Looking Slightly Ahead

There’s been a lot of sewing and crocheting going on lately in this neck of the woods. A few orders from the Etsy store the last two weeks has been keeping me busy and I’ve been working with Wendy in preparation for a craft fair in September. We’ve been crocheting up a storm to create samples and salable hats for people to buy and order. We’re going to focus on children’s fall and winter hats, but will also showcase some of the other work we’ve done, just in case we can drum up some interest in that realm, too. I’m looking forward to revealing more details of when/where the fair will be and what we’ll be selling in the coming weeks.

Fit Friday - Measurements Round 2

You won't be disappointed to know that I'm not taking measurements today. I'm heading out of town right after work and won't be able to blog until I get home on Monday.

But I'm not leaving you empty-handed today. I want to talk about that one old-fashioned trick that can get rid of your migraines fast (Thank you, horrible ads on my sidebars, haha).

Do you ever get migraines? I do sometimes, now more often than before I started working again. I've found that I can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen or Aleve (whatever that is) and maybe get some effectiveness in kicking down the migraine, but nothing is as effective for me as vigorous exercise. That's right. I just discovered that.

On Monday this week, I developed a migraine around 4 p.m., just in time for the frustrating rush hour drive home. It lasted and lasted and lasted despite the mix of meds I took (even a prescription med at one point). It lasted through the night and through the next afternoon. After more than 24 hours of a pounding, brain-numbing migraine, I hit the road on my Trek hybrid. I pedaled hard for a half mile, turned around, and pedaled hard the half mile home. And that was it. Migraine gone. Normal life resumed.

So next time you have a killer headache that nothing can remedy, strap on your running shoes, bike shoes, soccer shoes, cross-trainers, or whatever, and get your blood pumping.

Treat the problem, not the symptoms.


Check back Monday night or Tuesday morning for an update on how things are going for Fit Fridays.

A Couple of Firsts

Ivy turned 8 months today. Last night she just wasn’t acting herself; she was grumpy and grumbly and tired, so I took her temperature and put her to bed. At bedtime – about 6:30 last night – her temperature was just over 100. Instead of waking up to eat in the middle of the night, she woke up to moan and whine, which is very uncharacteristic of her. I brought her in bed with me so that we would both feel better.

In the morning, her temperature was soaring at 104.3 and all she wanted to do was sleep. When we finally woke her up, she just laid there and looked at me with bleary, red eyes. No big happy smiles, no rolling or trying to sit. We called the doctor and got an appointment made.

Prognosis: ear infection in her left ear (she’s only ever grabbed at her right one, and never for pain). We were sent home with antibiotics and instructions to dose up on acetaminophen.

Poor thing has been so sleepy and sickly L This is the first ear infection and high fever we’ve ever dealt with, so we’re all in new territory. Hopefully the antibiotics do their thing quickly.

8/29 – Update!

The antibiotics seem to be working and she smiled a little bit this morning when she was nomming down her meds. Her temp was at just over 98, so that’s down too. She’s still feeling ‘blah’ but it’s nice to see her smile again.

A Day at the Races

The dragon boat races, that is!

Today I spent a number of hours getting to know some of my co-workers better, eating great food and, of course, paddling a dragon boat at the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival. Here are the pictures:

Lining up to start the race. Our boat was the one to the far right (little boats, haha).

Racing.

Winning! We placed first in our first race of the day and finished a boat-length in front of the other teams. Time: 2 minutes, 4 seconds

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Post-win cheering

Waving to the girls after our win.

Team picture.

Liv learned about getting the husk off the corn as we were preparing for lunch.

So did Katie. She had a good time learning how to shuck.

Even though we took first in our first race and third (2 minutes, 7 seconds) in our second, our finishing times weren't good enough to get us into the medal races. Either way, I had a great time and plan on doing it again next year. It brought back a lot of good Ultimate memories and feelings, too.

Fit Friday

I owe you guys about three weeks’ worth of posts. If you’ve been on the edge of your seat, be prepared to sit back a little.

Unfortunately, the last three weeks haven’t really brought much progress in the realm of weight loss. I’m holding steady at 150, though. Good? Sure. I’m healthy and active.

I’ve also had visitors two of the last three weekends and I always feel really strange about exercising in front of people – I’m still pretty clumsy during my workouts and hate to be the focus of attention. Plus. I want to spend time with my company (family, in this case) because they live 6.5 hours away and I rarely get to see them. To compound the issue, Guy has been out of town at a conference since Sunday, leaving me with his part of the household responsibilities and minimal free time. He got back Thursday and is getting rested up from major airport layovers and time zone changes. I should have more time starting again on Sunday.

Saturday this week is going to be a fun time. The company I work for is hosting two dragon boats in the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival and I will be a paddler for Saber Dragons II. Dragon boat teams consist of 20 paddlers (8 must be women), a drummer, and a steerperson. I will have Guy take some pictures if he can. It’s sure to be a great time. Look for those pics on Sunday.

And speaking of great times…

Last Saturday, my company hosted an annual employee golf scramble (more fitness!). I’d never picked up a real golf club in my life (mini golf doesn’t count), so I had no idea what to expect. Guy and I were on a team with three other guys, all of which were super fun to hang out with. I learned how to drive the ball, what the differences in clubs are, and how to operate a golf cart. And, of course, I met lots of people who work in the company that I didn’t previously know. What a fun game for a sunny Saturday. Thanks to my parents for coming to visit a day early so Guy and I could go. Who knew 9 holes of real golf with fast-play rules could STILL take 4 hours!?

With all the events my company hosts, I feel like I’ve been transported back to the 50s (a time when values and employee loyalty, teamwork, and loyalty were important). The Company is hosting a family picnic in a couple weeks, too, and I’ve heard there’s a turkey at Thanksgiving and a ham at Christmas.