She gained weight! Oh no!

So, I'm reading one of my boards and there's a post about Oprah and Steadman breaking up and that it caused her to gain weight. Someone then mentions that they broke up a long time ago because she's gained a lot of weight.

Oy. I hate how we are so quick to pay attention to how much weight everyone loses and gains. I know, Oprah has tons of money and I'm really not a big fan. It seems she's very high on her own list of VIP. I freely admit she does a lot of good things, but I'm not going to do something just because she says so. Nonetheless, money or not, she has the same body issues many of us "normal" women have -- probably moreso because she's constantly being scrutinized by people. When she loses weight, people give her a hard time. When she gains it, people give her a hard time and laugh at her. It's sad.

Maybe I'm just sensitive, but I really hate seeing people being judged by their weight -- fat, skinny, whatever. So often, I see people attack a person's looks/size if they do something that isn't liked. What the hell that has to do with what a person says or how a person acts is beyond me, but that person will be made fun of because they are fat. If you have a problem with a person, keep it to the issue at hand. Once people start the personal attacks like that, the argument loses credibility, at least to me. Funny, often these attacks come from people who aren't tiny people, either. Makes no sense to me, can't wrap my head around one fat person picking on another one for being fat.

And yes, I'm using the word "fat." I'm tired of using euphemisms for it. Hey, I'm fat. I'm not fluffy like a cat, I'm fat, lol. So often that word is used to hurt people, used in a very derogatory way. It's simply a descriptive word, but has become a word that indicates the actual worth of a person. I'm not going to let that word get to me anymore, at least most of the time. :) These things don't happen overnight, but I want to react to the word "fat" in the same way I'd react to a person describing me as "short" and a "brunette."

Enough ranting on that for today. :)

Stitching updated (photos coming soon)

I've put away my Tsunami Sampler for a while and have started working some more on my Joan Elliott Autumn Angel. I'll upload pictures of both this weekend. (I know, famous last words.) I'm pretty happy with how the Tsunami Sampler is coming, but will need to add a few more colors. After the fact, I realized that some of the floses I used are Six Strand Sweets, and when I went to order more I'm finding them impossible to order anywhere. Perhaps they aren't being made anymore. It's no biggie, as I had enough for one whole motif using the floss, but not enough for two, and each color belongs to two motifs in this chart. I'm pretty sure that, with all the overdyed floss out there, I can find some that matches it pretty well, well enough for a matching motif somewhere else on the design. I could choose a completely different color, but I think that sampler already has enough going on in it.

I should also update my sidebar. I'm so bad about housekeeping in general -- both in my home and on this blog, lol. I hope to get to it this weekend, maybe while I'm doing my laundry.

I've done 76 of the 122 Stupidest Things

Snagged this from nesmith's livejournal. Honestly, many of these I don't classify as "stupid" as much as "having a life."


Level 1

(x) Smoked A Cigarette

( ) Smoked A Cigar

( ) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex



SO FAR: 1

Level 2

(x) Are / Been In Love

(x) Dumped Someone

(x) Been Fired

( ) Been In A Fist Fight



SO FAR: 4

(What? No level 3?)



Level 4

(x) Had A Crush On An Older Person

(x) Skipped Class 

(x) Slept With A Co-worker

( ) Seen Someone / Something Die



SO FAR: 7

Level 5

( ) Had / Have A Crush On One Of Your Facebook Friends

( ) Been To Paris

( ) Been To Spain

(x) Been On A Plane

(x) Thrown Up From Drinking



SO FAR: 9

Level 6


(x) Eaten Sushi

( ) Been Snowboarding

( ) Met Someone BECAUSE Of Myspace

( ) Been in a Mosh Pit



SO FAR: 10

Level 7

( ) Been In An Abusive Relationship

(x) Taken Pain Killers

(x) Love/loved Someone Who You Can’t Have

(x) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By

(x) Made A Snow Angel



SO FAR: 13

Level 8

( ) Had A Tea Party

( ) Flown A Kite

(x) Built A Sand Castle

( ) Gone mudding (offroading)

