2 Quilts Later

Ben gave me a sewing maching for Christmas! I was a little afraid of it at first, but determined to put it to use. So the easiest project to start with . . . a blanket. Ben bought fabric for a blanket that he thought Daila would like. He bought it after I had sewed (with a little help from my mom) a flannel blanket for Daila for preschool. I tried to do it in the same way as my first blanket, but one fabric was flannel and one was a silky . . . something. But it turned out alright. Not my best work, but hey . . . it was my first independent project.

Well I've just finished my second independent project (even though it was the first project I started). I tied a new quilt for Ben for his birthday. I just sewed up the edge today. Better. Still not there yet. But I'm learning so much.

I guess I'll start on a quilt for Janae. Her blanket is getting pretty old. It will give me a chance to put what I've learned to the test. And if it's not perfect . . . we'll try another quilt for Anna. LOL

You may think I'm crazy, but its the easiest way I know to learn how to sew. And the cool thing about getting a new sewing machine is that it came with two DVDs! How cool is that?! So I've got some tutorials to watch and I'll be hemming denim and making skirts in no time. And one day . . . as Ben is eager to inform me . . . I will have 3 wedding dresses to sew. (Mother help me . . . literally.) haha . . . my mom is an amazing seamstress. Pretty stressed out at the moment, but amazing. So I told her that when the girls turn 16ish, we had to start sewing their wedding dresses. They would be old enough to know their style and be close to their adult size and that might . . . MIGHT . . . give me and my mom enough time to learn/teach/sew a wedding gown.

Anyway . . . I'm excited to be sewing. Discouraged by the imperfections but encouraged by the lessons I'm learning through experience. Wish me luck! :)

Tofu

I never thought I would be one of those girls who counted every calorie . . . but I've been doing just that for nearly two weeks now. And you know what? . . . it's not all that bad. I'm grateful for everything I've learned. This experience has helped me learn more about food, myself, and my habits.

But this isn't a post motivated by success and happiness. *dun dun duuun* I am sooo frustrated. And I'm tired of feeling hungry. I think I have some emotional ties to food. So it's weird working those out of my system too. Basically, the way I'm feeling now is if I can't eat what I want, then it doesn't matter what I eat (as long as it fits within my calorie allotment). And it's easier to eat that way, really, because as soon as I "splurge", my body says "hey that was really good. I remember that stuff and I want more of it." Then it's harder to go back. So I'm through with splurges. (We had company over for dinner, so I saved up calories so I could eat what everyone else was having. Turned out that wasn't such a good idea.)

I remember overhearing a teacher in the lounge at lunch one day. Her friends made some comments to her about her lunch because she was having plain tofu. And she said, "Well sometimes you just eat for nourishment and this is one of those days." I remember thinking, "I never eat just for nourishment; I want to enjoy my meal. It should taste good. I could never do that." Well I'm on the verge of becoming the tofu girl. If I can't have what I want, and what sounds good to me at that moment, then it might as well be tofu. You think I'm being sarcastic or catty? You think I'm bluffing? Try me. Apparently I have two settings: care too much about food or couldn't care less.

But I'm not happy, Bob. Not happy. I sure could use some words of support. Or even a few recipes (400 calories or less). We had baked catfish tonight; only 145 calories per serving. It was tasty. I guess I'm just missing some of my old foods. More than anything, I'm missing some of that freedom. Want a bagel? Eat a bagel. Want some peanut butter? Eat some peanut butter. Well I'm not getting any younger. So it's about time I take control of my health and lose some weight. That's something I sure won't miss.

Life is about choices. I wish it was easier to make the right choices. *sigh* But I also know that making that right choices makes me stronger. So. I WILL make the right choices about my health and I'm determined not to give up. Even if that means only eating tofu. Bring it on.

"Excuse me, Guys"

So here is the background to this story:
Yesterday the girls went to the Primary's annual "Meet Your Teacher-Pajama Party-and Breakfast" activity. In addition to the usual "meeting your teacher" stuff, the Primary presidency also gave the parents and children the expectations for the year, the new program theme, etc. So our Primary will be using journals and the kids got to decorate a small journal to bring with their scriptures on Sundays. Anna and Janae both have their own set from their baptisms and with all the talk about "bringing your scriptures", Daila has decided she needs her own too. So we gave her a blue, soft cover Book of Mormon to keep in her bag with her journal.

Now at our house we read the scriptures at the dinner table as we are finishing our meal. Daila is usually done first and doesn't stay for the whole time, but tonight she came back holding her scriptures up high. "Hey!" she says excitedly (as if this was a new discovery). "After we eat, we read our scriptures!" (And she leaves her mouth open a bit because this is a pleasant surprise for her.) So she climbs back up to the table with her scriptures while Ben is reading and says that we will "pass it". Obviously she will expect a turn. Ben helps her read a scripture or two at the end and then she's off to the playroom.

While we're all in the kitchen clearing the table and loading the dishwasher, she comes in with her scriptures and says, "Dad, what does this say?"
He says, "where?"
"Allll of this," she replies moving her hand across both open pages.
So I peek at the chapter heading and say, "Oh that's when Samuel the Lamanite teaches the people and he is on a wall. And the people are trying to shoot him with bows and arrows but he has faith and the Lord protects him and he doesn't get hurt."
She makes a comment or two about that story and then flips to a different page. "What's this say?"
"Oh I like this part. That's when King Benjamin teaches the people and he is in a tower and all the people are in tents listening to him."
"And he goes . . . " (She starts kicking.)
"Well, no, because he is old and nice and the people are listening really well because they are ready to learn. But there is another story about a missionary called, Ammon." (See I'm thinking she wants some action, right?) "And Ammon has to cut off some men's arms because they are trying to steal the king's sheep!"
Daila's eyes go wide and she gasps (just the reaction I was hoping to elicit) but then she puts her lips together and with a hand on her hip she says, "He needs to say, 'Excuse me, guys. Please give me my sheep.'"

Yes, well, that's a lesson for another time.