the Icing transformation challenge and my week so far

In Monday's post I refered to the Icing Transformation challenge (ITC). This is from the amazing galadarling.com site which I've raved about before. This post http://galadarling.com/article/icing-transformation-challenge-announcement
gives you an idea of what it's about. Essentially choose a couple of things you want to comitt to doing for a month to improve yourself physically and mentally.

My diet is pretty good, especially now that spring produce is arriving at the market. I'm doing fine exercise wise although I must start going to lunchtime yoga now classes are running again. I've decided to do facial exercises and use EFT to work on my fears and worries.

I saw Eva Fraser do a talk and demonstration at the Vitality show and am interested in the idea of exercising facial muscles to stop them sagging. Alas there is a long waiting list for her book at the library and I'm not certian if I should buy it instead. In the meantime, I've found another book on the library shelves. It still about facial exercises but by a different author. I'm giving it a try and doing the excercises daily as sugegsted. They only take about 5 minutes so I should be able to fit them in although you couldn't really do them in public unless you wanted to look very odd. Wonder if I should do before and after pictures?

I want to try EFT for various things that I get worked up about. I also want to see if it will help with my fear of dogs. I often come across dogs when I am out walking. The trail is also jsut the kind of place that dogs are let on their leads and run around. I just freeze when I see them and think that they will attack me. I also don't like walking past places where there is a barking dog even if it behind a high fence. Clearly if I got to grips with this fear then my walks would be stress free without me scanning the horizon for potential threats!

Joblist wise I am doing very well. I took photographs of some more Sindy stuff on Monday. Tuesday I uploaded to my computer. Last night I edited the pictures and wrote the descriptions. I also cleaned the bathroom.

So all in all things are progressing well. My seeds (planted Saturday) are sprouting. I even used up the last portion of cauliflower and millet mash last night (I used vast quantities of chilli powder to mask some of the taste). Feel I should make cupcakes this weekend to celebrate!

May the tofu be with you!

I made it!

Last week, I was worried about not managing to complete tasks I set myself and thought the reason might be because I was setting too many. I read The Tipping Point this week and it really bears out that humans just can't manage too many things at one time. I found the book amamzing and am now telling Dear Heart to hurry up and finish it so that we can discuss it!

So I set myself 3 things to do (buy a birthday present for Dear Heart's Dad, sort out my seeds for planting and clean the bathroom). I'm happy to report that I did all of them. The present took no time to order from Amazon. The bathroom cleanng was also quick to do thaks to the wonders that are e-cloths. However, I need to do it weekly and then it will take even less time.

I got very inspired about seeds and found a way of making pots from newspaper using an origami type method. I made up a load on Saturday and planted out in them things like tomatoes and aubergines. Sunday, I did a long session at the allotment. I planted half of my seed potatoes (rest next week). I also planted out my Pumpkin and Courgette seeds. I marked where they were palnted with wine corks. This is a really good way of making use of the cork and helps with spacing and weeding in weeks to come. I must take a photo as they look very cool.

In addition to my three tasks I also sorted out some of the Sindy stuff I have and put some of it on eBay. I also stayed on schedule and walked on Wedneday and Saturday and I've been eating really great food. The mushrooms I bought from the market this week were amazing. I had the last few with some watercress, cos and little dressing for lunch yesterday. In fact it was such a nice meal I had the same thng for breakfast today with radish slices instead of mushrooms. My belly feels very happy.

So tasks for this week are to clean the bathroom, sort out another chunk of sindy stuff and take part in the Icing Transformation challenge (ITC). A seperate post will cover the ITC!

This week I will...

When we last met I was perplexed that jobs seem to hang around on my joblist for a week or three before I do them. I think I worked out part of the reason why and it's very simple. I'm scheduling lots of things for me to do. Far too many. My average weekend job list contains between 13 and 20 items. So I need to firstly concentrate on core jobs and then add in maybe one or two extra things every week. I've got a jobs to do now and a long term jobs list so if I have space I can simply add one (or two at absolute max).

The other thing is that I'm not certain having jobs on a list actually motivates me to do them. I write shopping lists but I can walk around the market and pick up what I need without looking at it. It's simply there for reference. It's the same with jobs I set myself to do. I know what needs to be done. Maybe I need to listen to myself more.

