How 'bout that detox?

I had an ice cream cone yesterday. We were at a street fair and all the kids were doing it. After not having ice cream for a week, I was the first one to finish. Man, I love ice cream. However, I do think I've lost a little weight this past week, and I justified yesterday's cone because we were walking all over the fair.
I haven't purchased anything unnecessary, though I have been tempted. We didn't get anything from any of the artists at the fair, though I saw plenty I would've liked. We did buy tickets for the boys to play on a couple of the things they had at the fair. Our older son went in a water ball and our little guy went on the bungee trampoline and they were happy with that. We also went to the petting zoo and just pet the animals, rather than getting seed to feed them. The ice creams were a special treat and totally worth it - homemade ice cream is the best.
I usually run errands on my day off from school and if I go to Target, I'm far more tempted to get something unnecessary for myself. A pair of earrings here, six pairs of socks there (I'm really into socks), one of a million tee-shirts...
Well, luckily, our credit union moved to a new location and it across the street from a grocery store. The money I save in not buying extras at Target is worth the tiny bit more I may spend on the groceries, and they have a better produce department. There are some things I just have to get at Target - it's where we have our prescriptions and school supply time is fast approaching - but not having all the other distractions is a pretty big deal for me.
I've also done really well at not stopping at either of the thrift stores and the fabric store between the CU and my house. It's not easy to stop myself, I'm not going to lie. But I know we have to save our duccats for Disney World next May, and I'm committed to doing just that. A couple of years ago, our neighbors did the same thing, so the boys are at least familiar with the concept of "saving for Disney".
One the mending front, I've been fortunate to not need to do any. My kids' socks are a cry for help, however, and I've tried repairing them, but then the boys won't wear them. They feel "creepy". Oh, well. Their feet are getting bigger, so socks are going to be a necessity, and frankly, I prefer better socks because they last longer. Every time I've gotten cheap socks for any of us, they thin out and get holes so much faster than mid-priced socks. I'm a firm believer in spending a bit more initially in order to save on having to buy more later. Especially where socks are concerned. Because I'm a sock freak.
Still not happy about my hair, but I'm going to let it grow out for a while and see what I can do with it. Maybe it just needs some length, though I've shaved my had to within 1/4 inch of my scalp and it looked better than this. Don't think I haven't been tempted. But I was looking at some photos of my self from a couple of years ago, and I think I'd like to grow my hair out again. If I can be patient. That'll save a considerable amount, too.
On a different topic, massage therapy school has been full of ups and downs and I've had quite a bit of test anxiety. My shrink (yes, I go to a talk therapist and it's worth it if you can find a good one) gave me some really good advice on how to cut down on that testing fear. I know it's simply because this counts. This is something with which I can and will make a living to help out with household bills so my husband won't have to work quite so hard. I have to make this work. So, as you can see, I've put a bit of pressure on myself to do well and it has been more challenging than I had anticipated. I do really well in my Western Anatomy and Physiology classes, but my Eastern Medicine classes are really out there as far as my brain is concerned. There's a lot of memorizing stuff that changes depending on situations and I think that's throwing me for a loop. But I retake the tests and I pass them. So the info is there, I just get myself into a snit and can't do it.
What is the Good Doctor having me do? Well, one thing is to eat a good deal of protein before I take a test and she's written a note for me to be allowed a container of milk while I'm taking the tests (we're only allowed water - how archaic!). The other thing I need to do is something one would think would be easy - breathe. But I have a tendency to hold my breath and breathe very shallowly when under stress, and that can affect my anxiety (would affect anyone's, really). So we did some concentrated breathing work last week and I used that in combination with the dietary suggestions the next day and I got my first perfect score in Anatomy and did really well on my Shiatsu practical exam. I don't even care if it's only a placebo effect, I did really well on the tests, and I'm going to continue following her advice.
Well, my little flowerpots, I don't know if you got anything out of this other than the fact I'm a sock freak and get test anxiety, but if you did - Yay! Stay colorful!

