A little bit of an update...

So, for those that may not know, I'm back in school. I started in the Fall of 2009, and in January of 2011, I'll be applying for the nursing program at the College of Dupage. It's a two-year program, so as long as everything goes as planned (I'm not holding my breath) I should be graduating with an ADN and be a Registered Nurse in May of 2013. The tentative plan after that is to continue school to get a BSN, but I'm just taking it one step at a time. First things first, I have to get accepted to the nursing program.

So far so good, though. My GPA is a 4.0, which is really important, since the program is so competitive. Only 110 spots and the school gets hundreds of applicants each year.

This summer, I have the pleasure (yeah...) of taking a Certified Nursing Assistant course. I get to learn how to give old people sponge baths and how to use mechanical lifts and all sorts of other fun stuff... Wish me luck :)

Moving

Yup, it's true.  We are moving!  Don't worry, it's definitely a good thing.  We'll be closer to work for both of us.  It will be cheaper than our current rent and we will be minus one annoying/messy/disgusting housemate.  See?  All good things.

Part of the moving process though, is packing.  I don't know about anybody else, but I HATE packing.  The other times we've moved, we've always waited until the last minute (I know, bad move on our part) and then it's a crazy frenzy to get everything packed and on the truck before we have to be out.  Fortunately, we've learned.  We have already started packing for our April 24th move.  All books (minus the knitting books, of course) have been packed.  All the art on the walls of the living room and dining room have been removed.  DVDs and games are all packed as well as all the CDs and cassettes.  I think we've made some good headway on the packing, though now those two rooms look very naked.

On a side note, if anybody knows anybody that is looking for a 55" Flat screen TV, it's for sale.  It's an older tube model, but works just fine and the sound is good as well.  It is probably not going to fit into our new space, and we really don't want to even try.  Send me a message if you want it!

Woolgirls Easter Kit 2009

Okay, it's official.  I'm a Woolgirl kit junkie.  Here is the latest kit!  A Vintage Easter kit that I just got it the mail today!

 

Here is the whole she-bang opened up.  Pretty, isn't it?

A cute little handmade Easter Bunny stitch-marker.

Handpainted notecards.  Aren't they cute!  I'm torn between keeping them for myself, or giving them away to another knitter that will appreciate them as much as I do!

The inside of the Vintage Easter box and a bag of Jelly Beans!

Some yummy Sock yarn from Madelinetosh in the color Clover.  Not my usual color but I really like it!

A notepad to keep track of all things yarny :)

A cute little origami bunny made by Jen at woolgirl.

A handmade pouch in some Vintage Easter fabric.

I still have yet to post all the awesome photos from my first sock club shipment!  There is just so much in Jen's kits!  What a wonderful surprise to come home to, today!

Loads of good new!

Well, it's been a good long while since I posted anything. Lots has happened in the last few months, and too much to even try to catch up on here. Lots of frustrating ordeals and whatnot that Nick and I have muddled through and we are slowly coming out the other side of.

My main reasons for posting are:

1. My pattern has been published!!! Details in a minute :)

2. I'm down 20.2 pounds!!!!

This last thing I am so incredibly excited about. I joined weightwatchers at the end of December. I didn't want to wait until January first, because I felt like I just needed to get started. No use in putting off the inevitable. It's been 9 weeks and I haven't felt at all like I've been dieting. It's all about the choices we make.

I have more energy than I've had in a long time. My clothes are baggy (yay!) and it's noticeable, which is always nice too. I simply cannot express just how happy I am. I feel like I've finally gotten some control over my body. Before, I felt like nothing I could do would help. The Atkins diet made me feel gross and I couldn't stick with it for any length of time because it felt like a DIET. Weightwatchers is not a diet, and I never feel hungry or deprived. It's awesome!

Okay. Now on to the other good news.

About 6 months ago, I contacted Jen from Woolgirl about the possibility of her selling my sock pattern. We exchanged a few emails, one of which had my pattern in it, and Jen LOVED it! She told me that she would be happy to sell it in her shop, but would be even happier if I agreed to let her use it for a special Sock Kit. After months of planning on her part and nail-biting on my part, the Glenda the Good Witch Sock Kit has finally been released! Woohoo! Here are some pictures:

This is the Glenda the Good Witch Kit as it arrived at my house

The Yarn is Madelinetosh and there is an adorable project bag made by Amy. If you wanted to order a bag from her, you could contact her at ablt4@msn.com .

My pattern :)


Plus lots of other fun goodies!



A sugar cookie recipe with a star and a crown cookie cutters.




A wand and a pencil with Glenda's saying "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"



A Glenda sticky pad and bookmark.




A Glenda stitch marker made by WeeOnes.



And a homemade soap wand and a baggy of Good & Plenty!

So much fun and so exciting!!!

Yay for Weightwatchers!

I'm down 8.2 pounds in just two weeks!  I feel full and I can eat anything I want.  I'm so incredibly excited about this program!  

That's the only thing of real interest I have to report.   Lots of things OTN, including Stricken, and a Hooded Cable Scarf.  There are others but those are the big ones I'm working on right now.

Weight loss goal

I'm hoping that posting this here for all the world to see will be enough to get me motivated to lose weight.  I'm at the heaviest that I've ever been, and I have got to do something about it.  I've been thinking about joining weight watchers to see if that is something that could work for me.  We've toyed with the idea of joining a gym again, but Nick and I were both so bad about going that it was a HUGE waste of money.  We also plan on moving in May of 09, so we don't want to buy any equipment that we are going to have to move.  I looked up how much it would cost to join the YMCA of Oak Park...would you believe that it costs more to go there, than the fancy gym we belonged to before??  I find this very disturbing.  How are the poor people supposed to afford a healthy lifestyle that involves exercise if they cannot even afford to go to the local Y?  Not sure exactly what I'm going to do yet, but the ticker will keep track of my progress.

Just an update...

Life has been busy, busy. I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done, just haven't really had too much time to write about it. Most recently I finished a pair of socks using the Yukon leaves pattern and knitting with Interlacements Tiny Toes:




I also knit up an itty bitty baby sweater for Chix with Stix using the Sock it To me Baby Pattern and some Berrocco Sox yarn:




The other really exciting news is that we are adding to our family. On June 21st we'll be picking up our second puppy! Her name is Bridgette and we are going to keep that name. So, we'll have Abigail and Bridgette! Here are a few pictures that the breeder has sent us: