It's already December?

Wow, I can't believe it's December already!! I've been reading and crocheting more as well as cooking.

The news:
I am now down 228 lbs. I can't believe it! I am feeling so much better and have been doing so much more! I am so grateful to my surgeon for giving me my life back! Here's a recent photo of me, but this was at 313, I am now 280.


The crocheting:
I've been busy finished WIPs (works in progress) and it feels great! Here's the latest off my hook!

I made this one for my father and mother-in-law for Christmas. My father-in-law was a professor at BYU and this is their colors.


I made this one for a friend who is expecting her first baby girl in four months!


I made this afghan for my dear friend Karen for Christmas.


I'm still trying to decide who gets this one!! Haha But, I love how it turned out!


This one was a kit that came from Herrschners. I love the colors. I just need to wash it to get rid of the puffiness.



The reading:
I've also been busy reading! I still have six books to read to make my 2012 reading goal so I've been reading a lot at night instead of sleeping. I know, not wise. LOL

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent. What can I say about this book? The final one of the trilogy, was absolutely the best one. This book touched me in so many ways and I learned some really valuable lessons from reading it. I feel blessed to have read this book.

Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman. This book was recommended to me by a friend. From page one, I was totally engulfed in it. I loved the story and the characters and I love how Miss Wiseman painted the scene of Amish living. This is a good book that was a quick read for me and one that has made me feel like a better person for having read it.

Lost In Your Time by Elle Amberley. This book is something that I could totally relate to. It's about lost love, regret, and new love. I love how it developed and found myself wanting for more when it was over.

Kansas Troubles by Earlene Fowler. At first, Benni's immaturity was a little annoying, but as the story progressed, those impressions went away. I love this series, and the spark that Benni and Gabe have.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson. I really didn't get this book. I understand it was an autobiographical novel about a gay woman's upbringing and coming out, but I just didn't care for it. The interspersed fairy tales made no sense to the story, and at times it seemed like it was jumping around like random thoughts that pop into your mind.

The Remarkable Soul of a Woman by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. This was exactly what I needed to read today. This is an inspirational book about women and what we do to make the world a more beautiful place.

Created for Greater Things by Jeffrey R. Holland. This is a wonderful little book with inspirational quotes and beautiful photos.

Real Food, Real Frugal by Susan Godfrey. This is a comprehensive book about food. It is divided into three parts, the first part defines what food is. This section is awesome and discusses some of the preservatives and additives in food and what some of those factors their consumptions can mean to the body. The second part discusses how to make the most of your food budget. It's the largest section of the book and the most informative. The last part is the recipes section that contains many recipes that I plan on trying.

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich. I love this series and this one was just as funny and suspenseful as the rest. When does 20 come out?

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. I wanted to read the books versus watching the movies. This one started the series and how enchanting it was. I can't wait to read the next one.

The baking:
I have been busy baking as well. I won't post photos here because I didn't take any. LOL But, I made pumpkin spice cupcakes, apple pie cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, Reese's peanut butter cup cupcakes, poppy seed bread, and banana bread for a young lady for a bake sale. She sold everything and managed to raise the funds she needed to go to a medical camp next summer.

I plan on posting again, but if I don't manage to before the holidays, I want to wish everyone a joyous Christmas and a very happy new year!! Let's hope 2013 is a fantastic one for us all!

Crocheting and reading!

It's been four months since I last blogged. I plan on blogging more often now that I've gotten rid of some commitments that have kept me busy. So, I'm going to update with some news, then show you all what I've been working on.

The news
First off, I was asked to join the Relay for Life committee and I am loving it. This is a cause that's near and dear to my heart since cancer has claimed many lives from my paternal side of the family. I am the chairman over the registration committee and my co-chair is my friend Christine. It's going to be a great year.

Secondly, I am now down 200 lbs. I never thought that I could feel so great in my life. I am more active and happier than I've been in a long time.

Thirdly, I started a weight loss surgery support group in my town and have had a great response. It's something that we needed here and I am glad to be a part of it.

The reading
I've been blowing up my Kindle in the reading department. Here's some reviews of the books that I've recently read.

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer. This is a wonderful historical fiction book. I totally loved this book!! The characters, the story, the format in which it is written. Very well done!