#30DayDetox

So, this week on the Today show, they've started doing something called the #30DayDetox. (http://www.today.com/health/todays-jill-martin-why-im-giving-my-smartphone-1D79918755?cid=eml_tdb_20140714) Since Jill Martin is giving up her Smartphone, you can see this isn't necessarily a diet - one of the food variety, anyway. So I've decided to participate. No unnecessary purchases. No new toys, no fabric, no nothin'. The boys will need new school supplies, but before I go out and purchase a bunch of stuff, I'm going to see what we already have. They will need some new school clothes, but for the most part, nothing much is needed in that department at the mo'. In fact, I may only need to get them some new trainers and call it good. My kids are only clothes horses because I am, and I keep buying them stuff.
I'm also going to stop eating ice cream. I just had my last ice cream sandwich for the next 30 days. I weighed myself this morning and I haven't weighed this much since I was pregnant. At least then I could blame it on the baby! I've been on three walks in the last two days. I've got to shed at least 10 pounds by my October birthday or sooner, but that's the goal: 10 by mid-October. More than doable, and if I'm lucky, it'll be even more than that.
I thought about not going on facebook for 30 days, but let's be realistic. Besides, that's how I keep in contact with a lot of the people in my life, so that's out. Also, since I started school, I simply haven't had as much time to be on there, anyway. Between classes and studying, I've probably cut my fb time in half.
So, I have the two things from which I'm going to "detox". But I feel like I should maybe have one more. Three's a charm and all that. But I really don't have a whole lot of vices outside of shopping and ice cream... I really love ice cream. I rarely drink soda or booze and it'll be a cold day in the underground hinterlands before you'll pry the coffee cup from my clutches. Oh! I know! I'll stop getting a pretzel bun at lunch. The store doesn't always have them, anyway. That's one less bundle of carbs from my diet.
We all have some habits we could do without for 30 days. Maybe by then we won't miss them so much. Because I could totally have another ice cream sandwich right now...

Oh, Good Gravy!

Mending I'm alright with, I am terrible at making do.
By now it should be fairly obvious that my family doesn't hurt for money. We're not rich by any stretch of the imagination and my husband works an extremely demanding job in order to provide us with what we do have... which is plenty. However, I really wanted to try to stop my extra spending on crap we simply don't need and I'm going to be honest with you: I'm not doing very well.
Oh, sure, I went to Fantastic Sam's and got cheap hair cuts for myself and the boys and I have always colored my own hair (which is back to auburn). I'm not thrilled with my cut. It's just not the same as when I go to Tasha and spend $50. It's not. I don't know why, but there's just something not quite right.
So there's that.
My boys had a birthday party to go to the other day and what did I do? I got the kid a present, then got one for each of my kids. FOR NO REASON! Don't get me wrong, my kids do stuff around the house for me when asked and are generally good, kind kids who follow the rules, but they didn't do anything extraordinary to earn these toys. I will say, however, that they have played with them quite a bit. At least they aren't laying in a heap of dust. Yet.
Tennis shoes. I needed new tennis shoes. I went to Famous Footwear so I could get some name brand shoes on sale instead of Target cheapies, which make my (already busted) knee really hurt. Besides, my old tennies were about a year old and I wear them nearly every day.
I went online and purchase some fleece fabric today because I got an email coupon for Hancock Fabrics and my boys want me to make them extra blankets for the camper. I got enough to make one for myself, too. I made one for my husband, why shouldn't the rest of us have extra blankets for the camper? Even though my husband and I share his. Well, okay, mine can stay at home. I picked out the fabric to go in our living room.
Isn't this pathetic? I can come up with what is to me, perfectly logical reasons to spend money. It's probably an illness. First World problems.
As I look at this now and realize that I need to stop. I honestly don't NEED anything now. I have the new shoes. I got my hair cut, however badly. My kids have a couple of new toys that they are playing with, at least. I have good music to listen to in my car, I have books to read, I have classes to attend.
This will have to be a better wake up call than my just saying I'm going to do something. I'm really more aware that I was when I left the house this morning to run errands. Besides, if I stop getting all the extra stuff, I can go back to Tasha and have my hair done RIGHT.

