Pottery for sale!

One of my many, many cheese platters

Fairly soon, I will be starting up a little shop for people to order pottery.

I make everything by hand. Since I make it by hand, it is fairly customizable...and takes a while to accomplish.

I'll let everyone know where sales will take place, as well as prices and custom options.

Thanks for the support so far!

Make Spooky Spiders and Scare...Children?

RAWR...or whatever spiders say

I usually get really busy in the last third of the year, every single year. That bums me out, since I have lots of projects I need to accomplish during that time and I usually don't. Before you suggest I do my project in the beginning or middle of the year instead, let me just stop you right there. Who can make scary spiders in the middle of Spring Break? Exactly!

So, I have a list of three Halloween projects to complete in four days. Perfect! Well, we'll see how that works out. Here is the first of perhaps three. 

Start out with the following items:

- styrofoam balls in size of choice

- eight black pipe cleaners for each ball

- glue

- black spray paint

- floral pick or small gauge wire for display

First, you put glue all over the styrofoam ball. If you don't and use spray paint on it, it will disintegrate into a lumpy mess. So, yes, put glue all over the ball. 

If you get dog hair or even possum hair in it, don't worry about it. Shoot, if it falls off the table into the dirt, all the better. This spider is supposed to be scary!  A dirty spider is a scary spider!

Once the glue has dried, spray the ball with spray paint. FYI: I didn't use that set-up to spray the ball. I put the ball on a wire and turned it slowly as I sprayed.  Once dry, poke four holes on each side.

Grab all eight pipe cleaners and bend them like below. Make one leg longer to make up for what you stick into the ball. Make feet, too! Aren't they cute? Stick them into the holes.

If you feel that you live in a windy area, go ahead and glue the legs. After dry, poke the floral pick or wire into the bottom of the spider and place in your yard or side garden. Wherever! I also thought about using googly eyes, but I think I vowed never to touch those things again after this project.

I haven't scared any actual person, so far, but I did make the cat hurry away. However, the dog wanted to eat it. Fun times!  I mean, scary times!  Scary, scary times!

A Lizard Story

In February of this year, I had a moment. I posted on FB about that moment. I will share here, so people all over the world can share in my moment.

Fun story of the day, because apparently, I like communicating my awkward moments. The set-up: about a week ago, I noticed a tiny, tiny gecko baby by the side of the oven. I rescue things often and wanted to do so right then and there, but alas, he scurried down the side of the stove. I feared for him! Stoves are hot, you guys. Didn't know if you knew...

Scene of the incident -- at least part one.

So, fast forward to today, and I see the little darling again. At this point, he was on the stove itself. The stove top is black, so the gecko baby was fairly dark, as well. Hard to see, but he scurried and revealed himself.

I jumped into action, slo-mo.

It was cinematic.

I slowly pushed the knife block against one side of the stove so that the gap was covered. The other side got a pair of tongs. I had trivets and oil containers for him to use as a hiding place, so I slowly inched him to a bright orange funnel.

Well, that didn't work. He doesn't like orange.

Forward. Forward.

What the...?!

He jumped on my leg! I squeaked a little and then applied a calming technique to keep him where he was, but he freaked and went straight for my crotch.

Awesome.

So, I trap him there with both hands and start hobbling toward the back door. I know I probably look like a hunched old woman who needs to potty. Can you picture it? What a weirdo.

Yes, I make it outside, and that's when junior decides to jump on my arm and make a beeline for my armpit.

Disaster. Who is this perverted gecko?!

Not a gecko, but a cute pic, nonetheless.

I coax him out and eventually get him on the porch wall. He looks a little bit relieved and starts side-stepping to a less offensive hiding place. I thank the stars I didn't have to disrobe outside.

The end.

Admitted Bibliophile

I luurrrrrrvve books. I do. I have to read from a book before I go to sleep or I feel weird. It's like driving without a seat belt, you know? Weird!

My love of books has cost us a lot of money. It cost various amounts of money to buy them. We had to buy shelves to store them. The cost was most apparent when we last moved: our bill included an additional $5,000 fee to haul my library from Texas to Florida. That was the kick in the pants I needed to pare down before we moved again.

*cries*

I don't have time to read four or five hours a day, since I have things to do and places to go. However, I have found something awesome that allows me to clean and organize and exercise AND READ AT THE SAME TIME!

Yes, you are reading that correctly.

