We had a great vacation last week ( Read more... )

I've mostly given up recording this year's bloom times because the weather has been so crazy.  Many of our plants started blooming weeks earlier than usual.  I have coneflowers (in early MAY!) with buds on them.  I pruned the roses a bit later than usual because I didn't want them to put out new growth at the tail end of our warm winter, so they're ( Read more... )

1. Finish proto-niece's quilt (today ( Read more... )

So I hate the title of this book because I don't like to call people fat and I don't think it appropriate to suggest that heavy people should do something about it. That said, the research summarized in this book turns the convention wisdom about obesity on its head ( Read more... )

I had a great time at Coronation. We brought an old college friend to her first event. I don't expect that she'll join the SCA, but I think she had a good time, and she might come to future events with us. I was thrilled to see so many people I know and like at the event. There are so many incredible people in CM - I do hope to become more ( Read more... )

Well, I finished the red wool outfit. The doublet turned out pretty well, and I was able to fix the pants. It's frustrating to finish an outfit that I started so long ago because there are many things that I would do differently now. That said, I'm pleased with the end product in general.

 Progress made on doublet:

Done:
Sew skirts back onto doublet.
Fix bottom front.
Re-sew loose buttons.

To do:
Sew last buttonhole.
Sew on last button.
Sew bottom edge closed.
Finish sleeves
Fix matching pants (new lining?)

I was shocked to learn that the pants that match my hand sewn red wool doublet fit me just fine.  I hadn't gotten around to finishing the closures, so I can add them now rather than moving them ( Read more... )

I am *so* close to being done with the hand-sewn red wool doublet that I started a couple of years ago.  I moved the skirts to accommodate the fact that I had to change the placement of the buttons to accommodate the 10 pounds I've gained since I started the doublet.  Every stitch in it is sewn by hand, and the braid is handmade and sewn on by hand ( Read more... )

Apparently it is still scandalous to say that a particular food is bad for you.  No, eating dessert every once in awhile will not kill you, but there's evidence suggesting that eating it regularly might. (see Gary Taubes's books ( Read more... )