Try It Out Tuesday - Shower Caddy

Linking up with Kelly for Try It Out Tuesday!  She has an awesome post about DIY makeup remover AND homemade, reusable makeup remover pads.  


Today's TIOT is so quick and easy I'm almost embarrassed to post it.  It's one of those ideas that when you see it, you want to smack yourself in the head and say "Now, why didn't I think of that???"


You can find the pin on my Organizational Ideas board on Pinterest.  You can also follow me by clicking this link.  


The Idea: To move your hang-over-the-shower head caddy (if you have one) to the opposite wall of the shower so it doesn't interfere with the shower head (especially if you, like me, have a detachable sprayer shower head...that dumb hose catches that caddy every time!), and to keep the caddy and the items in it from getting so wet and mildewy.  The original pin called for a large coat hook mounted to the bathroom wall, and to hang the caddy from that.  Well...our bathroom has a shower surround thingie that sticks out too far for me to to that.  See: 

(that's not dirt...it's paint spatter)

Also, we rent this place, so I don't want to have to remove a coat hook and patch the hole when we move.  And, honestly, since I'm flat-ass-broke on a bit of a budget being that we only have one income...I didn't want to spend any money if I didn't really HAVE to.  


I then remembered that I had some 3M Command Hooks in the kitchen junk drawer!  

Ta-DAAAA!

All that was left was to hang the caddy from said command hook.  

VIOLA!!!  

Modifications:  Command hook stuck to the shower surround wall instead of a coat hook screwed into the bathroom wall.

Fail Factors:  None that I can think of.  It's pretty idiot proof.  Unless the adhesive strip fails and the caddy goes crashing to the floor of the tub in the middle of the night, thereby scaring the living daylights out of me.  I then may need to change my sheets.  :)

For The Win: This particular project didn't cost me anything.  Not one single red cent.  Except for the cost of the command hook, but since I already had it, I'm not counting that cost.
                     This project literally took five minutes to accomplish.  You can't get any more "winning" than that!


*"Try It Out Tuesday" is a blog hop (or blog party) created by 3 friends, and is inspired by Pinterest. We choose one, sometimes two "pins" (if you want to be labeled an overachiever, just sayin') per week, try them out, and review them on our blogs. Anyone can join in, just leave the link to your Try It Out Tuesday post in the comments and we'll add you to the list! C'mon, Try It Out!

Knitting Project Updates!

I've been very lax about posting any updates on my knitting projects lately, but rest assured I DO have a couple of projects on the needles.  Shame on this knitter for not sharing!

As my best friend said recently, I am a knitter!  That is not to say "I knit".  I "AM a knitter"!

Come on, my main screen name for most websites I use is some variation of "Knitterbug".  So yes.  I wield  my sticks and yarn proudly!

Anyhoo...on to a few photos of my current WIP's (works in progress for you not familiar with the crafty jargon).

Swiffer duster covers ready to be seamed

previously made Swiffer cover

These things are wonderful!!!

I always have a pair of socks on the needles
These are simple toe up short row heel socks

My current "big" project
A top down short sleeved sweater
with lace insets.

A bad blurry picture of the lace detail.
It's gorgeous in person

 OH!  This wouldn't be complete without a picture of my most recent FO! (finished object)

This, my friends, I'm very proud of.  The very first sweater I ever made for myself!!!

Grey Skies Lacy Cardigan

click link for my Ravelry page for this project

3/4 length sleeve lacy cardigan

Close up of the lace pattern
I loved this pattern 

Project Details:

Pattern:  Hey Teach! by Helene Rush, (published in Knitty Summer 2008 online magazine)

Made for: ME!

Size: 3X

Materials: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn, Gray Marble colorway purchased at Hobby Lobby
                Wooden toggle buttons purchased at Wal-Mart
                Size 10 needles (I am a tight knitter, I always have to use a needle 2 sizes bigger than called for to achieve the proper gauge).

Modifications:  I followed another Ravelry member's instructions to make the short sleeves into 3/4 length sleeves.  Added 2 inches to the length.

Overall impressions:  I loved the lace pattern!  It's very easy, but looks so difficult.  A little tricky to keep the pattern looking right when doing the armhole decreases and sleeve decreases, but eventually it worked itself out.

Would I knit this pattern again?:  Absolutely!  It was a wonderful project, not too difficult, but not boring.  (And, since I am losing weight, this one will hopefully be way too big by fall of next year so I'll HAVE to knit another one!!!)