So this week I've got a order a birthday present for Dear Heart's Dad, clean the bathroom and sort out the seeds for my allotment. I've very excited about planting the seeds and think there will be a post about this, maybe with a plan of where they will go, coming in the near future.

I'm also sorting out some Sindy type dolls and accessories ready to list on eBay. I've got 2 Sindys, a Farah Fawcett Major, a Covergirl Darci and various clothes and accessories. But I'm only going to do this if I have time.

Heres to a productive week!

Could do better...

If my weekly resolutions were graded like a school report, this week's would definitely read 'Could do better'. Last week I set myself three very simple tasks and pretty much failed to do them. It's not that I've been doing nothing. However, I failed to decide which item to put on eBay, only managed one and two half present bags and haven't been anywhere near the curtain. I forgot to take a picture of the bag I did make with a little heart and gingham ribbon.

Reading through the daily/weekly/ongoing job lists in my daybook I can see that often a task will appear for several weeks before I actually do it. Does this mean I need a warm up period? That I'm not really serious about carrying out the tasks I set myself? That I'm setting too many jobs? I think I'll monitor this for a bit and read up on effective list making and task scheduling.

It was a pretty good (and busy as ever) week.

Friday I went to the Vitality show where I indulged in a few eyebrow wax (with scary lady who told me in NY accent that my brows were very bushy), found out about facial exercises (Eve Fraser certainly does not look her age) and got a water filter in a goody bag!

Saturday Dear Heart picked up his new car. He asked me to go with him which meant I had to sit around in the show room for a couple of hours while the salesman went through various checks. However, there was a copy of Vanity Fair in the waiting area. I've always thought that VF was way too high brow and high fashion for me. When I actually began to look through I was pleased to see more text than pictures and proper articles. A new discovery for me to indulge in occasionally!

Sunday, some chums came over for lunch. Much wine (and quantities of vegetables) consumed. Much laughter. They were also happy to take the goody bag water filter off my hands. I rounded off the evening with a delightful chat with my folks.

And finally I'm still completely obsessed with Gala Darling and iCiNG. Makes me think about baking some vegan cupcakes and trying out the icing tools I've never used. Wander across for a peek yourself and don't forget to sign up for cupcake.

I resolve

Inspired by Galadarling.com my three resolutions for this week are:

• To put at least one item on ebay - that pile of stuff that came from my parent's house has gotten smaller but there is still a way to go.
• To make 2 present bags - I've got an idea about dolphins, waves and desert islands that I want to try out.
• To repair the curtain in the front room - it only needs a few stitches!

Etsy and Easter

I've had a lovely Easter weekend. I've worked on my allotment (chilly but bracing!). I've been busy sewing while the snow fell outside. I finished off a skirt, turned a top into a sort of jacket for summer wear and put the finishing touch to a bag or two.
I was quite pleased to find inspiration to sew returning. Last week it took me three attempts to do a present bag, although I did finally come up with this. It doesn't show up brilliantly in the photo but it's a cocktail glass. I've also finally got around to putting some of my stuff on Etsy (Do feel free to visit http://www.prettylittleparcels.etsy.com/).

My sister came for a late lunch on Saturday so I had a go at the pot roast from vegan lunchbox. As I followed the instructions exactly and didn't make any changes as I'm prone to do, I'm mystified by the result. It was delicious but it served two with a scrap barely big enough for a sandwich over, not the serves 4 with left over for lunch as the book claims! Pity as it really was very tasty.

I'm feeling quite refreshed and ready for a new week at work. Let's hope there's some sunshine so that I can give one or two of my new wardrobe items an airing!

Trying to stay on track

I didn't post an update to my weekly tasks on Monday and there was a good reason.

I had a hectic week, as I was quite busy with a big event for work. It all went splendidly. One glorious bit was Mimi, knowing that I'd been in really early and running around, bought me in a smoothy. I hadn't had time for breakfast so it was just what I needed. It made me feel really special and supported. Thank you Mimi. If I compile a list of the nicest things that have happened in my life I think that will be on it.

