Quilt bag finish

I discovered that there was such a thing as a storage bag for a quilt and decided to make one for the Christmas quilt. Being new to stitchery I made the stitched block and didn't like it so I did it over using my new skills. I don't know what to do with the first one. It is finished. Maybe I will make it into a block holder cover to make use of the fabric. I need a smaller block holder.
The rest of this post is just some journaling. I put headings so you can read or skip.

Travel News
DD2 is in New York at present on holiday. She has skyped us a few times. I think it is much nicer than just talking like a phone call. She plans to visit Niagara Falls, Washington DC and Boston then back to NY for a few more weeks.
On Tuesday Mum and I are flying to Newcastle to spend the day at Morpeth for the teapot and tea cosy exhibition. I have hired a car to drive to Morpeth. We fly home in the afternoon. It is the first time I will have flown somewhere just for the day. I feel very jetsetting :)

Diet News
My DH and I are trying to live without biscuits, crackers, cakes, chocolates, lollies, ice cream, softdrink, cordial, hot chocolate....so many things! We have managed 2 weeks so far and lost a bit of weight. We snack on the plethora of mandarins we get from my mum's tree. There are still a few weeks worth left. After that we will have to find something else to snack on. Maybe by then we will have lost our desire for chocolate....yeah sure :)

Housework News
This month I changed the housework routine around a bit. July was a bit of a break month. I only did essential vacuuming and washing. A change is as good as a holiday so I reviewed the routine to try to make is easier. In the beginning I would vacuum the whole house twice a week. Then I changed that to bedrooms/kitchen and kitchen/lounge so only the kitchen dining area got twice a week. Now I vacuum three times a week and only do one area at a time so the whole house is only vacuumed once a week. I used to have two free days but decided it would be better to reduce the time of the chores and only have one day free. Seems to be working so far.

Exercise News
This month I also added more to my exercise routine. Every morning after the usual yoga, stretching or weights I go for a 10 min walk/jog/walk/jog to the end of the street and back. I have been wanting to buy heavier dumb bells for a while but they are quite expensive. So I have have just been doing the same thing each time with the weights. I knew I needed to get some change there to keep moving forward so I bought an Oxygen magazine just for a look. They had a home routine that was perfect for me. Well maybe a bit too intense because I now have sore arms and shoulders and sore hamstrings and calves. Tomorrow I will also have sore back and abs! Maybe I will reduce the number of reps this time. Next time I do the other exercises I will definitely reduce the reps by a third - 12 to 8 and 15 to 10 so I don't over do it.
I have been doing the yoga, stretching and weights 6 days a week for 12 months in July. I felt I was ready for something more. When I added the 10 mins walking and jogging I felt really good. It warms me up and seems to give me more energy for the day.
This week I alternated the yoga/stretching with the weights. Next week I plan to do the yoga/stretching before the weights then do the walk/jog after for three days (the weights routines are divided into  three body areas) then have a free day then do it again for three days and have a free day. Depending on how I feel I might have to do a week or so alternating the yoga/stretching and weights again.
I copied a picture of the cover girl - a 55 year old lady who enters physique competitions - and have it displayed in the gym room. My goal is to look like her one day.

Happy Quilting,
Val

Daily Exercise

I felt so good after my exercises this morning I just had to share what I do. It works so well for me. But it has taken me just over 10 years to get to this comfortable point.

I exercise in my little home gym 6 days a week. About 25mins each morning.

What do I do?
Sat - static strength and flexibility exercises
Sun - Flowing yoga routine
Mon - Strength exercises
Repeat for Tue, Wed,Thurs then Friday off

For strength on Monday and Thursday I do this routine:
16 of each
sit down squat
lunge
glute raise
calf raise
modified push up
half bridge
oblique curl
reverse curl
alternating superman

With the dumbbells
pectoral fly
single arm row
stretchy strap pulldown
shoulder press
lateral raise
tricep curl
bicep curl
bench press

At present I do the top of my reps (16) with 5kg dumbbells. I start a new weight level at 8 reps and build up slowly over several months. A few more weeks on 5kg and I will buy the 6kg dumbbells. I started on 1kg.
These exercises target all the main muscle groups and are at the beginner level.
My routine comes from Strength Training for Muscle Development by Mark Hatfield.

And a few sewing snippets.
Did you see this design from Crazy Moms Quilts. I really like quick and easy but it still looks like there is a lot of patchwork involved.

I still have to make lots more ornaments for my Christmas tree and I found a great idea at A Spoonful of Sugar. The method is different and easy.

Talin's Corner put me onto a cute gift bag design that is very simple but very pretty, also at A Spoonful of Sugar.
Stitch magazine update
I heard back from the people at Stitch magazine. They have updated the download file to include the pattern sheet. I am really happy with the magazine and much cheaper than having it posted.

Happy Quilting,
Val