A Year of Make Do and Mend

Well, I'm a proud step-mama. My eldest step-son and his wife are both graduating with their PhDs next May! Keep in mind that these "kids" are 2 and 3 years younger than I, but that means we actually get along really well because we all grew up with the same stuff and we have very similar interests, which is super cool.
What does this have to do with "Make Do and Mend"? Well, my little smarty-pants darlings are having their graduation party at Disney World! Woohooo! My guys and I are so excited! However, this does mean a year of living frugally and going after the best price and foregoing things I'd normally get without thinking about it too much.
To be honest, we don't need anything. We have enough clothes and toys and movies for now. The boys are growing, of course, so they'll get stuff as needed, but I will be scouring the sale racks for school clothes. There never seem to be many boys things at the thrift stores. Maybe because they're harder on their clothes, or perhaps because they don't have as many clothes to begin with - I have no idea, but I sure have a hard time finding stuff for them at the thrift stores.
Besides, I have so many projects I could be making to wear. Sadly, last year I put on some weight and I don't fit most of my patterns. Part of me thinks I should just make the stuff anyway and sell it. Another part of me wants to lose the weight, while yet another part of me figures I could probably modify the patterns to fit my current size. The sum of these parts gets overwhelmed and freaks out and does nothing, but since I have some motivation, e.g. Disney World, I may actually get a move on to do these things. I know, I know. You've heard that before. We'll see how that goes.
By the way, I now have blue hair. I'm not sure I like it. It's a pretty color, and I've always wanted to do something out of the reds/pinks, but it seems so dark. I'm not a dark person. I put it over my natural hair color as well as the part I already had pink and bleach blond. The bleached area is the prettiest part of it. The rest looks sort of green and sad. Maybe I'll like it more once I get a trim. The pretty part is the color of the Caribbean, so I don't mind that. It kinda makes me want to go SCUBA diving, though. I haven't been in over 2 years and I really want to get back in the ocean.
Oh, no!
Speaking of hair and getting it trimmed, I'll have to go back to Fantastic Sam's for my haircuts if I'm living frugally. Sad sauce! I finally found a stylist I really like, but she costs $45, $50 with the tip. Dang it. I may have to consider her a necessity. I really like her work on my hair.
I also have a website for my massage therapy student business, www.catalystbodyworkbytracie.com. Be sure to go visit it. I'll be adding some updates shortly, since I'll be learning a new technique in Shiatsu after this week, I'm really excited about it. It has more of the karate chop type massage that you normally think of when someone mentions eastern massage modalities. Even though my thumbs have gotten stronger over the past 6 weeks, they do get tired when I have a lot of clients. Or when my clients wear jeans. That hurts like crazy the next day!
Well, I've gotten off topic quite a lot in this entry. Don't worry, I've taken my medication. I just have a lot on my mind.  Like coupon clipping and getting groceries while avoiding WalMart, keeping the bills down and reminding the boys that we can't buy a bunch of toys if we want to afford Disney World. All while keeping up with my studies and the household (thankfully, my mom is coming up this summer during my school days to help out around the house. I really couldn't do this without her). First World problems that I'm grateful to have, really.
So, where shall I start on this Make Do and Mend year? Well, my little flowerpots, I think I'll start with the Sunday supplements and clip the coupons and look for deals. Though I'd like to know why there are never any coupons for the stuff I actually use...?

Ouchie!

