Wii Sore

My back hurts. My thighs hurt. My arms hurt. My feet even hurt. Thank you Wii Fit! For so long now I've been hearing about something called "abs" but I was convinced I didn't have any, instead I just had this soft cushion all around my tummy. But lo and behold, as I pulled myself out of bed I felt it - soreness underneath my tummy flab. This is it I thought, the ab muscles everyone talks about it! I do have them! And boy do they hurt. Ah, but it's a good hurt.

Every day since Wii Fit came to live with me I've been doing aerobics (fun!), strength (intimidating), balance (ha!) and yoga (who knew?). I have roasted, torched and incinerated calories all while having fun jumping around on this little white board.

I feel real hope for losing weight and getting in shape with Wii Fit. Other forms of weight loss and exercise bore me but this has me looking forward to getting in my exercise time. I've logged at least an hour every day and I feel good. Just gotta keep it up for 20lbs. but I don't think that will be much of a problem with encouragement from Jenniffer and the Wii Fit group on Ravelry.

Maybe I'll just sleep downstairs tonight. Hurts to climb up the stairs.

We Knit, Wii Fit!

Whoo hoo! Jenniffer and I aim to be the fittest of knitters with our newly acquired Wii Fit systems! Both of us have repeatedly whined to the other about how we were unhappy with our current bodies but yet we both kept stumbling through the realm of diet and exercise. Until May 21, 2008, that is. I had been on the fence about whether or not to purchase the new fitness system for the Wii but on the morning of May 21, I decided to see if I could track one down. Media reports that the newly released system would be hard to find strengthened my resolve to get one lest I kick myself in my extra large backside (provided my foot could reach it) later on for not getting it. My 6 year old and I headed down to Target once the 8 year old was on the bus where I found an entire endcap devoted to this glorious new promise of weightloss and fit. There were less than a dozen on the shelf - it was meant to be! I came home and took a picture of the box and patiently waited for the sun to rise on the West Coast to show Jenniffer my new hope for a slimmer, healthier me and to tell her to wake up and get herself to Target ASAP and snag one of her own. (She didn't get it at Target, but she did get one! Go Jenniffer!)

My first venture onto the Wii was a hoot. Hula hooping, getting hit by flying shoes and panda heads as I attemped to balance myself and head some soccer balls. The Wii Fit let me know that my BMI showed I was a little overweight (duh!) but promised me we'd work together to lower it. I set a goal and thus began the funnest weight loss/fitness routine I've ever done. Any time I can I run over to the tv and turn my Wii Fit on and do some aerobics, balance, strength and yoga exercises. After 2 days of fun exercising I was rewarded by my Wii Fit telling me this morning I had lost a little weight and my BMI was lowering as well. My kids love it also and they love to be my cheering section too (and sometimes my annoyance section). When my thighs stop rubbing together like two sticks trying to start a fire I will be in heaven.

Jenniffer is doing great with hers also and we text back and forth about how we do and offer lots of encouragement to each other. And wouldn't you know it, Ravelry has a Wii Fit group too and we are so there posting and encouraging on an international level.

So now we have our knitting skills improving and soon we'll be fitting into those too tight clothes shoved to the back of the closet.

Knit and Fit. That's us.

Lace, not for the faint of heart

Okay, what was I thinking? I had just finished knitting sweaters for each of my girls and I was full of confidence in my knitting. Before I had come down from my high of the success of my sweaters, I found this: http://millepassuum.co.uk/lizveil.htm, an absolutely gorgeous First Holy Communion veil that I just had to knit. And I could do it too! I had knit 2 sweaters, I could do anything! My own daughter's First Communion is coming up in May. That gave me a few months, no biggie. I read through the instructions, ordered the books for the patterns, went so far as to track down the woman who knit these veils on Ravelry (she turned out to be quite a nice woman, advising me on the lace yarn - all the while probably laughing her head off at me) and eventually ordered my yarn from England (http://www.heirloom-knitting.co.uk/cart/ordermerino_lace.php - a very pleasant company to do business with I might add). I was so excited waiting for it to come! I bought some Addi Lace needles and finally the yarn arrived and I cast on! And cast on again. And yet again. I think I could have knit about 10 of these things by the time I finally got it going. Slowly, slowly I've been working on it. It's been about a month and I'm on row 71 now. Only about 100 rows to go! Not including the crochet edging I will want to put on it. Today is March 10. First Communion is May 3. I don't feel so confident any longer. I've had days where I have had to do one stinking row over and over and over again. Twenty four hours it took me to get one row right. But I persist. I sit at my kitchen table until my back aches and my right thumb has pains shooting in it. Yesterday I went shopping for the dress and found the perfect one for my daughter. And it's a perfect match for the veil, even in it's half (maybe 1/3) finished state. Lace is scary. But it's beautiful. And it's difficulty is matched by my desire to complete the project. It reminds me of childbirth, the long and agonizing hours spent to bring forth a child which when put in your arms, erases all that it took to get to that moment. I know when I see my daughter in church wearing this veil that I am hoping to create to give glory and honor to God, all the hours and pain invested will be gone. And I'll pick up my size 3 Addi Lace needles and another ball of Heirloom Knitting's merino lace and I'll knit another one for my next daughter. Only I'll start much sooner! (hey, I've got 2 years!)

A tote of my own

Today Jenniffer went to Stitches West - whaaaaa!!! But she got me a Ravelry tote bag and some adorable pins! Is she a great friend or what? I can't wait to get my goodies in the mail from her. She's the best! Thanks Jenniffer!!!

It's all Ravelry's fault!

So it's pretty obvious, I stink at blogging. All day long things are happening in my life and in my knitting and I think to myself I should blog this and yet, I don't. So from now on I will try to be a better blogger and hopefully get a few updates a week in here. I blame Ravelry. Laundry not done? Ravelry's fault. Dinner not on the table? Again, Ravelry. Nothing to even make dinner with? You guessed it, Ravelry. How in the world can I be expected to do anything when Ravelry is just too interesting, too fun? But I'm not addicted to it I assure you. Nope. Not me. Can quit going there any time I want. I just don't want to - so there!

See you soon with my latest knitting torture, err, I mean project, updates. And this one's a doozy - lace! (again, it's all Ravelry's fault)

A New Year Indeed

Yes, we have arrived at a New Year. Sadly, my heart is still in the old one but I must move forward and keep moving in that direction.

So the New Year is only 2 days old and already with one exception (and a very exciting exception at that!) has been pretty crappy. My FIL was hospitalized yesterday and was told he will need a triple bypass. And after happily sending my 2 little ones back off to school today they came home with one having a relapse of the strep throat she just finished taking medicine for and the other crying over an earache. I know where I will be tomorrow. But there is one thing I know I know that I will not be doing in 2008 and that is making that stupid pig that I began with high hopes way back in June! The pig is cute, the yarn a pain. Thank you Knit Picks for the free pattern but what were you thinking with that yarn? Anyway, as of 11:45 a.m. on January 1, 2008 I officially had my first finished project of the New Year! What a way to start the year off. And now that I have set up my Ravelry account and have all of my unfinished projects staring me in the face every time I log on, I hope to add more FO's to my list. And speaking of Ravelry, it's my new favorite place to hang out. It's like heaven for knitters. And probably a very dangerous place for Jenniffer and I to be because we are both so addicted to knitting and the stash and accessory acquistion that goes along with it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just wanted to stop by and say happy new year! Hopefully it will be a productive knitting year. Louise has some knitting news already! I'll let her post about it.

That's it for now!
Jenniffer