Wanderings

I took an extra day off today, which turned out to be tons of fun.   After just a little time on laundry and gardening, I went out and explored.  I started out to finally go in to a food co-op I think I should check out every time I drive past.  They are open a whopping 18 hours a week, as it turns out, and today wasn't part of that.  But, the asian grocery store was open.  And full of people buying interesting things.  I wandered through with Alex and his co-worker after lunch and found my kissing candy.

And then I took myself off to the Orlando Science Center.  It is always great to go to a museum when everyone else is at school and work.  I got to play with all the fun Grossology stuff that would normally be surrounded by a human barricade six children deep. 
I also discovered they have live animals there.  I don't remember that from my childhood.  They fed the crocodiles (why crocodiles and not alligators, which actually live here?  I couldn't tell you) crickets while I was there.  I ended up spending three hours there.  Great fun - I highly recommend visiting a museum by yourself on a weekday.  The self-paced exploration can't be beat.

Oh!  I wore my new Wrap Skirt during my wanderings today.  It was comfortable and garnered compliments, so its a resounding success.  Unfortunately, I had no photographer and was too lazy to get out the tripod.  I'll have to get you pictures next weekend.

How did she do?

Uhm - yeah. The only exercise I can claim all week is Wii yoga on Sunday morning. I spent most of the week in a conference, and then a fourth day flying to and from Ft. Lauderdale to give a training. This week, no excuses.

Decisions, Decisions

It's raining. Again. We desperately needed good rain after the drought, but we didn't need it all at one time. On the other hand, I know just what to do with a rainy Saturday morning. Brew a cup of tea and turn on the sewing machine.

This morning its back to the Wrap Skirt. I'm really enjoying sewing it, particularly in such a relaxed manner. I went slowly and was careful with my french seams, and for a change they came out perfectly. I also realized that sewing such a large skirt is alot like sewing a big quilt; there's alot of fabric to guide as you add the panels. I could probably have finished the skirt this morning (having browsed Flickr and decided to go with the yellow after all), but I ran out of fabric and I need to cut more panels. Or I at least think I do.

Heather has published errata regarding the number of panels you need, but I still read them to mean that I need six. But, warned by all the other comments about adding more panels, I've tried wrapping it around my waist and I think I need a seventh panel. The overlap is so small that, without another panel, I think I'll be flashing every time I move. So, if the rain ever lets up enough, I'm going to go buy more fabric. And then hope I can figure out how to adjust the waistband to fit.

Hmm - I guess I also need to decide whether to change from the yellow waistband and ties or not, since I'm going to the fabric store anyway...

Scrappy

I'm still slogging through my Carnival Tumblers quilt.  My pleasure in it is definitely waning as I try (and try and try) to settle on a layout, and then have to figure it out again as I screw up the order.  I don't think I'm a truly scrappy quilt girl.  The lack of color control seems to be frustrating me, and thats even though I made sure I had a unifying color scheme.  But, my sewing room helper keeps holding the blocks out to me and encouraging me to finish.  I'm almost there now, and I suspect that putting the border on (the Carnival Bloom that was the basis of this quilt) will pull it together for me.  Either that or I'll finish it off and give it to my sister, who has commented that she really likes it every time she's seen it on the floor of my sewing room, regardless of what permutation of the lay out it happens to be in.  Then I won't have to look at it anymore.

You know, if my sister the trained artist doesn't think it matters what order I put the blocks in, it probably doesn't.  I need to ease up and just finish it.

How did she do?

Eh - not so well.

Tuesday: cardio and stretches

Friday: Wii yoga

Sunday: cardio and strengthening

I was all off schedule this week.  My mother had a packed schedule on Mother's Day, so I called her Monday instead.  She called me back while I was on my way to the YMCA.  I ended up sitting in the parking lot for 45 minutes before deciding just to drive on home (using my hands free earpiece!) and finish the conversation.  We had alot to talk about.  But, I had to work Tuesday night, so I had a shortened lunchtime work out.  

Then, Thursday, I took my car for some work that I thought would be just the afternoon, but it turned out to be several days.  My gym bag, including my membership card, was in the car.  So, I went out to dinner with Alex and the boys before they went to watch the Magic rout the Celtics.  I planned to use the Wii when I got home, but I went to bed with my book instead.  Friday evening I finally turned on the Wii and did the yoga.

