Healthy Habits

This year I decided not to make a long term New Year's resolution, but to make short term goals of concentrating on one new healthy habit per month. I thought that hopefully some will stick and make a difference long term. I've never been good at sticking to anything like a diet - I sometimes can't even last a week!

For January, I decided to go with the theme of "Junkless January". I had definitely overindulged at Christmas and felt that a month of no sweets or junkfood was a good "detox" period. I knew that this was not going to be a long term change but it did help me lose 3 pounds of Christmas fat.

"Fruity" February started off with a trip to the grocery store and an old crystal bowl. I put washed fruits in the bowl and set it on the kitchen table. I also started cutting up a fruit like apple or orange and just setting it on a plate on the table at lunch and dinner. I found with these 2 easy steps, everyone started to eat more fruit - not just me! Suddenly it was readily available, visible and inviting. I splurged on some fruits out of season and we enjoyed strawberries and watermelon. I felt cheered up just by eating my oranges and didn't care so much that it was blizzarding outside and in the -30s. This change has stuck and will be long term. The bowl is still on the table and the fruit is still being eaten!

I had planned on "Muscles March", concentrating on resistance exercises like push-ups, sit-ups and leg lunges. I just didn't get into it and now it is more than half way through the month and it's a wash-out. I had planned on "Agua April" to ensure I drank enough water but maybe I should try "Aerobics April" instead. Although I could go with "Move-it May" and encorporate both types of exercise. It will be easier to get outside then, after the snow has melted and the giant ocean-like puddles have subsided.

At least one good habit has formed and we are only in our 3rd month of the year. How time flies, eh?

New recipes!

I just posted 2 great cookie recipes on the Recipes page! These are some of my favourite ones. I love cookies above all other baking. If you offered me a cookie or a doughnut, I'd pick the cookie. I chose to have large soft chewy cookies at our wedding, rather than fancy squares or cakes. We had our wedding cake too, but big yummy cookies were the other treat! I always have a bag of something stashed in the freezer for those moments when I really need something sweet. That seems to happen to me a lot.

Here's the finished poncho!

Here is the finished poncho, as described and with instructions on the Crafts page of my blog. I've decided to modify the neck a bit with a few more rows of crochet because it looks a bit big on my DD. Hope she likes it! I can always rearrange the blocks to make a cozy lap blanket if she doesn't use it.

Marching Right Along

It's March 1st! In like a lion, with blowing snow and a -36 degree windchill. I've basically been sick since New Year's. I just get one cold under control and another one swoops in to fill the void. I can't wait for spring.

My DD and I are already planning our garden. We have no room to plant in the ground but we'll be using containers as much as possible, and maybe some carrots or lettuce in the flower garden (unless the rabbits eat everything). I'm eager to finish building my composter this spring, too. It's hard to imagine warmth and spring when you look out the window to 3 feet of snow.

I've got a couple of crafty projects going right now to keep me busy on those long dark cold nights. I'm making a flannelette rag quilt for our bed to replace the old second-hand quilt that is falling apart. I'm making it king-sized for our queen-sized bed because I hate having only a small amount of overhang and feeling the cold draft when my DH rolls over in the night.

I had trouble finding flannel so I'm using flannelette and hoping like mad that it turns out the same. The down side to using flannelette is it is almost all in baby prints and baby colours, so the quilt is going to be very bright. I've promised DD a quilt after I'm done this one, and have designed one that I'm not sure I can pull off, but I like a challenge! Here's a preview:

My other project is making a poncho for DD. How things come full circle! I remember the good old days of the 70's and early 80's when I used to wear a poncho too. I've never mastered the art of crocheting granny squares, so I decided to knit squares and crochet a border around them, then sew them together patchwork style to make the poncho. If it doesn't end up working out, I'll turn it into a blanket instead.