Several years ago, I injured my left knee while in rehearsal for a show. My costume included platform boots (think Herman Munster) and when I went to do a turn, my body went, but my foot didn't. Ouchie! I was still able to go on, so I didn't go to the doctor or anything.
Yeah, I probably should have.
In the past, oh, two years or so, my knee has been reminding me that I should have done that. Now that I'm practicing shiatsu on a nearly daily basis, it's REALLY complaining. So, I finally made an appointment to see the doctor about it. I have a feeling that I may kneed surgery. (See what I did there?) I'm hoping I can put that off for a while so I can finish school, but the pain has been so bad, I don't know if that's going to be possible. Also, my knee cracks (and by "cracks" I mean THUDS) repeatedly throughout my shiatsu sessions. It's kind of embarrassing. It doesn't hurt too much while it's happening, but afterwards, holy cow!
So, there's that.
On the other hand, I'm passing my classes (even Traditional Chinese Medicine, which I don't get at all) with flying colors. I was a little worried about my shiatsu practical, which doesn't happen until next week, but we did practice runs in class yesterday and I did much better than I thought I would. I do have a few things I need to remember, but over all, I feel ready.
Artistically, I've been working on another quilt top. Very basic, simple blocks, but I started with a set of fat quarters I picked up at JoAnn's. The colors are very Autumnal; burgundy, olive, gold, purple. I ran out of the fat quarters and went to Hancock's to find something that would coordinate. Don't you know I forgot to take a swatch! I decided to go with my gut and came home with four fabrics (including a solid burgundy and purple to break up all the busy-ness) that totally coordinated! I added those to the mix and decided that I still needed a bit more for the complete quilt top so I went back to JoAnn's to see if I could find any more of the original fat quarter set. I found two tucked in the back of a shelf and grabbed them both. I also found two fabrics that will work just in case I run out of the ones I have. I've taken a break from sewing while I've been studying for the mid-term exams, but I'm ready to get back to the sewing table. I'll post pix soon.
Oh, yeah! I made enough money on www.Spoonflower.com to purchase some samples of designs that have been laying in wait to be released. They are especially colorful and I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. One of the best, newer options on Spoonflower is that you can order swatches on any type of fabric they have instead of just the plain quilter's cotton. I'm so happy they have that option now. Some of my designs simply look better on some of the other fabrics. I really like their performance knit. The colors come out so vibrant! (You know how I LOVE my colors to be vibrant!)
By the way, Optitz Outlet, mentioned in my last entry, has a website, www.opitzoutlet.com, and they're on facebook.

Impromptu Field Trip

Every once in a while, you have a few spare moments to yourself when you say, "What the heck? I'm going to do something for myself." If you happen to be able to help someone else in the process, well... Yay!
One of my classmates at massage school was looking for another practice buddy, so I volunteered myself. She's in the Western Massage program, so it'd be different than the Shiatsu that I get in class. So, on Monday morning she contacted me to say she'd got the practice room rented for the afternoon before I'd need to be home for my boys.
It was a great change to have Swedish massage! Not that I don't love Shiatsu, I really do, but it's very intense. It was also nice to get a taste of what it is I'll be doing eventually when I start the Western part of my training.
It didn't take very long, so I had some extra time to myself. Since it's the last week of school for the guys, I won't have many more chances like this, so I snagged it. I went to Opitz Outlet.
I don't know the story of Optiz, but they have brand new clothes, some designer, at deep discounts. I saw a pair of shoes I really liked, but they were $44.00. I couldn't see spending that much. No, really. I'm cheap. One of the best pairs of shoes I ever had (lasted for three years of nearly daily wear) I got at Payless for a dollar.
Anyway, my husband and I are going to a wedding for one of my childhood friends this month and I decided to be on a mission for a dress to wear to the wedding. Wedding guest attire can be tricky. You want to look nice, appropriate and still not pull focus - which, since I have fuchsia hair, is already a challenge for me. Also, my husband's class reunion is at the end of this summer, double duty for this dress. I found several designer dresses that I liked, but even at the outlet prices, they were out of my budget. Time to look off the designer rack... Sigh.
Well, I found a few along the back wall of dresses and saw several more that I liked. I had it down to three when I stumbled across a DKNY sheath number with a tropical orchid digital print on the front, black on the back. The front was just colorful enough to suit me, but not so much so as to be distracting from the bride and her bridesmaids. It'll be lightweight enough for the outdoor wedding, easy enough to dance in when the time comes. I think it'll pack nicely, so that when we go to Maine for my husband's reunion, it'll be carefree. Yay, reunion attire! Oh, I forgot to mention, it was $27.00. Ka-CHING! 70% off the retail price.
If you're in the Minneapolis area and in the market for something spiffy for a special occasion, might I suggest Opitz Outlet on Excelsior Blvd.? I might. In fact, I will.

