21 of 52….Updates

May31

Not much has happened since my last post, except that my energy levels have bumped up again with the elimination of almonds and grapes. Yeah, that means wine.  And since malt is also off the table, no beer either.  It’s been a dry 10 days for me, and I really don’t miss it.  I feel good and I’ve lost another 1.5 pounds.

I’ve added occasional pasta and a decent amount of dairy back into my diet with no adverse effects thus far.  Pasta Alfredo anyone?  I ordered that at a restaurant last Friday, and ate from it four times over three days with no ill effects.  Yay me!

Crafting has consisted of knitting.  I am still working on the same never-ending scarf.  I plan to work on it until it is done, with the  exception of two pre-planned weekend quilting adventures.  However!  I am in charge of my craft time, and there are no rules, only suggestions, so we’ll see.

I did not write 10,000 words this month, but I did write more words than I had in a minute, so I guess that is a win.  More importantly, I started thinking about blogging again.  Bigger win.

Okay, that’s it until next time.

20 of 52….So what happened was

May22

I basically eliminated the foods I am sensitive to by accident.  Because I am not sensitive to yogurt and other dairy, except for mozzarella cheese.  But I am sensitive to grapes, a prime ingredient in fruit juices and smoothies.  Grape juice concentrate anyone?  And I’m not sensitive to wheat or gluten, but I am sensitive to malt, which is an ingredient in most baked goods and grain products, along with processed meats. Also, shell–I can’t even.

Here’s the list of not-to-eats: crab, chia seed (what is this related to, because it’s not a food I eat?), clam, almond (great, I’ve been using this as an occasional milk substitute in addition to near daily mixed nuts), shrimp, grapes, mozzarella cheese, malt, cola (aka kola nut, so it wasn’t the corn syrup), and black pepper (what the actual fuck?  who can’t eat THAT?!?  Me, along with white and green peppercorns, but pink is okay).

I thought having results would simplify things, but I’m not sure that’s the case.  I’ll still have to read the ingredient list of everything I eat, only now I’ll be scanning for m-a-l-t, along with the infamous “other natural flavors,” “modified food starch,” and “vegetable gum.”

19 of 52….I Got Nothing

May17

It’s true.  I got (basically) nothing.

On Sunday: I finished a book.  It was good, and took far too long to read.  I think it would have been even better if I’d read it quicker.

On Monday: I worked, went for an ultrasound, watched half a movie, knit, had a brandy and went to bed.

On Tuesday:  I worked, ordered 3 charm packs in lime green and black*, along with a pattern and template, cut 1.5 inch strips for my current quilt, watched half of a different movie, knit, had a brandy, went to bed.

On Wednesday:  I worked, knit, had a brandy, went to bed.  No movie at all.

Now it’s Thursday.  Probably gonna finish one of those movies, have a brandy, and go to bed.

I’m waiting on my food sensitivity results, which are currently processing.  I’m going to guess, based on the fact that I ate a slice of pizza on Monday and did not die, that I am probably NOT sensitive to all grains and all dairy.  Based on recent symptomology, I’m thinking soy, corn, and a nut or two.  I should have some sort of answer in the next few days.  In the meantime, I have not added foods back into my eating plan.  The pizza was a one-off, born of sad, tired, despair.  I was tired from a long day, and sad because my stomach was hurting AGAIN even though I had not had any forbidden foods.  So yeah, I pretty much said “fuck it.”  And that pizza was so good.  One slice.  So good.

See, that’s it.  (Basically) Nothing.

*Yes, I have a plan for the charms, and for the finished quilt.  No, I didn’t start with fabric in my stash.  I don’t have anything I think this recipient will enjoy.

18 of 52….Saturday Shenanigans

May13

Yesterday began, as my Saturdays do, with quilty goodness. I started sewing strips to squares for the back of the last quilt I showed you. I got about half way done. I also took a few minutes to sketch out my basic plan, lest I forget what I’m doing.  It’s not exactly a beautiful picture, and probably not clear to anyone but me, but I understand it, and it’s safely tucked under the ironing pad so I can reference it later.  When I get to the machine again, I’ll need to cut more strips.  I can usually squeeze that type of thing in during week nights, so when next Saturday rolls around, I should be able to just sit down and sew.

Next on the project list was gardening.  The last of my indoor starts went in the dirt, including the okra you see on the right.  The peas were directly seeded three weeks ago, but they are so pretty, I thought they needed to be memorialized. We’ve got two 4×3 contained beds, a 4×4 plot in the corner of the house, a random mound in the back yard, a patch over the septic tank, and multiple containers, in addition to the two fenced gardens that we haven’t done anything with this year. One of my housemates is a plant genius, and she keeps me from disaster by reminding me of things I haven’t considered.  We are fans of the green and growing things!

This year, I’ve separated the squashes from the tomatoes, peppers, okra and cucumbers, since they overgrew and starved those things of sunlight last year.  I’ve planted the squash only with trellised beans this season, and we’ll see what happens.