I planned to spend part of Sunday writing letters and catching up. I got up early, made a good start on some paper work when we heard from one of Dear Heart's sisters. She was coming up to London for the day and did we want to meet up for lunch? We rushed around, leapt on a load of buses and trains and had a marvellous lunch on Gerrard Street. I got to visit one of the Chinese supermarkets and bought many delicious things.

However, it also meant that I didn't get all the stuff I wanted to done. I couldn't face the thought of posting and adding the same tasks to my week list. So I made sure that I left work on time to put a dent in my tasks.

I pleased to report that I published one of my draft posts (Talking books), made start on the tie pouches and finished the top.

I dyed some of the t-shirts. However, for some reason we don’t have a plug for the sink in the utility room. I had to produce a complicated arrangement of plastic tubs and weights to stop the dye draining away. The colour of the t-shirts is a lovely olive green and covers the staining, but it's not even. However, this gives the garments a designer, Per Una kind of look. I think with a bit of appliqué and beading it could even look intentional!

Here are my Mother's Day creations. I put a poem inside the card that I found here http://www.thetoymaker.com/Holidays/MothersDay/1Mothers.html This is great site and find it very inspiring.



The flower on the front of this card is actually a brooch. I was really pleased with the way this turned out.

And I have laid out paper, envelope and pen on my desk so that I can start on my long overdue letter to a friend as soon as I get home tonight. It’s been on the job lists in my notebook for way too long.

I’m not setting any new tasks as such this week, although I anticipate sorting through the seeds for my allotment, a second round of dyeing and running up a skirt and a few other bits.

Talking books

This is one of the posts I began writing after I had a few days at home in January. I don't listen to talking books very often. Although I like the concept of putting them on my ipod, the whole thing of having to put them on my computer and then transfer is not something that I'm likely to do. Not when I could just rip open the covers of the print version and begin devouring the words straight away.

However, occasionally the library has a title that I want to read only in audio format. This has been the case with 2 titles by the wonderful Laurie R. King. In fact, I must say here that if you haven't yet discovered her Mary Russell series stop reading this and log onto the website of your local library instead.

Anyway, I decided that I would enjoy a talking book while I was at home for a few days anyway. I had plans to do house work type stuff so a talking book seemed ideal to make the tasks more interesting.

It actually proved to be more of a challenge than I thought and is clearly a skill I need to develop. First of all I had to remember to actually listen to the story and not just filter it out and think about other stuff. This was particularly difficult when I was doing something like washing up. I began to realise how noisy my home is and how noisy many of the activities I undertake in my home are.

Sometimes I'd run out of tasks but want to get to the end of the disc before moving to another area of the house. No problem, I thought. I'll just sit here at the table and listen to the last few minutes. I then realised that I find it very difficult to do nothing. I picked up magazines and papers to flick through. Examined plants. Picked at my nails.

It took my much longer than usual to get into the story. However, once I was into it I wanted to just carry on listening. As discs had a running time of about 14 hours, there came a point when Dear Heart arrived home that this just wasn't going to be possible.

So all in all, I think I need to practice listening to talking books. I think this will generally will help me to become a better listener. I'll be better at paying attention to everything that is said. I won't be so impatient if the story doesn't come to the point straight away. Maybe I can listen to some of my favourite books in audio and appreciate them even more!

Did I do what I said?

Of course I didn't. Despite resolving last week that I would publish posts that are currently in draft form, write a long letter to a friend and take the bags under my desks to a charity shop, my actual completion rate was very poor. I did manage to drop the bags off at a variety of charity shops. However, the letter remains unwritten and despite posting several times last week none of the posts were actually ones that I had begun and abandoned.

So this week I am going to sort out those posts, write the letter and post photographs of my mother's day creations. I might also figure out how to use the weekly resolution logo from Icing who inspired this weekly thing in the first place.

I did do loads of sewing. I made it to the sewing shop last week and got some dye and some zips. so over the weekend I refitted a pair of trousers and put a zip in. then I cut out a top and got about half way through it before I ran out of time. this week I want to finish the top, dye a load of t shirts, make some pouches out of ties and turn an old pair of trousers into a dress. Will I get it all done? I intend to give it my best shot!

