I have a pen pal who is also a regular pal named Laura. You will remember her from such adventures as Pop-Culture Potluck and Steel Magnolias. She was reading recently about Femivores - feminist ladies who embrace and celebrate all those traditional activities associated with our fairer sex - gardening, knitting, sewing, cooking - the usual. I also thought it sounded like a lady zombie that specializes in eating the brains of feminists, but I liken most things to zombies.
My latest Femivore activity has been gardening. I started with the small raised garden box above and had crazy success with lettuce and cilantro. The onions are poking along too. So after Dave and I built the fence he suggested I put in another bed with the leftover wood from the fence posts.
Now I have tomato plants, jalapenos, squash, zucchini, strawberries, basil, chives, more lettuce, and oregano from Cath. Once I start something it is usually on in a big way. The bonus is that I always considered myself a sh*tty gardener. It turns out that I am kind of awesome at it...at least the cilantro, basil, and lettuce are delish - it is still pretty early in the season for everything else.
Our yard is pretty fantastic now too. Fencing it in made all the difference. It is a low fence (Ellie is a small dog) but it still adds a bit of privacy and seclusion. Now I need to get back to some of my other Femivore activities like all the projects that are piling up in my sewing room...
I was not sure how to come back to blogging after taking such a hiatus. I was not sure if I would come back. After spending so much time not doing something it is difficult to consider the why and how of returning. What should the post be? Do I have to explain myself? All that I have been doing? How busy life has been? Work, wedding planning, life...I am in Cincinnati this week for work. My colleague and I were walking to the Cincinnati Museum Center this morning to meet our group for a day of touring it's Art Deco architecture and museum collections. We passed this:
This is a statue of William Henry Harrison, the first of Ohio's eight presidents. His horse is wearing some hand knit half stockings provided by a local group of knit bombers and it seemed so right! Like they did it just for me - combined knitting and craft and Ohio History. I thought, "I need to blog that!"
So here it is! We are having an amazing week here in Cincinnati touring and exploring the history just under the surface.
Wow! 2010 was an amazing year! Both happy and sad but much more happy than sad. We bought a house and adopted a puppy. We said goodbye to dear Chloe and have been helping Ronan through some health problems. 
Work was exciting and stressful and satisfying. We started planning our wedding and realized that wedding planning kind of sucks. So how did I do on my resolutions for 2010? 
Read at least 12 books that are related to my new job. I accumulate a lot of reading and it is hard to get through it all so I am going to supplement this resolution with one to watch less TV. (gasp!)
I knocked this one out of the park! I finished the books by the end of November and even had time to read some historical fiction and John Waters' autobiography, Role Models (it was fantastic).
Eat at least one fruit or vegetable a day. I am amazed that I make it through most of my days without any fruit or veggies! This morning I had a big glass of V8 Fruit Fusions. So I am already on my way. I am supplementing this resolution with water - at least two water bottles of water a day. My bottle is about 24 oz. So that works out to six glasses a day.
I did pretty well on this one. I would say at least six out of seven days I managed to eat fresh fruit and/or veggies. Drinking water was less successful. The best part of this resolution is that it is now a habit of mind. I think about how I am going to get that piece of fruit or veggie and make sure it happens.
Finish sewing projects. I have a stack of sewing projects in the studio that need some love and attention. I think the count is up to 2 skirts, 2 shirts, and 4 quilts. I am going to finish all of them!
FAIL! I finished NO sewing projects. I didn't even get to unpack my sewing machine until July! Big fat greasy fail.So where does that leave me for 2011? I have been going back and forth trying to decide how I want to challenge myself this year. This is what I have come up with:- Crafting Resolutions: Finish ONE quilt - the one that is on the loom. No more foolish, over ambitious plans for sewing projects, some of which I may not even want anymore. I also want to knit one-two hats a month. Lovey wants hats and hats he shall have! I would also like some hats.
- Professional Resolutions: I need to work on being positive and not letting things get under my skin. I have a hard time with people who can't seem to get their professional lives together and I need to remember that I don't have to take on their problems or take personal offense when they are inconsiderate. So I am going to start letting that stuff go. I am still working on a strategy for that.
- Personal Resolutions: I am going to exercise outside more! Last year was a bitterly cold winter and a suffocatingly hot summer. The combination seriously cut down on running and bike riding. This year I want biking, running, hiking, puppy walking, all of it! I am also going to tackle that water drinking thing.
So there they are! Somewhat modest but that is okay. We have a wedding to plan, a basement to refinish, and possibly a yard to fence. So I don't want to set myself up for failure. Happy New Year!
My latest Femivore activity has been gardening. I started with the small raised garden box above and had crazy success with lettuce and cilantro. The onions are poking along too. So after Dave and I built the fence he suggested I put in another bed with the leftover wood from the fence posts.
Now I have tomato plants, jalapenos, squash, zucchini, strawberries, basil, chives, more lettuce, and oregano from Cath. Once I start something it is usually on in a big way. The bonus is that I always considered myself a sh*tty gardener. It turns out that I am kind of awesome at it...at least the cilantro, basil, and lettuce are delish - it is still pretty early in the season for everything else.
Our yard is pretty fantastic now too. Fencing it in made all the difference. It is a low fence (Ellie is a small dog) but it still adds a bit of privacy and seclusion. Now I need to get back to some of my other Femivore activities like all the projects that are piling up in my sewing room...