Well, there you have it.  A random glance into my knitting bag.

What are your current projects?

Try It Out Tuesday - "Our Life, Organized" Binder

Linking up with Kelly from My Purple Brick Road for our weekly Try It Out Tuesday post.

Follow me on Pinterest!

Today's post is about my "Our Life Binder".  The pin I chose is HERE, and the website it links to is HERE.

You might have heard of this before.  Most people call it a "home management binder", and they're all the rage with "mommy blogger" sites.  I had a hard time finding descriptions and instructions to make a home management binder that would work with our life, i.e: I work outside the home, we have no children (living in our home full time), I don't home-school, I am the primary bread-winner (for now!), and I work crazy hours.  But, I still really wanted a way to simplify our lives, have all of our important information together in one place, and develop a system for mundane tasks like paying the bills and grocery shopping.  I haven't been the best about putting our system into practice, and the next few months I will be challenging myself to stick to using the binder on a daily basis and developing more of a routine around our home.  

What?  You HAVEN'T heard of a home  management binder??? All you need to start your own is a few easy to find items.  

Materials: 

~3-ring binder, folder, or notebook

~Page dividers

~Paper to print out your binder information sheets

This is my personal binder cover-to-cover.  All of the products I used were purchased from Wal-Mart, and cost a total of around $20.  I took a bright cheery pink 1" binder, clear sheet protectors (simply because I'm weird about liking things in sheet protectors!), and plastic tabbed dividers with pockets as the section dividers, and I bought some Sharpies and dry erase markers.  I designed most of the printed sheets from compiling information from many of the organizational/management binders I found online.  I customized the entire book to fit OUR LIFE...and you can do the same for yours! 

Cover

Labeled dividers

"at a glance" weekly calendar so we
all know who is doing what and when

Personal information, one page for each adult

Child information sheet
Customize to your specific child's needs and activities

Medical information
One for each member of the family

Medical info continued

Example of the pocket dividers for each section.
This one is the "finances" section.
Unpaid bills go in the pocket, stamps are kept handy,
and payments are logged on the "bills paid" ledger
(ledger not pictured due to personal financial information on it)

Vehicle information with make/model
license info, and insurance carrier information.

Address book

Shopping list of our usual purchases
(this one is for food, I also have one for household items/
paper products/soap/etc.

Weekly menu-at-a-glance

I also have a few pages that I didn't show, such as a section for take-out and delivery menus (which we don't use much since we're both eating healthier and losing weight), and I have sheets printed out with our lease information, individual bill/payment information along with utility account numbers and customer service phone numbers for easier reference.

There you have it.

Our Life...Organized!

(A great resource for the printable sheets for your binder is Life Your Way.  I used a few of theirs as-is and used others as templates for my own binder.)


Modifications: Heavily modified to fit our current life status.  But, that's the beauty of it, it can grow and change with your family as it and your circumstances change!

For The Win!:  Almost any and every piece of information we could possibly need regarding ourselves, our family, our finances, and our life habits are compiled in one easy to find, easy to use binder.


Fail Factors:  ~Can be time consuming to set up initially.
                     ~Does take daily use and maintenance to achieve the full benefit of the organizational system.
                     ~Almost any and every piece of information we could possibly need regarding ourselves, our family, our finances, and our life habits are compiled in one easy to find, easy to use binder.  Hmmm...    

*"Try It Out Tuesday" is a blog hop (or blog party) created by 3 friends, and is inspired by Pinterest. We choose one, sometimes two "pins" (if you want to be labeled an overachiever, just sayin') per week, try them out, and review them on our blogs. Anyone can join in, just leave the link to your Try It Out Tuesday post in the comments and we'll add you to the list! C'mon, let's Try It Out!

Oops!

Sorry if you came looking for a new Try It Out Tuesday post...

I worked all weekend and didn't make time to try a new pin this week.  I'll make up for it next week, I promise!

Back to your regularly scheduled blogging!

Behind The Scenes- Or, The Moment(s) I Had Enough

I realized recently that I've written a lot of things about my "diet" (for lack of a better word), but never really wrote anything about the events leading up to my "THAT'S IT I'VE HAD IT" post. It's a revelation that was a long time in coming, as I seem to have been living the past few years of my life in the country of Fear and Denial, making side trips to the cities of Excuse-ville and Complacency-town. Well, no more. I realized I have to face this fear, this denial, whatever it is that is holding me back from becoming the best ME I can be and the woman God intended for me to be. Many of these breakthroughs have come while I've been reading a wonderful book by Max Lucado entitled Facing Your Giants. My best friend and I have been reading it together. I will be posting more about it at a later date, after I've had a chance to go back and process and journal more about my experience reading it.


