Got my roller derby costume today. At least most of it. I technically have to get a Rushmore Rollerz t-shirt still and probably some bike shorts for under the skirt. But, here's what I think I'll look like!

OK, so whatcha think? Notice the fishnets? Do I look mean enough? Why am I doing this again?

Wouldn't you know that now that I lost more than a pound, I'm finding this is a BAD week for eating healthy? That's the way it seems to go, isn't it? Oh well, I've been exercising more this week than I did last week. At least so far.

FINALLY! I broke through a "number" on the scale and actually lost this week! I'm doing a happy dance! (well, not really, but I'm thinking it)

My name got approved! I'm Briana Bruiser of the Rushmore Rollerz! (#5, you see!) Kind of excited. Kind of nervous. Our first bout is already scheduled for June 21. YIKES!!!

Another gain last week. This is getting REDICIOUS! It's so bad, in fact, that I actually have been working out everyday this week. Not a lot, mind you, but at least 10 minutes. Actually, I've done the gazelle thing we have for 30 minutes one day, then a 10-minute dancing "quickie" DVD (that targets a particular body area, like belly dancing shimmers for the abs) the next day, then back to the gazelle. Let's see if that moves the scale any.

On the crafty side, I finished the "I heart Coffee/Tea/Cocoa" swap. My partner is a tea drinker mostly (she said she sometimes drinks cocoa), so I focused on the tea. She got her box of goodies yesterday.



This is a tea kettle. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a tea kettle? Just a plain one? That the handle isn't on the top? YIKES! I knit the cozy and it says "Coffee, Tea, or Me?" on it.










These coasters and the "mug cozy" were also knitted. They were ALSO my very first ever felted projects. It was kinda fun. The mug cozy thing came out really well and I know I'll be making one of those for me, and the kid, and probably my sister. Good thing it was an easy project!







Then there's this. My partner had something like this on a wist, and so I tried to recreate it. This is a tea-traveler. It holds six different types of teas (I sent some bags, and some loose-leaf), filters and stirrers. The theory is that she can take this and brew her own tea where ever she happens to be. I'm not sure I like how it came out, but for something with no pattern, I guess it's ok. If I ever make another one, though, I won't use such heavy cord for the ties. And actually, I probably will make another for a project I'm doing with my sister.

I also found a cute tea ball, a tea bag carrier for her purse, a apple-spice-tea flavored lip balm, and a TON of different teas to add to the package.

So that was that. I'm waiting for my box from her. Honestly, though, I'm just glad she liked what I sent. I enjoy the crafts, and my family is getting a little sick of my trying to make stuff for them, so I like that SOMEONE appreciates it! *grin*

Isn't she cute? She's our Roller Derby mascot. I finally picked a name (Briana Bruiser), and am waiting for it to be approved. My "partner in crime" for this went and got our first bout all set up. Too bad we don't have a TEAM yet! YIKES!

I finished the I <3 Tea/Coffee/Cocoa swap and mailed that off yesterday. When my partner gets it, I'll post pictures.

On the weight loss front, there was none. I've realized I've pretty much been playing with the same five pounds since the beginning of October. It's driving me crazy, and is really killing my motivation! Although I did get out and do some specific exercising yesterday and plan to do some later this morning. I hate exercising!

The kid has a band concert tonight. Oh! And she is "legal" to drive now (well, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. anyway). This state is really whacked! They let 14 year olds DRIVE! Now she wants a car. Well, people "down south" want ice water, too! The kid did pass drivers ed, so that makes me feel a little better, but she still isn't getting a car or driving by herself anytime soon.

You don't have to support a war to support our troops.

One of my swaps has been sent and received. This one was really hard to craft for, I think. It was a "New Year's Resolution's Swap" at Craftster and I just didn't know how to craft for my partner's resolutions.

Here is everything I crafted. I'll explain what they are below.

One of her resolutions was to get back into yoga and bellydancing. So I crocheted a waterbottle carrier (and sent along a "Rushmore Clinic" bottle), and sewed a yoga mat bag for her.


Next resolution was to be more "eco-friendly." Good resolution, but HARD to craft for! Here's a crocheted backpack/duffel that will be great for carrying groceries.

Still on the "eco-friendly" resolution, the little white disk there is a crocheted pot & pan scrubber. The cool thing about it, though, is that it's made from plastic grocery bags! The red bag goes for her next resolution -- organizing her laundry room. It's a "delicates" bag.


Also for the laundry room, this is a missing sock jar. The poem is something like:

Can anyone out there help me ?
I’m alone and I could cry
My Twin he has gone missing
And They’ve hung me out to dry !

I can't take credit for the poem, but it sure is cute, huh?

Finally, she wanted to organize her house. So this is a "bill book" where she can put all the bills in monthly folders.

Like I said, I found these resolutions pretty tough to craft for, but I did my best. Hope she likes them...

What a week!

I've been a little stressed lately. (Hubby is rolling his eyes, I'm sure.) I have a little trouble saying no. (There goes Hubby again!) But it's the stress at home -- mostly self-imposed, I admit -- that's got me frazzled. Perfection is a pain in the arse. If I don't think I can do it right, or don't have the time to do it right, I wait. And then, in the case of laundry, for example, it piles up. And then I have to do a LOT to catch up. And then I get stressed.

Lost weight this week. Not as much as I gained the week before, but I still lost. Since the beginning of October, I've been gaining and losing the same five pounds. I'm ready to break through that, though. I need to break through that.

Did get my hair died. Finally! It's cute and I'll try to get a pic this weekend. It's darker than I've usually done, and no red, which is unusual for me. But I do like it. Oh, and there's some purple in it. That I love!

I haven't done a lot of writing this week. I think a combination of the self-imposed stress and the nasty critique made me lose my focus. I can feel it returning, though.

What else? Ah, roller derby. I'm playing with names, and the ones I really loved were taken. DANG IT! Nancy DrewBlood was my favorite, and of course taken! Now I'm thinking of Mizz Prizz. Since I'm a bit more "prissy" than some of the others. Any thoughts? I helped Pinkie B Witched fill out the grant info for our league, and the deadline was yesterday, so we should hear something soon.

I'm doing two craftster swaps. One should be finished today, and then I can focus on the second. I also have an Eastern Star official visit on Saturday. In case I didn't mention, I'm headed up the line there, as well as in Nile. (Those with no Masonic background are totally lost, I'm sure.) Up two lines? Goes back to problems saying no. I will be glad when the OV is over though.

Oh! Notice the second ticker at the top of the page? My sister challenged me to a dare. (What are we? 12?) Anyway, she bet me that I can't make a quilt every other week in 2008 and donate them all to charity. Here are her rules:

• all quilts have to be for at least a double-size bed
• they have to be made out of quality fabric ("no crappy polyester," I think she said)
• the quilts all have to be donated to a homeless shelter or women's shelter
• a picture of the quilt and a receipt from the shelter are required

So, that's 26 quilts. I got the stuff for the first one yesterday and plan to get it finished this week. Hubby wants to know when I'll make the quilt for our bed that I've been promising him. I want to do one for my dad, too, but he doesn't know about it (although he may read this occasionally) so I don't have to hear about not having that one done. Unless of course he DOES read this, and now I'll have to hear about it, won't I? Oh, the prize for our challenge is a free lunch. Not as cheap as it sounds. The loser has to drive to the others house for the weekend and buy the winner lunch. Since my sister and I live about 500 miles apart, that's a big deal. Hope sis has cash. I 'll pick a pricey lunch!

That's about it. Tons going on. Next week I hope is a little less stressful. My plan is to MAKE it less stressful!