March RSC -- Green

 I made three Scarborough Fair blocks in green this week.

Yes, I've been pretty absent in the quilting community and blogland for a bit.  But I'm happy to say that I have been very present in life and not just watching it go by.  I've had some great results in my new healthy lifestyle journey.  Some of you also hang out at Kathy's Quilting Blog.  I shared my story with the Slow Stitching Sunday group this week here.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC23.

Grandmother's Flower Garden Blocks Complete

 Finally, all nine flower blocks have been appliqued onto the backgrounds.  Next I'll decide on how I will sash these.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Thank you for the comments and e-mails regarding my absence from blogland and the quilting community.  I'm happy to report that I have been doing better now than I have in years.  It started like this:  I had a knee injury in July.  I had been slowly gaining weight after losing weight before the big Covid shutdown in March of 2020.  I went to the knee doctor in August.  He told me I needed to lose some weight.  Finally...it took the knee guy to make it sink in with me when he asked how the mobility of my mom and grandmother was in their elderly years.  Hmmm.  My grandmother walked with a walker the whole time I knew her due to a broken hip injury and numerous surgeries.  My mom was not mobile the last three years of her life.  It was time for me to get serious about making changes.

I'm happy to report that since my August knee doctor visit I have lost 50+ pounds!  In November after different pain killers and a cortisone shot that only lasted seven days, I was referred to a knee surgeon.  He suggested physical therapy.  From August to November I had lost nearly 30 pounds.  Both knee doctors were happy with that progress for sure.  I only did physical therapy from December to January, but I continued to drop weight and gain mobility.  

I got an Apple Watch to motivate me to move more.  In January I made a resolution to exercise just 30 minutes a day EVERY day of the week.  I'm still sticking to my resolution.  I haven't missed a day yet.  BUT -- I felt I needed to finish my 90-minute walk before posting this.  I am very serious about my new lifestyle.  I had bloodwork done last week.  ALL of my numbers are in line except my iron wish was .1 from the standard!!!  I've never had bloodwork this good in my life.  I contribute my success to finding a ketovore community (I eat usually 10 or less carbs per day -- but some days I eat up to 20) and daily exercise.  I have energy and feel better than ever.  If you are interested more in this type of lifestyle, I suggest you watch a few YouTube channels such as Dr. Ken Berry, 2KrazyKetos, and KetoChow (Keto Chow is a product that I eat as a grab and go meal now and then.  I don't receive any $ for sending you to these channels, I'm just letting you know what helped me.) 

Here's what improved on me. Some of it is TMI, but it is what it is.

Less pain and inflammation

Cholesterol went from 251 to 177

Pant size went from a tight 24 to a comfortable 18

Lost 50+ pounds

Better mental clarity and mood

More energy

Better mobility

Tonail fungus is gone

Skin Tags are almost all gone

My skin and hair is very soft and healthy

Better sleep

I'm up off the couch and participating in things instead of watching things

I can cross my legs (and tie my shoes without effort)

Fewer cravings

There's more health benefits, but these are the ones that are in the forefront of my lifestyle right now.  The downside is that I have been more active.  I sub for elementary students and am on my feet most of the day vs. sitting in for high school classes.  I don't have as much sewing time because I'm outside doing things or being active with out very active son.  His baseball season picked up almost where his bowling season ended (with some play practice for about a month in-between those.)  My husband is also doing great.  :)

Pretty in Pink

 I've managed to make ONE block in pink for this month for the RSC23.  I'm also combining it with my Slow Sunday Stitching projects.

I'm linking up at SoScrappy for the RSC23.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Grandma's Flower Garden Block

Another Grandma's Flower Garden block was stitched down this week.

These blocks were passed on to me from one of my quilting friends.  They were passed on to her from someone that found them in their grandma's things.  I am sewing nine of them (for now) onto backgrounds and will eventually make a small quilt with them.  They fit nicely in my sew-to-go bag.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Grandma's Flower Garden Block

 Only one Grandma's Flower Garden block was appliqued onto a background fabric this week.  I like this peach color.

Yesterday I added three more girls to the flock.  These three are pullets (young female chickens).  A friend of mine gave Curly the rooster to me earlier this week (see him here.). She is starting a new flock and went to West Virginia to get these girls.  She had to buy a certain amount and had more than she wanted.  I purchased the rest of them from her so that she had the right amount for her coop.  Chicken math -- 4 square feet of space per chicken in the coop.

Meet Jill:

Meet Sabrina and Kelly:

Yep, Jill, Sabrina, and Kelly -- Charlie's Angels girls...
                                                                    

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Welcome Curly

 Added a new member to the flock today --  Welcome Curly!

He found the nesting box.  These photos were taken the first two minutes that I left him out of the cage when I brought him home.

He has a floppy comb.  It will be interresting to see if it stands up.  He was in a coop with his two brothers, Larry & Moe.  Now that he is king of the castle we will see what happens.  It could just be the comb that he has.  I believe that he is a first generation Easter Egger.  Hopefully when I breed him, the chicks hatched will lay colored eggs.

The comb looks healthy and is not pale.  It is just floppy.

Below you can see him stretching out his neck right before he did his little wing dance to impress the ladies.  

You can see him start to do his little dance on my YouTube Channel (The Shahann) here.

Project Quilting Challenge 1 -- The First One 14.1

 This morning found me slow stitching this one orange circle onto a little table topper for our son.

The one orange circle in this position will help him know that if he puts his water bottle on that spot, I can easily deliver all his other food to his "office" when we eat in the living room.  LOL.  

I'm participating in the first Project Quilting Challenge called The First One 14.1.  at Persimon Dreams.  The one appliqued circle is my interpretation of ONE.  

For the quilting on the table topper I listened to the design on the fabric and followed the diamonds and stitched along the lines.  This is my first finish for 2023.

I'm also linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.