Wednesday Weigh-In - Diet Buster

The week was a disaster as far as the diet goes, just look at the stats below.  And all the fault of this product:

My daughter introduced me to it after having it at school.  Nutella, nectar of the gods and elixir of love as far as I can tell.   I mean, seriously good.  "OMG, it rocks!" as Hungry Girl would say.  Similar to peanut butter but made of chocolate and hazelnuts.  Only problem is that is has about a gazillion calories in a tablespoon, which is the minimum amount you need to spread on a piece of toast. 

So, I've been a bad girl and the stats show it.  I will try to get back on track.

The stats:

weight lost this week: +1.6 pounds
weight lost YTD: 2.4 pounds

New Project

I started a new quilting project this weekend. 

The pattern is Second Hand Clothes, from Bonnie Blue Quilts, and the fabric is Moda Collection for a Cause - Legacy.  I bought the layer cake some time ago (over a year, I think - that makes it a stash quilt) and have augmented with a few fat quarters from other collections that complement the aqua/blue background and will use a sand-color Kona cotton for the nine-patch blocks.  I have some Kona cotton in an aqua-green color on order from Hancock's of Paducah but it has been backordered for months.  I just hope it arrives by the time I need it.

I think this will be a good project for the one-hour-a-day construction method. 

Wednesday Weigh-In - Now Eat This!

Have you heard about this book?  Now Eat This, by Rocco Dispirito.   A woman I work with was enthusing about it so when I saw it in Barnes & Noble, I bought it in an effort to help the weight-loss cause.  (I've always considered it unfortunate that it is not enough to just read weight-loss books, low-cal cookbooks, and exercise instructions; you have to actually put the advice into practice.  That's the hard part; I don't have any trouble with the reading.)

Anyway, its a cookbook with recipes for "America's favorite comfort foods, all under 350 calories."    For example, in Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa and Cilantro, he comes up with a version that has only 314 calories per serving (previously 990 calories), while Almost General Tso's Chicken comes in at 310 calories.  In No Cream-No Cry Penne Alla Vodka (one of my Italian restaurant favorites!), he trades low fat Greek yogurt for the traditional cream.  I'm going to try a few of these recipes and report back.  My weight loss effort has been stalled, creeping along at about a pound a month, so I need something to jump-start the effort.

The stats:
weight lost this week: 0.5 pounds
weight lost YTD: 4.1 pounds

Sold!

Remember this quilt?

The school fundraising auction was 10 days ago and I found out my quilt, part of the silent auction, sold for $300.  I think that's pretty good.  Of course, not much on an hourly basis when you consider all the time that goes into making a quilt but I don't believe buyers think about that and tend to value handmade quilts like the "made in China" quilts found at chain stores.  Anyway, I think I'll be making another quilt for next year's auction.

The star item at the auction, the item that got the highest bid, was a package of four tickets for grandstand seats at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.  It sold for $10,000 in heated bidding!  I could not believe it!  Given the early weather, the crowds, the probable cold, the crowds, and especially the crowds, you would have to pay me $10,000 to go to the parade.  Crowds are not my thing!  I'd rather stay home and quilt while I watch the parade on tv. 

Make A Table-Top Ironing Board

I found a new-to-me website called Missouri Star Quilt Co.  Two very cool things about it: 

• They have a deal of the day which is one item available at a steep discount.  Today it was a jelly roll of Nicey Jane fabrics for only $19.95 - I was tempted, very tempted, but resisted.  Then when I went back in the evening to make the purchase, they were sold out.  Moral - grab it while you can!

• They have lots of video tutorials.  I was very taken with the one for making your own ironing board (you can see it here).  This would be very handy when working on blocks that don't require a full size ironing board.  I think I will make myself one as soon as I locate the flooring used as the base.

MIA No Longer!

Time flies and I did not even realize how long it had been since I last blogged.  I even missed Wednesday Weigh-In.  Oh well, maybe I'll have something good to report next Wednesday.

Between my mom's visit, jury duty, and an overload of work at work, I have not been doing anything of a quilting nature, except for day dreaming about starting a new project.  And I just might this weekend.  Along with some work on a binding.  But I also have these to read:

Quiltmaker's Small Quilts (I think this is a special edition) and the semi-annual Quilt Sampler.  There are several projects that caught my eye in Small Quilts, particularly Carrie Nelsons quilt.  And I am especially fond of Quilt Sampler.  I think I have most of the editions they've published.

Have a good weekend!  I'll try to make it back here by Monday, with something good to show you.

Yo-Yo Inspiration

My mom left for her home this afternoon; I will be reclaiming my sewing room later this week.  We had a good time while she was here.  Mom and I usually go on an antiquing trip when she visits and this trip was no exception.  We went to The Tomato Factory in Hopewell, NJ. a consortium of antique dealers in one building.

I saw this pillow and could not resist a photo for the blog!

The pillow is about 16 inches square, made of black wool, and the basket and flowers are made of tiny (about 1/2 inch) yo-yos!  I thought it was pretty cute.  The dealer has two of them.  I'm not sure of the era though the fabrics in the yo-yos seemed like 30's to me (but I am not an expert).  I didn't buy either pillow because I don't have any place to put them.

Another day, we went to the mall.  Mom had promised Miss Main Street a shopping trip for her birthday.  While there, I found these must-buy flip flops at J. Crew. 

The little black flowers aren't yo-yos but they are similar, and they have small beads in the center.  These did come home with me but you can find them here.  On sale too!  If it was Friday, I'd call this a Friday Find.  The flip flops come in several colors; J. Crew calls this color "metallic pewter" but they look black to me. 

This week is going to be very busy but I'm hoping for some quality quilting time this coming weekend.