Breathe With Me

My happy little heralds of spring always create joy when I see them poking up their beautiful heads.

I have been hearing a lot about Marie Kondo lately and her goal of helping people create an environment that sparks joy.  I feel that is a beautiful thing.  Creating a happy place where you can thrive is empowering.

We used to have a sign on our fridge at my Mom's house that said, "Be happy you have a house to do chores around."

In truth, we are all very blessed.  It is a fact that is easy to forget when we are hustling from one place to another and rinsing and repeating another workday.  If we stop for a moment to look around us, at all we have, at all we take for granted, it is huge.

The biggest thing that we take for granted is this amazing body that carries us everywhere and allows us to exist in this world.  Yes, all of us have things that might not work to perfection all the time.  We all have our struggles and things that we either live with or have to work through.

Have we taken time to thank this body of ours?  Ever?  I know that I have spent most of my life focused on my imperfections instead of praising my body for getting up each morning.

That stops now.  I love my body in its state with all its imperfections and though I don't have to love the issues I can embrace my body and be thankful for all it has given me.

As a woman, I am thankful for the babies that I could bring into the world.  What an amazing thing to carry a child and then hold that child in your arms.  My body did that.  I know that women give birth every day but it is always a miracle to me when a new soul comes into this world.

Our bodies do so much and take such a beating each day.  I think doing something to give back to them only seems proper.

I feel that taking a moment when you come home after you kick off your shoes and toss your car keys to just be, is so important to your body.

Stop where you are and take a moment to breathe, really take a breath, fill up your lungs and feel the oxygen course through your system.

Relax.  Just like Marie Kondo says to surround yourself with things that bring you happiness, reach into your day and sort through the moments.  If you had a bad day, hold the image of them for a moment, glean what you can from their lesson and then let them go to the Universe.

Then find the good parts of your day and celebrate them.  I try to find three things each day that stand out above the rest and I record them in a journal and then expand on being thankful for them.  This way I can create a focus based on happiness instead of starting a negative spiral.

When I think about them I smile.  I try to feel how they made me feel happy and brought me joy.  I constantly work on cultivating this feeling of happiness so I can call it up when my mood shifts and I start to focus on the negative moments more than the positive.

While I am still smiling I roll my shoulders and my neck.  I drop my shoulders and let go of the weight of the world for a moment...this is my moment.

During this ritual, I consciously breathe from my belly like a baby does.  If I have to I place my hand on my belly so that I can push against it with my breath to remind myself what it feels like, then I do that.

Each time I tense up, I look to see what emotion is causing the stress to return and lovingly acknowledge it, learn from it and then let it go.

If I am thinking about what comes next, I am missing the point of being in the now.  Being present in the moment connects me to my breath.  

At this moment, I feel calm and centered.  If I do this practice throughout my day I feel more connected to my self.  The more I take these little time out moments, the easier they become for me.

Just 10 good, deep belly breaths a few times a day followed by rolling the shoulders up and down and then rolling the neck gently until you feel a little calmer can make a huge difference.

The hope is that you will take more deep breaths even when you are not doing the relaxation ritual.  Deep belly breathing massages the internal organs, lowers blood pressure and your heart rate, improves your core stability, lowers the effect of stress hormones and reduces stress in general.

And something I truly believe in is breathing.  😀

So many times when we panic, we hold our breath and this is when we truly need to just breathe.

In knitting, your emotions can be the key to your tension.  So before I begin, I always take a deep belly breath and try and relax.

Bright Blessings!

***************

I realize that not everyone reading this blog will be at a point where your life is even near a happy place, and to those people I ask the powers that be to bless you and uplift you and grant you a safe, happy, healthy place to live where you can thrive and find happiness in the mundane.  

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Here is a stitch that has been dropped in garter stitch. 
My finger is pointing to the stitch just poking up that is behind the ladder strand.

Now that we are relaxed let's talk about dropped garter stitches.

Last week we explored fixing a drop-stitch in stockinette.  Today we will be looking at fixing a dropped stitch in garter stitch.

In garter stitch, you knit both rows.  But every stitch is not the same.  There are purl bumps and smooth knits that look like vees and each of these stitches must be dealt with in a different manner.  

For practicality’s sake when talking about the two different looking stitches we will call them knit and purl, even though in garter we will have knit every row.  The vees represent the knit stitches and the bumps represent the purl stitches.  

