Something New (updated)

Lately I've started my hand at crocheting. I don't know if any of you crochet or not, but I've been slowly teaching myself. I'd learned the single and double crochet a long time ago, but never actually made anything. I decided I wanted to start small, so I began making little squares (about 4x4 inches or so) in a few colors that I will eventually sew into a baby blanket when the time comes. I am about a quarter of the way finished with those squares (it's gonna take me awhile!) The other day I decided I wanted to step up my game, so yesterday I made a hat! And it turned out really well!!!

Now I think I'm going to make a fun little flower to go by the brim since my hubby says he wouldn't be caught dead in a crochet hat :( But I'll either keep the hat for myself or give it as a gift to one of my friends or family members once I get that flower on it :) I found a tutorial on Pinterest that allows you to make interchangeable flowers so I might try that!

I found some chunky orange yarn in my stash, so I'm currently working up a scarf, providing I have enough yarn to make it a sufficient length. If not, then I guess I get to frog it and make something else! :)

Do you guys like to crochet? What are some of your favorite patterns? I would love to see some of your creations or favorite patterns, so link them up in the comments!! I'll update this post once I have that flower done and on my hat!

**UPDATE: Here is my finished hat!

This picture above shows the four flowers that I made to go on it. The center of the flower attached to the hat is a button that the flowers just slip over!

Job Searching

Isn't job searching the worst? I've been looking for 8 months and still haven't found anything. Oh, I guess that's not entirely true. I've applied to almost a dozen jobs in my profession, but I have only had 3 interviews, two of which were taken by fellow graduates and one I never heard back from. The rest of the applications have gone unanswered. A simple "sorry we're not interested" would suffice, but still nothing. Part of the issue, I believe, is the area that I'm looking in. My husband and I own a home and he has a fantastic job, so we're definitely not moving, and with the economy, I don't want to drive too far, so I have a very small area in which I can find a job (about a 30 mile radius or so).

I am so bored with the mundane job that I currently have (and have had since I was a junior in high school!). I'm willing right now to take a similar position but in a different field, preferably in health care, where I may be able to gain networking connections and eventually find a full time position as a dietitian. Luckily, I do know a dietitian who is pregnant with twins and about to go on maternity leave for a few months, so I'll get to take over her job, but only temporarily and only 2 days a week. -sigh-. Are any of you struggling with finding a job? The economy is terrible right now. And the sad part is that I would love to be able to be a stay at home mommy (eventually once we have a baby) but we just can't manage to make my husband's salary work for some reason, which we really should be able to. We're cutting back everywhere we can think of. Are you making one income work? Are you a SAHM? What tips and tricks do you have for making one income work?

Oh, did I mention that I have school loans about to start having to be paid next month and hubby needs a new car? Uggggh.

The Holidays are Coming!

I'm soooo excited for the holidays! I love everything about them (I feel like I've told you this before, haha!). This year I'm going to be making a lot of Christmas gifts, how about you guys? I find that people tend to love homemade gifts because they are made by someone they love and are made with love. Sometimes they are also personalized for that person, be it color, pattern, or and initial/name on it. I have bought so much fabric from Jo-Ann when it's on sale that I have waaaay more than I can even imagine doing anything with. This is where Christmas comes in :) I also have a few birthdays in the next few weeks that I'll probably make some gifts for too. Some of my favorite gifts to make and give include pillows (easy and always a great gift!), scarves, rice packs, grocery bag holders, purses/bags, stuffed animals, glasses cases, among many others. What are some of your favorite gifts to make? Have you started making Christmas gifts yet? I have! :)

'Tis the season (almost!) Once November 1st hits, Christmas music is fair game! And after Thanksgiving, the tree and decorations are going up! How about you guys? When do your decorations go up? Some people I know will be putting theirs up November 1st. I think that's a little too early, but some people really REALLY love the holidays I guess :)