Vital Wheat Gluten

I've often read about vital wheat gluten in American cookbooks. It seems that rather than knead a ball of flour in a bowl of cold water for hours to get seitan, you simply mix the powder up with water and you're good to go.

You can buy it online, but it would mean ordering a load of other stuff to make the postage worthwhile. Then today I wandered over to the market to purchase some oats and noticed they had gluten powder! I can't wait to give a go. I'll be able to make loads of recipes I've dismissed in the past. Yippee!

I tried the cauliflower and millet mash again last night. This time I dipped it in flour prior to frying ass suggested by Rose Eliot. It ended up being more like a hash and actually rather reminded me of my Dad's corn beef hash. This was probably due to the large quantity of veggie Lea and Perrins added. It was certainly more tasty then the original but still not something I'll be breaking my neck to produce one the two tubs in the freezer are gone.

Cauliflower and millet mash

I bought some millet a while back for making a lemon tease cake. It turned out OK but not something I'm rushing to make again. I was flicking through Rose Eliot's Fast, fresh and fabulous last week when I spotted a recipe for cauliflower and millet mash. Cauliflower is in season so it seemed the ideal lunch solution.

Alas I had a portion for lunch today (and there are 3 more in the fridge) and it wasn't very nice. It was edible but not something I'd want more than a small portion of. It's left a funny taste in my mouth.

I take great pride and pleasure in lunch preparation so I really dislike this sort of thing happening. The other three portions will be going in the freezer (think it might be OK as a shepherds pie topping on night's Dear Heart is out) and I need to think of something I can eat for lunch for the rest of the week. I have two frozen portions of nice soup so I'm half way there.

The moral of this tale is never cook huge portions of a new recipe. Maybe it's something about millet? I've still got a bit left so I shall be visiting vegweb in my ongoing quest to discover a way to make it tasty.

Unfinished thoughts

I've gotten into the bad habit of getting an idea for a post, adding it as a post and then saving it as a draft to polish and post later. But, and this is the problem, I don't. I let the idea sit there idling. I dislike this and want to clear up the unfinished ideas in the same way that I like to use up abandoned packets at the back of the cupboard.

I've had a very good couple of weeks. A few days at home making a top from scraps of fabric. A visit from my grandparents which included a huge bag of fabrics and trimmings they were clearing out. A sample of hair conditioner given to me while buying new soap in Lush. An afternoon at the Theatre (The Vortex -must add some Coward songs to my ipod). A lovely new green coat from Dear Heart's mother. Very garlicky home made spread.

My new favourite blog is Gala Darling's Icing. I love the weekly resolution that she is currently posting. I write my jobs for the week in a little notebook (often sprayed with perfume). These posts have made me think a bit more about my list and to move on from simply listing dull routine tasks. It's nice to be able to tick off having done the washing but better still to tick off written letter to friend or repaired boots pushed to back of cupboard.

I think my first resolution for the week is to complete at least one abandoned post. I also want to write a long letter to my friend Sean and take the bags of stuff under my desk to a charity shop or two.

Have a marvellous Monday, dear readers.

Happy Birthday Dad

This is the present bag I made for my Dad's birthday. It's his birthday today so I'm not spoiling the surprise. I tend to find it quite difficult to work out what to buy for him as he seems to want for nothing (which can only mean he's very content?). Here are the back and front views of the closed bag.

Here is the open bag. It contains a couple of pairs of trousers (a sort of cross between jogging bottoms and pyjamas). Just the thing for wearing on the days he works from home. In the smaller pocket is a Starbucks - for the days he has to leave the small town in the country he resides in and venture into big smoke.

I usually make up present bags for specific people or occassions. However, I've had a little time recently and made up these two that I have no immediate use for.

There's this drawstring bag with three hearts.

And this little yellow bag which has turned out to be exactly the right size for a CD.

I'm thinking of putting them on Etsy. It's a bit scary though. The first few sales on Ebay were a little worrying but once one has picked up the form and knows the procedures it's OK. Selling sometjhing you've made yourself is putting your work (your art?) up for public discussion. It's good to do thing that frighten you though so I'll give it a go in the near future.

Are you getting enough?