You will need to determine if your drop starts on a knit row or a purl row by looking at the stitch next to it then choose the corresponding section below that you need to follow.  

My example here starts with a knit stitch. 
You can tell the last stitch made was a purl because of the purl bumps all being uniform.

The first stitch on the hook is the ladder and the second is the working stitch.
Pull the ladder stitch through the working stitch.

 Section A Knit Fix:

The stitch we need to fix here is a knit stitch, this means you want to end up with a vee on this stitch.  In garter, you can't see the vees in between the purl bumps very easily but if you pull the bumps apart those vees are there.

Make sure your dropped stitch is situated in front of the ladders.

Insert your hook through the dropped stitch from the front towards the back (making sure that the stitch is not twisted) and then pick up the bottommost strand in the ladder going under it from the front to the back and then catching it on the hook.  

Then, pull the ladder strand through the stitch on your hook to form a new knit stitch.  

***

When making a purl stitch the ladder strand must be in front of the working stitch.
From this setup, pull the ladder stitch through the working stitch.

Section B Purl Fix:

The next stitch that we need to fix is a purl stitch, this means that you want to end up with a purl bump on this stitch. 

Make sure the ladder stitch is in front of your dropped stitch.  

Place your hook through the dropped stitch from the back to the front and pick up the bottommost strand in the ladder.  Then, pull the ladder strand through the stitch on your hook to form a new stitch.  

***

Continue alternating techniques for knit and purl and rows until you have laddered your drop all the way up.

Ladder your dropped stitch back up to the current row you are working on.

Give your newly rescued stitch a gentle tug to make sure it has been absorbed back into your fabric.

Awesome job!

Note:  If this is a new drop then you will have no trouble in laddering it back up using the strands of yarn between the stitches.  If it was dropped a while ago, you will need to borrow a little room to ladder it back up; thus making this section a little tighter.  Give the fabric a little tug or block it to help the stitches even out.

Next week we are going to take a break from fixes to talk about circles.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

Drop Everything

My whole life I have been struggling with the idea of being good enough.  I'm sure all of you have at least one thing you believe about your self that is only true because you believe it to be so.  Mine is my worth as a person.

I have belittled my achievements by downplaying their importance.  I have put myself last when there was no reason.  I have let fear cripple me into trying new things.  I have called myself stupid over and over until I really did believe it.

The relationship with the self is as important as any other.  It takes time and patience.  You have to do the work and be kind and supportive.

It is not easy.  All those negative things that I said or did throughout the years impacted me down to my core and it took months of healing and being kind and supportive of myself before I felt empowered...truly empowered to just be...me.

Over the last six months or so I have truly been changing everything about myself.  I have been kinder to my body.  I have explored things that bring joy to my soul.  I have opened up and really listened to what all those hurtful words have created within me.  I have created a new life entirely one day at a time.

I still have a long way to go, but at least now I can see that I have worth.  The problem is that it is like faith.  You either have it or you don't.  Worth is an invisible measure that we place on ourselves and it is almost as elusive as perfection.

It seems silly to me now that I have been searching for something outside myself that can only exist within.  And the one person that I always wanted to see my worth, actually always found me worthy, which to me, is sadly ironic.

I spent my whole life seeking the approval of one who already approved of me but I could never see that because I spent so much time in judgement of myself I thought that was how others judged me as well.

If I have learned anything from all this soul searching it is being kind, believing in and supporting myself is the most important thing I can do each day.

“You alone are enough.  

You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

-Maya Angelou

In life, things happen to your knitting all the time.  You are faithfully ticking off rows in a repeat and then your cell informs with a little chime that you have a text.  You stop for a moment to glance at your phone and during that split second of intention a stitch slips off your needle. 

You may see it, you may not.  You might keep knitting through the WS row and not realize that the stitch dropped until quite a bit later.

I know that this has happened to me many times when I get in the zen of a pattern and think that I don't need to count stitches anymore.  One distraction later and I have a dropped stitch somehow.

What you do next is what is most important.  Don't panic.

I know watching hours of knitting unraveling can be truly scary.  Things happen, this will be true throughout your knitting career so knowing what to do when it does makes you stronger and empowers you to take control.

I say again, please do not panic.  Take a breath.  You will find breathing is integral to knitting.  Your emotions show in your tension.  So breathe.

