NEW PATTERN and a DRAWING for a CUSTOM pair of EMBELLISHED jeans!!!

I need a little help picking the cover for my new pattern The Mia Top. The photo shoot went really well, (which usually is not the case when working with a toddler), and I ended up with 3 really cute ones! So to share in my happiness of having an under 30 min photo session, I thought I would offer a prize to one of you. Just post a comment here telling me which picture is your favorite and you will be entered in a drawing for a pair of custom made Embellished Jeans! The winner can pick the size for a child up to a 10 and I will provide the jeans from Old Navy. If you want a pair for 12 years up to adult you can provide the jeans and I'll embellish them. I'm only doing that because once you get into larger sizes it's harder to find a pair that fits perfectly and I don't want to mess with that :) Last day to enter the drawing is Wednesday April 1st!

*Jeans will be made after I get home from Market at the end of May.*

Do you LOVE this fabric? It's Soire'e by Lila Tueller. I can't get enough of it!

So here they are:

Picture #1



Picture #2



Picture #3

One of the perks about being a pattern designer is all the awesome fabric that people give you!!! I love it. I just got box of Lila's new line Santorini which is beautiful and a luscious box of dupioni silks to make some special sets for Brewer at Quilt Market in May. They are going to do a special feature with 4 of my patterns done in silk with exclusive pattern covers. I'll show some sneaks as soon as I get them done.

I'm still Killing the Fat, but as quilt market approaches I have less time to blog about it. I'll try to post something this week about how I'm doing and some stats and a No Killing The Fat lemon cake recipe! Come Monday I'll have something good for you. Meanwhile check out my comments because people are leaving lots of good tips. I just got a really good one from my friend Geeta that I am going to put to the test:) Thanks Geeta!

Tip from Kassi:

Pump Iron: Try for 2 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Not only does strengthening your muscles help shape your body, but you build confidence. Strengthening muscles changes neural patterns in the brain, it makes you feel more alert and alive! Here's my stats! I should note that I am loosing around my stomach, but it's the upper section of my stomach. The lower isn't changing much, but I believe in sectional progression:)

Week 8:

• Chest: 33
• stomach: 29.5
• hips: 36
• thighs: right: 20.5 left: 21
  
• arms: right 10.5 left 10

Week 9:

• Chest: 33
• stomach: 29
• hips: 36
• thighs right: 20 left: 20.5
• arms: right 10.5 left: 10
  

Just Darling...aren't they? That phrase kept coming to my head as I was making them and the name stuck. This is the first of 3, maybe 4 new patterns for spring!I made them using Soire'e Honey Buns from Moda and I really love the way they turned out. They are heading to the printer in a couple of days and should be back in about 2 to 3 weeks.

I know what my problem is! It's snickerdoodles and all other sweet treats. I love them. I really, really love them. I made this homemade lemon cake on Sunday...oh my! It was just too good and I ate a lot of it throughout the week. The plus side to eating the cake - there isn't one. It was just good and now it's on my butt.

Thanks to weight watchers online food tracker I have been able to see just how much I love these sugary devils that we call dessert. Too much! I think they are the center of my struggle to loose weight. I've been working out daily for the last 8 weeks, I'm loosing some inches, but not weight. Why? Because I snack all the time! I'm home all day working and I'm in the kitchen 15 different times throughout the day getting food for myself and the kids. First it's breakfast, then a snack, another snack, lunch, a drink, a snack, a snack, a snack, a snack, dinner, dessert, snack, midnight snack, 3 am snack. You get the picture. The snacking must end. I think weight watchers is really going to help me because I am definitely more conscious of how many points I am eating and what costs the most points. A cookie is a lot of points so I better only eat one. Sad, I know, but if I'm going to keep killing the fat I have to control this.

Want to to know a secret? It's really 3 am Thursday morning, I just worked out because I didn't do it on Wednesday and I ate 3 snickerdoodles! (they were small, but sooo good.) I am back-blogging because I have not had time for anything lately except pattern designing. So I'm up late working and decided, what the heck! I'll just throw a little work out into the mix. I'm crazy, I know, but it gave me the boost I needed to go for another hour. Back to work! I'll try and post my stats tomorrow for you to Enjoy:)

Kassi's Tip of the week: Breathe Like A Baby - breathe through your nose and to the belly. This helps move oxygen more efficiently and helps better metabolism. Breathing through the mouth is a stress response and is shallow.

I'm just going to post the previous week because it's getting kind of long:


Week 7:

• chest: 33
• stomach: 30
• hips: 36.5
• thighs: right - 20.5 , left: 21
• arms: right - 10, left - 10.5
  

Week 8:

• Chest: 33
• stomach: 29.5
• hips: 36
• thighs: right: 20.5 left: 21
  
• arms: right 10 left 10.5
  

Got Honey Buns? I do and they are so cute! In fact I love all of Moda's bake shop items. Honey Buns...Jelly Rolls....you know. They sound sooo yummy and they are!



