Rooted in Mississippi

So, by now, you have probably surmised that I am stitching a lot lately.  For my holiday, I stitched all morning, then my husband took me to lunch at Aladdin Mediterranean Grill.  Next, I ran some errands with Trish,  before I got back to stitching.

As I looked down, I thought my little stitch companions by my side were so cute that I dug my cell phone out of my pocket to take a picture.  If I had gone for my real camera,I am sure they would have shifted or moved.  Please note that neither Rudy (left) nor Roscoe (right) has been spared the indignity of random thread snippets.

In other news, there are now two belly dance classes at La Salsa!  The Saturday class has moved to 5 PM and they added a Monday class at 7 PM.

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I just finished yet another biscornu.  I am not a counted girl, but I am working on a large project, so I have more in future.  If you follow this blog at all, you will no doubt know that I am obsessed with pincushions.

I enjoyed belly dance class today at La Salsa; I like being Trish’s assistant. I have been practicing a lot more often lately.  Although it was suggested that I have been over-training, I feel like I am doing just what I need to be doing in order to lose those last five pounds.  I also like the freedom of doing whatever feels right.  When I dance alone, I tend to do a little more ballet movement and play with props, like veils. I have not been practising any choreographies, because that is what we do in class.  This is about moving and enjoying myself and forcing myself to look in the mirror.

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I enjoyed the Tamalyn Dallal workshop and got a lot of great ideas.  I want to teach Bellydance Fitness classes.  I have wanted that for a while, but between being Trish’s assistant at La Salsa and the workshop, I am convinced that I need to find a way to really pursue this.  I felt good about myself on Sunday and had a lot of ideas…even if I had no way of knowing where they would take me.

Then I had a really bad day yesterday.  I can not explain it, the day started out just fine, but something happened during yoga to make me feel just awful about myself, my practice, my physical body, my spiritual journey…the whole shooting match.  Then I went to the gym to work out on the elliptical and dance a little.  There was a trainer with someone in the program room, so I had to wait until afterward to get in there.  After over 90 minutes on the elliptical, my balance was off and I was not at my best.  By time I made my way home, I was miserable and down on myself.

I am feeling a little out of sorts. It happens.  I think I am bring tripped up by pride and ego, but I am not exactly sure how to let that go. Ironically, I have been listening to the song Pride by Syntax…it suits my mood lately and I had been looking for it since I heard it in the soundtrack for an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent this season.

I guess I am just trying to figure things out and it is harder than I imagined it would be.

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Tamalyn Dallal taught our Thursday night belly dance class. I was excited, because it was a small group and we were at Butterfly Yoga, which is sort of home turf for me.  After all, I am there five to six days a week for yoga and dance classes, so it feels very comfortable.  I was thrilled beyond words when Tamalyn complimented my hip slides and undulations.

Tomorrow, I will be attending the workshop in Clinton, it is part of her Back Roads America Tour.  I plan to drive over right after class at La Salsa.  I am thrilled that I will also be attending the Business of Bellydance and Adding Drama to Your Dance session on Sunday too.

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I had a great time at the Sarha Saeeda “Journey through Egypt” workshop in New Orleans last weekend.  I learned a lot, met some really nice women, reconnected with some others and had a blast.  No matter how many workshops I take, I am always looking forward to the next one.  I wish I could go to Mira Bets in Huntsville, but it is the same weekend as Share-A-Stitch in Nashville!

I decided to share a couple of photos that other people took at the workshop.  The first one is me dancing with Paige, who is too cute and so young!  If you follow my blog, the outfit should look familiar!  The second one is me bowing at Sahra’s feet after she presented me with my certificate of completion.

By the way, I am less than ten pounds from my goal weight!

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Today my little car finally rolled over 80,000 miles!  Sadly, I was not at the wheel to watch the odometer turn, it was a mechanic.  My brake light was coming on intermittently, so I popped by my favorite place, The Tire Depot on Lakeland.  It could have been something as minor as low brake fluid, but that was not my luck.  I ended up having to get all new brake pads and rotors.