I did this before, years ago, when it took me an hour to get to work, an hour to get to school, and hour to get to the doctor, etc. I had books on tape and books on CDs and I'd learn things as I drove. Meh. I don't know that I heard important parts as I careened through traffic going 55 mph or more. I would get out of the car and grumble about not remembering anything I just heard.

Fast-forward to this year and you'll find me doing mindless tasks as I listen to books from my library (on hoopla for free!). I couldn't concentrate on the Italian back then because I was paying more attention to the traffic. Call me clever, people. I hadz brains.

I'm really ramping up the book purge lately because we're about to build a house. I don't have plans for six floor-to-ceiling bookcases to house my library. Those are for my art and pottery projects!

Weaving a clay basket and making pinch pots!

But seriously...  In the last two weeks, I've 'read' fourteen books.I'm on a roll here and I am confident I can get rid of maybe 200 books (or more) by the end of the year. Am I dreaming? I hope I'm not dreaming.

The 'read' books, ready to be donated!

Any experience with any other phone apps that have free audio books?

Lies and Lying Liars!

You might think, at this time of year, that this post would be about politics...but it isn't. This post is about the Internetz and how easy it is to spread misinformation to the masses. I'm a big proponent of testing of internet theories (and Pinterest pins and FB posts and stuff people heard, etc). I already know not to believe pictures, but now you can't even believe videos.

These are some of my fave fake photos:

Wanna see a blue watermelon, grown especially in Japan?

Photoshopped,

Some baby owlets out in nature?

These are actually plushies!

One of my not-so-fave fakes?  This one:

Do Not Believe This, Please.

Now, I'm someone who works out, and I was actually very interested when I saw this pin. The more I looked at it, though, the more I rolled my eyes. They're stuck now, my eyes...way back in my head.

Why would someone do this? There is no way this workout burns 1,000 calories. A marathon -- 26 miles of sweaty, slobbery ambling along a hard surface -- 'only' burns 2,600 calories. People will see this pin and think they can eat a couple of brownies then burn everything off with this workout!  This plays on our need for a 'quick fix' and is something we all know and love: click-bait.

I guess my advice, should you choose to take it, would be to question everything more...oh, and don't fall for the 'iodine and baby oil mixture removes hair' myth. My early teen years were very informative, people.

Life and Loss

Sisters

I'm taking a turn from my usual perky self today to talk about loss.

Ugh. Loss.

I've experienced all kinds of loss, and it's horrid. There's no way to avoid it, of course, unless you shut yourself away from all humans.

Losses that 'fit the norm,' as it were, are still painful, but, sad to say, kind of expected. I'll take my dad's dad as an example. The poor man was 99 1/2 years old when he died and was pretty miserable, physically. His wish was to avoid 100...and he got his wish. Seriously, at my age, I can't even imagine myself at that age. I'm already crotchety! He wasn't, though. He had a ready laugh and a positive outlook, and I could sure learn a lot from that. Of course, I drive and he didn't near the end, so I'm blaming horrible drivers for my temporary moments of crank.

The other side of the coin is the unexpected loss: The loss that smacks you from out of nowhere and turns you inside out; the loss that has you asking over and over, why, why, why; the loss of the young. Even years later, you'll ask yourself what they would be doing, how they'd look, whether or not they'd have kids, if only...

I lost a cousin and a sister, both too young. Even after more than 20 years, I miss them. I cry and get mad all over again because the world won't have them in it. Both could make me laugh with a single look and/or eyebrow wiggle.

If this post serves you at all, let it be a reminder to stay in touch, tell people how you feel, stop competing for the all-important last word and, lastly, love your peeps.

Where Have I Been?

I'm in the 4th grade again!

Have you ever set goals and then everybody wonders where you've gone? That's what happened to me. I had made the 2016 Personal Challenge post way back in January and ignored it slightly for a while. I mean, I did stuff, but I didn't attack it and report on it. Even though my blog appears to have been dormant for a while, I can assure you that I have recently been attacking the goals I set. Did you see the list of books being updated on a continuing basis? I've been reading the heck out of some books (goal #1). The movie list (goal #4)) was also updated; I just have to put together a post to give those movies away, if people even WANT those movies. I might just be better off dropping them at the library!  We'll see...

I have a great trip coming up soon, and I think it will present a great number of opportunities to take excellent photos. I checked out one of the Great Courses on Photography (goal #25) from the library, so I'm going to try to get through that one. If I can hack it before the trip, I'll jam through the second course, too! These courses involve sitting in front of the TV and watching hours and hours of instruction. I don't know if anybody knows me, but I can't sit still for very long. I wander or my mind wanders. The plan is to watch a lesson, go outside and practice everything at least twice...or maybe three times. I'll try to post my lesson results as I go along. I'm sure you'll all be amazed. Pretty dang sure. Oh, also, if anyone lives near me and you have something amazing that needs my camera near it, let me know.

