I've got Things to Celebrate!

It has been a busy couple of months, and there have been a couple of bumps along the way, but there have been some very positive things happening, so I am gonna CELEBRATE!

...throws confetti...blows party horn...does a little jig...sits down, a little dizzy...

A few months ago, I had a little food issue. By "a little food issue" I mean that I ate something that totally threw my system outta whack, and made me eat tentatively since then. You see, I am lactose intolerant. Lactose is milk sugar. Lactose is found mainly in the whey...and it has been in my way since I learned about it! Soooo, I have been avoiding milk and soft cheeses, and anything with whey or lactose (or several other terms that mean that lactose might be in there) on it's ingredient list. It kinda stinks, because it seems like there are milk products in just about everything!

Ummm, Pretty? That's nothing to celebrate...

I Know, Right?!? And then, Mr. Pretty had his annual exam a couple weeks ago, and Mr. MD told him to lay off the salt (he's on high blood pressure meds), lay off the sugar (he's pre-diabetic), and lay off the fat (and his cholesterol has gone through the roof!). Truth be told, I have had my own trouble with the sugar also... So now, Mr. Pretty and I walk around the house, tummies grumbling, looking for sugar-free, low sodium, lowfat foods that do not contain milk, and it kinda stinks! Some days, it barely seems worth it to eat anything...but the passing out isn't any good either...

Okay, I still don't see why you are celebrating...

Well, the food stuff is definitely NOT what I am celebrating. But, three months of not eating the milk stuff that will give me the digestive "issues," paired with a couple of weeks of cooking better for Mr. Pretty, has resulted in a significant weight loss! So significant, in fact, that I had to go out to buy myself a new pair of jeans (and I have a pile of clothes ready for the Goodwill store)!
Now, I don't know about you, but I hate shopping for jeans! It's easier to do, though, when you are buying jeans that are 2 sizes smaller than the ones you have to give away! Yay!

...throws confetti...blows party horn...does a little jig...sits down, a little dizzy...

I am not really dieting...trying to make a lifestyle change...and supporting Mr. Pretty (who has also started to drop some inches, Yay Mr. Pretty!) to hopefully extend the time we can spend with our kids and grandkids on this earth. The benefit to not really dieting is that I can occasionally indulge, and celebrations call for a little indulgence! So, some good friends came over for chocolate fondue last night - Yummmmm!
Friends College Girl and I used to hang out with regularly, K1 and K2 brought the dippers, and we had a wonderful time, a celebration in chocolate!!! We laughed, we chatted about college for the girls, and jobs, and boys, and Mr. Pretty says that we had far too much fun! (We think he was a little jealous!) Bonus! K and K brought a gift for Pretty! A fancy "scrap bag," with a weight at the top that also doubles as a pincushion...
...connected to a bag that can catch your scraps as you scrapbook, knit, sew or craft!
And Pretty was very thankful to receive such a crafty gift, because there is crafting happening in Pretty's head...
Lovely, beaded bookmarks! Here is the first one finished...modeling for you in my current favorite book...
By the way, if you don't read the Panopticon, give it a look...Hil-larious!!!

And here is the finished project, modeling by a sunny window...

...with dangly, glass beads to dance in the light!

Bookmarks are not a natural for me, I don't tend to do much actual book-reading...but I loves me some beads and was thinking of even dangling one of these from my rear-view mirror!

But Pretty, reading is fundamental!

Yes, yes it is. However, since getting the Droid, most of Pretty's recreational reading is now electronic books...well, except for the knitting patterns! It's difficult to place a bookmark in a two-page knitting pattern...

And so it goes! The knitting is still fairly secretive, but there is plenty of stitching happening. This project is in the Italian yarn again, and I am itching to get back to it! Since I know that you are probably wanting to get back to your knitting as well, I'll sign off. I'm glad you stopped by, and I look forward to our next visit! Until then...

Knit in Good Health!