About a month and a half ago, I was having a heart-to-heart conversation with my Mom. She asked me when I was going to go back on my Weight Watchers plan, because she was concerned about me. I told her I was "planning to start on Monday". We all know that trick. And we all know how well it works. She started to cry and begged me to do something about my weight because she had been having nightmares about me dying due to complications of my weight. That hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no idea she was that worried. I know she worries about me, I'm her daughter; that's her job. But to break down crying to me and beg me to do something because she is afraid I'm going to DIE? Wow. I was speechless.

I mean, I'm not stupid. I KNOW I'm fat. I didn't just wake up today fat. I've been this way for a long time. And I've ignored it for a long time, too. But, as the numbers crept higher, as the pounds slowly added up, so did the health consequences. For quite some time I've been getting regular cortisone shots in my lower back to relieve the pain (partially caused by a tilted pelvis, but mostly because I'm fat). I've been unable to stand for longer than 5 minutes at a time without severe back and knee pain. We're talking pain so bad that I sweat and get out of breath from the pain. I've been unable to walk for ANY distance (even the distance from the car to the grocery store, or from the car to go inside my work) without getting out of breath and having to sit down and rest. I've been popping pain pills and muscle relaxers like candy for months. I've been unable to wear my seat belt in my car because it wasn't long enough to go around my belly. One of the most embarrassing things of all was I had to resort to placing a chair in the bathtub in order to take a shower. I had gotten so fat that I was unable to stand for the length of time it took to bathe myself. It brings tears of shame to my eyes to admit that.

And then there are my sleeping issues. I've always snored, but over the past year it has gotten progressively worse, and my husband noticed that I had begun to have apneas (when breathing stops due to obstruction of the airway during sleep), and I was struggling to breathe at night. He finally took a video of me one night because I didn't believe how bad it was. I cried when I saw it. I literally rose up off the bed from the waist up because I was struggling so hard to get air. I began having nightmares and waking up during the night choking and gasping for breath. My own body fat was choking off my air so badly that it woke me out of a dead sleep. I haven't wanted to go to sleep for the past couple of months because I was so afraid that I would die in my sleep from my fat choking me. It was then that I decided I it was too much. I have had enough. I had to do something, ANYTHING to get this weight off. I refuse to die young from something I can prevent. I am 38 years old. I have (God willing) at least forty or fifty more years on this Earth. Do I want to spend it fat, in pain, and dependent on other people to take care of me because I was immobilized by my weight? What was it going to take? Being cut out of my house and hoisted into a bariatric ambulance by a crane? I drew the proverbial line in the sand the day my mother cried in my arms.

I first began restructuring my diet. I stocked up on healthy food, veggies, and snacks. I started planning what food I was taking to work the night before. I joined Spark People. I faithfully track my food every day. Even when I go "off plan" and eat something not so good for me, I still track it.  What use is there in me being dishonest with myself?  I’m not saying I've been perfect.  I’m not saying I haven’t slipped up.  I’m not saying this has been all rainbows and daisies.  It’s been hard.  But I refuse to quit.

I am still scared.  Scared of failing and scared of succeeding.  That’s not going away overnight.  But, I have God on my side, and with Him ALL things are possible.  Even losing weight.  Daily I pray for the strength to stay on plan, to dig deep within myself and find the strength to face the temptations and pitfalls of dieting, and for the courage to face whatever physical and emotional changes come during the transformation.  (If you would find it in your heart to pray these things with me, I would be honored.)

When I'm scared of failing (and succeeding, sometimes!), I remember those people in my life who would be devastated if I died.  I remember that I owe it to the people that depend on me, the people that love me, and the people that need me to do this.

After my last post, I had a conversation with my best friend in which she pointed out that I don’t think I DESERVE to succeed.  That is so true.  Sometimes I do believe that.  Sometimes I do believe I don’t deserve anything good in life, and I sure don’t deserve to succeed at my weight loss.  That’s why I sabotage myself.  Also, failure is comfortable.  I’m used to it.  It’s like that comfortable pair of threadbare underwear in the back of the drawer.  C’mon you know you have them too!  Staying in the “comfort” of failure is like continuing to wear that holey pair of undies with the stretched out elastic that are thin enough to read the newspaper through .  Not logical and definitely not productive.   Besides, she pointed out, can success really be that bad compared to where I’ve started?  (She’s a pretty smart cookie, that bestie of mine!)