(x) Played Dress Up



SO FAR: 15

Level 9

(x) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves

( ) Gone Sledging

(x) Cheated While Playing A Game

(x) Been Lonely

( ) Fallen Asleep At Work / School



SO FAR: 18

Level 10

(x) Watched The Sun Set

( ) Felt An Earthquake

( ) Killed A Snake



SO FAR: 19

Level 11

(x) Been Tickled

(x) Been Robbed / Vandalized

(x) Been cheated on

(x) Been Misunderstood



SO FAR: 24

Level 12

(x) Won A Contest

( ) Been Suspended From School

(x) Had Detention

(x) Been In A Car / Motorcycle Accident



SO FAR: 27

Level 13

(x) Had / Have Braces

(x) Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night

( ) Danced in the moonlight



SO FAR : 29

Level 14

(x) Hated The Way You Look

(x) Witnessed A Crime

( ) Pole Danced

(x) Questioned Your Heart

( ) Been obsessed with post-it-notes



SO FAR: 32

Level 15

(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud

(x) Been Lost

( ) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World

(x) Swam In The Ocean

(x) Felt Like You Were Dying



SO FAR: 36

Level 16

(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep

(x) Played Cops And Robbers

(x) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers

(x) Sang Karaoke

(x) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins



SO FAR: 41

Level 17

(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't

( ) Made Prank Phone Calls

(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose

( ) Kissed In The Rain



SO FAR: 43

Level 18

( ) Written A Letter To Santa Claus

(x) Watched The Sun Set/ sun rise With Someone You Care/Cared About

(x) Blown Bubbles

(x) Made A Bonfire On The Beach Or Anywhere



SO FAR: 46

Level 19

( ) Crashed A Party

( ) Have Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People

(x) Gone Rollerskating / Blading

(x) Had A Wish Come True

( ) Been Humped By A Monkey 



SO FAR: 48

Level 20

(x) Worn Pearls

( ) Jumped Off A Bridge

( ) Screamed "Penis" or "Vagina"

( ) Swam With Dolphins 



SO FAR: 49

Level 22

( ) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/Freezer/ice Cube

( ) Kicked A Fish
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes

(x) Sat On A Roof Top



SO FAR: 51

Level 23

(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs

(x) Done / Attempted A One-Handed Cartwheel

( ) Talked On The Phone For More Than 6 Hours 

(x) Recently stayed up for a while talking to someone you care about



SO FAR: 54

Level 24

(x) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree

(x) Climbed A Tree

(x) Had/Been In A Tree House

(x) Been Scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone



SO FAR: 58

Level 25

(x) Believed In Ghosts

( ) Have had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes

( ) Gone Streaking 

(x) Visited Jail



SO FAR: 60

Level 26

( ) Played Chicken

(x) Been Pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger

( ) Broken A Bone

(x) Been Easily Amused



SO FAR: 63

Level 27

( ) Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later

( ) Made A Porn Video/got asked to make one

( ) Caught A Butterfly

(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried

(x) Cried So Hard You Laughed



SO FAR: 65

Level 28

( ) Mooned/Flashed Someone

(x) Had Someone Moon/Flash You

(x) Cheated On A Test

(x) Forgotten Someone's Name

( ) French Braided Someones Hair

( ) Gone Skinny Dipping

( ) Been Kicked Out Of Your House

(x) Tried to hurt yourself



SO FAR: 69

Level 29

(x) Rode A Roller Coaster

( ) Went Scuba-Diving/Snorkeling

(x) Had A Cavity

( ) Black-Mailed Someone

( ) Been Black Mailed



SO FAR: 71

Level 31

(x) Been Used

(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs

( ) Licked A Cat

( ) Bitten Someone

( ) Licked Someone



SO FAR: 73

Level 32

(x) Been shot at/or at gunpoint

( ) Had sex in the rain

( ) Flattened someones tires

(x) Rode in a car/truck until the gas light came on 

(x) Got five dollars or less worth of gas


TOTAL: 76

Nothing but Calvin Klein hose for me!

I've been experimenting with different types of sheer nylons for warmer weather. I love my tights in the winter, but they don't work in warm weather. My legs are very pale and my hair is black, so even immediately after shaving I get that weird thing where you can see the hair below my skin and I hate that on my legs. So, when I wear knee-length skirts or dresses I prefer to wear something on my legs, even if it's very sheer -- just makes my legs look better but it's not overly obvious, you know? I'm not into tanning and I can never get self-tanner on correctly.

Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that my favorites are the Calvin Klein 20 denier pantyhose in colors 1 and 3. I haven't tried 2, but I'm sure I'd like them, too. No. 1 is my favorite, as it is very light (kind of a champagne color) and matches my skin. I've found great deals on them at Burlington Coat Factory -- $3.98 as opposed to the normal $8.50 -- so I bought a few pairs of those today, as well as a few sheer black pairs.

Anyway, if you wear pantyhose and have never tried the Calvin Kleins, I HIGHLY recommend them! They are so soft and silky soft and sheer that I hardly know I'm wearing them. Their thigh highs are really nice, too, but they tend to be too long for me so I stick with the pantyhose. If you have a Burlington Coat Factory or Feline's Basement near you, check them out -- they may have them at half price.

Mindy no yoga

Yeesh. How many times do I have to try yoga before I'll finally get into my head that it hurts me more than it helps? Everyone thinks yoga is so wonderful and easy, but whenever I take a class or followed a video or TV workout, I just end up in pain. It's not the stretching -- I'm very flexible and do a lot of the stretches anyway. What gets me is all the work that is done on the knees. I've never met an instructor who didn't say, "Just double up the mat/towel under you knee and that will cushion it." Well, I guess that works for most people but not for me. That bump under my knee is big and sticks out and no matter how much I try to cushion it it still hurts.

