Just got back from getting groceries and my goodness it’s gorgeous out there. I never realize exactly how much I miss the sun until that first moment when I can feel it warm my bones through my clothes. I exhale deeply and my muscles unknot and it’s only then that I grasp how its absence affects my mood. I don’t spend much time when it’s gray thinking about being “down, ” but I guess it’s true nonetheless. Which makes me nearly giddy that it’s supposed to be sunny all week.

So I did very well on my goals this week. The lowest number of check marks I had was 25 on Wednesday, so I’ve earned a treat. Not sure yet what I’ll give myself, but I’d like to start a one-skein scarf in black at Crafty Chix on Saturday, so I think the yarn will win.

For next week, I hope to do even better. A little more cleaning, a little more crafting. I got vitamins at Trader Joe’s today, so that will help. Having more snacking veggies around would be a good idea. Fruit’s wonderful, but that can’t be my main source of produce. Also, I’ve decided that Sunday doesn’t count. I’ll still add up the totals, but I’m not going to strive for 25. I’m also going to allow myself a little more leeway with food. For instance, multi-grain toast with butter and blackberry jam is fine on Sundays. Oh yes, it is. Lemonade, also. Mmmm…lox and a bagel as well.

One really wonderful thing that happened this week is that I went back to the exercise room at my complex. They have recumbent bikes that I can use for a half-hour and really get my heart rate up without any pain! In fact, my hip seems to feel better, calmer afterwards. It makes me so happy that I want to cry. Yesterday I also did some upper body free weights and wow am I sore today. Wonderfully, wonderfully sore. (Need to remember my triceps next time.)

I tried one of Starbucks new skinny line for my Monday Mocha this week. 90 calories for a tall seemed like a great deal…until I tried it. No. Just no. I don’t know what artificial sweetener is used, but it was sickly sweet with a nasty overpowering chemical taste. (And smell. Ew.) I will stick with my delicious, homemade mochas using Hershey’s Lite Syrup, what a radical concept…less calories because there’s less sugar! Crazy. I get an eight-ounce drink for 93 calories. 93 calories of real, honest food. Yep, that sounds like the right thing to do.

One of my goals this year is to learn how to knit in the continental style. So I got some cheapo yarn (Bernat Cashmere), found a cute, simple pattern (Pretending Sanity’s Neckwarmer) and sat down to teach myself how. What an exercise in frustration. My hands just don’t want to work that way. It’s funny how I had convinced myself that my knitting was slow and awkward and that continental was the only way to go. So I cast on and started knitting my normal self-taught way and I was really pleased with what came out while I was watching “Notes on a Scandal” (Disturbing, but good movie. Cate Blanchett is a gorgeous goddess.) this morning:

Neckwarmer To Be

Smooth and quick and nice! So I’ll still look for a local class, but I think for now I’ll simply focus on practicing my own style of knitting and trying new projects that will teach me new skills.

Finally finished Atonement yesterday…intense and heartbreaking, but strangely satisfying in the end. I had a few quibbles with how everything was so very conveniently set up to reach the major crisis in the first third of the book, but overall I really enjoyed it. I definitely look forward to seeing the movie.

Okay, that’s more than enough. Back to my knitting.