So there you have it.  A convoluted peek inside my psyche, the madness behind my method.  Thanks for listening.

Non-Scale Victories

When losing weight, or trying to lose weight, it's very easy to get discouraged when the numbers on the scale either stop moving in the right direction or don't move as fast as we want them to.  It's these times when we need to take a step back and remember there is a lot more to losing weight than just numbers.  It's these "Non-Scale Victories" that we need to hold on to in order to keep our momentum and motivation.  

I'm going to start a weekly post detailing my personal non-scale victories, to have a record to keep myself motivated.  Since I've been at this for about 3 weeks, I'll go ahead and post all of them to date now.

MY NON-SCALE VICTORIES (6/15/12-7/9/12)

~My work uniforms are fitting better. Even a slight bit loose. 

~I can buckle my seatbelt again. 

~I can move better. I am not out of breath after 5 minutes of standing. 

~I don't have to use a chair in the shower anymore!!! I can stand on my own and take a shower again!!! 

~I walked 1/4 mile today!  (equivalent to one lap around a standard track...might not seem like much to some, but that's HUGE for me!!!)

How do you keep yourself motivated? 

Turning Point

Today is a pivotal turning point in my weight loss endeavor.  I've now lost (according to my home scale...not sure how much I trust it!) 22 lbs. Yes, this is great and I am thrilled! However, I'm also freaked out. The 20 lb mark is and has been a gigantic speed bump for me. I told myself when I started this that when I hit 20 pounds, it would mark a turning point for me. That I would *know* at that point that I was really doing it. That I was truly losing weight. That I was (dare I say it?) succeeding. Because I haven't gotten past 20 pounds lost in a long while.

You see, I've lost the same 15-17 lbs for years. Each time I lose that amount, something happens...whether it's consciously or subconsciously I'm not sure...and the wheels come off my wagon and I backslide, fail, jump back into old habits.

Never in the past 5 years have I lost more than 20 lbs while on a diet. But now in the past three weeks I've lost 22 lbs.  That still boggles my mind!  Twenty two???  Seriously?  Me?  I am celebrating, but I'm also nervously reserved about it.  I'm scared that I will fall back into old habits and gain it right back. When I have hit this point in the past, I've allowed my fear to stop me. I have tried to look at this fear and figure out exactly what it is that I'm afraid of. Am I afraid of failing? Yes. Am I afraid of succeeding? Yes. Am I afraid of letting other people down. I am afraid of letting myself down. I am afraid of this being just another failure. I am taking steps to prevent the backslide. I have talked to my husband about it, made friends aware of it, my family is very supportive...but I'm still scared. I don't want to fail again.

Why am I afraid of succeeding? If I succeed, so many things will change for me. I will feel better. I will look better. I will be able to go into a store and buy clothing off the "normal" size rack, not have to search for the largest size in the plus-sized section. I will be able to do the things I want to do without constantly needing to stop and rest or be doubled over in pain. I will be able to walk. I will be able to run. I will be able to ride a bike again. I might even be able to dance!  I will be able to go to the Renaissance Faire in costume, something I've wanted to do for years! I will be able to go swimming without feeling and looking like a beached whale. I want to get dressed to the nines and go out on the town with my husband. I want him to be proud to be seen with me. I won't be "the fat friend".  I will possibly be able to carry a baby to term and actually give birth to a real-live-take-home-baby at the end of the pregnancy.  So why, WHY am I so afraid???

The fear of success for me lies in part in one simple (or not so simple) fact. I have NEVER been thin. I was a chunky child, I was an overweight teenager, I was a fat young adult, and I am a morbidly obese adult. I don't know what a "healthy weight" me looks like. What a healthy weight will feel like. How to operate in the world as a person that is not obese. I've navigated my entire life as an overweight/obese person. I have the emotions and social reactions of the "fat girl". I'm so used to being viewed as a fat person, I don't know if I will know how to operate in the world as a person of normal weight. If you've been overweight your whole life, it's challenging to change your thought processes and reactions. At my weight now, as over the past 20-25 years of my life, I've constantly been subject to "the looks", comments, laughter, jokes, and rejection due to my weight.  If I, at a normal or "closer to normal" weight, don't get these looks, laughter, jokes and rejection...what will I get?  How will people treat me, and how will I react to that treatment?  Will I be resentful that people that now don't give me the time of day lavish attention on me in the future?  Or will I be able to graciously accept the attention and simply go on about my life?  I'm not sure. These are the issues that trip me up when I feel the momentum building and I start to see that big billboard of success at the end of the road.