Do, not, I repeat do not, pull on both needles, this will only make the runner longer.  I can’t tell you how many times as a teacher people show me their dropped stitches and pull on both needles and we both watch in horror as it drops down another five rows.

Put your knitting down on a flat safe surface away from children playing, cats prowling or any other creatures or situations that might add to that stitch dropping further.

Calmly, grab a locking stitch marker and catch your stitch.

If you don’t have a locking stitch marker you can use a crochet hook, cable needle, dpn, a piece of waste yarn or anything that you have on you.  I’ve used paper clips in a pinch and they work rather nicely.

Take another breath.  Relax.  The stitch is caught.  It will not unravel further.  Now you can take a moment to figure out the best way to fix it.

I use a crochet hook to fix stitches.  I always have one with me.  You don't need to know how to crochet to use a hook.

Learning to read your knitting is an invaluable tool that I use every day.  Take a moment to look at your dropped stitch.  There are a bunch of horizontal yarn strands across which are many times called a ladder.  These ladders are created by your stitch leaving its place and falling down leaving the strands that, thankfully, are still holding your knitting together.

You are going to ladder your stitches back up those horizontal strands in reverse order.

If you have a lot of strands you can bundle them up with a locking stitch marker and leave only the one you are working with.  

On both sides of the ladder are live stitches.  

Look to the right of the ladder to find the lowest horizontal strand and that is the one you will begin with.

Stockinette fabric is knit on one side and purled on the other.  Make sure you are on the knit side, the side with the little vees, and if you have to, pull your locking stitch marker and the stitch it is securing through to the knit side before you begin.  

Make sure your dropped stitch is situated in front of the ladders.

Insert your hook through the dropped stitch from the front towards the back (making sure that the stitch is not twisted) and then pick up the bottommost strand in the ladder going under it from the front to the back and then catching it on the hook.  

Then, pull the ladder strand through the stitch on your hook to form a new knit stitch.  Repeat with all the ladder strands until you can place the rescued stitch back on the needle.

Ladder your dropped stitch back up to the current row you are working on.

Give your newly rescued stitch a gentle tug to make sure it has been absorbed back into your fabric.

See wasn’t that fun?  Don’t you feel empowered?  Give yourself a reward for doing great!  

Note:  If this is a new drop then you will have no trouble in laddering it back up using the strands of yarn between the stitches.  If it was dropped a while ago, you will need to borrow a little room to ladder it back up; thus making this section a little tighter.  Give the fabric a little tug or block it to help the stitches even out.

This week we looked at fixing dropped stitches in stockinette, next week we will be looking at fixing stitches in garter.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

Life-lines

You’ve heard me talk about fear before.  Fear has governed most of my life and it is just now that I am understanding how to really listen to what my fears have been trying to tell me.  I guess that truly I have been listening to the voice of my fear and letting it be the front runner to my experiences, but now I am learning how to co-create with my fear and we are working on a relationship where both parties are heard and each of our contributions are valued.

Each fear is rooted in something that is usually buried so deep within that I have to peel back layer after layer until I reach it.  But when I do then healing and understanding can start and that is where everything begins to change.

It surely isn’t easy, no relationship usually is.  They take work and time and a lot of listening.  So when I start getting fearful about something instead of taking a defensive stance where I become at odds with my inner self, I ask, “Why do you feel this way?”  “What would ease you in this situation?  “How can we work together?”

These answers are not easy to come by if you are just starting to listen to that voice within…but answers will come if you are constantly trying to create an inner dialogue.  As you create a solid relationship more things will be revealed that you have pushed deep down without knowing it.

This inner connection that one can create by truly listening to one’s self then can be utilized in everyday communication with others.  Listening without judgment or expectation is a beautiful gift you can give to yourself or another person.  So many of us just want to be heard that is such a blessing beyond measure when someone truly listens to us.

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Last week I spoke about creating and how creativity weaves itself through everything we do we just have to see it.  As a teacher, I see one of the things that cause people to stop creating is when something goes wrong in their knitting they give up.  They berate themselves for dropping a or missing a stitch.  Over time these words cause deep hurt within us and start to dictate the way we craft.

When I started knitting I would always tell people that there was no way that I would ever be able to use double-pointed needles. I truly thought that I was not clever enough to handle them.  Flash forward and I use them all the time the now without a second thought.