I've also been doing things NOT on my challenge list. They are things I've been interested in, but I just didn't have the gumption to start learning them on my own. Soldering, LED clothing, RGB lighting, Arduino, etc. I left my nerdy roots for a while but I'm embracing them again. Oooo, I can't wait to program a motion-activated Halloween spider and an automated hydroponics garden!!

Wish me luck on the remaining challenges!

Fabric Covered Binders

Since I'm not able to do my three hour workouts this month, I've decided to tackle some of the 2016 Personal Challenges. This one was pretty awesome.

I decided that I needed some pretty binders for several things: kitchen appliance instruction manuals (I have a few), to-go/restaurant menus, household management folders, etc. I put this project off for a while because I thought for sure that I needed to match the decor of our new house...which will be accomplished this year (fingers crossed). At one point, I just turned all valley-girl and said, What. Ever! I decided to just pick some patterns with some colors I liked and go for it. Boom.

Here's what you need:

Binder, 1/2 yard fabric, paper/card stock to match, spray adhesive, scissors, tape measure, E6000, binder clips (or paper clips, if you're in a bind).

Get it?  People, I crack myself up!

The first thing I did was to put the fabric pattern-side down on my table. 

Measure out from the binder about 1 1/2 inches. Isn't that the cutest tape measure?

Mark it or just eyeball your cut line. Cut.

Go outside (yes, please) to spray adhesive all over the outside of the binder. Try to keep the spray even and don't make pools of it. It'll soak through!

Come inside and CAREFULLY place the binder on the awaiting fabric. Pick it up and make sure there aren't weird ridges or bubbles in the fabric. Fix what you can. Most spray adhesive is pretty forgiving for a few minutes.

Once you have done that, start applying the E6000 to the edges of the binder and work quickly to get the fabric in place. I went under the metal binder piece, so try to do that, if you can. Makes things perty.  PERTY, I say!

Leave the sides and corners for last. This is where the magic happens!  Lot of magic around here, people.

I did hospital corners on my binders.

Just look at that!

Once you finish with the gluing, use your clips to hold everything in place. I left mine overnight because I simply hate getting glue on weird stuff.

This binder is weird since it has a HUGE middle area (room for all my kitchen appliance manuals!), and I had some leftover fabric, so I covered the area with it. E6000, baby! More clips.

Here's where it all comes together. The paper. Measure it and cut it to fit where you like. I sprayed the paper (outside), brought it inside, placed it perfectly and smooshed it down.  You can smoosh, too. It's fun!

And here are the two I completed. Aren't they fab?

Your turn.

Hairpins

If you remember my 2016 Personal Challenge post, you'll note that I have some Pinterest project to complete. I've done a few of them, but have yet to post them...until now. Exciting, isn't it?

Number 24 on the list includes Pearl Hairpins. If you check it out, it looks reeeeaaaallly easy. Let me be the first to tell you that making these is a real lesson in patience and determination. I had hopes of doing five today and finishing up with 20 little pearl ones tomorrow. Well, completing one was the beginning of the end. I'm lucky I got the second one done.

I took plenty of pictures up front...but I gave up the illusion that this is a quick how-to as soon as I had to start wrapping wire around stuff. Maybe my wire was too thick. Maybe I am clumsy. Maybe I'm making it easy for you to drop this project from your list. LOL

Anyway, I started with all kinds of hope and supplies, including beads, wire, wire cutters/needle nose pliers, super glue, bobby pins.

I thought I could just string wire through each bead and wrap, but that didn't work. The bead kept slipping to the wrong side and was just too jiggly.

I ended up bending the wire in half, crimping it and then gluing it into a bead.  Make sure you let everything dry.

*Magic happens*

along with some

*Magic Words*

Final product.

Wasn't that great? I have another one (one of the green ones, in honor of St. Patrick's Day), but at this point, you'll just have to imagine its beauty. I threw everything in a bag and don't want to see it for at least four days.

My cousin was under the impression that I had soldered the beads onto the bobby pin...and I think that sounds fabulous. Has anyone tried that? Oh, well. I'll try it.  Why not?

By the way, if anyone has tried this and found it to be easy, reveal your secrets. Now.

I'm gonna explain...

Smiling through the pain...