Sunday, finally, I went to the Y for a full workout.  Of course, yesterday I went to see Star Trek instead of working out, and I won't be going today either since I'm in a conference until 9 tonight.  

Weekend Sewing

With another quiet weekend stretched out before me, I broke out, appropriately enough, Weekend Sewing. Last weekend, when my friend was visiting, I bought daring fabric for the Yard-Sale Wrap Skirt that I probably wouldn't have brought home on my own. Ironically, I am very happy with how it looks in this skirt. But, I haven't started sewing yet, because the contrast fabric bothers me. The simple yellow just doesn't feel right. I have real doubts about it, and I may need to make a trip out for more fabric. Definitely not a solid. Looking at it, I'm not sure I want a contrast fabric at all...

Live Life

I was standing in line at the grocery tonight, when I couldn't help but notice the unusual progress of a cart going by.  Two little ones were hanging on the back, 'pushing' with one foot while Mom tried to push from the side.   They were adorable and I laughed out loud at their sheer pleasure in the game.  To her credit, their Mom heard me and met my eyes with a twinkling laugh of her own, clearly more amused by the antics of her kids than aggravated by the snail's pace of their progress.  Not that there wasn't a touch of resignation in that look, mind you.

I've learned that too much attention to what kids are doing in public tends to embarrass parents, so I returned my attention to my line.  But a few moments later it was drawn back by calls of "and now we bow, and now we bow!"  And there was the little girl making exaggerated, careful bows - grinning when she saw I was smiling at her.  Her brother took a little prompting, but he joined in and soon they were both hamming it up for me.  

They were so free, their fun enhanced by the audience rather than inhibited.  It was a pleasure to watch them, and I find myself thinking about them alot tonight.

How did she do?

Monday - 30 minutes cardio

Wednesday - 30 minutes cardio

Last Sunday's marathon of yard work left me sore and stiff well in to the week, so I kept things light while those sore muscles recovered.  This weekend my college girlfriend was in town from Oregon, and I gladly spent all of my time with her.  My priorities are clear.  

How did she do?

I decided last week that I really needed to get back in the habit of regular exercise. Every trip to the gym does wonders for my health and my stress level, and my husband swears for my toosh, too. And while you would think all that would be motivation enough to get to the gym, until I establish the routine again it just isn't. Some accountability is in order, so here it, this week's round up.

Monday - cardio and strength building at the Y
Wednesday - cardio and strength building at the Y
Saturday - a 30 minute walk on the beach (wimpy, but with the soft sand around here it counts)
Sunday - 7 hours of heavy gardening

And just in case you think gardening shouldn't count, my thighs, back and shoulders hurt so much more from a day of gardening than they ever do from the gym. That was a serious workout. Serious enough that I'm worried I'll hurt myself if I try to do a full gym workout today. But, it didn't give me much in the way of cardio and I am really trying to establish a habit here. I've settled on a half hour on the stationery bike, which shouldn't hurt my back and will give me the cardio. Whether I can walk afterwards or not remains to be seen.

Playing in the Dirt

• blooming Vanda, always reliable but always a thrill
  
• Desert Rose, my show off that will hold through the summer
  
• almost ripe tomatoes that I haven't eaten right off the vine yet
  
• a bean sprout from the beans planted just days ago
• the first of the new caladium bed unfurling
  
• summer portulaca ('moss rose') for the turtle
  

I spent most of the day in my garden today. I started early, early enough that I tried to keep the noise down since I would like to continue being friends with my neighbors. I started out with all the heavy work that I simply can't do in the afternoon or early evening heat. But, I still didn't quite beat the heat. I was out front late-morning, pulling grass, when a neighbor walking her dog gently advised me to wrap it up. Or at least get out of the sun. So, I took her advice and went to the nursery to buy more plants!

I really did go buy more plants, but I only planted what I could work on in the shade and then waited until this evening to put in the rest. I mostly bought plants to fill in pots and then a few for the front bed, which still desperately needs plants since January's landscaping project. The bed still looks bare to me, but many of the plants in there are spreading plants and I need to give them a little time to fill in. Patience is a virtue. And, of course, I bought a few vegetables since I seem to have a serious weakness for them. Its almost past tomato season, but I put in two new cherry tomatoes since they'll last in to the heat yet. And I couldn't resist a couple of zucchini plants for my zucchini loving husband.

After all of that, I gave myself a pass on the gym work out today.