#ASSP

Ali and I love to make up hashtags...we don't actually use them on twitter or instagram or wherever else you are supposed to use them but we do use them in text messages to each other.

It all started with #wgp...we use this one when we are complaining about what would be considered first world problems...like the other day when I had to park on the top level of the airport deck and I got back in town with my leather boots on trying to drag my suitcase through two inches of snow.  This was not life shattering but at the time it sucked.

#ASSP is for Anti-Stuffed Sausage Plan.  This is what I have named my current attempt to get back in shape.  Another friend once said she felt like a busted can of biscuits.  Either would apply in my current situation and it needs to get under control.

Shortly after we got married, we starting trying to have a baby...since I was planning on getting big while pregnant, the motivation wasn't completely there to get in shape.  Then fast forward a year and a half, and I am still not pregnant and I weigh more than I ever have.  It is gross.

I do boot camp 3 days a week at 6:30am (when it doesn't snow so much the night before that I can't get my car out and when I am not out of town) and I love it.  I am definitely the type of person who doesn't push myself enough on my own and I do better in a class, with a trainer, with a friend or training for a race.  This winter weather has interfered on a lot of days but I am hoping that we are getting to the end of that.  I plan to add some other fun stuff like spin and zumba.

The eating is where I really need to concentrate!  Back in April I had some food sensitivity testing done and (no surprise) I am pretty much sensitive to everything.  Really I think that it has to do with the fact that soy, corn, and wheat are in tons of processed foods.  I can have any meat and almost every fruit and vegetable (except onion, blueberries, cantelope and a few others)...it just takes more work.  It is especially hard in the winter when I just feel like hibernating and nothing is fresh.  Some of my staple spices, etc are also on the bad list like parsley, oregano, cumin, and lemon.  Most of my recipes contain one, if not more, of the above ingredients, take out yeast, eggs, rice, almonds, dairy, and sulfites and you have eliminated a lot more (plus wine and beer).  So, as you can see, it was pretty frustrating and you really have to be on top of the fresh ingredients.  I did do it for a while though and I dropped weight fast and felt amazing.  I need to get back to it and figure out which of those sensitivities actually affect me and which ones are ok.  I found out that not all of them bother me.  I just can't remember which ones.

So, yeah, winter is still in full force here (snowing as I write this) but spring is around the corner and I need to get it together so I can fit into my spring clothes.

FOREVER...

So, it has been forever since I have posted on my blog...I am not really sure why except that I guess I got busy and felt like I didn't have much interesting to say.  Now I have decided to try to get back into it, and I think it was because I see my blog books from a few years ago and I think about how much easier that is than trying to keep an actual journal (which I am a failure at).

Anyone still out there??  HA!

I think that it is really funny that my last blog post was where I said I would keep up with our biking trip on our honeymoon...FAIL.  Whatever, moving on!

The thing that probably keeps me most busy these days is my crochet/knitting business.  In 2012 a friend of my sister's found an infinity scarf on Pinterest and asked who could make it for her.  My sister volunteered me and I set out to the craft store to find the gray that she wanted and made it for her.  I didn't have any way to contact her other than FB so I posted a picture there.  7 of my friends wanted one and I thought that was fun.  I decided to post it in my Etsy shop.  I had my shop since 2008 but mostly posted baby stuff and running headbands.  At first the scarf didn't sell and then all of a sudden 15 sold in one night...AHHHH!!!  Then they kept selling!  They take me about an hour to make and, as you can calculate, I don't have 15 extra hours a day so I recruited my mom to help.  I also kept raising the price a bit until I found a good balance.  Now, only a little over a year later, I have sold over 700 scarves and am in a local store.  I simply can't believe it!

When I was home this weekend, it seemed like a question I was asked a lot was whether I would ever do it full time.  Believe me, I have run the numbers :-)  I kind of go back and forth on this...I love my day job, but I also love my crafty side.  It is really fun to have a "second" job where I can make money and spend it on fun things...I don't know how I would do if I HAD to make a certain amount.  This Jan and Feb have been a lot slower than last year.  It could be because my scarf costs 50% more this year so I am selling less or it could just be the way things work.  Having a job that would be so inconsistent would scare my type A personality.  Having said all that though, if I ever was able to make enough to make a living consistently, then yes, I would love to do it full time.  It has always been a dream of mine to own a craft store and I think that recently that has turned into a dream to own a yarn/coffee shop...one can dream, right?

I am launching a blog for my business so I am hoping that I will blog more regularly...I will give all you parents out there an exciting glimpse in to the wonderful childless life (sarcasm).  HA!

So, if anyone is still around, shoot me a comment.  I am doing this for myself but still interested to see if anyone is reading it.