THE GOAL

Fall is soooo my favorite season.

I'm always feeling like I could make a million plans, and get them all done.
I love wearing big fuzzy sweaters, and admiring the Halloween decorations...
I love the crunch of the autumn leaves, and the crispness of the grass after a night frost...
I love the fresh air, and the loss of bugs...
I love the colors, the new school year, and the slow of the summer madness.
I love it all!

Mind you, Spring used to be my favorite...

The start of sunny days, the burst of a million blossoms, and the vast overtake of buds and plants everywhere. But this is a season for picnics and walks (before the bugs come out), and I never feel like a hard-working person.

-- SO --

It's Fall. Maybe not officially - but nonetheless. And so I'm feeling motivated in a big way! As you have previously read - I am mucho displeased with how little time I've been spending on myself. I have gone so long without working out, or getting my hair done, or anything... I put myself on the back burner, and slowly disappeared (it felt)...

When we went home about a month ago (to Calgary) I had my hair cut and colored for the first time in approximately two years. I felt horrible - sitting in the chair, with my frizzy looking hair, and to make things worse, someone came in to have a brief conversation with my hairstylist - and rudely commented on his way out "oh I feel zo bad for you, zat is a lot of damage."... Screw you, guy!!! :op I really don't like rude people. Bottom line, at the end of my hair care session, I had a ten minute discussion with three people in the salon about my age - they all weighed in thinking I was around 16 to 17 years old. REALLY??? (I'm sitting here, thinking I must look at least 35.) Well - I used to hear about how young I looked, but that was a hundred years ago.

(Pre-kids... you know...)

After that, I came back home, and started to spend some time each day doing something that I used to love. Guitar, drawing, quilting, crafts... whatever it was, even if it was for a few minutes a day. It was a struggle, I'm not going to lie... but totally made me a happier person.

A little while later - I went out and had a pedicure with my mother-in-law, for the first time since I was pregnant with my baby girl (which was the first time since I had given birth to my son) - it was great to take care of myself!

So...
So far my plan has been top secret.
Of course, by being top secret that means I can't hear from people ("How are you doing with that whole... thing?" "Oh... that's terrible..."), and I have no one to disappoint.
But. I totally don't care anymore!
I set a goal for myself - a suuuper duper, unavoidable, totally reasonable, achieveable goal.
It is to lose 6lbs each month, from now until next July.
That's like 1.5lbs a week. (Easy peasy!)
In total... that would be 60lbs!!! And I would be back to my pre pregnancy weight. (We're talking pre-pre-pre pregnancy weight)
So
I'm 6.6% into my goal. (We do not discuss poundage) -- approximately.
I will update progress. Of course.
And how am I achieveving my goal?...
:o)
By using Wii EA Sports Active.
(I had to say it, in case it helps me use 60lbs. So I can prove that it works!)
Hey, man - it's working so far!



Quilt....... therapy?

So... I think I've discovered something about myself.
When I'm anxious about something, or when I'm excited for something, I always find myself making a quilt. Sometimes it's rushed, or sometimes I take my dear sweet time making it.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I made a lot of quilts. A LOT.
I was excited, and part of me was excited to use all the pretty quilt prints I couldn't with my son, because my husband said they were "too girly"... :o
The closer to my due date I got, the more intricate my quilts would get. The more time was put into them. The more I was kindof getting bored with quilting. And everything else.
Now? I'm waiting this week... for Thursday. It could get here faster, if I willed it hard enough!!! :oD But alas, I must wait.
We are going home, to Calgary, to visit my mom and dad and everyone, while it's summer. Ohhh yes, summer. I haven't been home to Calgary while it's been anything but winter, since I was 16. SIXTEEN!
I am very excited. And, we all were sick last week/the beginning of this week, so I'm glad we're all getting that out of our systems in time for our vacation.
I haven't wanted to quilt in FOR-EV-ER, but this week I already had my sewing machine out... and I was looking at some squares I had cut and ready to be organized and... well... today, I made that quilt! I quilted, and now, I feel a sense of calm. LOL like it's therapy!
And so, I made the Happy Baby Girl Quilt - the fairy fabric on the back is flannel, from my mom - and the front, all the happy colors, I picked out to be a happy summer baby quilt a while ago but never got around to sewing.
Until today!
Ta-da!!!


Cake Mix Cookies!

BEST
DISCOVERY
EVER!
Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients:
1 Cake Mix - any flavor (I used white)
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
3 chopped baker's semisweet chocolate squares, or handful of chocolate chips
Beat together cake mix, egg, oil, and water.
Stir in chocolate.
Spoon tablespoon-sized dough about 1" apart on a greased cookie sheet. (Pam with flour is my hero here.)
Bake 12 minutes @ 350 degrees.
Makes about 4 dozen.
Thin, light, delicious cookies.
Easy easy easy.
Enjoy!

Haaaaaaaay

OK So I'm not the most consistent blogger anyways, but I thought I'd mention I'm going to stop posting my cakes here, and I will from now on be keeping up-to-date with my cakes on my cake blog.

For cakes.

Cake cake cake cake cake. CAKE.

The blog: http://trishacakes.blogspot.com

ENJOY