Baby Booties!

Ok I have started my second baby booty for my cousin's 2 month old son. I am doing it on #1 double pointed needles which isn't that easy when you have a manicure ^_~. Here is what it looked like when I first started.




I had a hard time because the needles and yarn were so small and thin, but I got it started! I did this at lunch at work. When I got home I watched NCIS and dancing with the stars elimination and got this much done....sorry for the blurry picture, it didn't come out right when I had the flash on so I shut it off.

And of course here is the first one just so you see what it is going to look like when it is finished!

Gym News

In gym news I have officially gained all the weight I lost back and I am completely discouraged. I simply can't control my self when it comes to food and unfortunately I am only attracted to bad food =(. I am so depressed about it, I feel awful. Summer is coming and I am in no way ready for it. ::sigh:: I am certainly not my normal chipper self, but oh well. This just means I really have to kick myself in the ass and start eating better, even if it means ordering foods I am not particularly fond of like chicken. I HATE chicken with a passion. There is just something about the texture and I can't get use to the taste, but Rob says I need more lean protein and that is the best way to get it and have a real meal instead of a protein shake. Once I get down to the weight I want I can eat what I like, but in moderation. I hate it when he goes all Yoda on me =(.

Here is a picture of him in his work clothes looking all cute and smart =). He has very good self disipline. I wish I did!

Fun fun fun

This weekend was fabulous! I had such a good time with my Robert this weekend I could burst! On Saturday we went to the gym together ( my leg are screaming as we speak) then we went out to lunch for some sushi =). After that went into Boston to this club Ned Devine's, there was an awesome live band there called LoudMouth! They sang the best songs. I loved them! We went for his friend Joel's birthday and we had a blast, he even got drunk enough to dance with me! He was so adorable ^_~

I slept over his house on Sat night (very comfy) and in the morning we went to the mall to get something for his brothers birthday. While we were there I got a replacement wire for my camera (YESSSSS!!!!) for only 10 bucks cuz it was on sale, sweet! Then we went to the candy store where he bought be a chocolate covered pretzel and after that to the food court for crepes! He bought his brother one of those mini camcorder things that last for about an hour. It has YouTube quality but he is only 12, he doesn't need a great camera lol.

After that he went to the party and I went home to relax for a little bit. He came over later that night and we went to see Harold and Kumar. It was a bit too raunchy for my taste but it was still pretty funny. Then we got Papa Gino's for supper (I was soooo bad this weekend with food it isnt even funny!!.....oh well!)

In knitting news I have completed one baby booty for my cousin's new baby boy!! I did it while Rob went to the birthday party, isn't it soooo cute!! I love little things haha! Now he and my mom have matching socks since I used the left over yarn hehe.

HEHEHEHE

It is official! My partner in knitting crime is moving to this state on the 17th of May!! Woohoo! Finally someone who loves knitting as much as I do will live near me. I have been dying to join some kind of a knitting club around here but there aren't any that are close by, and I am NOT willing to drive into Boston in rush hour traffic for anyone! I wish I was a little more advanced in it. I have yet to do any other stitches other they stockinette, purl and garter and have never attempted a sweater or any type of real clothing besides winter stuff like mittens and hats. It is a little frustrating because there is so much I want to do but I have hit a stand still in my skill level with no one to help me. I have tried to self teach but have failed miserably...I am a visual learner and need someone to show me. Hopefully Christina will have the patience, she is really good =)

So that is my exciting update, though maybe not as exciting to any of you. In other knitting news I am attempting to make baby booties for my cousins new baby. I dont think they will take very long since they are so small, so when I am done I will borrow my sisters digi camera so I can show you how they came out. we will see =)

Vera Bradley

How could I forget?! My roommate in college only fuels my obsessions by introducing me to Vera Bradley. I had seen girls around campus with the tote bags and I thought that many of them were in the uglist colors and I just didn't see what the big deal was about them, until I met Christina and she had the nicest colors in her collection! So lets just say, she inspires me to love things! (knitting and vera were all her!)



My first Vera was the maggie bag in Java blue. I thought it was so cute and it is good in the summer and winter! My momma got it for me for Christmas in 2006 with the matching ID case =) ( some of these pics I got off the web because like I said before Robert Gerard lost my camera wire ::sniffle::)

The next Vera I got was a Valentine's day gift from Robert Gerard. My favorite pattern in Vera Bradley is Piccadilly Plum ( retired ::sniffle). It is the carry all style and I love it!!!! I use it as an overnight bag and I can't think of anything better to use!!