So, this week was the yoga class at work and I tried it for 20 minutes. I tried extra cushioning, I tried other moves, nothing really worked for me. Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth hurting my knee more than it already was, so I politely explained why I was leaving and left. Oh well. I'll just do the Pilates, which doesn't hurt (except when it's a good hurt, ya know?) and I enjoy.

Let's see if it will stick in my brain this time, lol.

Cool!

I'm wearing my cool sparkley blue heels today. I call them my Happy Hour Shoes, as I'm going to happy hour today and these shoes scream out "Party!"

Anyway, one of the ladies commented on how I always look so put together and stylish. I about hit the floor! I thanked her very much, of course, but it sounds so strange to hear people say that about me. I always used to think that style/fashion was only for people who looked a certain way or were a certain age, and I figured I missed both boats for a long time. Now I know that I can be fat and still be stylish, as being thin is not a prerequisite. I think some people assume it is, but -- well, you know what happens when you assume things. :)

So, just had to post that because it made my day. I'm so glad I found that Fatshionista website and some other websites and blogs that have helped me to appreciate myself more than I have in years.

It's all my fault, lol

I found out through a post the other day dealing with the whole "In God We Trust" on money issue, that if I, as a God-fearing Christian don't pass on the whole thing about writing "In God We Trust" all over everything, that I'm responsible for the mess the world is in at the moment. Now we know!


It's my fault that:

there was a cyclone in Myanmar
there was a huge earthquake in China
gas prices are rising
George Bush is President
young girls wear jeans so low you can see their underwear
New Kids on the Block have reunited

Wellness program at work

So, we've started a wellness program at work. We actually started it at some of the other locations and I took part in it on a limited basis earlier this spring. Now we've started it at the headquarters, which is where I work. It's not too complicated -- counting how many servings (1/2 cup is a serving) of veggies and fruit we eat and how many 10-minute increments of exercise we get each day. I eat a lot of veggies and fruits anyway, but it does help me to be more consistent about it on a daily basis. We are also having some classes of different types at work, and get 2 points every week when we weigh-in, if we want to. I'm not doing the weigh-in thing, as I don't want to become focused on weight, but I can do the other stuff.

So, I've told myself for a long time that I'm in better shape than I look, but now I feel better knowing that I'm not just fooling myself, lol. We had an hour-long Pilates class Friday and it was me and a lot of thin people. Not that any of them ever treat me different or anything, it's just it can be a little intimidating in a class environment. However, I was doing the harder versions of most everything and was keeping up with them and was even used as an example of how to do a move correctly, so that made me feel much better. Two of my coworkers who are about 10 years younger than me, and thin, were very supportive, knowing a little about my reservations about the class. Now, it's been a while since I've done Pilates and even then it was in 20-minute sessions by myself in front of the tv, so I'm STILL feeling this even though the class was Friday, lol. However, I forgot how much I like them and I can do them without causing foot pain, so I'm determined to get back on that horse and start doing these home sessions again.

Celebrations haul

Not a huge haul, but some of what I bought are large projects and are pretty versatile. It was sad, though, to not see one Mirabilia chart while I was there. :( I know that once Nora's affairs are settled we'll be seeing them again, but it's a bummer. However, that allowed me to buy some charts that I may not have otherwise, and a few I've been drooling over for a while.



I told myself I wasn't going to buy "Sleepy Hollow" until I was done with "Skeleton Crew", but it's easier to say that when it's not staring you in the face, lol. When I eventually stitch it, I'm not going to put it in panels but in one large piece. I doubt I'll ever stitch the "ABC Tapestry" in its entirety, but think the individual motifs are great to have for personal gifts and such.




I've liked both of these tree designs and bought them the last day of the whole thing. They are beautiful framed and I think the designs are pretty neat. I'm not big on trees and florals, but these are different.




Hee hee! I loved these snowmen when they first came out and grabbed up the chart and floss as soon as I found them at the market. I'm crazy about snowmen, but these are different and I love the colors. Too cute!




Got these at Gitta's, and I'm sure I'll be buying more from that booth at future stitching conventions. The models for both the over-one and over-two versions of "Aurora Borealis" were beautiful and the Eskimos so cute that this was one of the first charts I bought at the market. "Bird of Paradise" really looked beautiful stitched up, so I grabbed that one up, too.




I probably wouldn't have bought these if I hadn't seen model for the silver sampler. It's really beautiful and the picture doesn't do it justice, then I bought the gold sampler because they are a pair. :) I'm not sure what fabric I will use, and I may use one variegated floss instead of a few solid colors.



Love the Jeanette Douglas designs, and if I had more money would have bought more. My favorite is "Vintage Stitches," the one with the grapes, and it's stunning in person. I see that Bits and Bobs is having a sale and may take advantage of that sale and buy the embellishment kits for these two designs.

Yo!

Haven't been here in a little while, but that's because I was at Celebrations of Needlework in Nashua, NH for an extended weekend! Karri and I went up last Wednesday morning and came back Sunday, and I've been getting caught up at work and around the house since then. I have some pictures of the leaflets I bought and will post them soon. We had a great time and intend to go back next year.