and 40's. The weatherman is calling for more wintery mix this weekend and next week. I really am looking forward to spring.

Ive shared this at:
be-inspired-features-and-link-party at elizabethandco
submarine-sunday at usscrafty.com 
snickerdoodle-sunday-link-party at 2crochethooks 
inspire-me-monday-week at create-with-joy.com  
yarn-fanatic-party at thephilosopherswife

Nutrisystem- Emotions

I just made it though a total of 6 weeks on Nutrisystem.

The past two weeks have been sort of an emotional struggle for me. I have struggles at work as I get no respect and no positive comments. Only let downs,teasing and tempting.  Little do they know, this makes me stronger.

While doing my exercises the other day I started feeling alone. I noticed I have to avoid my friends right now. I have to say no to dinner and lunch dates. This could lead to binge eating and they may not understand.

Some friends and family members that I come across will say things like, "You are fine as you are". "You do not need to loose weight" or You can eat this or that because its not THAT fattening". Or simple comments like "Your silly" or "Your crazy".  Ive learned that the ones that say these things neither have a need or desire to diet so they could not possible know what I'm going through. I have never told someone they are being ridiculous on their food choices nor have I ever tried to tempt someone with food while they are trying to diet.
My husband, daughter and one of my best friends are the only people that I know personally that are showing me support and helping me through this journey. My husband is always commenting the way I look and how my body is changing. He is dieting with me as well but on his own food choices. He does not complain that I do not cook meals anymore or want to go out to eat two or three times a week. He pushes me to exercise and eat healthy between meals.

With all of that being said-  I am proudly announcing that I have just officially joined Nutrisystem and will be having my meals delivered to my door. I signed up for the 28 day program. I will have to start with the fast five again even though Ive already lost over 12 lbs in a month with Nutrisystem. I felt I needed more to achieve my weight goal and since the food was so good, I wanted different varieties and I got to pick over 100 different foods of my choice. This is going to be exciting. I love my results so far and this is the longest I stuck with any diet. Even though I have not stopped the diet, when my package of foods arrive, It will be like starting over and their website will start monitoring my weight goals from week one of the meal arrival.

My Starting weight on January 1st was- 168 lbs.
My weight today is- 155 lbs.
I'm averaging about a pound or two a week. My scale can be different every time I step on it by a pound or two so I'm going to invest in a digital scale as I start my new road of this journey.

Check back every two weeks to see my progress and updates of my Nutrisystem journey.

Mary Ann

"Mary Ann"

This is the name of the book I just finished reading.
Its also the name of one of my best friends Mother.
Who is also The main subject of this book.

I kept seeing this book advertised on Mary Ann's face book page and just had to ask about it.
Written by: Jack Darnell
He was a friend of Mary Ann and her family who are also mentioned in the book. He offered me a signed copy and within a week, I was reading it.

(source)

Let me start by saying, I am not big on reading. I am a slow reader. I always had a reading disability growing up. That's one reason I started blogging and also probably why a lot of my stories do not make much since. But Im learning. Im trying to strengthen my reading/ understanding skills. So, I choose a book or two to read each year. Im finding the more I read, the easier it is. I actually enjoy it when I can find a quiet spot to curl up in.

Mary Ann was a great book. It had me in suspense from the start. This book was printed in a larger print which I was thrilled to see. It made it so easy to read.
I quickly got wrapped up in this book as I was reading it. I can usually guess the end of a book or movie from the beginning but not this time, as soon as I thought I had it figured out, the story would shift. It was interesting and I could not wait to get to the end. What also made this book fun for me to read were the places and names within in the story. They were familiar as the story takes place around the city in which I live.

I've had the pleasure of meeting the real Mary Ann a few times and even had small talk with her while I visited her at her camper on the beach. She often camps in the same travel park that we do.
I will not tell you what the book is about or how it ends but I will say while the story of Mary Ann was fiction, he describes her sweet personality to a "T". Having met her, I could imagine her facial expressions as I read through her dilemma.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes mystery and suspense . If you like the law and order type TV shows, you will enjoy this book.

MaryAnn (the book) can be purchased  HERE on Amazon or for Kindle. You can also purchase the book from createspace  HERE .
Jack also writes in his blog Shipslog  where he shares his journey through life with his lovely wife.