Sorry about the quality of the pic, there werent many to choose from on the web since the style and color are retired =(

Next was a wristlet in the Peacock color. When this color came out I loved it! Unfortunately I am a winter and bright colors aren't always great on me, so I use it in the summer when I go to clubs, it holds alot! I got this from Christina for Easter, isn't she the best? love her!

Once I got this I bought myself the ID case to match haha.
My last and final Vera (for now) is in Java Blue. This was my nana's purse before she retired and can't drive anymore. She gave it to me cuz she loves me! =)

Wallace and Gromit

Ok this week has been hell at work! It was our monthly closing of the accounts for revenue recognition and we had to stay late Tuesday and Wednesday in order to get every little thing we could...ickkkk...I was exhausted when I got home last night and incredibly grumpy. So I decided to go to the video store for a movie to watch while I knit a square for my moms blanket =).


And what movie did I get you ask?? Well it was Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit haha! I had never it seen that one before so I bought it.




Unfortunately they didn't have Wallace and Gromit: 3 Amazing Adventures ( that was the one I wanted), but I will go back next week to see if it is there =). The movie was so great and I am almost done with the square which is very exciting. I am also working on a pair of socks for my sis for her birthday, unfortunately I can't post pics yet because Robert Gerard lost my camera wire ::sigh:: what am I going to do with that boy! Love him I guess haha.

This Weekend

Well I was right, that was the best weekend ever! I did everything I said I was going to do and got to spend oodles of time with my Robert Gerard!! I was with him from Saturday through Monday and I already miss him =( ain't that a bummer?

He use to live a few blocks away from me when we started dating but the summer before sophmore year in college his family moved 20 minutes away =( Lets just say, I still don't like it. But no worries hopefully this time next year we will have our very own apartment which will be fabulous! Once we get all of our school loans and bills in order =)

Another thing to add is that I ate like a pig this weekend! Not only did I go to the Japanese restaurant and the Melting Pot (3 hour, 4 course meal, Rob had to roll me out of there!) but we also went out to breakfast on Monday and I had pancakes and eggs and hashbrowns......my diet was nonexistant at that point, and now I am going to have to kick my own ass in the gym to burn off the like 5000 calories I ate.......ICKKKKKKKK...I hate dieting!!!!

Cute...

Can I just say I loved Wallace and Gromit when I was little and I still love them today! I completely forgot that Gromit knits! So of course I had to put a picture of it in my blog!! Haha I came across this and I couldn't stop smiling =)

As soon as I saw this picture I made Wallace and Gromit my new obsession! I am dying to go out and rent or buy the movies, I have been looking up to see if they have merchandise that has Gromit knitting and I have this picture as my background on my computer. I am telling you, if a therapist ever read my blog or met me in real life I would probably be put on medication ^_~

Bored!

I am sitting in work right now and I am so bored! I actually have stuff to do but can't bring myself to do it, ever have one of those days?

What I need is a project ( I tend not to finish them but I love to start them!). Before I started working as a financial analyst I worked in a few restaurants and in retail during college. It isnt that I liked working at those places, but at least I was moving around and in some instances being creative. In retail you have to merchandise and make everything look more appealing to the customer. Since I worked in a card and gift shop I go to be even more creative with window setups and stuff like that. I hate that I can't really walk anywhere and lets face it folks, financial analysis is not very creative!

Thats why I have become so obsessed with knitting. It is like an outlet, but I don't think it is enough. I have been thinking about getting another job, not just for the extra money but for the extra motivation to get up and do something! I will let you know if I find one that can inspire me =P. But for now I need a project, something to look forward to everyday or I might drive myself crazy with boredom!

This Weekend!

Ok I am so siked about this upcoming weekend! I actually have a ton of plans haha.