Family Meal Time

Eating together as a family is getting harder and harder with recent times. Moms and dads both work and don't get home until 5:30-6:00 or later, so dinner has to be fast. Often times it's eaten in front of the television. Children have soccer, dance, football, softball, basketball, karate, piano, band, etc. and therefore aren't home. Teens want to be out with their friends instead of home for dinner. If everyone is so busy, then why even bother trying to have dinner (or any meal) as a family? Research shows many benefits to eating together as a family including reduced childhood obesity, which is affected by a child's eating habits. This article by Today's Dietitian discusses the benefits of eating together and tips on how to make family mealtime more effective and easier to do. Some of the benefits listed in the article include:
• a 12% reduction in the risk of being overweight;

• a 20% decline in the consumption of unhealthful foods;

• a 35% decrease in disordered eating, such as bingeing, purging, using diet pills, fasting, and skipping meals; and

• a 24% increase in the consumption of healthful foods.

It talks about parental influence, the role of television, and includes tips for increasing family meal time. These tips include the areas of in the kitchen, at the dinner table, and outside the home. It has fantastic tips and this article is written by a dietitian/nutrition expert. It utilitzed many scientific references to ensure that it is science based and evidence backed. It is an excellent read, especially for moms and dads who both work, are single parents, or have children who are involved in extracurricular activites!

I hope you all enjoy the read!

Kara

*this is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. :)

Holiday Eating

Hey everyone!

     It's getting closer and closer to the holidays! I'm super excited! I love everything about Thanksgiving and Christmas! Family, friends, yummy food, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Christmas shopping, Christmas music, presents (hey, who doesn't like getting and giving presents?!), decorations, the list goes on and on. The one thing that many people (myself included!) have trouble with is holiday eating. There's so much delicious food and you want to eat some of it all! How do we go about doing that without expanding our waistlines? I'm going to give you a couple of different ways to go about it.

     One way to combat the holiday weight gain is to eat the foods that you like, but to do it smartly! Start with the veggies (try to avoid ones coated in cheese or other sauces) and some turkey breast or other lean meat. If you like those veggie dishes that are saucy or cheesy (like green bean casserole...yum!) make sure to follow my next bit of advice: small small portions! Take your dinner plate and start with the veggie trays, steamed veggies, turkey breast (little to no gravy!!) and then add the other sides like stuffing, sweet potato casserole (yes, this counts as a syrupy, sugary, smothered veggie dish...just look at all those marshmallows!), and others in tablespoon size to 1/4 cup portions (a quarter to half a baseball, just enough for a few bites) on your plate and stop when the main part of your plate is full. Eat the food on your plate and stop when you're full. Wait an hour or two and see if you're still hungry. If so, then at this point go back for seconds or dessert. If you're wanting multiple desserts, the tablespoon to 1/4 cup portion rule still applies, but this time with a small dessert plate. If there is food you still didn't get to try that you wanted too (does your family make a whole buffet of food?!) then make up a to-go plate if you can and take it home with you to eat the next day.

     I know, I know. You're all thinking "Kara, you're freaking crazy if you think I'm only going to eat a tablespoon or a quarter cup of my favorite foods!!" BUT my response to you is: Do you want to ward off weight gain during the holiday season? My guess is the answer is yes. And this is also only one way to do so, as I started my last paragraph with. You can also limit the number of foods you eat (ie. only turkey, stuffing, fresh veggies and pumpkin pie or foods that your family only makes for the holidays), or limit your feasting to only Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Only eat all of those goodies in large quantities on those two days. Afterall, it's only one day, it won't burst your waistline (although it may feel like it ;)) The average person eats about 3,000 calories on each of these holidays, which is not quite equivalent to the number of calories needed to gain ONE pound, so even though you feel as though your belly is super bloated, you probably haven't even gained one extra pound, let alone the 10 that people like to exaggerate about :) Eat all your leftovers in normal portions and you'll be fine! :)

Sorry for the extra long post! :)