So, all those who have followed my progress with the challenges will wonder why I stopped abruptly a while back. Welp...several reasons:

1. I didn't win the billion dollars the lottery had up for grabs, so, of course, depression...
2. I volunteered to work the Highland Games for a few days.
3. I hurt myself.

My version of hurting myself can look pretty benign. It can look like I pivoted slightly or even just straightened my leg. Yep, I can straighten my leg and not be able to walk for a few days. So, when I pair that with lots of challenges that actually test the control I have over my leg, I come out looking like a wimp.

I am trying to recover, and once I do, I'll pick up where I left off. I will probably use lots of kinesio tape and wraps and pain meds and cortisone shots (okay, maybe not lots of these), but I'll finish!

Yum-Yum Breakfast Bowl

If you know me, you know I am not a morning person. I can sleep through fog horns pointed directly at my face. It's true...and I've passed that trait on to my offspring.

One thing that will tempt me to shuffle out of my comfy bedroom is a concoction I lovingly refer to as my yum-yum breakfast bowl. It is sooooo good!

First step? Get all the ingredients you need, specifically:

1 scallion, sliced
1 blob of coconut oil
2 eggs, size of your choosing
1/2 avocado, checkerboarded
1 pile Tony Chachere's spice mix of choice

Optional:
diced tomato, to taste
2 tbsp salsa
sliced jalapenos, to taste

I start by cooking my scallions in a big blob of coconut oil. Call me paranoid, but after scallions were the subject of quite a few foodborne illness breakouts, I couldn't eat them raw anymore.

After a minute or two, I add my eggs. I have experimented with the number of eggs I can consume at any given time. It's the three bears of eggs for me.  One is too little. Three is too much. Two is juuuuust right. I break the yolks and stir and stir and stir.

It's up to you whether you keep the eggs in long enough for them to dry out. I'm married to a dry-eggs guy, but there was a time that I ate runny yolks. Okay, I still eat runny yolks when I don't have a yum-yum bowl.

Transfer eggs to bowl of choice and start slicing your avocado. I use a fairly dull knife to do this because I don't want my knife going through the skin. After slicing and cross-slicing, I use a spoon to get all that goodness into my bowl. I have to point out that, before I halve the avocado, I wash the outside of it (because ew, germs).

Once I mix this all together, I cover it with Tony's. I stop one shake before I know it'll speak to me later in the form of heartburn.

Now, you could stop right there and start eating because I know it smells good. You could also add diced tomato or salsa, and even jalapenos, if you can handle them. My esophagus usually says no.

I know everyone is thinking 'what's up, girl, where's the bacon?' -- and you would be correct. Where?!  My bacon would have a whole post to itself. Today?  It's a day dedicated to my yum-yum bowl.

So, there you have it:  a good reason to get up in the morning.  Thank me after your first bite of bliss.

Day 17 Report Card

One ornament here explains the color scheme.

You can see from the picture that we are still celebrating Christmas. I realize its almost the middle of January but it's just now getting cold here (on occasion) and I wanted it to feel like a chilly Christmas. I also love the glow of the lights at night. Perhaps there a bit of love for a bohemian vibe there.

There's also the fact that I don't feel like getting into the attic. It's awkward and I have to stoop, and I am not a good stooper. Maybe my motivation is that this might very well be the last time I put Christmas away in this attic. The new house will, I hope, have an attic to rival an Amish barn.

Maybe not.

- 30 Day Flexibility Challenge
 -- Knee to chest, again. Love it. Could sleep like that. Maybe.

- 30 Day Journey to Splits
 -- Okay, at this rate, this journey is going to take a long time. Am I that inflexible? My hamstrings are almost refusing to stretch past a certain point, and I'm nervous about pushing it. I've pulled one of those muscles and it's not a fun or fast recovery.

- 30 Day Burpee Challenge
 -- I am happy to take this day off and walk the dog instead. It's less stressful...except if you notice that a neighborhood dog has decided that your yard is a perfect place to squat. Oh, people. Pardon my French, but NON!

- 30 Day Vocabulary Challenge
 -- Went with this one. chirography: handwriting, penmanship; calligraphy.

- 30 Day Back Challenge
 -- I am sooooo looking forward to the next rest day. ha ha!

- 30 Day Cleaning Challenge
 -- Dust seems to love our lamp shades. Anybody have any ideas for lamps that gather less dust?

- 30 Day Wall Sit Challenge
 -- Yeah. Three sessions. Boom.

- 30 Day Plank Challenge
 -- This is getting seriously shaky. I shake much.

