Going Public

I just went public.  I have/am truly letting it all "hang" out.  I {figure} if I want to have/get help I will need to just put it out there.  So here I am billions of people asking for your help.

For every person I who follows me (publicly, I have to see you to know you are following) I will walk a mile in your name {eventually run}.  This is to help me and to thank you for your support.  

I will get healthy{ier}.

If you want to join me, DO!!!  Can't do any of this alone anyway.

Obession

I think I am obsessing about weight. 

I can't get it off my mind.  I see all of these pictures of supposedly healthy people at sizes 0-4 and all I think about is sizes 0-4.  I know in my head I will NEVER be a 0-4. 

All I really want to be is HEALTHY.  Play with my kids and be sexy at any size to my lover.

I am trying to figure out how to be that.  But I don't want to be obsessive about....that's not working for me.  Thoughts?

It's Starting to Spread!!

I have been thinking about my weight a lot these days.  But what I have noticed is that my sweet husband is gaining weight.  Not really sure if it is due to age...my cooking...his lack of physical activity...etc...

But the one think I do know is that I can't let him end up like me.  I feel so much like a whale and I am trying so may avenues to get better. 

The most important thing to me is that we are here for our boys and each other.  They say that the mom is the the #1 key to the health of the family.  I have to agree.  I am not as active as I should or want to be.  And I can give a ton of excuses, but the fact is, I have to be better and do better for my family.

This year I have not trained or ran a 5k.  And I must say that is one of the one things I really liked doing. 

It is suppose to be really helpful if you do it with someone else.  I think I am going to sign my husband and me up for one.  He may not like it, but here is my effort to help us both and I think I will make a meal calendar for the family.

Not Feeling Like the Person I AM on the Inside

So for past few weeks I have been trying to figure out this strange feeling I have been having...no I am not pregnant, although I feel like I am the size of a lady having triplets.

But I digress...anyway...

I feel like I may have the disorder they talk about on all the various doctor shows about people (anorexics usually) seeing themselves as grossly huge when they are way to skin and bones, but I see the opposite.  I know I am obese, but I don't see myself in the mirror as being that heavy. 

The only time I have said, WOW girl, you are big is when I see myself in pictures.  My face seems huge in the photograph, but what I see in the mirror is NOT big at all. 

Recently, I just noticed that I am getting the dreaded double chin.  <<<PRIMAL SCREAM>>>

Today I was walking from the bank and I noticed how my body felt as I was going back to my car...

I felt the feminine sway of my hips, yet I knew that it didn't look right.

I don't like this feeling of my sexy, sensual self suffocating under layers of fat.

10 Lessons from the Wingback

Lesson #1:

• Life will soil you.  But that doesn't mean that you can't be cleaned up.

Lesson #2:

• As long as you have "strong bones" ~character~ there is still much for you to do and support.

Lesson #3:

• What counts is, what's happening on the inside.  When I was tearing down the outside of the chair my whole goal was to see what was going on underneath.  It was messy getting there.  Some staples were strong and didn't want to let loose, but patience and not giving up won out.  So when I saw what was underneath was not "bad," it really made me think the same about myself both physically and spiritually.  Yes, there is work to do, but it is very doable

Lesson #4:

•  Slight changes can make a huge differences, so although I thought that I knew what I was doing, I found that I was unpicking seams and redoing things.  All because I was not following the "pattern" ~the guide~.  We have guides all around us to help with our health, our emotions, our finances, our relationships, our spiritual well being, etc.  Are we listening to them?  This does not mean we have to follow them, just hear them out and take what we can use and apply.  We don't always have the right answers...at least I know I don't.

Lesson #5:

• Getting to the "root" of things requires WORK!  I saw and felt that, as sweat formed on my brow with the hours I put into getting beyond the surface.

Lesson #6:

• Everyone needs a break, a timeout, a respite.  This is does not mean you can just forget what needs to be done next, but take a breather and sit with/appreciate your accomplishments thus far.

Lesson #7:

• Get back to it.  NEVER LEAVE ANYTHING UNDONE!  In the words of my father, "Don't do a half-assed job!" 

Lesson #8:

• Putting it all back together takes as much patience and work as ripping it up.  Family discord, broken friendships, marital strain, all take time to rebuild and make better, but it can be done and be made even more beautiful than it was originally (I've done it and because I am not perfect still doing it).  NOT THE SAME, BUT SO MUCH BETTER.

Lesson #9:

• "It" doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.  "It" can be old.  "It" can be dirty. "It" can have it's problems.  yet, "It" STILL HAS VALUE!!