First on Friday night I am going into Boston with my lovely friend and dance partner Lisa Marie whom I love soooo much =). We are going to the clubs to dance which is one of my all time favorite things to do, the only bad thing is the guys haha. I don't really liked to be bothered when I am in my zone so lets hope no one gets on my bad side =P

Next on Saturday I am going into Boston to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants ( I have only been there once but it was fabulous!) with my friend Lindsay, her boyfriend Alex and my boyfriend Robert Gerard! Could you ask for a better evening? I think not! ( you can see Lindsays blog on the left, her and her boyfriend are the most talented artists I know ^_~)

Then on Sunday I am going to my favorite restaurant of all time, The Melting Pot!!!! OMG they have the best fondue on the planet!!! Rob is taking me and then we are having a night just to ourselves which has been difficult to get since we have been out of school and living with our parents til we can get a place =). That is why I am working on those pillows!!! haha

And last but not least Monday I have no work because of Patriots day, so hopefully me and Rob will just have a lazy day. I am hoping he can move some of his clients around so we can get some take out for lunch or something, but we will see. I dont want to keep him from making money because that just means it will take longer to get an apartment! =) We don't want that now do we?

So lets just say it is only Monday and I am counting down the days to Friday! I am going to have to spend some extra time at the gym this week with all that eating and drinking I am going to be doing! ickkkkkk

Exercise II

Ok just a quick update on my exercising stuff. I had a body fat analysis done when I started working out two months ago and I was 138lbs. My body fat percentage was at 26% (acceptable for a girl of my height but I want to be in the fitness category not average). This means my body was made up of 36lbs fat.

Well here is the update!!! I had it done again and I am now at 24% body fat and 136lbs which means I lost 3 lbs of fat and gained 1 pound of muscle!!!! YAY!! I am so excited!! I want to be stronger and more toned so this is great news!! I am so pumped and I am going to really buckle down on my diet since I am seeing some results. I will post more as I progress more, hehe! =)

Walt Disney World!!!

I have been to Disney World 5 times and it never gets old to me. The first time I went I was with my mom and sister. My mom's friend was getting married at the Wedding Pavilion down there so we all went. The wedding was incredible! She was driven up in Cinderella's coach and had a coachman and everything! We had fun, but we were only there for 4 days so we didn't really get to do much since one whole day was devoted to the wedding.

And then I met my Robert Gerard =). We met in October of 2001 and his family just happened to own a time share down there haha! Just my luck! I didn't get to go with him the first couple times he went after we met because his parents thought he was too young to have a girlfriend on the trip (we met when we were 15). So we had to wait until after we graduated high school before I could go with him.

So in the summer of 2003 we went together for the first time ( with his family) but it was awesome! I am telling you, you havent experienced Disney until you have gone with someone who has been going their whole life! They took me to see and do everything! We ate at the best restaurants and rode on all the rides ( except tower of terror and splash mountain....I am a wuse). We got to go off on our own alot and he was so cute, he was so excited that I hadn't been able to see everything the first time and he was more then happy to show me.

We stayed at the Old Key West Resort which is beautiful. The main pool is huge and there is a gym and restaurant right there to go to after or before you take a swim. I wish I had pics from the first trip to post, but i didn't take them on a digital camera and I dont have a scanner =(

We went again in 2005, 2006 and 2007. We had fun on the next two trips, went to the restaurants and went on the rides. I even had the guts to go on splash mountain and tower of terror!! But my favorite ride will always be the Rockin Roller Coaster in MGM. It is just the funnest ride ever!

The trip last year however was a bit of a bummer. Rob had broken his ankle at a hockey game in July and I had to wheel him around in a wheel chair. I would'nt have minded ( i would do anything for him!) but it was so hot out and he was so cranky and frustrated because he had to sit in a hot chair all day that it kinda sucked the fun out of it. Not to mention he is no light feather, alot of the parks are a little hilly so I had to wheel 200lbs of muscle up and down all those little hills. I got a work out thats for sure!

His parents had also adopted 2 small children and they misbehaved and had fits and the whole trip was just a little uncomfortable and stressful. We still had a good time, just not as fun as it was the years before. We might be going again this year, but not with his family. We might be going with some friends of ours that own a timeshare too which would be even more fun!!! =)

This is me and Rob fooling around in a shop in Magic Kingdom in 2005. Haha I kinda like the look!

Eating at Cinderella's Castle- 2005! It was so nice, the fairy god mother and the mice showed up for dinner!

Disney 2006...I am not sure where this was taken, but if I was wearing a dress it was dinner time haha.

This was taken at Ohana, my favorite restaurant in Disney at the Polynesian Hotel. We dressed very Hawaiian for the day =)

I will have pics from 2007 soon, I just need to get my camera wire from Robert Gerard! Yes I know, I have been lazy and have not put the pics on my comp yet but give me a break! I started my job right afterwe got back!

My Knitting Stuff

Ok, my blog is named Amanda's Thoughts and Knits so that means that I should show some of my knitting!! It is only polite =).

