Randoms and Catch Up

This will probably be really long.  I have a lot to update on!

* My Dad was here for a visit the first week of May.  It had been two years since I had seen him and it was a very nice visit.  It was hard finding fun things to do that he had never experienced before but we managed!  We went to the zoo (although he had been there before), the Oregon coast with a trip to Ft. Stevens and Tillamook, Hood River with just us adults for wine, good food and the fruit loop.  We also went to the Ridgefield Wildlife area and out to Sauvie Island for a picnic lunch one day.  Here are some random pictures.  Please note my Dad hates having his picture taken which is why you will see zero with him.

* My lab work all came back normal which is great!  It doesn't solve the issue of why I feel off these days but hopefully with added vitamins and probiotics I will start feeling better.

* I am down 37 pounds on Weight Watchers!  The weight loss has been pretty slow these days but I have cut way back on my Flex Points usage to hopefully jump start my loss again.  If that doesn't work, I am going to start the Wendie Plan (Google it if you are curious).  

Here are some of the yummy recipes I have made lately:

Angel hair pasta with scallops and tomatoes and blistered green beans

Pineapple whip - identical to the Dole whip you would get at Disney.  Amazing!

Coconut chicken strips, cilantro lime rice and roasted broccoli

Summer vegetables with chicken sausage and potatoes

Pork with mint pesto, quinoa and roasted cauliflower

* I planted quite the herb garden this year and am finding ways to use them up.  I have cilantro, parsley, thyme and mint coming out of the wazoo!  My rosemary is under control for now.  I have made countless pitchers of mint iced tea, mint pesto, mint chocolate chip muffins, salads with fresh herbs, marinades with fresh herbs, and the list goes on.  My favorite is probably the cilantro.  I could bathe in cilantro.

* My veggies are coming along too.  I have 4 tomato plants, potatoes growing in a trash can (really), carrots, bush beans and broccoli.  Most are from seed so they won't be ready for several more weeks but it's fun to watch them grow.

* Jack has his last day of school on Thursday with his graduation on Tuesday.  My goodness, my kids are growing so fast.  Next year, Jack will be in pre-kindergarten and Cal in pre-preschool.  They will go to the same school for a few hours a couple times a week.

* On that note, Jack is starting speech therapy on Monday.  At his 4 year well child checkup the pediatrician mentioned that he was hard to understand.  I can understand 100% of what he says but others can't.  I scheduled an appointment with the school district for an evaluation and it turns out he has a bit of a delay.  He talks up a storm but he has a hard time pronouncing his F's, V's and some other letters.  He also has a bit of a front lisp that needs to be corrected.  I am hoping his therapy will help and by kindergarten, he won't have any issues.

* Cal is doing great!  Talking up a storm, getting quite the 2 year old attitude and growing like crazy.  We had a little bit of a scare last week when he had a virus.  He often gets random fevers with no other symptoms.  We have learned to mostly keep him medicated and not worry unless he starts developing other symptoms.  Last week he was on day 5 of a fever so I decided to bring him in to the pediatrician.  After looking him over, she found he had another bout of tonsilitis.  What was worrisome is that he wasn't moving his neck.  He had a lump in his neck and so she sent us to the Children's Hospital.  She was concerned that he had something called retropharyngeal abcess.  Thank goodness he was fine and didn't have the abcess which would have needed surgery.  Talk about a scary few hours though.  Yikes!  

That is about it for now.  I hope to do a Weight Watchers dedicated post soon with my tips and tricks this time around.  

Sock Obsession

Man oh man, I have got the bug.  I am recently obsessed with knitting...........SOCKS!  The yarn choices are all so beautiful, the socks knit up fast and they are so FUN!  Ever since I took a class, all I want to knit is socks.

Here are some of my projects lately and as you can see, it's mostly all socks.  How many times can I say socks in one post?  Haha!

The yarn used in the project above is by Socks That Rock (Pebble Beach).  It is a spendy yarn, but it's gorgeous, amazing quality and I love the spiral pattern of the colorway.

The chunky ankle socks on the right will be for my mom.  I have to knit the other sock still.  The red pair is for Jack.  I adore self-striping yarn.  It is so fun watching the pattern emerge right before your eyes.  This yarn is by Berroco and it's their Sox yarn.

The yarn below is Madelinetosh Baltic.  Isn't it beautiful?

This picture is from my Instagram account, hence the filter.  The red is actually bright fuschia.  I think this pair will be for my mother-in-law.  The yarn is Scoppel Wolle Ambiente.  

I use two different patterns for my socks.  For little socks (that fit Cal or a smaller foot), I use this pattern.  It's awesome and super easy.  Pattern Credit:  Most Basic Kids Sock by Evelyn Skae.

If you would like to learn to knit socks using an easy to read and follow pattern, I can't say enough about this book:

The author provides several different yarn and size conversions depending on the type of sock you want to knit.  She also provides tips throughout the book for both the amateur and experienced knitter.  I love her well-written instructions.  This has definitely become my go-to book for knitting socks. 

Shifting gears here, socks are not the only thing I have knit up lately.  Right before Easter, I finished a neat project for Jack.  

I learned a ton from knitting this sweater.  I am way more confident with picking up stitches now.  I feel like I can do it without any issue and my seams look very clean.

I love how this turned out!  I used Berroco Comfort DK in Lovage and the pattern was by Diane Soucy.  

I have a short list of projects that I want to do, starting with a market bag that I have bookmarked for almost 2 years.  I am pretty sure it will knit up fast and I might make a few as Christmas gifts.  

That is all for now! Look for more socks (of course) and new projects soon.

I Feel Weird

I went to the doctor yesterday for a physical and because I have been having some odd symptoms.  He asked what I was there for an I told him an overall tune-up and because "I feel weird".  That is the only way I can describe how I have been feeling these days.

I have lost a total of 35 pounds so I should be feeling better.  Instead, I am constantly fatigued.  Not just tired but a bone weary exhaustion that no amount of sleep can help.  I am also very very irritable.  Crabby, cranky, bitch, whatever you want to call it.  I know I am being short and angry with my family but it's almost like I can't help it.  I am also having some weird dry patches of skin on my scalp and hair loss but honestly, I was attributing that to the fact that I changed shampoos.  Maybe it's related to my other symptoms?  The last symptom I am having is fogginess.  I feel like I can't remember things and I am confused.  Again, that is probably related to the fatigue.

The doctor is checking a few things like my thyroid levels as well as my iron and other blood work.  I have always been borderline anemic so it wouldn't surprise me if my iron is low.  I would also not be surprised if I have an issue with my thyroid.

Either way, whatever is wrong (if anything) is hopefully easily corrected.  If not, I can always add in some exercise to start helping with the fatigue.  I also need to start taking a multi-vitamin.

That's about it in regards to my health.  I need to do a randoms post soon because I have so much that I have been doing these days.  But you know what?  I am so tired.  I have no energy to do another post right now.  Maybe in a few days.