Lila just made the cutest purse using a Soire'e Honey Bun and she is offering the pattern for FREE for a limited time. Click HERE to download the pattern. I am currently working on a new pattern for Spring that will feature her Honey Buns too. Watch for a sneak peek this week!

Kill The F at - Weight Watchers

I don't have really have any new information for you other than a new tip from Kassi and I thought I would let you know what I have been up to! I have been working out this last week with my weighted gloves and let me tell you, they make a huge difference! My heart rate is up, my arms are getting worked the whole time, and I'm burning more calories. These are are must have for your daily workout. I have also been using hip hop abs level 2 and it is a blast! You are dancing and getting a great workout. I was so focused on the moves today that the time just flew by! My other new thing is I joined Weight Watchers. My super fit and healthy cousin Emily and my aunt Lucy (who is also super fit) suggested I try it. I find that calorie counting is hard to do and kind of stresses of me out. I often times, just don't do it and have no idea what my calorie intake is each day. With weight watchers you have a point system that is easy to follow and keep track of. I'm doing the on-line version because I don't have time to weigh in or go to meetings, plus I don't really want to! I'll let you know how it goes.

Tip of the Week From Kassi: Make lunch your biggest meal. Mid-day is when your metabolism is the highest so you burn more efficiently. Also, it helps avoid over eating at night so you sleep better.

My Stats:

Week 1:

• gained 1 pound
• chest: 34"
• stomach: 33"
• Hips: 36"
• Thighs - Right: 21 1/2" Left: 22
• Arms - Right: 11" Left: 10"

Week 2:

• lost 2 pounds
• chest: 34"
• stomach: 33"
• Hips: 36"
• Thighs - Right: 21" Left: 21 1/2"
• Arms - Right: 11" Left: 10"

Week 3:

• lost 1 pound
• chest: 33 1/2"
• stomach: 33"
• Hips: 36 1/2"...what the heck!
• Thighs - Right: 20 1/2" Left: 21 1/2"
• Arms - Right: 11" Left: 10"

Week 4: SICK

Week 5:

• Gained back all the weight from when I was sick!
  
• chest: 33
• stomach: 32
• hips: 36 1/2
• thighs: Right: 20 1/2 Left: 21
• arms: Right: 10 Left: 10 1/2 YAY! I have not been a fan of my arms.

Week 6:

• chest: 33
• stomach: 31
• hips: 36 1/2
• thighs: right 20 1/2 Left: 21
• arms: right: 10 left 10 1/2

Week 7:

• chest: 33
• stomach: 30
• hips: 36 1/2
• thighs: right - 20 1/2 , left: 21
• arms: right - 10, left - 10 1/2

I decided since my weight is all over the place to start posting my weight loss monthly instead of weekly. So At week 8 I''l post a total. For my first month I lost a total of 3 pounds 4 inches. Not great, but it's still coming off:)

This pretty much sums up how I feel...



If you aren't familiar with Brian Regan he is HILARIOUS! I love him so much. My kids can quote him word for word. Hartman and I saw him live last winter and it was the best night ever! I got a full abdominal workout just sitting there listening to him. He is good clean family fun:)

If you don't own his DVD's you must buy them! We love to have friends over and watch them with dessert.

Kill the Fat - With Iodine

First let me say, I am the point where I need some new motivation. I just got my weighted work out gloves from Beach Body and some New DVD's, but I feel like I need a visual. I decided to hang a picture of one of my favorite celebrities who I feel I am similar to in height, build, etc. Evangeline Lilly was my pick. She is Kate in my favorite show LOST and she has an awesome body. I especially love her arms.



Whatever you need to get motivated or stay motivated to keep Killing The Fat, I say do it. On days when I don't feel like doing anything, I'll take one glance at this picture and will be reminded that I want my arms to look like hers and get my butt moving!

Soooo, did you know you need Iodine in your diet? I'm no expert, but I got a little bit of a run down on it from my husband. Apparently we use to be able to get all the iodine we needed in most of our food. It was even found in breads and vegetables. For some reason we don't get it anymore in the common foods. It can be found in seafood, nuts, and grains, but I think you have to eat a lot of it in order to get the amount of iodine you need. Iodine is an essential element that enables the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. If you have been diagnosed with a thyroid disease it could be because of your Iodine levels. Like I said, I am no expert so I'll let you do the research on your own, but if the fact that I don't have enough Iodine is on of the reasons my thyroid is slow and I struggle with my weight, then I'm going to find out more about it. I'm taking a supplement for now, but I still need to do some more research of my own.

Here are some articles to help you get started:

Thyroid Health
Iodine and the Thyroid
The Iodine Controversy
Thyroid Health - How much Iodine Helps

Tip of the Week From Kassi:

• Never Skip Meals: Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up, eat lunch 3-4 hours later, and dinner 3-4 hours later. Keep the fire burning inside (metabolism). Try to keep a regular schedule with basic whole foods.
  

Stats coming up later this week.