Sleep that is. Every time I look at a newspaper or magazine there seems to be an article on sleep. The quality of my sleep seems to go in cycles and it has little to do with how tired I am. Sometimes I go to sleep as soon as I go to bed, sleep deeply all night and wake up just before the alarm. Sometimes I can't get to sleep and have disturbing dreams when I do . Then there are the nights when sleep doesn't leave me feeling at all refreshed (often rather disturbed in fact!).

One thing the articles all go on about is that you need a routine (no long lie-ins at weekends) and you need to start winding down before you go to bed. This weekend I made an effort to get up at 8.30 a.m. on both days. OK so it's not 5.30 a.m. as it is during the week but it's not that much later. I certainly felt tired by about 8pm on each evening and going to bed around ten was not too much of a struggle. I read a few pages as I usually do but couldn't manage more than that because my eyes were closing. I woke up this morning before the alarm feeling refreshed and cheerful.

You need (so one article suggested) 1 hour of sleep for every 2 hours you are awake. I shall keep this little formula in my head over the next few weeks and see how well it applies over time. It worked out fine for this weekend. It's also a useful reminder that tiredness is often about dehydration, low blood sugar and boredom as much as a need for actual sleep.

If anyone does like the idea of getting up at the same time every day (which if you work full time is probably going to be very early) Steve Pavlina wrote this great piece on it. It's true that early rising does give you more time. I got lots done this weekend. I've got a few days off at the end of the week and I intend to get up early and make a good start on the day. Of course it's much easier to get up of bed when Dear Heart has already turned on lights and the radio and crashed his way around the bedroom before departing for work!

Froth on the Cappuccino

I'm having one of those great weeks where you keep discovering new things. I can't walk around the library without finding armfuls of stuff I want to read. I love discovering new authors. I've also found a load of new blogs that I've added to my bookmarks. It's tricky to know if a blog will be a continuing pleasure. sometimes bloggers cease to blog or they begin to write about topics that you're not very interested in. We'll have to wait and see.

One of the books I picked up to enjoy was Froth on the Cappuccino: how small pleasures can save your life by Maeve Haran. I've read this kind of book before. It's the same kind of thing as Wear More Cashmere: 151 Luxurious Ways to Pamper Your Inner Princess. What marred my enjoyment was the way in places the book seemed to encourage wastefulness (e.g. clutter so that you can declutter and then clutter again). Where green suggestions were made they were often followed by very non-green ideas. For example, a piece on the joys of recycling was followed by one on the joys of takeaway coffee in a styrofoam or cardboard cup with plastic lid. the section on 'buying yourself flowers' did mention fake flowers, but cold have gone further by suggesting that you buy them during the winter when real flowers are imported or grown in hot houses. Just because supermarkets sell cheap flowers doesn't make it right to buy them.

Maybe I'm taking it a little too seriously.

My photos

I just find it so hard to believe we are midway through January. Time to start blogging again on a regular basis!

Once again January is an alcohol free zone for me and Dear Heart. I've been taking the opportunity to set in place routines that I want to follow over the year and have been trying to spend more time working through my sewing to do pile. After a few weeks break over Christmas I'm now walking again on Saturday mornings. However bits of the trail have been rather soggy. Last week part was even flooded, luckily it was just before my turn around point. I'm now wearing wellingtons when I walk on this particular trail.




I'm making good progress on my fabric sewing to do pile and once that's sorted I'm going to start making gift bags to use up my fabric stash. Here are some pictures of present bags I made around Christmas.

Jingle bells and let it snow bags used snowflake sequins that were a table decoration (and destined for the bin) at a party and a bell from a long ago eaten chocolate reindeer.

I was also quite pleased with these gift tags made from magazine cuttings and fabric scraps. I couldn't find (until it was too late) where I'd put the Christmas cards from the previous year to make tags from.

and more Christmas bags...

Just for variety a few birthday bags

Here is the apple pie I made for our Thanksgiving themed dinner in December. I veganised Linda McCartney's recipe that uses cream cheese. I was delicious and there was enough left over for me to enjoy some for lunch the following week. One the subject of food, my lovely sister bought me a stick blender a a Christmas present. She didn't think it was a particularly great thing to give me but shrugged as it was on my list. I love my stick blender. No more batch blending of soup which resulted in soup dripped all over the work surface. Dear Heart will eat almost any soup as long as it is blended. He claimed the simply lovely carrot soup (from the garden of Vegan) that I made last weekend was the best soup I had ever made. Pretty high praise for a few carrots, some stock, dill and soya milk. I did make home made bread to go with it as well. the really easy bread recipe takes so little time and it's so nice to have fresh hot bread with home made soup.

