Working on my Creative Space and crocheting....

I have been working on crocheting a throw blanket for a while now and I thought I was on the home stretch.  After looking it over, I realized that some of it was not even, so I'm contemplating undoing a chunk of it and reworking it so it is not so lopsided.  Thankfully, it will be an easy fix, but I was hoping to be done with this throw blanket and move onto another project, probably another throw blanket, but with different colors.  I'll be posting pictures once I'm finally finished.  I'm hoping to have it done before I leave for MN next Wednesday.  It probably won't happen, but that's my goal.

A while ago, I decided that I needed to create a creative space for myself in the house for me to write and do other projects as I desire.  Sitting at the dining room table with my laptop is not my idea of a creative space, so I have commandeered a room in the basement to make my creative space.  I bought a few things to hang on the walls and to decorate the room with and it is coming along slowly.  I will post pictures of different views of the room as I get further along in decorating it.

I am completely failing in the walking outside challenge.  It has either been too windy or too cold to walk outside.  It doesn't help that Fairfield doesn't believe in proper snow removal, so when the weather gets warmer, the roads are basically lakes, occasionally a small pond.  So I've been using our treadmill and finding other ways to work out on a daily basis.  I started doing yoga once a week, but I haven't been able to go the last two weeks, which I'm not thrilled with.  I'm going to make sure I get back into it when I get back from MN in March.

Preston and I are getting better after being sick most of last week, but he is still teething, which is unpleasant for everyone involved.  That's about all that's going on here.  I think today I am going to work on the throw blanket and look up some more healthy snack ideas and recipes on pinterest that Jason and I can make for meals.  I will probably read a bit too.  I only have the time when Preston is napping to do these things so I have to prioritize.  Looks like working on the throw blanket will be the priority today.  :)

Too much Craziness on the Home Front....

Ok, the shortest version of what's been going on around here I can possibly tell you.

My mother-in-law, Sharon, found out she had a cancerous lump in her breast and had it removed.  It did not affect the lymph nodes, but the gene for the cancer is still present in her blood, which makes it very possible for her to get the cancer again.  She will be starting treatments on March 4th; 18 weeks of chemo and 4-6 weeks of radiation after that.  Her treatments will happen in Great Falls.

My father-in-law, Dick, had knee replacement surgery and had complications due to not enough blood in his system after the surgery (note to self, don't go to Great Falls Clinic for surgery) and ended up having vision issues after his release from the hospital.  He was readmitted to the hospital closer to home in Havre where they found out he had had a small stroke at some point in the past and thought his corodit arteries were 60-90% blocked.  He had tests done and it turns out that after 2 units of blood at the hospital his vision returned to normal and after more tests found out one artery was completely clean and the other 40% blocked.  They won't do surgery until the artery is 70% block or more.  Now he is working on recovering from his knee surgery.

About a week after most of the craziness with my in-laws calmed down for the time being, Preston got croup and I was unfortunate enough to get sick from him.  We are both mostly recovered now, thank the Lord.

All of this has taken place in the last 3 weeks, so I haven't had much time to focus on much else.  I'm anxious for my mother-in-law and pray that the chemo and radiation treatments don't have the worst effects on her.  I am anxious about how this is going to affect Jason and little family unit.  I constantly am praying that we all make it through this phase in my mother-in-law getting better as sane as possible, but especially for Sharon because she has to go through the hardest part, the treatment.

I am extremely thankful that Jason, Preston and I will be able to escape from the craziness for a few days.  We will be traveling to Minnesota for one of my soul sister's wedding on Feb. 26- March 2.  I wish we could stay longer, but the following Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Jason is pretty much required to be around for that.  Some much needed relaxation about too much craziness on the home front.

20 Minute Walk Challenge - Progress Report

Well...I am not succeeding at the daily 20 minute walks right now. I hit a blue patch, the weather has been up and down and colder, and frankly cabin fever has been winning. I'm conquering it a bit indoors by working in my jewelry studio as much as possible and trying to structure my days. But that too is not as successful as I'd like it to be, many days the last few weeks I go back to bed after driving my husband to work and sleep until lunch...oh winter, you are winning.