- 30 Day Arm Sculpting Challenge
 -- Ooooo, burning!  Burning muscles!

- 30 Day Butt Lift Challenge
 -- I hope the fact that I still like these doesn't mean it's not working as well as it could if I hated them.

- 30 Day Mom Challenge
 -- So, kinder is balancing chemical equations these days. D found a good nerdy joke relating to it:

I heard Oxygen and Magnesium are a couple.

OMG!

- 30 Day Blog Challenge
 -- I'm busting these out with very little planning. I know for the non-challenge posts, I'll need more than one picture and will have to do actual research for my home-building posts (saying 'that thing that looks like a plank of wood but isn't' probably won't make readers understand a thing, unless I take a picture and draw an arrow to 'that thing.'). Grow with me, people.

By the way, if you were able to buy a ticket to the ridiculous jackpot, congrats! I went out this morning with that intention (just a couple of tickets, come on!), and they denied me. Their machine wasn't allowing them to sell anything, and now I smell conspiracy. What do you smell?

Day 16 Report Card

Weird Florida 1 of 12

Above is one of the Weird Florida things we went to see this past weekend. It's called 'Muse of Discovery' by Meg White. On the Weird Florida site, they call it the Half-Buried Giant Woman. It would've been cool to see it at night, since her blanket of greenery appears to be decorated with lights.

Guess what that means?  It means I get to check something off my personal challenges for the year.  Only eleven more Weird Florida things to go this year!  Now, for part 16 of my 30 day challenges!

- 30 Day Flexibility Challenge
 -- Today, I'm not tortured and enjoyed myself.  *yay*

- 30 Day Journey to Splits
 -- Put some official yoga moves in today.

- 30 Day Burpee Challenge
 -- *pant, pant* I broke that up. I can't run a marathon just yet.

- 30 Day Vocabulary Challenge
 -- I went to the original pin page. rutilant: having a reddish glow.

- 30 Day Back Challenge
 -- Rest day. There are too few of these for this challenge, I must say.

- 30 Day Cleaning Challenge
 -- Aww! D did this yesterday. Very sweet.

- 30 Day Wall Sit Challenge
 -- Getting close to the three-session mark with these. What's your max on these? Is anyone else doing these?

- 30 Day Plank Challenge
 -- Two sessions again, but really, the forearm plank is making this hard.

- 30 Day Arm Sculpting Challenge
 -- Day off! For the record, I would like a day when ALL physical work-out challenges allow me to veg.

- 30 Day Butt Lift Challenge
 -- The side-view is pretty awesome these days!

- 30 Day Mom Challenge
 -- C at 25. Driving. Working. Paying a mortgage. Whoa, you guys.

- 30 Day Blog Challenge
 -- Can you tell which days I'm feeling less than motivated with my words? I guess the good thing is that I'm meeting the challenge, and that's awesome. I know I won't be updating every single day once the challenges are over. Getting the feel of posting is the preferred outcome.

My husband found a hot dog place near his work. I think we'll visit in the next couple of weeks, so be expecting some pics of wacky dogs, you guys. I'll try to include the list of ingredients, just in case anyone wants to recreate said wacky dogs.

Day 15 Report Card

Ready to scoot!

Ah, Monday. It's one of those special days that happens once a week that seems to bring out the grump in us all. Not me! This was the Monday that I broke out my new boots in preparation for the dude ranch and strutted around the yard. I don't have cow poo to kick just yet, but I'm workin' on it. But seriously, these are so cute, I don't wanna kick poo. I guess I'll continue to be a drugstore cowgirl for now.

- 30 Day Flexibility Challenge
 -- What is this torture?! I haven't yet completed my Journey to Splits, and this challenge is telling me to just go ahead and do a couple?  Nonsense. I faked these and checked them off anyway. Like gifts, it's the thought that counts...at least for the stretches today.

- 30 Day Journey to Splits
 -- Still on my Journey, right 30 Day Flexibility Challenge?! Ooooo, the day 15 extra is also a fave of mine.  Love that stretch.

- 30 Day Burpee Challenge
 -- This is getting up into 'need a bucket beside you' territory. I have thrown up working out several times in my life, but learned the warning signs of impending doom so I can avoid it if at all possible. I know the build-up getting to this point is small enough to make it seeeeeeem easy, but I'm someone who is just now returning to something other than walking. I'll keep at it and relish my rest days.