I used to be afraid of a new stitch or technique that I would somehow mess it up…now I just say Bring It On!  I love learning new things and if I don’t succeed the first few times that is part of the process.  

Not being able to grasp something the first time does not make me a failure.  It allows me to grow and find a way that this new thing works with how I knit and then I shape my experience around it.

Vixenpath, our family crafting company, is about empowerment.  If you know how to fix something, then you are more likely to want to try it.  It is like a backdoor of safety that you have tucked away just in case.

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The green life-line is preserving the row of lace stitches.

Let’s talk about life-lines.  A life-line is a simple contrasting color yarn in the same weight or a little under the one that you are knitting with that you bring through all of your stitches with a blunt yarn needle on a row that you are satisfied is correct.

This “line” is a magical time machine that will take you back to that row anytime anything goes wrong.  It is like pressing “save” in your knitting and knowing that you just backed up your progress.

I use these all the time.  When I design I may have three or four of them so that I can drop back to different stages in the pattern if need be.

They are great for lace patterns where there are a lot of yarn overs to rip back to and they are easy to drop if one is not careful.

They work in cables and other patterns too.

This simple step has saved me hours of knitting.

Note:  if you have markers on the row you are inserting a life-line on, do not bring the line through them.  lol  Learned that the hard way.

Also, make sure that you are not splitting any stitches as you go through them with the yarn needle.  It isn't horrible if you do, but you will have to put the plies back together before proceeding.

Finally, give your line a tug from both ends to even it out before continuing with your knitting.  Take care not to grab any of the line with your new stitches.

To insert a life-line:

• Get a blunt yarn needle.  Sharp needles tend to split stitches.
• Thread your yarn needle in a contrasting yarn the same weight or a little less then what you are knitting with.  Some people like to use floss and that is fine too if that is what you are comfortable with.
• Bring your yarn needle through each stitch on your current row, taking care not to split any and avoiding any stitch markers.
• Knit the next row, as usual, taking care not to knit into the line.

And that is it.

When you are happy with your knitting, you can create a new line on your current row.  You can either leave the old line or remove it easily by gently pulling it out of your knitted fabric.  

If you are not happy with your knitting, you can drop all your current stitches and rip back to that line knowing all your stitches are safe and secure.

Next week we will discuss dropped stitches and how to fix them.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

Shadow doing his best to promote my creativity.

Creativity doesn't wait for that perfect moment.  

It fashions its own perfect moment out of ordinary ones. 

Bruce Garrabrandt

I have been struggling with taking an idea out of my head and getting it knit into yarn.  I have written and revised notes and charts and no matter what I did, something was just...off.

I know that creativity is not just your art or your hobby.  Creativity shows itself in how we take on the world.  In how we figure out solutions to problems in everyday life.  Creativity is cooking a meal without measuring because you just know how much to put in.  Creativity is how you schedule your day so that everything gets done.  Creativity is life hacks and DIY projects.  Creativity is running all your errands and getting the laundry done.  Every single day you are creating your life.  You choose where you are going and what you are doing for the most part. 

I understand that creativity is endless and just because something doesn't work at this moment, doesn't mean it never will.  We all know about Edison and his 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. 

Today, I tried looking at my design from a different point of view and that changed everything.

Sometimes you need to back away and look at things from a different angle in order to see what has been right in front of you all this time.  Suddenly, the negative spaces made a pattern that clicked in my mind.  I swear I got tingles from my whole creative process shifting.  It was amazing!

I realized something else today that changed everything for me...in the past few years, I have not taken the time to just sit with my creativity and let it be.  I've always needed it now, like turning on a TV and expecting it to serve whatever whim I am trying to create without taking the time to sit and listen and really just be part of a process.

I added creative meditation to my week.  I go where I am led with my creative process even if it is not what I had planned or expected for the week.  Sometimes it is knitting, sometimes it is cooking...but it could be organizing, or writing or anything that uses the creative process.

I find that then when I sit down to work on my patterns my connection to my inner creative voice is stronger.  The possibilities and solutions that I need are cleaner and more defined now.

My creativity has become a partner, instead of an energy that I call on when I need it.  I now see creative energy flowing through every aspect of my life making it richer and full of meaning.

I feel more connected to everything; nature, beauty, the light in people's hearts and the world around me.