"Fireflies in December" by Jennifer Erin Valent. Another historical fiction book that I truly enjoyed. It truly paints a good picture of what prejudice existed in southern Virginia. It was full of intrigue and was laced with historical accuracy. I look forward to it's sequel.

"A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly. I remember seeing the story of Grace Brown on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, and was intrigued by her story. Then Ms. Donnelly writes this story based on that event. I loved this book. I loved the fiction mixed in with the non-fiction. It was well done and by the end, I was loving Mattie. I love the ending. Awesome read.

"Powdered Peril" by Jessica Beck. This one is considered a cozy mystery. I really love this series. This time Grace finds herself in a pickle when her boyfriend ends up dead. I totally was going a different direction than the way it resolved, but it was still a surprise and kept me in suspense. I can't wait for the next one.

"Revelation" by MJ Mancini. At first, when I read the description of this book, I thought it was going to be a Da Vinci Code knockoff. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is filled to the brim with murder, intrigue, and mystery. The characters were wonderfully developed, and the plot was full of the right mixture of action and mystery. I was completely pulled into this story to the point that I could not put it down. The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, "this would be an amazing movie." I loved it and I can't wait for the next installment.

"Cottonwood Whispers" by Jennifer Erin Valent. In this second installment of the Jessalyn Lassiter series, we learn a hard lesson about justice and how it sometimes isn't blind. I loved this story, it had a great story with wonderfully developed characters. I highly recommend this to anyone.

"Irish Chain" by Earlene Fowler. I really liked this one better than the first. I loved the character development and I loved the way she interspersed some of the history in there too. I totally did not see it resolving the way it did, which is an aspect of reading mysteries that I love.

"Murder Has a Sweet Tooth" by Miranda Bliss. This series is a quick and fun read. This time, Annie has to solve a murder (or two) before her wedding. Why? So that Jim's cousin Alex (who is accused of the murder) can attend the wedding. What I didn't bargain for was the intricacy of the plot and the final outcome! Wow!

The crocheting
Now I've been busy crocheting too! I had two nieces have baby girls within 20 days of each other and I've been working on other projects. I'm trying to get my WIPs (works in progress) finished so that I can move onto other projects and not feel so guilty about it. LOL

Harper Rose's baby afghan
I bought this pattern on Etsy and I love how it turned out.


McKinley's baby afghan
I wanted to make different afghans for my nieces (they are sisters). And this one turned out SO pretty!


Mom's afghan
I made these squares six years ago and they just sat in a bag waiting to be sewed together. So, I dug them out and sewed them. Then gave my mom her afghan. She loved it.


Dieter Cale's baby afghan
I made this for my friend Darlye who is having her first baby boy. I love giving homemade gifts to my friends and family.


Grammy's afghan
My grammy and I made this afghan together. When she passed away, my mom and I found it and I felt that I needed to finish it and use it. She loved how it turned out and I do too.


The genealogy
I've also been working on my genealogy. I've been working on collateral lines that family members asked me to work on and have been having some success.

I also started to make copies of all the 1940 census that relatives are on for my files. It's been daunting and I've been burning through the bucks buying ink, but my proof binders are almost ALL updated! Woot!!

So, as you can see, it's been a busy four months for me. I still have seven WIPs to work on, more censuses to print, and of course more reading to do!

Been a long time

So it's been a long time since I posted here. Wow! Lots of things have happened. On October 13, I met with a surgeon in Reno to discuss weight loss surgery. My initial weigh in was 482.2. Yikes! After talking to him, I decided to go ahead and do it. So, I spent six months getting ready for it. On January 9, I started my pre-op diet. I weighed in at 508 lbs. Yikes! So, I started the pre-op diet and started losing weight. I was able to get all my pre-op requirements completed, and my surgery was scheduled for April 9, 2012. Woo too!! I went in and had my surgery on April 9, at 1:00 pm. with Dr. Kent Sasse as my surgeon. The surgery took about an hour and all I can tell you is that it is the best decision I have ever made. So far, I have lost 130 lbs. I am walking on the treadmill every day and doing toning exercises. Here's some photos of the process: I am so happy so far with my progress. I am more mobile and I am feeling great. Now a lot of people would and have said that I took the easy way out. Let me tell everyone here that this is NOT the easy way. There is nothing easy about this process, but I will say that it is worth it.