For you, my followers.

The derailed plan from yesterday was this post. For my birthday, I wanted to give you a big, heartfelt, thank you for being my followers.

I want to host a giveaway.  I currently have 245 followers and it amazes me that you read my posts and have hung around this long.  I don't know what you see in me but I am grateful for your friendships.

So, as a thank you, I'm hosting a surprise giveaway!  I have randomly drawn 3 winners for the 3 prizes below. I will randomly draw 2 winners for the prizes below.

Criteria:
1) You were a follower as of the date/time of this posting.
2)  I will use random.org to draw two winners (first commentor will be #1, second commentor will be #2 and so on.)
3)  You comment on this post between now and Jan.. 1, 2012 12:00am Eastern Time letting me know you are entering (please be sure I can contact you if I draw you as a winner.)
4) Only one comment per person, please.

If your name has been drawn, I will give you through Jan. 1 (ET) for you to respond to my email asking for your address so I can send you your prize. If, at that time, I haven't heard from you, I'll contact an alternate winner I've drawn.

Now, the prizes!

PRIZE 1

 A book, signed by the author, with small comfort stories of quilts/quilting. I bought book was bought at a quilt show and I picked up two of them so I could share one with you. A note, it has a prayer/meditation them, Christian-based at times, even but all are good little annectdotes and stories.   Also included in the prize, a jelly roll of batiks. Purchased at Hancock's of Paducah, I'd like to share this rll with you. It has blues, greys, creams, and whites.

Second Prize

 Straight pins I won recently but cannot use. Also won but not used, the patterns. It was used slightly by its original (not me) owner but everything is there. Also, a notebook to track your quilt creations. Date/time created, for who, the inspiration of it, etc. It's super cute!

And last but not least for the second prize, these 11beautiful fat quarters. I do not recall the fabric line but I can teel you they are of very good quality.

I want to say again, how much I appreciate you all. Knowing I am writing to someone and not simply to myself is comforting in its own way but also, meeting all of you and getting to know you is a real treasure to me.

I hope you like my gifts and good luck to each and every one of you. Please don't forget to leave a comment to enter!

Cheers,
Becky

ps- if you've read this far, on a first come first serve basis, I am offering this skein of yarn to anyone who knits or crochets. Since  this was sent to me in erro for an order, and I was told by the store to keep it, I thought I'd actually pass it to you b/c I don't knit or crochet myself. Whoever is the first commentor today to say they want this will receive it.

It's my birthday!

So today is my birthday and because of that, I'm not posting a Weigh-In Weds.   I'm also not saying much more than that except that because I had to work today and because my AWESOME BABY BROTHER

(he's the dad of the previously mentioned niece and nephew) is making me Filet Oscar (filet w/lump crab meat & bernaise sauce. Asparagus on the side) with herbed, goat cheese mashed potatoes for dinner, I'm putting my plans for you are on hold.

Please come back tomorrow and I'll explain what my plans are for you before I became so selfishly engrossed with the following dinner.

Mmm, dinner is ready...

Or how about a closer look?

You hungry yet? :-)

THANK YOU Rick (baby bro), Karen (SIL) and Mike (hubs) for such a great birthday dinner in the comfort of my own home.

To my lovely followers, I'll see YOU tomorrow.

Cheers!
Beck

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Even if you do not celebrate Christmas, because I do and because I believe everyone should be wished good tidings on this day, I'm wishing you all a Merry Christmas day and Happy Season.

I am ever so thankful you take time to stop and check in with me and I hope we see each other more often in the next year.

Cheers, everybody!
Becky

(ps- Connie, my mon (Letty) wonders if you could remind Norma to give Crook some extra loving while they are visiting us. Thanks for coming by!)

Weigh-In Wednesday. Keep it up!

We can do this over the next week, ladies (and gents).  We can continue to eat right over the holidays and here's my theory on this.  Do not deny yourself some goodies, just eat small bites. Slow down and chew them, eat less portions.  Put food on smaller plates for the portion control or if a small plate is not available, check out this trick! 

Put the napkin on the plate and hold your silverware with it while portioning your food. Even at the table, if you hold the silverware, you are less likely to move the napkin off the plate to make room for food. If you want a little of everything and it doesn't fit, plan to go back for the stuff that didn't fit, using the same trick, a second time. You are tricking yourself into eating less this way plus because you are slowing down on your eating (have to go back for seconds, etc.) you give your belly time to recognize it is full instead of hungry.

Oh, that's the other tip, stop eating when you are full. I realize we may continue to pick for taste but if you do, be honest about it and keep track of it. If you are doing that, you will find yourself picking more wisely. "I want a cookie but I'll break it in half and eat half now then half later after I have some fruit salad."

I've not exercised all week but employing the techniques above while cooking goodies and eating those meals out at parties, etc., I have lost another pound (and it's the beginning of my cycle, too so you know I'm bloated! lol).

I'm at 160.5.  A loss is a loss, no matter how small!

So are you with me? You up for good choices during the Christmas feasts? Set your goal today and stick with it but make it a realistic goal so you feel good about working toward it.

My goal over the week is to eat in moderation and for every "junk" item I pick at, have a "good" item. Keep it even.  My second goal? Start my evening drinking with water. I've learned that I don't drink as much (horror!) if I'm at a function if the first drink of the night I have is a glass of water. Then I switch to wine or the libation du jour and I find I'm more likely to nurse it than drink it expediently and get a prompt refill.  Hey, sometimes (in those 8 hour gatherings) it's the difference between 3 glasses of wine and 6. LOL (but, if I choose to get loopy, well, I will balance that with healthier foods and not the sweets)

For me, these are reasonable goals and I think I can stick with them. It's not as good as Jillian Michaels would have me do (who I think would turn over at my warped method of weight loss) but I can do it.  So what are your goals?