Wine Gummy Bites

Move over gummy bears and Jello, now adults can enjoy some gelatin fun. If you like wine that is. This treat actually has health benefits both in the wine and the gelatin.
Health benefits of wine can be found  Here. Benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, type2 diabetes, cataracts, colon cancer and more.
Health benefits of gelatin can be found Here. Benefits such as clearing cellulite, stretchmarks, arthritis, wrinkles and more.
So see, there ya go, you can have a healthy heart and smooth butt by eating these. ♥. ha!

Now I'm going to share how to make some of these little chewy giggle jiggles. With the same texture as a gummy bear, they would go great at a party next to the cheese. Why drink wine when you can eat it? They do not have to be refrigerated. You can actually pack them up and take them with you to a party. They will not un-gel. Just remember, be sure to keep them away from children.

Wine Gummies

1 cup wine

4 Tbsp. clear gelatin

2 tablespoons honey (add more or less depending on how dry or sweet the wine is.)

• Heat wine in a pot on the stove top (low). You just want it a nice warm about 90 degree. Do not boil or it will burn off all the alcohol.
• Add the gelatin one tablespoon at a time. stirring until dissolved.
• Add honey
• pour into molds or dish and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

They are suppose to get stiff as a gummy bear and will not melt.

Cut into approx. 1 inch squares.

(10 squares will equal about 4 oz of wine so be careful not to over do it while snacking on these).

Enjoy.

Warning: (1)Women should not drink alcohol while pregnant because of the risk of birth defects.(2)Consumption of alcohol impairs your ability to drive.(3)Drinking to much alcohol may impair your thinking and make you stupid


Ive shared this at:
craftsalamode.
.inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
snickerdoodle-sunday at 2crochethooks
be-inspired-features-and-link-party at elizabethandco
party-under-the-big-top-linky-act-1 at welcometomycircus

EKG ♥ Bracelet

I'm excited to share with you something Ive been working on the past few days. Well, It didn't take a few days to make, but the idea swirled around in my head for days until I finally came up with the style that worked for me.

It's an EKG Bracelet. You can call it a heartbeat bracelet or pulse rate bracelet too.
 

This bracelet is special to me. Its delicately made using my daughters heart rhythm. She had a minor surgery two years ago. When she came out of surgery, she had a copy of her EKG laying beside her. I snatched it up quickly with the intentions of getting a tattoo that mimicked this design. Well, I can throw that idea out of my mind because this bracelet is far less painful and a whole lot prettier.

It took some patience to bend and twist the wire until it was just right. I will say, I am definitely not a jewelry maker. Look close, you will see many flaws.  I don't have the tools I need to perfect it. I made this using only some needle nose pliers.

I think Ill stick to crochet for now.

Ive shared this at:
create-link-inspire-linky-party at thecraftyblogstalker
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
tuesday-pin-spiration at thestitchinmommy
worthwhile-wednesdays at craftyallieblog
craftsalamode
snickerdoodle-sunday at 2crochethooks
 

Nutrisystem Week 4- Cravings are Less

Wow! Its been a a whole month now that I've been on the Nutrisystem Diet plan. I'm loving that this is something Ive stuck with.

Nutrisystem Pizza with added onions and olives

The truth is, Its not even diet food, Its just proportioned meals to keep me on track.  Hard to believe that four weeks ago I sat down for my last fatty meal of a Big Mac and Large fry! I ate it all! Loved it too.

The best thing is I can talk about foods and it does not faze me anymore. I can ride past the doughnut shop or Chinese restaurant without the urge to order something to take home. 

The cravings are not completely gone but the strength to walk away from them is a piece of cake easy. 

Nutrisystem Beef tips and Mashed Potatoes

With Nutrisystem, I get to eat pizza, chocolate, potatoes, muffins and more! The portions are small but the way I'm feeling now is worth it all. I'm excited each week to see how many inches or lbs Ive lost.  Even if it is just a pound, it's a pound less than last week.

I'm going to keep going. 

Here are my results at the end of week four.

Ive lost 2 lbs this week puting me from 168 to 157lbs.
Total for the month....11 lbs. That's exciting to me.

I plan to stay off the scale and wait to weigh in at the end of February. I also plan to post about my journey every two weeks now so I don't bore everyone. So check back Sunday the 15th.
 

Now on to week five!