It's kinda hard to explain but my knitting has more depth and flow to it.  Things that I struggled with, get easier as I open myself up to the process.  And in that moment, that "aha" moment, everything falls into place.

Bright blessings to you in your creative process,

Ruinwen

😀

I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

Nature carpets the land with hues of Fall

A piece of paper fell off my shelf today.  It says, “I need to create a self ritual the will allow the self to feel a shift.”

I’ve done that.  Everything in my life has shifted and I am so thankful to the PTB.

But even though I am grateful, and so blessed I feel this nagging deep in my soul at the things that I have left undone.

When we last spoke I was cleaning out the basement and I made some real progress before stopping.

And I had good reasons but I still feel this sense of shame and guilt that I can’t shake.

I have also felt bad about not blogging.  Each week I would work on things that I couldn't share with you all yet.  And that is what I am focusing on so there would be nothing to say.  And I didn't just want to blab about something to fill space because this blog has never been about that.

So, I just didn't post and it bothered me.  But I was doing stuff and things were going on...really.

Starting off the yarn was late for my submission.  So when I got it I had to drop everything to knit which took most of my time for two weeks.  At the same time, I had to finish writing the pattern based on my observations in my knitting.  I had to learn the way that the magazine writes patterns and everyone was amazing during the process.  I am so thankful for everyone at TKGA for their support and kindness with my first submission.  

As the deadline for the submission was looming.  We had our pest company come in and redo the insulation in the attic.  They think that is where the mice were coming in.  So at least I worked towards keeping the mice out of my yarn room from a certain point of view.

Right after I sent off my submission I started getting ready for KDO and two days after submitting my sis and I were off to PA.  Our classes were great and we had a lot of fun.  I am so thankful for KDO having me back again as a teacher.  I really love everything about that event.  Everyone is amazing and so friendly.

I got back from the event with an idea that I couldn’t shake so I started working on charts as I ordered yarn and when the yarn showed up I was ready to knit.  I am super excited about pitching this class in the spring.  I am ultra proud of myself; I will have the pattern and the examples done by the time the sign-up comes around.

I am doing two different options for KDO and right now I am waiting for the new yarn to get here.  While I am waiting I am working on my spring submission for TKGA…forgot to mention I had an idea and am waiting for the committee to say yay or nay.  But, I need to flesh out my idea so I have been working on that too.

So, I have been working consistently, every single day on some aspect of my designer goals.

I should not be upset with myself for not finishing the basement because I was doing my job.  But I am.  So that is where I am at.

In Hawaii, there is a word Ho’oponopono.  It means to rectify or make right an error.  Traditionally, it would involve the whole family coming together to heal from being wronged.  The whole family would be present for the healing process where the family member could ask for forgiveness from each person and the wrong could be mended.

Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona a Hawaiian Kahuna recognized that this process would be helpful on the individual level and modified the original ritual to focus on the self.

“We are the sum total of our experiences, which is to say that we are burdened by our pasts. When we experience stress or fear in our lives, if we would look carefully, we would find that the cause is actually a memory. It is the emotions which are tied to these memories which affect us now. The subconscious associates an action or person in the present with something that happened in the past. When this occurs, emotions are activated and stress is produced.”
Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona

The process of Ho’oponopono has four phrases that can be repeated in any order.

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

When you say these words like a mantra you reconnect to your inner Divine light.  This mantra will slowly open up the part of you that is holding on to the past with negative intent.  Like an onion peeling back layer upon layer the negative connection you have to the past will dissolve as you learn to forgive yourself.

I am going to say this until I don’t feel bad about the basement project and the mulch and all the things that I have put off to work on my dream.

There are so many things that I did accomplish and I should be really proud and focusing on those things.

• I have been keeping to my schedule and I either knit or work on patterns each day.  Most days I focus 6 - 8 hours on my designing.
• I clean some aspect each day and afterward strive to keep it cleaned.
• Laundry is a given.  It is kept up with and put away when dry.
• I have walked my steps every day since July.  DH and I are walking three days a week as well.
• I have kept to my calories since July.  
• I journal every day and honor my creative voice.  
• I cook every day and keep the kitchen clean.
• I am trying new things.  
• But most of all, I have learned to believe in myself and my talents.  I keep taking risks and putting myself out there and then following through.  It has been an amazing journey so far and I am really proud of myself.