I am headed home to visit family and attend one of our friend's weddings in March and will use the treadmill in my bedroom there to hopefully jump start my desire to move and feel physically better. Hopefully upon returning here I will be in a more motivated space with the whole "daily movement" mindset. Wish me luck!

In related news, I think I will keep my eyes peeled on the classified sites for an inexpensive treadmill or exercise bike. Winter and I are just not jiving. Also, I did catch a performance of an African dance troupe this weekend, a casual group of varying ages that is looking for more people to join in. I studied West African dance a few semesters in college so contacted them about joining. That will be a fun sweat fest and hopefully takes off!

Free Produce Experiment

Revisiting this train of thought: Veggies & Herbs You Can Regrow from Discarded Scraps I have been experimenting with this...as a result of the 10 lbs of beets fiasco. There are now many strange bits growing in my kitchen window.

Bok Choy, Bok Choy also with garlic scapes, carrot greens and some green onions I just started. 

Swiss Chard, beet greens and in far distance the garlic scapes again.

A foodie friend told me that lots of "regular" produce will likely not regrow because it has to be irradiated. He was surprised the Bok Choy & Swiss Chard & Garlic were doing anything. The carrots were from a local farm, grocery store ones didn't grow. I tried grocery store onions but no luck there either. So on that subject it is hit and miss and worth a try anyway. This is about 3 weeks worth of growth, some are newer than others as I put things in as we use them. I am excited to eventually consume these things!

Also, in recent culinary success, we fermented our own ginger beer and it was good! Here is the recipe we followed. Next time we plan to double the ginger in the first step as we like spicy ginger beer a la Jamaican style. 

New Favorite Thing to Eat for Lunch and Other Activities...

I have not always been a fan of avocados.  They don't taste like much on their own, but it is amazing the things you can make and do with them.  As I have gotten older, I have come to love eating them and using them whenever possible in recipes.  My husband Jason does most of the cooking around here.  Despite my lack of enthusiasm for cooking and baking, I like to go on pinterest and look through cookbooks for healthy recipes and things to eat.  I found an easy to make recipe on pinterest not long ago, when I went searching for pre-diabetic easy to make things for myself and my family.

Here are the ingredients and instructions for making this simple, healthy lunch.

Recipe and instructions:
Take an avocado and remove the seed
Scoop out the inside and put the shell to the side for later use
Take a can of tuna, drain it and put it to the side (add mayo or miracle whip if you want to)
Chop up a tomato, we use Roma tomatoes
Mix avocado, tomato and tuna together in a bowl
Add a little lemon juice and mix it in with other ingredients
Put mixture into shell of avocado
Serve and eat

Super simple and very delicious and healthy for you.

Of course you have to like avocado, tuna and tomato to enjoy this simple treat for lunch.

Yeah, I'm trying new things to keep myself occupied.  I'm hoping to get outside for a short walk today to get some fresh air and take a photo of something I find interesting or inspiring.  This is an exercise, VB came up with, but that I have been failing at miserably.  I'm just not a person who goes outside in cold weather unless I absolutely have to, or if I can't take the cabin fever anymore.

Today, I'll probably do my treadmill walking, hang out with Preston, go to afternoon yoga (just started and go once a week for an hour.  I can really feel it not long after I'm done) and work on crocheting the blanket I've been working on forever.  Yes, crocheting is another thing I've decided to learn to keep myself occupied when Preston is napping.  I usually choose to read, but sometimes I'm too antsy to sit and read, so streaming tv shows on netflix and keeping my hands occupied for a while helps me calm down and be less antsy.  One of these days I'll post of photo of my progress.

One of these days I am also going to start setting up my creative space.  The last week and a half have been really rough, but that story is for another post, another time.  Hopefully things will calm down enough for me to put my new desk together and start decorating the room in the next week or so.  :)