Lesson #10:

• Share your talents.

I know many of you only know me a little, but I sincerely thought of you and others as I went through this process of "rebuilding" this chair.  I know we all have had things in our life that has soiled us, or we've done some things we are less than proud of.  We've hurt others, ourselves, etc. etc., but we can be better and many of us are.  Congratulations!!!  I know all of you are a good people, I've seen it in the past or I am getting to see it now in many of you.  I know you have worked hard to be where you are by making decisions that have affected you, spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially etc. 

I know I still have much to learn and hopefully share.

In the end, you all have value to me. Thanks so much for being my friend.

{figure}ing out How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair Part II

This post has been moved to:

Lemonade and Porch Swings

my craft blog.

{figure}ing out How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair Part I

I have only really "reupholstered" one chair in my life and I have done it a couple of times, and I really wouldn't call it reupholstered...more like just put a cover on it, so when I was with my girlfriends doing our annual Parade of Homes thing this year {2011} I said out loud, "We should reupholster some chairs!" 

And I was excited...now here I am looking at this chair thinking what have I gotten myself into. I hear the task is a real workout...if nothing else good come of this adventure....at least I'll be burning some calories and getting good workout trying, right?

I found this beauty at Desert Industries {the DI, it's "the" major thrift store here in Utah...like a Goodwill, but better in my opinion} for $15.00.

There are tools for every trade and this is no different.  For this I used: 

 

• very thin flat nosed screw driver
• needle nose pliers
• a little hammer (or any size really)
• a bowl (a magnetic bowl was what I used and I high recommend it)
• a marker to label the pieces as you remove them (very helpful in remembering the order and position each piece needs to go back on as.
• TIME & PATIENCE

That last item is super essential, if you don't have the patience, I wouldn't venture into this.  The $300 or so you could spend buying a chair off the floor of some furniture store is well worth it if you don't have time or patience for this, although this method is much less expensive 

This does take a lot of time and I think if you really want to do it, it is worth it.

Now I will take you on to Part I of reupholstering this chair, step-by-step.

Step 1:  Remove the bottom mesh and make sure you label it #1 (the labeling will help you put in all back together, which I will show in in Part III, but I am doing this as I make this post so thanks for the patience).

Step 2:  Next remove the fabric from the back of the chair.  Stick a flat head screw driver between the seams and pull towards you.  There will be a TON of staples (this is where the magnetic bowl comes in handy).  Once you get the back off remove all staples (using both pliers and screw driver.  Oh and be careful those staples are sharp!!).  Label #2.

Step 3: Not all chairs have this little piece, but mine did, so just like the back, I just stuck the screw driver between it and the chair and popped it right off.  Label #3.

Step 4:  Now it's time for the sides.  Again there are a TON of staples so pull them out with the pliers and screw driver. If you are strong enough you can get a nice size piece of the fabric and YANK!  It worked for me, so it's just a suggest. Be sure to label like crazy, which is the top of the piece, which side of the chair it came from  and for good measure which end was toward the front and back of the chair. You need to do this for both side of the chair. (You can never label something too much in my opinion.) Label #4 (don't forget to mark whether it is the left or right side...muy importante!!)...So you should have two pieces, one with #4 left and #4 right.

Step 5: Those pesky wings are next. This chair had some seriously scary teeth that bite!!!  So be super careful!!!!  Just stick in the screwdriver and PULL!!  And of course more staples...I hope you've been putting those little devils in a bowl, don't want to get those under your knees.  Again Label #5 and which side it is from, left or right. (This is just the outside portion of the wings).

Step 6: You see that last picture above?  Well you need to remove all of those staples.  You need to, in order to get the inside wing and armrest piece off.  On my chair both were sewn to each other so it was one large piece.  Label #6 and right or left.

Step 7: Remove the backrest fabric.  Just like the rest of the other pieces it is stapled to the chair.  So remove the staples and take it off and mark it Label #7 be sure the mark the top and bottom also. 

That was the last piece I removed.  I left the bottom and plan to just cover it with a new piece of fabric.  But I did label it on the chair as #8.    So this is what a "nearly" naked chair looks like and the pile of fabric templates from it.

WOW!!!  That was work!!!  5 hours later and this is what I have to show for it.  I'm pretty sure this would have been fster if I has a partner in crime, but hey I do what I gotta do. 

I am going to take a couple of days off before I start the work of Part II, but it is coming.  See ya in a couple.

Here are the links for:

(as I get the other post done these links will work so check back in a little bit)

{figure}ing out How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair Part II

{figure}ing out How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair Part III