So self.

I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

I love you.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen

Self Sustainability

If you show up for yourself in your life, the universe will show up for you.

In talking with a friend I realized that I am the last one on my list which goes like family, friends, house, fun, creativity and me.  Why am I always last?  What would happen if I was first?

So I am trying being first on my list which then allows me to be more present with my friends and family....to have more energy to devote to the house...to be more centered to be creative...to be more immersed in my fun.  

I thought that if I put myself first then all these other aspects that are important to me would somehow have less of me.  I've always put myself last and I took whatever was left.  I'm not sure why or how it came about but I recognize it now that my friend who has always held space for me said it without judgment or accusation.  It just was the truth of my words in a way that I could not see them.

So as much as my friend sees me as being there for her, she, in turn, has always been there for me.

Since I have been working from home, I have been putting me first in practice, just maybe not in the space in my head that I see my importance.  I journal to hold space for myself.  My journal does not judge me but allows me to reread the words I've written which often changes their meaning for me.  My journal is my place to plan my day, my goals my hopes, my challenges and the things I don't want to forget.  It is also the place I am grateful, I record my successes, I celebrate my goals and I find pride in a day well-lived.

I am creating a sustainable routine.  This post has been full of buzz words and sustainable health is going to be another one.  I believe in a routine that creates an environment for yourself that nurtures and allows for future healthy growth.

Sustainable means to me:
If I get sick and miss some workouts and then I can get right back on track because a healthy body bounces back quickly.  
I know how to eat for my body and I can go out to eat without sabotaging my diet.  
I have a positive relationship with food.  
I am working towards making muscle and creating better mobility on a total body level.  
I get enough rest so that my body can recover and revitalize. 
I listen to my body/mind/spirit and have downtime to meditate, contemplate or journal.
I go easy on myself on rough days.  
I get back up after I am knocked down.
I smile and laugh as much as I can.
I have fun every day.
I do this for me. Not to be thin or a certain size, but to take care of myself.  This is my self-care routine.  This is what putting me first looks like.

Most of the things I am incorporating are things you have undoubtedly heard before here and there over the years.  

Disclaimer:  This is what worked for me.  These things made sense and were sustainable.  I can see myself using them forever and that was important to me.  They may not work for you.  You may not agree with them as needing to be on a sustainable list.  And that is okay.  Everyone has their own process.  If some of them ring true, then see if they work for you.  But again, this is what worked for me and some of the things that I found out when researching these points. 

Push water throughout the day.  The body is 60% water.  It needs hydration to function.  Headaches, sleeplessness, fatigue, cravings of sweets or salts, brain fog, impaired mood or brain function, digestive problems and allergies can all be symptoms of dehydration.  On hot days, I make it my priority to drink more water during the day to stave off dehydration.

Have a consistent sleep routine.  Sleep is when your body renews and repairs itself, it grows and heals and it allows all those muscles to rest that you use every day.  It is vital to good mental and physical health.  

Have a good breakfast.  After a night of your body resting, my bodily functions need nourishment.  This meal sets the pace of the whole day.  I focus on making it full of nutrient healthy food.

Try to slow down when you eat: meals are a celebration of bringing nature into your body to nourish, heal, energize and renew it.  Meals are not a race.  I enjoy food; I love to experience the texture and the flavors in each meal.  Chewing thoroughly before swallowing helps the entire digestion process.  

I also incorporate into my meal the act of thanks from the elements of nature that formed the food, to the people who grew it, to the people who packed and processed it to the prosperity that allowed me to buy it to the family that I eat it with.  This grace is an important part of my meal.  Having an "attitude of gratitude" is essential to my spiritual and mental wellbeing.

Follow the 85 /15 rule.  This means 85% of my food is whole and healthy and 15% is not.  This means I can have a snack or junk food if I really want it as long as the rest of the day I eat healthily.  I try and have one "treat" a day.  Some days it is really healthy and some days it is one scoop of Ben and Jerrys'.

Eat fruits and veggies.  Fruits and veggies have all those nutrients that my body needs to function and thrive.  Most of them are antioxidants in their own right.  Every member of the edible plant kingdom has some health benefit that contributes to your wellbeing.

Eat nuts (unless you are allergic).  Nuts are one of those superfood powerhouses that provide protein, fiber and good fats.  They also are filling and chock full of vitamins and minerals.  Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts,  hazelnuts and peanuts are the nuts that pack the most punch.

