Preludes And Nocturnes

I’ve had three etsy sales this week.  I’ve made approx 120 cards in the last week and a half so I am living and breathing paper art right now.  One might say that The Secret is at work here and something about the universe giving back to me.  Hey, that’s cool. But I also think it might be that since I’m creating, I think about what is on etsy - I notice my Christmas cards need to be posted - I post them - I sell some - I relist and bump myself back up to the top - I go on the forum and chat it up a bit - people come by to see my shop - I relist another sale and post the relisting on Facebook - I get another sale…

In other related news, I was so productive today it kinda hurts.  I was just offered two more courses next term so I created the course readings for them both (one is just minutes from being done and the other is ORDERED!) I also ordered the novels and other books I needed. I also created rathercrafty@gmail.com and then made and ordered business cards I really really really hope will be in by next friday for the artisan fair. I created an awesome power point lecture and reviewed the grammar review and exam.  AND I bought a car full of groceries at a local grocery store moving to a new location and I probably saved upwards of $50 on canned and dry goods.

This productivity brought to you by the letter c for coffee, h for half-day-daycare, and m for my mom because she fed pizza and soup to me and mal tonight so I could have time to prep up the lectures for tomorrow’s classes.

New Christmas minis:

So that time is coming now, with lots of treats getting ready and fun gathering being planned. We’re a bit lucky here in Canadia as we don’t have the double whammy of Thanksgiving/Christmas, but my hips seem to still expand nonetheless.

As I’m now on week two of tracking my calories at www.fitday.com I am happy to announce that this along with exercising since August means a loss of about 10lbs.  I have been hoping to lose 20lbs before getting pregnant again, so this is going along just fine…

But here comes the holidays!

Here are some things that have worked in the past, what are your ideas?

First, Jim and I brainstorm before each big family meal. We decide what we just don’t want (usually junk junky chips and pop that aren’t special). We then think about what we do really like - things like homemade bars and treats.

We eat a strategic breakfast/lunch leading up to the meal. Light meals, high fibre, low calories, lots of water or unsweetened tea. Since we’re tracking right now, we’ll then see how many calories we have for the dinner (or lunch or whatever).

When we’re out, we try to stay away from sitting at a “chatting table” with food spread out in front of us.  That is my deadly downfall. If there are plates of food just sitting there, I will eat them. It is mean to the food not to eat it - looking all pretty and sugary and hopeful!

If there is a dinner, load up on veggies and take smaller portions of high-fat/carb items.

For dessert decide what looks worth the calories (I don’t really like most cakes, but I love puddings and would rather have some rice pudding than a piece of cake. But if it is a thick chocolate cake, that is my win).

We also decide if we are just not going to worry too much about it. We want to enjoy our time and not feel vaguely stressed the whole evening.

Luckily my mom is totally on board with good eating. Any meal she does will have five or six plain veggies along with lean proteins like salmon as an option.

This has certainly helped us out over the holidays!

How bout you?

I got 4 teeth pulled (braces)

Malcolm got what we think is the Echo Virus and had double ear infections and bronchitis (am I spelling that wrong, something about this window throws me off when I type)

Jim was sick

We had a week off so I’ve been crafting like crazy to get read for artisan fair on the 26/27 of Nov

I am prepping for a still hypothetical class next term that they are not moving on but I’ll need to order books for (as you saw in the other post) asap and then they said it might be this OTHER course (novel and short story)

I am prepping up the final exams for my current courses

I really want to get my etsy revamped and get some packs posted here and write a great post asking, yet again, about prices as I think I’m going to go to 3 for $10 for the craft fair.

Oh, and I keep wanting to get some pics up in case anyone wants to order for Christmas presents. I have some super pretty sets that make excellent hostess gifts when you go out for dinner/parties.  And, of course, I’d sell to you all at 4 for $10.  Melly has already said she wants cards so I just need to get my shit together and, um, yeah.

It seems there might be a second course in the pipeline for me next term - poetry and drama.

Anyone have some input as to plays and poems they love?  Or how about ones they hate?  I’m hoping to create a custom course book from this site - it is actually really fun and I’m totally dorking out on it.

http://www.pearsoncustom.com/custom-library/the-pearson-custom-library-introduction-to-literature

I have been shopping, er, reading through the site and putting together a book with any poem that strikes my fancy. Lots of random cool things on pop culture, colonization (lots of people talking about being brown in north america and then an essay on race-relations), women, bodies (I found a set of poems on body image and eating disorders).  The class if for first years so I want something that will be interesting to them.

Here’s the TOC as a rough work in progress. I see that I have a bit of overlap, but in all any other input on the book?

intro2lit_2279_tocproof.pdf

[dork dork]

Dear Daycare lady,

So stick it.

I was reading on Meg’s blog about this notion of being thankful and giving thanks.  So I thought I’d do my own quick blog entry about today’s thanks.

I am thankful that I live somewhere I could get the vaccination for my whole family today. That my doctor’s office is so cool that they got my dad in last week (dad’s health is such that this kind of flu could really really really muck him up).  That I have a husband who not only understands my passion about vaccination, but also shares in that fundamental belief in the scientific method and the advancements that it has brought us in the developed world. That my sisters are on hand for me to phone and blather on and on about misinformation pissing me off. And that my mom brings me blueberry bran muffins.

But hooboy he looked cute while he wore it!  Jim and I had a great evening with some Buffy, some dark chocolate (we bought Halloween candy we didn’t like so we weren’t tempted), and only about 15 kids coming by.

If you were wondering - we watched Halloween and Band Candy.  It was only this morning we realized that Band Candy isn’t a Halloween episode.

Er, isn’t it?  No?  Weird.  But Ethan is in it.. and, um, there is chocolate and people acting strange!  And lots of walking around!