Weighed down...

I have been depressed lately. I really try to be upbeat, but I have been letting my depression have free reign lately, and it's getting out of hand. I have been snapping at the kids, I've been just barely able to crack a smile. I dream literally of running away some days. I would never do that in a million years, but the fact that I dream it scares me.

Part of my problem is my lifelong addiction to food. It's not a four pack (of frappucinos!) a day type habit, more like a smoke-em-if-you-got-em kind of thing. If there's junk in the house, I'll eat it. If there not junk in the house, I'll find an excuse to leave the house so I can get some. I'm addicted to soda, especially loving Mt. Dew and Coke. I love chocolate, and I buy a candy bar way more often than I should.

I'm also addicted to the time and places that I eat. I always want to eat during a movie. I eat while I read. I can't go shopping without a huge soda and a snack of some kind. I get a soda pretty much every time I go out of the house.

I never exercise, either. I feel like a lot (most) of the depression and negativity I'm feeling is just lack of exercise and an overabundance of junk food, which fuels the depression, which makes me feel fat and worthless, which leads to more eating, etc.

So, today, I'm starting a new plan. I'm going to try to get in some kind of exercise every day. Even if it's just walking around the block. I always feel better about myself after I exercise, even if I don't like the act of exercising, itself. As for soda, I'm switching to diet, then weaning myself off completely. My goal is to be soda free by fall. That gives me two months.

As for losing weight, I would love to just get to the point that I don't feel the need to scarf down an entire tube of Pringle's in one sitting. Any weight lost will be a bonus.

I'll try to keep track here of my progress, and maybe that will help me stay accountable. Pray for me!

Some more finished objects, and some not-so-finished...

Sweater for Church picnic


Newborn shorties for sale on Etsy...


Hat, mitten set for Khloe for this coming winter. These started out as a basket, but it wasn't being good and staying flat on the bottom. Rick said "That looks like a hat", so a hat was born. And mitten, too. The other mitten is waiting for me to remember how it got made in the first place, so I can make the other one!

Slow Down Summer...

I feel like I haven't really had time to relax yet, this summer. Summer is supposed to be when I don't have to drag my kids out of bed and take them all to school while I am stuck at home with the littles, only to drag them to school and pick the big kids up again. Summer means no nap time and staying up late and leisurely breakfasts, and playing outside. It means lazy days and no running around like a maniac.

What I've gotten is funky, rainy weather, day after day of softball games, dragging the kids to the movies, the park, the store, all in the name of preventing boredom. We have vacation bible fun next week, and daycamp the week after that, company visiting, company picnic, fourth of July, and then suddenly summer's half over.

Slow down, summer! I wanna sit in the shade and knit while I sip iced tea! I wanna finish up my scrapbooks! I wanna crochet about fifteen things while my kids play out in the front yard!

It's times like this (summer vacation) that I remember what it was like only having 1 child, and how much fun it was. Even when I didn't know how easy I had it! I love my children, but it's so much MORE of everything, and so much less free time having a large family.

There is ALWAYS a load of laundry *or 5* to fold and put away. The sink is ALWAYS overflowing with dishes. The shoes are forever in a pile by the door.

But there is always laughter and something to do. There is always a shoulder to lean on, and a hug. There is always someone to play Leister, and Froggy Ball and Roll-0 with. And watching them make up games like Leister, Froggy Ball and Roll-o is almost as much fun as knitting in the shade. But I have a load of laundry to put away first.

Why I hate to grow stuff.

Go outside. Get hose. Haul it over to the other side of the house, over the steps, under the van. Go back. Turn on water. Go back to other side of house. 3 year old is spraying side of neighbor's house with said hose. No shoes, soaked.

Go back, turn off water. Go inside with 3 year old, help him change clothes, find shoes. Send child outside, find a bucket to fill with water for him to play in. Literally 15 seconds later, find child outside digging out smaller plant with hose as shovel. Yell at child.

Take child inside, clean him up, go back, re-plant plant, and water. Haul hose back under van, over steps, wind it all up. Remember I forgot to water the plant in back yard. Go get some iced tea. I think it's gonna rain.

Foot or Dish scrubber. You choose!

I made this pattern up after doing a trade. Web design services for a crocheted bath poof! I tossed in a couple of nylon scrubbers for fun, and here is the pattern:

You need:

100% nylon plastic canvas yarn. I used Needloft that I got from Walmart. It's about a worsted weight, and you can get around three scrubbers from one pack.
J crochet hook
Tapestry needle to weave in ends

Gauge is not really important. Just crochet until you are satisfied with the size of your scrubber.

1. Chain 4, join with slip stitch to the first chain to form a loop.

2. 5 half double crochet into the loop. Join with slip stitch to first half double crochet. Chain 1, turn.

3. 2 Half double crochet into each stitch around, join with slip stitch to first hdc in round, chain 1, turn. (10 hdc)

4. *Half double crochet into first stitch, 2 half double crochet into next stitch (this is a half double crochet increase)* all the way around. Join with slip stitch, chain 1, turn. (15 hdc)

5. Repeat step 4, adding one stitch between the increases, in each round. You will be adding 5 stitches each round.

6. When you have reached the desired size (usually 4 rounds is enough for a small scrubber), you will join with a slip stitch, chain 6, join with slip stitch to beginning chain, fasten off, weave in ends.

You now have a flat, 100% nylon scrubber that will be perfect in the shower to slough off dead skin, or to scrub the nasties off your crusty dishes. Machine wash and dry.

To sale or not to sale?

So our subdivision is having a garage sale weekend this coming Thursday through Saturday. My dh is very wary of having a garage sale, but when the kids mentioned it, he said sure. But now it's in two days, and I have nothing done. NOTHING.

Nothing sorted, nothing tagged, only a couple tables, and rain in the forecast, for you guessed it, Thursday and Friday.

The kids are so cute, though! They want to make and sell Kool-aid and cookies and they have been making signs, etc. I really want to do it this weekend, because these garage sales are advertised in the paper, and the subdivision puts out these huge signs. But I just don't think I can pull a decent garage sale out of my butt by then.

The biggest problem is that every time I pull something out to put aside to sell, someone grabs it and takes it back and says we can't sell it. Either that, or they put stuff in for sale that they just got at Christmas and is practically brand new. Plus, the stuff I really want to get rid of is stuff that my dh would probably not be happy to part with. Like old board games and stuff like that. I really wish I could just go through the house when everyone was gone and just clear it out. They most likely wouldn't even notice what was missing, and my house would be clean!! But my mom did that to me, once and I resented it for a looooong time.

Poop. Back to sorting.