- 30 Day Vocabulary Challenge
 -- Changed it.  onerous: oppressively burdensome; having obligations or responsibilities that outweigh the benefits. I have potentially onerous challenges on this list. First on the list? 125 reverse flies! lol

- 30 Day Back Challenge
 -- Let's just say I'm looking forward to rest day. I might have to break these up from here on out.

- 30 Day Cleaning Challenge
 -- Should be a very comfy evening with a fresh bed! I sprinkled baking powder all over the mattress and let it be for an hour, then vacuumed it up!

- 30 Day Wall Sit Challenge
 -- Two sessions for this. Not bad, but still a challenge.

- 30 Day Plank Challenge
 -- Two sessions because the forearm one, as has been mentioned before, is much harder.  Did one on forearms and one on hands.

- 30 Day Arm Sculpting Challenge
 -- These are getting easier. I suppose I could up the weight.

- 30 Day Butt Lift Challenge
 -- Nice and challenging, but doesn't make me puke. I like this.

- 30 Day Mom Challenge
 -- I think we're at the stage where even saying hello might be considered harsh.  Ah, teens.

- 30 Day Blog Challenge
 -- I feel like I'm getting later and later with these. It's like the cold has made it hard for me to type or something.

I'm pretty stoked! I'm half-way finished with these challenges. I'll be sure to approach the remaining days with lots of gusto, but I know there will be a few days that will be a challenge, as I'll be oot and aboot and not near my workout stuff. I'll have my list of things I can do without equipment with me and get that stuff done, but will either have to get up early (!!?) or wait until midnight to get it done (thus waiting until then to update my blog). I'm thinking out loud here...

By the way, I'll have pretty cool updates for Saturday and Sunday. So excited!

Day 14 Report Card

"Take Flight" by Douwe Blumberg, one of many sculptures surrounding Lake Eola.

I forced the fam to go downtown and see art...and birds. There is the possibility we saw more dogs than birds. It was a chilly walk for someone now acclimated to the usual hotness that is Florida. It was 70 degrees F...but see, it was windy -- AND, we were near water.

If you decide to go visit Lake Eola here in Orlando, FL, take some spinach or other lettuce for the swans and ducks. No bread. No popcorn. If you're really into feeding them, they sell food pellets in gumball machines. For those unfamiliar with pigeons, they will swarm if those pellets take flight. Don't say I didn't warn you to keep your mouth closed and face down.

- 30 Day Flexibility Challenge
 -- Is anyone else doing this with me? I could fall asleep doing some of these...

- 30 Day Journey to Splits
 -- It's hard to find a big wall to do that day 14 pose. We have furniture in our house.

- 30 Day Burpee Challenge
 -- No jumping. You guys go ahead and jump.

- 30 Day Vocabulary Challenge
 -- This one.  ignominious: dishonorable; despicable; humiliating. 'Ignominious retreat' seems like something I might take part in after smack-talking a Steelers fan yesterday. Y'know what I'm sayin'? I don't have a dog in that fight, so I'm not taking sides, but that was...weird.

- 30 Day Back Challenge
 -- I feel like if I add any more reps, I'm gonna hulk out. I mean, looking ahead to the last day of this challenge, I have 125 reverse flies to complete. THAT DAY! ALL IN ONE DAY!  I'm gonna need some protein.

- 30 Day Cleaning Challenge
 -- Hmmm, I guess I did that.

- 30 Day Wall Sit Challenge
 -- Still two sessions. I need numbing lotion for my thighs.

- 30 Day Plank Challenge
 -- Back on my forearms. I'm a little sad, but my hands and wrists feel normal.

- 30 Day Arm Sculpting Challenge
 -- My day to massage my huge arm muscles. Nice!

- 30 Day Butt Lift Challenge
 -- Still love these, but a bubble wrap for my knees would be awesome.

- 30 Day Mom Challenge
 -- It is a gift. I'm grateful.

- 30 Day Blog Challenge
 -- I'm going to have to learn how to blog on the go. I can't be busy all over town then wait until evening to make my notes. I'm sure it would make everything easier.

This was a very chill day. I can really get into chill days, but know that there are days when 'chill' just isn't going to allow much to get done. I have big goals this year, so days like this will be few and far between. I don't just want to be busy, you know? I want to get out and see stuff and improve myself and taste new things...and write stupendous run-on sentences.

Day 13 Report Card

Big. Pile. Of. Ropes.  The battle ropes are gonna be used a lot.

Can't believe it's already Saturday. I started the day with a huge cinnamon roll from D. I never thought I'd actually say this, but it had too much frosting. Quel dommage!  Is that correct?  French was ## years ago. Yes, that ## was on purpose.