That's all for now but more photos soon of some sewing projects I'm working on.

The trials of technology

I've got a number of photographs that I want to share and have planned an entry including them as they also illustrate what I've been up to lately. Alas every time I've sat down with my computer to sort it out something crops up. It's either a Norton update and scan, or a a software upgrade or not being able to find pictures that I'd edited on Picasa or blogger refusing to let me log in. Then the machine runs very slowly and I always seem to think that 9 p.m. is a good time to start doing these things.

I shall have to make a rule (similar to one I have for new sewing projects i.e. not after 7 p.m.). If all goes well tonight might indeed be the night that I get my pictures online. Watch this space!

Clothing I bought in 2007

1. 1 pair tights - following boot sole crisis - new


2. 2 pair socks (came as a two pack) - for the moonwalk with lovely padded bottoms - new


3. Gold shoes (for hen party) - second hand


4. Thongs (sandal type things, not knickers) - secondhand


5. Boots - from Bourgeois Boheme - new


6. Necklace - From the Vintage Fair - new


7. Jeans - From Oxfam. Old ones had actually worn out. - secondhand


8. Sequined dress - Christmas party dress crisis - new


9. Black velvet dress - Further panic over Christmas party - new

I didn't think I'd actually bought that much, but listed here it seems like lots. Also the ratio of new to secondhand was 2:1. I'm going to try and make it less then 9 items this year. However, I must confess I bought a new dress today. This is a further consequence of Christmas party panic. I saw the dress prior to Christmas and when I saw the price was much reduced bought it.

I'm going to buy less in 2008. Surely I must have everything I need...

Advance planning

In previous years I've spent a bit of time every week wandering around the shops looking at clothes. I'd see what was new in, try on an item or two and plot what I might buy.

This year I'm trying to only buy things I really need and that I cannot make myself. I've been wearing the clothes I already own. As a result I've haven't been planing what I might wear because I know it's going to be something from my current wardrobe.

Tonight is the work meal and rather than planning what to wear well in advance I only started to give it any real thought last weekend. I think on reflection this has been a mistake. Apart from anything else my body shape has changed slightly as a result of more exercise and better diet. Alas this means I'm not as curvy as I used to be and so some of my slinkiest party wear doesn't look quite so hot.

I had a panic at lunch time and ran around the shops trying things on. However, I couldn't help but think that I could have replicated many of the effects I admired. What I need to do in future is have a look around a month before an event that I want to dress up. This will give me time to make alterations and additions.

I'm wearing a little black dress that I bought when I was 16. I hope it works out OK. I need to wear it with attitude! I'm considering adding a floor length net skirt for future years. I'm also very keen now on the idea of making some slim satin trousers in dark grey. I've heard satin can be difficult to sew with though.

Next week I will post pictures of my latest present bags. I'll also try and get my head straight and embrace the festive season!

P.s. This is post 100!

Leftover carrots

What to do with leftover cooked carrots? Soup would have been the obvious answer, but since I'd just made a huge pot of rustic lentil and tomato from The garden of Vegan (only minus the pasta and blended so that Dear Heart would eat it), I needed something else!


Dozens of food/vegan blogs later I came across this post.

http://www.shespillsthebeans.com/kitchen/2006/05/chard_fritters.html


Inspiration struck. I had a go with carrots and ate them zapped in the microwave for lunch with a little tub of vegan mayo. Very nice. I was thrilled when a co-worker spied them on my desk and commented on how delicious they looked! She probably didn't know that they were carrots dressed up to look fancy! I should have taken a photo, but I'm sure this won't the last time I make this.

Great to have something go well today. I went to renew my bus pass and realised that I had forgotten my photo card. Then I went to the market to begin purchasing items for this weekends Thanksgiving themed brunch club. As I got close to the vegetable stall I realised that my carefully drawn up shopping list (highlighted and all) was still sitting on my desk.

Think I need an early night.