Friday, December 21, 2012

Friday Mishmash - Gettin' Lean in 2013

The title of this post is a sneak peek of my goal for next year - while I've done a great job of losing weight (why yes, I'm still proud of that!), and a pretty decent job of maintaining that loss, I'd like to be a bit leaner - less flabby, if you will.  I still don't care what I weigh, and I have no intention of stepping on a scale, but I'd like to see my body firm up and look more toned.  So beginning in January, you'll see me posting a bit more on diet and exercise than I have been, and hopefully I'll also be posting some good results as well!

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Never fear, though - the Friday Mishmash will still be full of all sorts of random things.  And speaking of random, the random number generator has picked the five winners of Book Giveaway #1.  Without further ado, the following people will be receiving a copy of Weight Loss For People Who Feel Too Much:

Jane Higbie
Roxie (#1 - you DID win!)
Jennifer (#27)

Congratulations!  Please send me an email (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) with your mailing info so I can give it to my contact.  If I don't hear from you within a week, I'll have to choose another winner.  The next book giveaway will be on January 1st.

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Last week my knitting guild had a holiday party/secret Santa swap.  We signed up for the swap, filled out a short questionnaire about our likes and dislikes, and were paired up with someone.  I had a great time coming up with goodies for my person (my mom very nicely helped out by sewing a project bag AND making up some cute knitting notecards), and while I tried to keep my expectations low, deep down I was really excited to see who had me.  I was not disappointed - the person who had me was Steph, who owns the knitting store in Navasota!  I laughed because I knew she had a great idea of my likes, seeing as I'd go into the store and touch all my favorite yarns and we'd discussed our favorite colors...little did I know she had a secret agenda with that!  Here's what she gave me:
Yarn!  Malabrigo Twist, in my favorite color, Indiecita.  Snowflake stitch markers, cute ornament, handmade soap, coffee mug with sea turtles on it (I'd listed Hawaii as something I liked), homemade toffee, Harry and David pears, and earbuds that she knitted a cover for - love how Steph combined my love of knitting with running like that!

Never thought I'd be someone who got so excited about yarn, but there you go.  I've been perusing patterns for this yarn on Ravelry for nearly a week now...can't quite decide what to make, but I know I'll love knitting with it!

Speaking of knitting, here's a cowl I made for my friend Terry:
Malabrigo Rasta, in Sunset.  Chunky and warm for her cold mornings/evenings on their boat!
Of course, hipster Paco had to model it.  

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Ooh, speaking of warm things, our master bedroom is not - in fact, it turns into an igloo when the weather gets cold, and our bed is freezing.  After years of trying flannel sheets, and going to bed wearing sweats, socks and multiple layers, I finally broke down and bought a heated mattress pad last week.  WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG???  This thing is amazing.  I crank it up to high a few minutes before we go to bed, and then?  It's like having one of those hospital-warmed blankets put on you - the entire bed is toasty.  It has dual controls, which works great for my cold/hot/cold spells throughout the night - I'm telling you, between this and the new ceiling fan with the remote control, I may just come up with the optimal room/bed temperature yet, and maybe, just maybe, sleep through the entire night!

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We've been having a lot fun with the kids home - our annual Gingerbread House Throwdown is happening later on today and I'll post pictures of that on Monday - hopefully Max and I will be the winners this year.  We have a plan, mwahahahaha!

Have a great weekend!

22 comments:

  1. Paco is adorable as the hipster pup! Beautiful cowl, both in color and yarn.

    YAY! I'm a winner - the early bird gets to be the bookworm!

    Thanks, Shelley.

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    1. Well, you claimed the winning spot when you commented - and it worked!

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  2. Paco looks good and he looks like he enjoys wearing it. Can't wait for your lean in 2013 tips. I am always looking for new advice.

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    1. Shoot, I didn't think about knitting him his OWN cowl. I should get on that...

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  3. May I join you in 2013 on the getting lean thing? Of course unlike you I need to lose some weight as well... one day maintenance WILL be mine!

    Paco is adorable as usual - he may be the best looking scarf model out there.

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    1. I think Paco is the Zoolander of dog scarf models!

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  4. Paco looks like he is doing a photo shoot "now, just tip your chin in that direction." "just a bit of offset ear please," "and now give me that "I'm a star, I don't give a damn look" "thats it darling, I think we got the star shot."

    I LOVED seeing your knitting booty--what a generous thoughtful person!

    LOL on getting the heated mattress pad. You know, all you need is one wee little dachshund. Well, I guess mattress pads don't bark...

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    1. I'm not kidding when I tell you that the instant he sees me pick up the camera, he gets almost as excited as he does when we take out the trash (a HUGE event in Paco's world). And when I put the cowl on him and told him to "wait" - he sat perfectly still. He's a supermodel! ;)

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  5. OMG Paco in the scarf is AMAZING.

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    1. It was hard to choose just one shot - they were all pretty funny!

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  6. Heated mattress pad! Ive never heard of such a thing, and I WANT ONE!!!

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  7. We have a small space heater in our bedroom - on our dresser so it mostly goes over Tony's side of the bedroom - he's always cold, I am always hot - but I do have snowman flannel sheets on my bed now - shocker, right?!

    I feel a repeat gingerbread house throw down win again this year!!

    And after Christmas, I think I'll make that picture of Paco my screen saver - so cute!

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  8. Paco needs a permanent scarf for himself - he is a stylin' boy!

    I am with you about leaning up in 2013.

    Have a great weekend and rock the throwdown!

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  9. Paco looks MOST jaunty!!! OMG Shelley, that photo put the BIGGEST smile on my face!!!! What a wonderful gift from secret Santa! That made me smile too. Have a fantastic Saturday and big pats and hugs to the stylin' pup!

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  10. Oh dear.....the comment was from me, Roz....I didn't realize Dennis' google account was logged in. However, I can confirm that he too thinks Paco looks jaunty.

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  11. Your knitting is looking beautiful! I'd love to join you in the flab reduction plan for 2013, count me in.

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  12. I may have to join the lean train with ya --- I didn't realize how much weight I had gained during my "burn out break" -- yikes!

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  13. Finally it works from the ipad.

    I'm joining you and Helen next year. Plan is ready but haven't talked about it yet.

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  14. You know I always get inspired when you are working on getting lean, so hopefully we'll both get firmer by the end of 2013! :)

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