Move as much as you can.  When I was chained to my desk, moving was hard.  I would swivel and twist in my chair to give my core a workout.   I would hold my feet off the ground to engage my core.  I would do whatever I could to move a bit even though I was sitting for hours on end.  Belly circles are another thing I would do that no one could tell I was doing.  There was always something I could do.

Now that I'm not chained to my desk, it is relatively easy to get up every hour and do something.  I can do chores in between work and I've made time to work out.  But I understand, in this case, not everyone can do that.  

I know this can be hard.  It is always hard for me.  That is why I am going for a sustainable process.  I want to create changes that you can keep doing that allow you to reach your goals within the limits of your lifestyle.  Sometimes that can be as easy as parking farther away from the supermarket or setting a timer that gets you up every hour during the day.

Don't forget doing chores is moving.  On laundry days I am amazed by the number of steps I get.  There is a lot of movement in cooking or doing dishes.  Don't sell yourself short, those chores really add up to creating a healthy lifestyle.

My DH wanted to walk more.  The only way to do that was before work when he has the energy and drive and time.  So at 6 am we walk and catch Pokemon and talk.  It has become easier to get up and get going over time.  I really wanted to do it for him and then I realized that wow!  this is really great for me too.  I get so many steps and time with him and I am out in nature watching the world wake up.

I get that just going to the mailbox can be a walk.  I was there once and I remember that feeling of if I can just take those steps...if I can just do this one thing then maybe I could take more steps and create a healthy life for myself.  I have always had the support of my friends and family and that has been huge for me.

Do things that bring you joy.  I am always doing things that bring me the most joy.  Laughter is so healthy.  It lowers stress levels, strengthens your immune system, diminishes pain and boots your mood.  Just smiling can activate those healthy properties in your body.  

So this time, it is not about a number on a scale.  I'm not focused on that.  If I create a healthy lifestyle and diet then those numbers will reflect that.  I'm not worried about what I want to look like in the end because there is no end.  I am focused on feeling good in my own skin, feeling healthy in my own body and feeling happy in my process.  

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Week 2 of Tracking Back Basement challenge

I feel like I have reached a good pace with this goal.  I am moving and or cleaning things daily.  As you can see the stuff on the doorway table, and the table itself, has been moved.  Bins have been achieved and are starting to be filled with bagged yarn.

This week is all about moving the yarn on the left side of the room and cleaning the hanging drawers that the mouse lived in.  This is the part that I am afraid of...how much yarn has been destroyed?  

Fear and doubts are a big hurdle I always have to overcome.  So I made this little mantra that ties into my light cleansing mantra I say each day.

I release fear and doubt and transform them into wisdom and light.  I am the light.

I memorized this quite easily and have been chanting it throughout the day to quell those doubtful daemons that pull at my soul.  Each time I chant those words I feel a little more at peace with my inner self.  

Wisdom helps me to see that this week's task may be filled with uncertainty but it is also filled with discovery.  Why focus on the bad that could happen?  I very well may discover some amazing yarns that I forgot I had.  Really, that is quite likely.

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So, I feel at this point it might be important to talk about the hantavirus.  Certain mice can carry a virus that affects the pulmonary system in humans.  It is found in urine and mouse droppings which can disintegrate and become airborne when they are disturbed.  The virus can live in droppings and urine for up to a week at normal room temperatures found in the house, in direct sunlight the virus degrades at a faster rate.

It is a horrible illness.  Infection may occur up to six weeks before symptoms become apparent.  Initial flu-like symptoms from hantavirus infection can include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and stomach upset. Respiratory symptoms occur later and may progress to pneumonia that requires that patients be on a breathing tube in the intensive care unit, to secondary bacterial infections, and to multi-organ failure. 

I am pretty sure that my mouse visit happened in the spring and during that time I already disturbed everything when I freaked out, so if I was going to get infected it would have happened.  But, I am still using a mask, wearing gloves and not vacuuming just to be safe.  I am spraying the droppings with disinfectant and mopping them up after five minutes just to be cautious.  

This takes time, but I feel that it is important to dispose of the mouse waste products responsibly.

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Sorry, no knitting progress.  But I have found plenty of new yarn to play with!

Happy crafting,
Ruinwen