- 30 Day Flexibility Challenge
 -- Oooo, this day made me feel very flexible...even holding things twice as long as they require.

- 30 Day Journey to Splits
 -- Mkay, so that fifth pose still hurts a little, but the extra post (number 13) was fab.

- 30 Day Burpee Challenge
 -- Not gonna lie: I was nervous doing these. I tweaked my knee yesterday, so my knee was wrapped up and I was cringing. Instead of jumping, I just used hand weights for that part (so, instead of jumping, I did overhead presses with weights).

- 30 Day Vocabulary Challenge
 -- This one. fealty: intense fidelity. Since we don't practice feudalism here (or do we?), I didn't include the part about vassals and lords...unless you count this sentence, then I guess I did. Hmm.

- 30 Day Back Challenge
 -- Superman. Again. Dude is tough. I want a blankie after that.

- 30 Day Cleaning Challenge
 -- Did the challenge for today only, so that other stuff will have to wait. That nap yesterday took a toll on my schedule and I stayed up until 9 a.m.  Yes, 9 a.m. this morning. I did feel the need to get a few z's, so indeed, my entire day was weird and off, made even worse by the headache centered around my left nostril. If you see me with my finger pushing on my left nostril, you'll know what's up there (namely, not my finger).

- 30 Day Wall Sit Challenge
 -- So, 130 seconds. I goofed the other day when my 110 second calendar item equaled two very unequal wall sits. I suppose I was wishing things. Either way, I was wrong. I am now in full acceptance of the fact that I will think this challenge as punishment. This might be worse than being grounded.  One full minute plus 5 seconds, twice. My no-slip solution isn't working anymore. I need some clogs super-glued to the floor...

- 30 Day Plank Challenge
 -- I got a day off, so I contemplated going back to the forearm plank. I'm sure that will be better for my hands and wrists. *ponder*

- 30 Day Arm Sculpting Challenge
 -- Did you see that pile of ropes way up there?  If you've never seen them in action, I'll try to show you later this month, when the rain isn't an issue.  Today, however, was all about 14 x  3 sets of those sculpting beauties.

- 30 Day Butt Lift Challenge
 -- Added a bridge or five today, but really, I've been holding a bridge during my back challenge pull-overs. There are tons of pull-overs.

- 30 Day Mom Challenge
 -- Mmmm, hard when you get the 'teen 'tude when you open your mouth...or exist. Fun.

- 30 Day Blog Challenge
 -- I did it, and did it twice yesterday. Did you see my second post about personal challenges for 2016? All the interesting challenges mean I'll be writing about it here or giving stuff away. Who wouldn't want my old movies? Hey, I could even give away one of my crafts -- but only if you want it. No concrete hands, though, I'm afraid.

So, back to the ropes. They are more than just for arm workouts. They work the full body. I won't get into the 'calories burned per hour' debate, because that can get ugly. I will get into how awesome they are, though. Plus, you can act like you are a drummer with really heavy, floppy drumsticks. Fun times!

2016 Personal Challenge

 

Okay, I've seen other bloggers do this, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'll update my progress once a week or so, just to keep myself accountable.