Cheers!
Beck

(ps - did you notice I did not have a goal about maintaining or losing this week? It's all about staying choice conscious.)

Last Favorite Things Friday of 2011!

Yes, it's the last FTF for 2011. To see what others are touting as their favorite things, hope on over to Quilting In My Pyjamas for the linkee party. Maybe add your own link while you are there. :)
For my last FTF of 2011, I wanted to mention how great it is my mother started a little tradition with her kids. She had us all help make or pick out and hang specific Christmas ornaments. As time went by and when she was able to while we were older, she bought special ornaments for us or our kids the first couple years of their lives. Then, it became our turn to continue this new tradition or let it fall by the wayside.  I choose to continue it because there is nothing better than putting ornaments on my tree each year and having a memory that goes along with it.

For example, the ornament that denotes my current opinion about mornings without coffee.

Or maybe, if I were a cartoon character, who I would be?

The gift from a team member of mine when I was coaching basketball.

How about the ones that remind me of when hubs was deployed and/or of our lives in and the forever association/family ties we will have with each and every military family out there?

The one I purchased for the hubs last year b/c he and I have fallen in love with the Vizsla breed.  Oh, don't let me forget the one that reminds me that I'm a loyal fan of the Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino in particular!

The one my mom purchased for hubs the first year we were together b/c she called him a Grinch and then thought it would be funny to give him the ornament...

The first baby ornament (you know, I never did do one of these for my second kid...)

The ornaments from Grandma or mom to the kids and even the ones from the kids to me.

The ornaments that are my husband's and my keepsakes from our trips together.
To Louisiana

To Puerto Rico

To Las Vegas

To Oroville, CA for a friend's wedding

and to Ireland (b/c we weren't collecting ornaments at the time we first honeymooned but hopefully I
will find something appropriate representing our trip, this year.)

How about the ones that remind me of family? My brother is a huge Snoopy fan and my nephew is currently all about Spiderman. I am anticipating him finding Spiderman on my tree this year.

There are also the ones I received as a gift from a dear friend when I first married. I thought it odd at first, to receive Christmas ornaments when the wedding wasn't near the holiday but then I realized the awesomeness of the gift. First tree, need ornaments, have memories forever of the wedding AND friendship.

 Oh, the one my mom painted (colored or whatever) and the ones I made.

Let's not discount the more traditional items like those pesky elves resurfacing from grandma's garage and the pickle.  In our family, it's such a game to hide the pickle and the first to find it wins a prize. When the kids were younger, this was very competitive. Now as they are older, it's still competitive but it's more about reliving the fun of earlier years searching.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't let you know I had ornaments which also remind me of the very reason for Christmas day.

Well, that's all for this installment of Favorite Things Friday. I hope you've enjoyed my little jaunt down memory lane and seeing some of the special items which adorn my tree.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Beck

Living Room/Dog Quilts

I finished two quick quilts a couple weeks ago and revamped an old top you saw last summer. This is the old top.

It was meant to be an outdoor porch quilt but it became too cold to sit out and I just never quite quilted it. When I started creating my living room quilts (with the intention they will be pulled off the couch backs and used by the dogs to protect the couches some), I realized colors in the new tops matched the old porch top.  The only issue was that boarder on the old top so I took it off! Here's the old top now with the new border.

Here are the two new quilts.

Here's where they reside when the dogs haven't pulled them down yet. (sorry, phone's camera)

And here's the three together. Don't they match well?

Cheers!
Becky

Weigh-In Wednesday

I was all set to pop on here and tell you that last week I've been bad.  I mean B. A. D. Bad.

I ate fast food 3x last week (and not small quantities) and I had a large cheeseburger 2x in 2 days (with mayo)! Now that I think about it, however, I suppose I couldn't have been that bad b/c when I did have those things, my other meals were very small and light (yogurt & fruit, etc.).

Exercise did not enter into my vocabulary.  Oh, but I RARELY picked at food and sweets...  Maybe that's the secret!

I weighed in today at 161.5  A loss of 2 lbs since I started.  Wonder what will happen if I put some effort into this?

How are you doing with getting some exercise or better yet, thinking more about your food choices?

Sewing Room

I'm posting another "what's been eating all my time" post for you again, instead of quilt stuff just to share.

I have a dedicated sewing room in our new house.  It's not huge but it's big enough to hold my quilting frame (which is stretched to fit a king size quilt) and my domestic machine, plus shelving, etc. It's been a while unpacking and organizing since I've been done a little here and a little there. Re-arranging when  the first ideas proved bothersome instead of organizationally helfpul. I'm finally at the point where there will only be small tweaks here and there.  For example, I'll add some shelves behind the ones already under the frame for things like books/magazines.  One other thing, I'll be adding words to the walls in fabric:  Imagine, Design, Quilt. I saw an item on Pinterest where a person used Heat N Bond and stuck the fabric to the wall with an iron. She said it peeled off without damaging the wall or leaving residue. This room needs painting but since I won't be doing that for at least a year, I thought this was the best time to test ironing fabric to the walls.  

Here's a before picture where I've set up the frame and furniture in their locations but hadn't yet unpacked.

Here are the after pictures.

I hope if you live nearby, you stop in and sew with me. The door will always be open .

Cheers!
Beck