Rainy day musings...

Flood warning alarm on my phone went off in the middle of the night. We aren't in an immediate danger area, but that warning was no joke. The rain has been going on and off since yesterday afternoon and it's hard not to enjoy the rumbles of thunder and the rustling of sheets of rain on the roof. Our lawn has magically sprouted overnight.
Of course, we got our water park pool on Friday and put it up while the sun was still shining yesterday. It's laying, deflated in the back yard, which was mowed yesterday by my 11 year old (his first time). So, we'll have to wait a bit longer to use the pool, but the rain is so refreshing, I'm not going to complain too much. Even my kids seem to be okay with the extra waiting. Anticipation.
Anticipation is such a strange phenomenon. It can be an exhilarating, frustrating, crazy-making and wondrous time. Like when you've ordered something and hear the UPS truck rumble down the street but they don't stop at your house...yet. Or when you're all set to go to school but you still have to wait two months before the first day. Or studying for your first test in 20 some years, freaking out and imagining that you didn't take notes on the stuff that's actually going to be on the test. Yeah, I did that to myself last week. I may not have aced the tests, but I got all A's and B's. Stupid anxiety.
If you haven't guessed by now, I'm prone to anxiety. It's super fun. <sarcasm> At long last, I've figured out one trick to help: I don't cram. I stop studying for a test several hours before the actual exam time. If I don't, I only add to the pressure. When I'm in a show, I can't be one of those people who stands backstage with a script on opening night double checking lines. If I don't know it by opening night, I never will and I'll make something up. No lie. That's how I roll. I always seem to take that anxiety and make it work, but I can only do it if I stop myself before I go nuts. I've gone nuts. It's not fun.
Okay, I haven't actually gone nuts, but there was that nervous breakdown. I don't want that to happen again. Granted, some of what perpetuated the physical response was not knowing what was wrong and having to go through a million tests to figure out what it wasn't. You'd have trouble, too, if you were told you may have cancer, you may have MS, heck, "we just don't know what it is." That's enough to make anyone a little nuts.
Over the past year, so much has happened. I've had countless MRIs, a spinal tap (and the blood patch to close it up) and I've lived with not knowing if I had something acute or chronic. When you are faced with your mortality, you make a few changes.
I have created and helped to create more art in the past year than I ever have, whether it's sewing, painting, sketching, writing or performing. I've figured out that "what I really want to do" is help people. If I get to also make art and people kind of like/want it, great. When I tried to make art my life, I lost my spark. I worried more about if I could make a living at it and that stressed me out. Art stopped being an enjoyable endeavor when I started to worry about whether I'd be able to feed my family with it. My husband is close to retirement and I have to be able to contribute. Not only that, I need a purpose.
When I landed on Massage Therapy as a possible vocation, it was like doors not only opened, they flew open and all the porch lights went on. Since I started on the MT path, I've finished four art projects and made significant progress on several others. Something is working for me. I don't put any stock in supernatural forces, so I'm just going to say that I found my personal purpose. For many years, I tried to be what I thought people expected of me. I enjoyed much of what I was doing (performing), but still... something wasn't quite there for me. Now that I've come to this place, I feel pretty unstoppable. It's kinda scary. I've never felt this way about my life before, and the anticipation is pretty intense, but I've a good feeling about it this time. Finally.