Lets start with some things that I am currently working on. These projects are ones that I have been working on for a while, and have been so excited about other things I havent had a chance to finish them.

The first project is the oldest one and it is taking forever to complete! I have been working on it since Jan 07 and am still ticking away at it.



This is a blanket that I am doing for my mom. It is just a dish towel pattern for each square and then I just sewed them all together. Each square takes about 2 hours to make and I need about 49 to complete it. Lets just say I get bored easily and have not been working on it very often =(.



This is just a close up of the squares =)

My next unfinished project is a pair of mittens that I promised my friend for last Christmas....I did the hat but havent had the motivation to finish the mittens....sorry Lisa!!!

Finally I have a pair of pillows. I finished one and all I have to do for the other one is sew it up and make the tassels.......but I can't bring myself to do it....::sigh::..... These pillows are for my non-existant couch in my non-existant apartment.....but I am working on making them a reality =). For now I just have my pillows!

This pattern was super easy. I found it in a knitting calendar I bought in January hehe.

Most of my finished stuff I have given away, I am working on getting some pictures of them though, mostly just hats haha. But my pride enjoy at the moment ( and the only finished project on hand) is a pair of socks I made for my mom!! My first pair of socks I made for my boyfriend and they came out great, but these were made with a yarn that makes its own pattern and they came out so pretty!!!

I never thought that I would ever be able to make socks because they are on 3 needles. I need someone to show me how to do things before I can do them and my roommate in college (the girl who taught me to knit fancier things then scarves) lives in Maine =(. But I found this incredible tutorial online at ComeToSilver.com (link is on the left hand corner of the page) and all of a sudden I was making socks left and right and now I am on my third pair!!! I was very excited hehe!


My next goal for my knitting is to learn how to knit a pattern with a cable stitch ( I kinda know how it is done but never tried it when I was actually making something) and I am dying to knit a sweater!! My friend Christina is moving down here this summer from Maine and she promised she would help me =) I need to find a pattern and the right yarn!! There is so much to do and impatient little old me can't wait!! HEHE!!

Exercise

Ok so I know I already posted today, but remember how I was talking about my obsessive personality? Well now I am obsessed with this blog, haha of course!!

Anyways, this post is about my goals with my exercising. As I said before I go the gym when I can and am trying to get ready for beach season. Since I started my job ( in August of 07) I have gained 8 pounds, 15 pounds since sophmore year in college, so I am on a mission to make my life healthier and hopefully in the process lose some of this weight!

I am not really overweight but I would feel a little better about myself if I was the same weight I was last summer so my big shot personal trainer boyfriend is helping. i have been going for almost two months and have not seen fantastic results because of my diet. I love junk food!

I am currently 138lbs, my goal for the summer is at least 130 and my overall goal is 123. I am going to be updating this blog to map out my progress. I think it will help me stay motivated about achieving my goal. Unfortunately my obsessiveness has not included working out but I am trying to correct that haha ^_~

Since my horrible work has blocked off April 14- June 14 for vacation time, I figure that gives me 2 more months to try this since I can't take any time off. So June 14 will be the day of truth, to see if I have enough will power to do it!!!!

My First Blog

Today is April 10, 2008 and it is absolutely gorgeous outside! This is the first really nice day of Spring and here I am stuck at my desk at work =( what a bummer! I am trying to stay positive though, I get to see my boyfriend this afternoon which is alway a plus to me. He works as a personal trainer at the gym I belong to so I get to see him whenever I go. I can't wait til it is beach weather and all this gym crap will pay off. To be completely honest I think it is the most boring thing in the world to bounce up and down on a cross trainer all day, but if it gets me ready for the beach then whatever...I can deal! Did I mention I am a major beach bum? Well you have no idea!

I should probably also mention that I have an extremely obsessive personality...not in a creepy way though! But if I get a thought or idea in my head then it is all over!! If there is something I want to knit, then I need to do it right then and there even if I have to go to the craft store on my lunch break and buy the needles and yarn. I will start it and sneak it the rest of the day! So when I say I love the beach, I mean during the summer I dream and aspire to go there every moment of everyday! It is the only place I feel truly relaxed and happy. It is just my luck that I have a boyfriend who hates going to the beach....go figure

Well I think that is a good start for my first blog, I will be adding more and more as I go, including pictures of my knitting projects, vacations and other obsessions of mine! =)