And yes, I know that all of this is my skewed perception of how things could "possibly" work out. I know that this is not necessarily rooted in truth. It is simply how I'm feeling right now, and something I need to work through as my weight loss continues. I am very happy about my successes, and have celebrated every pound I've lost.  And I'm not quitting.  If anything, I'm more motivated to keep going and get to my goal.  I just have to voice these issues.  Maybe if I actually speak them, give them a space of their own outside of my mind to dwell...maybe then they won't haunt the dim corners of my mind?  Maybe they won't lurk in the shadows waiting for that one moment of weakness to pounce and derail my motivation train?

If anyone else has gone through similar emotions in their quest to lose a lot of weight, do you have any advice to share?  How did you get through it?

Try It Out Tuesday - Motivation-In-A-Jar

Well, I'm a little late posting my TioT today, but I have good reason. I had my sleep study last night (more on that later) and I've been at work the rest of the day. But, it's still technically Tuesday, so I'm good!

I decided to break from what has come to be my modus operandi as of late and NOT post a recipe or something food related! I know. Big surprise.

Today's TioT IS weight-loss related, since that is kind of in the forefront of my mind and life right now.

I don't have a great track record with "stick-to-it-ive-ness" on the weight loss front. I start off great. I'm all gung-ho, stocking the fridge and pantry with healthy food, tracking my meals and water consumption, faithfully exercising (to the extent that I can anyway)...for about two weeks. Then something happens, I stumble and slide, then the wheels fall off my wagon completely and before I know it I'm a hot mess again.

I promised myself this time, that this would be THE time.  I lose motivation so quickly though.  Part of the problem is, I have such a large amount of weight to lose, it seems overwhelming and an insurmountable task.  I know, I know, don't look at the big picture, don't focus on how far I have to go look at how far I've come, break it down into manageable goals...yes, I know.  And I do that.  But, there are times when I sit back and look at the number on the scale and just want to cry because there is SO. FAR. TO. GO.  It takes a long time for me to tell a difference in my body or how my clothes fit because I'm so large that even 15 pounds doesn't really change me physically that much.  15 pounds on a 130 pound person, you can see a definite difference.  Not so much on me.  I've been looking for some kind of a visual reminder that I AM succeeding.  That I AM losing weight.  That this is NOT all for naught.  Charts and graphs are ok...but don't really motivate me personally.

So.  I came across a few pins on Pinterest that were "Pounds to Lose" and "Pounds Lost" jars.  Most of them were all cutely decorated, some were very plain.  When I saw it, I thought it would be a perfect tool to help keep me motivated when I got caught in the maelstrom of self-sabotaging chatter in my head.

You can find one of the original pins HERE.  I call mine...

Motivation-In-A-Jar

Materials needed:    2 jars, bottles, vases, containers of any sort (works best if see through!)

                              Glass beads, marbles, rocks, pennies, buttons...anything you want to use as counters.

                               Labels for jars

Optional:  Fancy fabrics/ribbons/stickers for decorating

You really can make these as simple or elaborate as you like.  

Mine are re-purposed jelly jars with glass beads (re-purposed from my Etsy shop bracelet making stash!), labeled with a plain white sticker and Sharpie.  No one said this had to be fancy!  

To use, simply count out how many beads to match how many pounds you have/want to lose.  Put those in the "Pounds to Lose" jar.  (um, duh.)  When you weigh in, you get to transfer the number of pounds lost/beads to the "Pounds Lost" jar.  However...it also works the other way too.  If you gain, you have to put them back in the "Pounds to Lose" jar.  When you get discouraged, glance at your jars and see how far you've come!  

Simple jelly jars and glass beads

Nothing fancy here! Just FIFTEEN beads already in the "LOST" jar!!!

And there you have it.  Motivation in a jar.  Neat, huh?

Don't forget to go check out Kelly's Try It Out Tuesday post...on Banana "Ice Cream"!