Oh well, it was cheaper than a car payment!  I have never had a vehicle this long and I am actually sort of attached to it.  It has many merits, the most important of which is that I have owned it free and clear for a long time.  Plus, I am used to it and when little things happen, like smacking my mirror on a post, it is not a crisis moment.

I look forward to driving it down to New Orleans next weekend for the Journey through Egypt belly dance workshop.

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There is a chain of salvage stores in Mississippi called Hudson’s. Well, depending on which Hudson owns the store, it might be called Hudson’s Salvage, Hudson’s Treasure Hunt, or Dirt Cheap. They buy their stock mostly from insurance companies or other third parties, often after bankruptcy or corporate reorganization.  When I first moved to Mississippi, I really missed the shopping in Atlanta.  One day, I was traveling on the coast and saw a sign, “Macy’s stock now 70% off.” I wheeled in and had my first Hudson’s experience.

Hudson’s is very hit or miss.  If you do not like to search for your size or look over every garment for imperfections, this is not the store for you.  If you like bargains, it can be nirvana. I have gotten dance shoes, cocktail dresses, furniture, and even high end cookware there.  Right now, they have stock from Target, Tuesday Morning, and the Home Shopping Network among others. The problem is, you really have to look over what you buy.  They try to cut out tags, or at least mark through them with a laundry marker, so that no one will buy something there and try to return it to another store.

Anyway, I found some wrap tops that were perfect for belly dance at the store in Pearl.  Then, as I was walking out, I spotted some cute underpants.  The packaging had been torn and the brand Xhilaration marked out, but the tags and hangar said medium and they were in perfect condition, so I bought them.  As with virtually anything I buy at Hudson’s, I tossed them into the washer immediately.  When they came out of the dryer, I realized my critical mistake…they were a Children’s size M!  Only me, right?

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I had a strange thing happen the other day in dance class. I have told everyone about it, but I never wrote about it here and thought I should share. I was dancing in class and caught a glimpse of everyone in the mirror. For a split second I thought “what is my mother doing here” before I realized it was my own reflection. Despite the fact that my mom looked pretty good when she was my age, it sort of freaked me out a little.

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Well, since I last posted, I have finally performed two drum solos at two local restaurants.  I was able to do them for student night at Aladdin on Lakeland, then go with the girls to Petra Cafe in Ridgeland and do them all over again.  It was terrifying, but I can hardly wait until I have the opportunity to do it again.  I am a little chicken to post photos of me in costume here, but I did wear a beaded bra and belt…showing my belly was probably the scariest part of all!

I worked at ARTichoke on Friday and Saturday to help out Anne and Carmen.  Later that afternoon, I went by Old Navy for the big $12 Denim Sale and bought a couple of pairs of size 10 jeans.  Afterward, we went over to Mellow Mushroom and ate a Magical Mystery Tour pizza and Capri salad.  Well, my husband ate most of it, but I did have some.  Despite the pizza, I still lost weight for the week, because I was well within my allowed points.

Speaking of my weight, I did break the forty pound mark, I am officially down forty-three (43) pounds since July.  More exciting than that, or even the launch of the new Weight Watcher’s Momentum plan, was that Lisa came to the meeting!  I was in such a good mood, until I got home and logged my new weight into eTools.  I got a little pissy when they posted the following message on my progress page:

“Please note: You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in 1 week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how, or ask your Leader for ideas.”

GRRRRRR! I know it is just CYA stuff, but actually my weight loss since joining Weight Watchers averages out to 1.79 pounds per week, so it sort of made me mad.  Oh, well, I am still excited about my progress.

I used this afternoon to cook a big pot of pseudo gumbo and clean out our cabinets.  I am donating some canned/dry goods to Stewpot, but I am ashamed that so much had to be thrown away.  I also separated the stuff that is exclusively my husband’s…like the packaged Indian food, canned menudo, and anchovies.  My side has all of the weight watchers friendly stuff and ingredients for family meals.  It is a much better way for us to organize our stuff.  The limited space is probably a good thing, it should lead to less wastefulness.

So there you have it, all the news that is fit to print.

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I knew I would be handing out a lot of candy, so I decided to dress up and enjoy myself a little. I am actually wearing false eyelashes with rhinestones on them!  

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