Books
1. Read 50 paper books (50/50) -- UPDATE (4/11/16) -- Yes, lots of these are books for kids because we have TONS of them. Might as well read them before donating.
  1 - Childhood's End (Arthur C Clarke)
  2 - Cold Tom (Sally Prue)
  3 - The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (Barbara O'Connor)
  4 - How to Steal a Dog (Barbara O'Connor)
  5 - Bad Magic (pseudonymous bosch)
  6 - Judy Moody, M.D. The Doctor Is In (Megan McDonald)
  7 - Judy Moody, Around the World in 8 1/2 Days (Megan McDonald)
  8 - Airball: My Life in Briefs (L.D. Harkrader)
  9 - Prisoners in the Palace (Michaela MacColl)
10 - Woods Runner (Gary Paulsen)
11 - Princess Ellie's Summer Vacation (Diana Kimpton)
12 - Pippi Longstocking (Astrid Lindgren)
13 - The Supernaturalist (Eoin Colfer)
14 - Edwina Victorious (Susan Bonners)
15 - The Enormous Egg (Oliver Butterworth)
16 - My Last Best Friend (Julie Bowe)
17 - The Comet's Curse (Dom Testa)
18 - Ark Angel (Anthony Horowitz)
19 - Sassy (Sharon M Draper)
20 - Pandora of Athens 399 B.C. (Barry Denenberg)
21 - Mudshark (Gary Paulsen)
22 - Animal Ark: Spaniel in a Stocking (Ben M. Baglio)
23 - Scorpio (Anthony Horowitz)
24 - Matched (Ally Condie)
25 - Deep and Dark and Dangerous (Mary Downing Hahn)
26 - Vet Volunteers: Homeless (Laurie Halse Anderson)
27 - Firegirl (Tony Abbott)
28 - House of Dark Shadows (Robert Liparulo)
29 - Watcher in the Woods (Robert Liparulo)
30 - Gatekeepers (Robert Liparulo)
31 - Timescape (Robert Liparulo)
32 - Whirlwind (Robert Liparulo)
33 - Frenzy (Robert Liparulo)
34 - Truth & Beauty (Ann Patchett)
35 - The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (Joseph Delaney)
36 - The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
37 - The Summer of Good Intentions (Wendy Francis)
38 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning (Lemony Snicket)
39 - Woman with a Secret (Sophie Hannah)
40 - Spelled (Betsy Schow)
41 - Bite Me: A Love Story (Christopher Moore)
42 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #3: The Wide Window (Lemony Snicket)
43 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #4: The Miserable Mill (Lemony Snicket)
44 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #5: The Austere Academy (Lemony Snicket)
45 - hush hush (Becca Fitzpatrick)
46 - Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer (Katie Alender)
47 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #6: The Ersatz Elevator (Lemony Snicket)
48 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile Village (Lemony Snicket)
49 - The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous (Suzanne Crowley)
50 - A Series of Unfortunate Events #8: The Hostile Hospital(Lemony Snicket)
2. Get rid of 50 paper books (26/50)
3. Organize books by category (1)

Movies
4. Watch/give away 10 owned movies (10) - I'll give these away all at once! Be prepared!
  1 - Vamps
  2 - Cedar Rapids
  3 - Bring It On: In It To Win It
  4 - Max Payne
  5 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop
  6 - John Sandford's Certain Prey
  7 - Wild Hogs
  8 - Flight 29 Down
  9 - Shredderman Rules!
 10 - Monster House

Family
5. Sandcastle challenge with pics whether they rock or not (1)
6. Ski ball on the beach (1)
7. Sea turtle walk (1/1) - call in May for June/July events
  -- We did this mid-July, and it was amazing! None of our cameras would cooperate (no flash or white lights allowed), so we didn't get video or pics. If you're thinking about it, go for it.
8. Photography walk (6)

Travel
9. Weird Florida (1/12)
    1. Half-Buried Giant Woman - done!

Health
10. Workout (4+/week) (208+)
11. Eye Doctor (1)
12. Physical (1)
13. Go to sleep by 11 p.m. (2x/wk) (104) -- I predict a failure here, but I do have hope.

Food/Drink
14. Try cut-out recipe (keep or toss) (52)
15. Organize recipes into categories (1)

Craft
16. Halloween (3)
     1. Potion Bottles
     2. Snake Wreath
     3. Spiders  - Done!
17. Thanksgiving (1)
   1. Book Page Pumpkin
18. Christmas (3)
     1. Puffy Trees
     2. Wooden Christmas Trees
     3. 'Believe' Art
19. New Years (1)
     1. Blackberry Brie Bites - technically not a craft, but looks good and I don't have to get dirty

Sewing
20. Make skirts (1/3)
     1. Easy Maxi  - Made one for Halloween!
     2. Circle Skirt
     3. Chiffon Maxi 

Art
21. Glass-Blowing Class (1)
22. Pottery Class (1/1)

Blog
23. Cookbook review and giveaway (12)
24. Pinterest projects (2/6)
    - Concrete hands
    - T-shirt bag
    - Marble Art
    - Watercolor words
    - Pearl hairpins - Painful experience involving magic
    - Fabric-covered binders - Made some PERTY ones

Other
25. Great Courses learning (2/6) -- They have these at my library!
    - Influence: Mastering Life's Most Powerful Skill
    - Fundamentals of Photography - complete
    - Fundamentals of Photography II - complete
    - Fundamentals of Sustainable Living
    - How to Grow Anything: Food Gardening for Everyone
    - How to Grow Anything: Your Best Garden and Landscape in 6 Lessons
26. Organize each day (365) -- Each day, figure out what isn't working, then try to fix it
27. Write 100 words each day (100)
28. Make List for 2017

I might add to the list, but let's face it - - if I add anything else, chaos will ensue.  I'll keep it short.