Unfinished Project no.2

Yay, another project completed. I started this particular project before we moved to California...years ago. crazy. Even though a majority of the work was already done, it still took two hours to complete. This bag is from a pattern by Amy Butler called Frenchy bags. not sure how I feel about my fabric choice for this bag, but think I can make it work. It is very detailed and probably not a good beginner sewing project.

It's amazing how freeing it is to complete unfinished work. Just a few more projects in my sewing pile and it'll be cleared.

xo, jen

Simple, but Really, Really Good Oatmeal

Oatmeal is probably one of the easiest breakfast foods to cook. it's a pantry staple. Not only is it easy and inexpensive, but it's really good for you and fills you up. Over the summer we didn't eat it much because the weather was too hot. Now with the weather cooling down, we've eaten it like 5x in the past week and a half. Here's a quick and easy recipe that I use. I think what makes this oatmeal so good is that it's cooked in some milk and you're adding toppings. Oh and maybe the vanilla makes it so yummy too. My favorite toppings are blueberry and granola. What are yours?

xo, jen

Unfinished Projects no.1

Lately I've been thinking about all the sewing stuff I have in the closet. mostly fabrics. I really enjoy sewing, but feeling busy with other things, it's hard to make the time to just sit and sew. Unfortunately now I have a few sewing projects that have been started but never completed. So in order to alleviate  the unfinished projects and clear my mind, I've decided to work on an unfinished sewing project every Monday until they're all completed. I will not start a new project until the "unfinished's" are completed. I'm not sure that this is the best way to deal with this or not, but at least it's a start. Hopefully, after the projects are finished, I'll have a better idea of what fabrics I want to keep and what I can give up.
The first project completed today is a headband. The pieces were already cut and edges sewn. It took all of an hour to finish because I messed up and had to take it apart and re-sew. The results are great and I love it. More than anything it feels good to finally complete this project. Do you have any incomplete projects? How do you tackle them?

xo, jen 

I Thought it Would Be Easy

Silly me. Walk 10,000 steps a day, no problem. "I got this," I said. Oh, how wrong I was. It takes a lot to get to 10,000 steps. A few months ago I bought a Fitbit because I wanted to track and see how active I was. 10,000 steps daily is what seems to be the recommended number. What I found is that in the course of my day it's nearly impossible to hit that number. In order to make it, I actually have to go out for a walk or go for a run. It's not easy. Wearing the Fitbit has been a reality check. I love seeing my daily progress, and getting my weekly report. It helps keeps me accountable.

Another feature of the Fitbit I recently started using is the food tracker. It's helpful to see how many calories I'm actually consuming. Alarming. By simply keeping track of my steps and food, I've begun to think more about what I'm putting into my body, reduced my caloric intake, and have spent less time sitting and more time moving.
Even if you don't have a Fitbit or pedometer, you can still get up and move/ walk more and you can keep track of your food by writing in a journal or if you have a smartphone, download a fitness app where you can keep track of your food. myfitnesspal seems to be a really popular site.
We only have one body, that means one shot to get it right and these are just a couple of simple, although not necessarily easy, ways to get us going.

xo, jen

Four Months

It's been four months since I've been to this area (the blog) of my life. When I think four months, it doesn't sound like a lot of time, but looking back,  so much happened. Here's a brief snapshot of my last four months:

• We took our 1st family vacation since we've been married. 8yrs. This is HUGE because of what we went through the day we got married and the five years following. It's nothing short of a modern day miracle. Thanks God.                                                                                                
  
• Traveled back to the New York Tri-State area...literally going to CT, NY, and NJ for an aunt's funeral, a wedding, and fun. Sometimes I miss the east, but every time we come home to Southern California, I quickly get over it. 
• The daughter, Tiare Kiilani, of a friend passed away after a terrible accident while hiking. It still seems very surreal. Kii is an amazing girl that comes from an amazing family. She loved and inspired so many people and led a life that many of us only hope/ strive for in our lifetime. Kii was only 18yrs. old                                                        
• My co-workers and I collaborated together on an artist book and to date our book has been in three exhibits. more about our book to come. Last month I went to San Francisco to speak at one of the Artist Talks for the Pacific Center for the Book Arts exhibit at the SFPL Skylight Gallery. It was an amazing experience and I'm happy to say that it went extremely well.

That's a teeny snapshot! Now, however, it's time to move forward. As we all know moving forward can mean different things, depending what's going on in our lives. For me, right now, it means spending more time here

xo, jen