Home as Sanctuary

I finally did it.  I overcame the fear that I would once again mangle the threading on my poor sewing machine and made a super simple curtain that goes great with my new wall art.  (Basically, just a rectangle of cloth hemmed on all four sides. ;)

Before:

After:

Today, I am thankful for...

...the whole picture.  My little apartment is slowly coming together, piece by piece.  A home should be a sanctuary, a place where you like to be, that makes you feel good and restores you.  If you don't feel good or comfortable in your home, then something might need changing.  Do you need to declutter, redecorate?  


I once read that if something in your home doesn't bring you joy as it did in the past, then get rid of it.  Your home should be filled with things that bring you joy.  If that souvenir you've had on that shelf for years is just collecting dust and doesn't make you smile anymore... recycle it.  This is a good rule of thumb to follow to make sure your home is always a place where you want to be.

Sewing 101

So (sew?) way back when on October 2nd, in this post, I expressed my gratitude for a co-worker giving her sewing machine to me for the low, low cost of lunch at El Torito's.  And then I never mentioned the sewing machine again after that.  There was a good reason.  

     T     H     I     S     

My first attempt to sew something on my own was a complete disaster.  Either the sewing machine didn't work correctly, or the seamstress didn't work correctly, and my bet was on the seamstress (I first wrote "sewer", as in "one who sews", but then quickly realized that you might think I switched to plumbing.  No wonder "seamstress" is a word.)

Understandably, I became disheartened and frustrated when I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong and pushed the machine aside vowing to figure it out another day.

A couple of days ago, one of my co-workers asked if I had sewn anything yet, and I relayed my pitiful story.  She knew right away what the problem was and said if I brought the machine into the office, she'd give me a quick tutorial.  Which I did.  And now I can sew!  Turns out I was doing about 60% of the threading steps wrong.

Thank You, Beryl!  For your excellent sewing lesson at lunch today.

Thank Heaven for Potato Nachos

I realized this morning that it hasn't even been a week yet.  What?  How is that possible?  I am happy to report, though, that today was much better than yesterday.  You just gotta hang in there... you gotta wanna, even when you don't wanna.  How many more times do you have to start over before you finally stick with it and see it through?  


Everyone has their own "last straw", their own "rock bottom" that finally pushes them to making that change they know they need to make.  My last straw was gaining all the weight back after going on an all-liquid diet...a diet which I didn't think I would ever try because it was too extreme.  But I got desperate.  So I did it.  And it worked.  I lost over 30 pounds in just a couple of months and had about 20 more to go when I just couldn't do it anymore.  I broke the rules and started eating again without the guidance of the weight-loss counselor; my bad eating habits came back faster than a bullet train and I gained all the weight back just as fast as I had lost it.  I stewed on this for a few months (no pun intended) as I shoved sugar cookie after sugar cookie into my mouth, and then finally accepted that I had to go to war with my dysfunctional addiction to sugar, head-on in the real world with real food.  


And now I'm here.  Six days sugar-free and as committed as ever.


Wow.  I didn't intend to share that much.  :)  Sorry if that was TMI.


So because I've had a couple of bad days, I decided that dinner needed to be an absolute treat.  Something sinfully indulgent, but sugar-free of course.  It turned out so good that I'm making it my Thank You for today:

Grateful that all of these ingredients are sugar-free!!!

Potato Nachos

Potato

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Salsa

Sour Cream

Avocado

Black Beans

Corn Tortillas (baked until crisp)

YUM

While I was waiting the 15 minutes for the tortillas to crisp in the oven, I crafted my first project - Fabric Wall Art - with some of the stuff I bought on Sunday.  This was the easiest, peasiest project ever and a great choice for a beginner:

All you need is some fabric, canvas, and a stapler.  Voila!  In less than the amount of time it takes corn tortillas to turn into corn chips, you have a beautiful piece of wall art.  And for cheap!  Bonus! 

One is an event, Two is a coincidence, Three is a pattern

Day 3 and still sugar-free.  Yeah, baby!  Although today I felt like a whiny little brat and even threw myself a pity party in the middle of Ikea which I *wanted* to follow up with one of their fantastic cinnamon rolls - the pot of gold at the end of the Ikea rainbow - but, alas, I didn't.  Of course I'm glad that I stayed the course, but it didn't stop me from feeling sorry for myself.  ;)  Today was definitely a test because today I wanted to eat sugar to soothe the savage beast.  I'm so glad I had the foresight to bring a small baggy of almonds and apricots!  Lifesaver!


Today, I went shopping.  I mean, I went SHOPPING.  Bought a ton of stuff at Michael's and Joann Fabric - fabrics, tools, basic supplies, canvas - so I can start getting creative.  Which leads me to my Thank You of the day.  (It's so hard to pick just one!  I had lots of Thank You moments today despite my miserable moment in Ikea...)

Thank you to little surprises around corners.  Whenever I see one of these tomato pin cushions, it brings a huge smile to my face.  My mother used one of these and I remember being fascinated with it.  I played with it all the time (without the pins in it).  Of course I had to buy this.

Naturally Sweet Dreams everyone!