I also did a bit of knitting on the Third Fourth Doctor Scarf, and I’m creeping up on halfway done.  Of course, now that Sarah lives in North Carolina again, she’ll have little practical use for a huge woolen scarf, but the point of Fourth Doctor Scarves has never been practicality, now has it?  But I tell you what, once I finish this scarf I’ll be looking for something to knit that isn’t mile after mile of garter stitch.

We ended the evening with Iron Man and popcorn for those that could have it.  I’ve started on a quest to watch the Marvel Universe movies in story order.  My track record for watching media is not stellar, but I keep trying, because I like to know what’s going on in conversations and memes.  True confession: until last night, I didn’t know who Tony Stark was.  Sigh.  Yeah, I pretty much live under a pop culture rock.

 

Here’s a gratuitous picture of my dog being a dog, because he makes me happy with his dogness!

17 of 52…. My Belly Hurts (Not For The Squeamish)

May10

So yesterday, we went out to dinner at the local Chinese buffet, which is a long time family favorite.  I only ate food I thought was safe.  This morning, my guts were in an uproar and my belly hurt so badly that I almost turned around on the way to work.  I decided to press on, because hurting is hurting and where I’m located doesn’t really matter unless I start throwing up.  Then it matters quite a bit, but I digress.

At my doc appointment last month, I got a referral to an allergist….in DC–four hours away.  I have not been successful in getting a Health Choice option for that.  But! As I was rolling down 30 West with a painful belly listening to podcasts, one of the sponsors was everlywell.com, which offers a food sensitivity panel covering 96 foods for less than 200 bucks.  I bought one almost as soon as I sat down at work, which may not seem like a rational choice until you consider that I would have to miss an entire day of work AND burn an entire tank of gas to visit the “free” allergist in DC.

Soon I will know:  was it the yogurt in my breakfast smoothie that I needed to eliminate…or one the fruits?  And is it all bread…or just the bread with a bit of corn meal?  I don’t even have to visit a lab for a blood draw, just use the included lancet to poke my finger.  Yeah, I know this sounds like an advertisement.  I guess it is, but only because I am excited to get some answers.

That link up there will save you money on your own tests.  They have more than the food sensitivity one, but nothing else I needed.

16 of 52….First exception

May8

Or, How I Came To Find Myself In My Local Quilt Store In Spite Of “Not Needing Any Fabric.”  Yeah, even after asked my partner to help hold me accountable.  Because I also created an exception clause.  If I need fabric to complete a project that I’m using current stash for, I am allowed to buy fabric.  So I did.  Buy fabric I mean.  But only 2.5 yards to create sashing and borders for these blocks I cut out yesterday and today from Fabric Fair goodness .

These are going to be the center of the back for the top I showed you over the weekend, and I hope to start sewing after I get home today.  And yes, I will need MORE fabric.  I’ve accounted for about 56 x 75 inches, give or take 10 inches on each dimension, and I have to get to 88 x 88 plus enough extra to load it onto a longarm for quilting.

On third thought, there might not be much sewing.  I have a LOT of strips to cut, and I need to decide if I want them 1.5 inches or 2 inches before I start.

15 of 52….Assorted Thoughts

May7
  •  I started piecing and cutting for the quilt back yesterday.  I was unsure of where I was going, so I stopped.  I have a decent idea now, so I’ll pick that back up again tonight.  Or tomorrow.  Sometime this week.  I’m going with on point charms, some pieced, some not.
  • Moving your retirement savings is a huge pain in the ass.  Forms, meetings, calls.  Bleh.  Not sure why I am bothering.  It’s not like I am saving enough to substantially alter my lifestyle later.  It’s also not enough to substantially alter my lifestyle now, and it seems like the adult thing to do, so I’m doing it.
  • Took the kids bowling yesterday, second week in a row.  They had fun, and I did, too.
  • I got nothing (else) but a blogging habit I am trying to rebuild, so here’s a post, however boring it may be.

14 of 52….I finished it!

May5

Sewed the last few seams on this queen-sized top this morning.  It’s for Daughter Number Three in fabric she selected and a pattern she approved.

 

I had to stand on the upstairs balcony to get the picture, because huge! I’m planning to do some piecing on the back, and here are the leftovers I’ll start with.  It joins the stack of finished tops, so I’ve scheduled a long arm quilting lesson for the first weekend of June, which should give me time to get the back together.

After the sewing, I decided to assess the state of the stash I swore not to accumulate. Now, have some mercy, because some of the stuff in these pictures has been in my possession for over 20 years. But some of it, more than half of it, has been purchased since March. Here are the quilty bits (and a few chunks that might be large enough for other purposes):

Yeah, the pic cut off on the right, the camera can only capture so much, and I stood on a chair to get what I got.  I think that table is 2×4 feet.

Here is the yardage that will become clothing and/or backing:

Yesterday, when I said I would not need more fabric until next year’s Fabric Fair, I didn’t realize how serious I was!  I think I will hold off on any purchases not needed to complete something I’ve started with what you see here.  And yes, there are two complete planned tops on the table, along with a slew of random possibilities.

If you’ll excuse me now, I need to go clear off my bed and my idea space.

P.S.  I’ve changed the name of the the category “cass knits” to “cass makes things,” because I do way more than knit these days.  The slug will stay the same so that all the links continue to work.  Carry on!