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squeakyvalkyrie's quest for the jackalope - updated


squeakyvalkyrie

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Hello! I'm squeakyvalkyrie. I have been posting my challenges over in Adventures, but I'm feeling more like a Rebel lately. I'm a nerdy girl living in California's Bay Area with my partner Kermit and our three doggos. I'm a Hufflepuff, love Doctor Who and recently fell in love with Totoro. I also am a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA), which is a group that seeks to reenact the best part of the Middle Ages. 

 

This challenge I'm taking a different approach than I have in the past and questing after loot! I have been eyeing this resin skull from Etsy for a while now, so if I get at least 80% on this challenge, then it is all mine! If not, then I can try again next challenge.

 

image.png.b6a9fde4bceab328a59f54bd0d794273.png

 

I am so excited that we are finally moving into spring, getting up for work in the dark and then coming home from work in the dark has done a number on my mental health and motivation. Thankfully, it is getting lighter later and flowers are starting to bloom, so I am coming out of my seasonal depression. Kermit has been working swing shift since January, but should be going back to graveyard sometime this challenge. So things are looking up, I just need to be patient.

 

For this challenge I will focus on three areas: nutrition, fitness and creativity. I have been practicing Intermittent Fasting (IF) for the last year or so and have seen positive results, but with Kerm not being home in the evenings, I have let things slide and my eating has been getting less focused. So for this challenge there will be three parts for nutrition:

 

1. Stick to my Intermittent Fasting eating window of 11am to 7pm, six days a week (Sundays are a free pass)

2. Menu planning with each dinner including a vegetable, six days a week

3. Nerd fitness level 5 moving towards level 6 (Kerm has been doing keto lately, so carbs aren't really present in our house anymore anyway)

 

There are two parts to my fitness challenge. This is the part I struggle the most with so I am going to try to make it as easy as possible

 

1. NF Yoga every Tuesday after work.

2. NF Kettlebell workout every Thursday after work. Get garden beds filled with dirt by end of challenge.

 

Finally the creativity aspect. This one is somewhat harder to quantify. I have several things I want to get accomplished before the SCA tournament season begins at the end of this challenge. The goal here is to work on some part of at least one thing every day.

 

To Do List:

Finish dress, make one more with short sleeves make Kermit a new fighting tunic

Finish banner, attach to warstick

Paint lid for Kingsmen support box

Help Kermit with cotehardie, braise and hose, figure out shoes

Fix trailer, organize and pack

 

Hopefully I will be able to succeed this time. I will do my best to post here on weekdays to track my progress, but that is dependent on how busy work is. I will also be tracking my progress on a chart in a notebook. 

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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giphy.gif 

 

I'm new to the Rebel ranks as well! Just slid over from the Warriors last round. Hufflepuffs in the house!!! 💛

 

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Yesterday was good, I stayed within my eating window, meal planned the whole week's worth of dinners and went grocery shopping so I have everything I need to make it all happen. That was the regular routine at our house before Kerm got stuck on swing shift in January. It feels good to know what I need to do when I get home instead of just hoping there are leftovers still or hitting the taco truck next door.

 

All that took up most of my spoons and time before bed, but I did some graphic design at work that I'm counting as my creative time. Today will be the real test, yoga is scheduled for after work. I also need to pay rent and since I rent from my Aunt, that usually means a long hangout time while she fills me in on what's up with all my cousins and her chickens...

 

Image result for gif chickens

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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Just now, squeakyvalkyrie said:

 

This on my eventual project list! I love it!!!

 

Hahahaha me too! I first saw it on my snarky and nerdy cross stitch FB group! SO good

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Good thing it is zero week because I totally didn't do my yoga last night. Barely kept within my eating window, didn't cook my planned dinner and spent way too much time vegging out on the couch getting pupper snuggles. But, I paid rent and got all the updates on my cousins and whatnot. Also, brought home a bay tree my aunt bought and then didn't end up having space for. She is also starting a bunch of seeds and I can have whatever veggies she doesn't end up using in here garden. Good motivation to get my garden beds built!

 

This weekend will be a bunch of yard cleanup from the windstorm last weekend and getting things ready for spring. I can't wait until it is light enough when I get home during the week to get stuff done. I have lots of indoor projects to work on in the meantime. I'm hoping I'll have the spoons for finishing my banner tonight. After I make keto lasagna. I haven't tried this recipe, but I'm really hopeful it'll be delicious. I mean, cheese, pasta sauce and meat can't go bad, right?!?!

 

Image result for bad lasagna gif

  • Like 3

 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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On 2/10/2020 at 8:32 AM, squeakyvalkyrie said:

For this challenge I will focus on three areas: nutrition, fitness and creativity.


Very balanced and sensible. So you sew for your SCA? I have great respect for people who can make clothing. I admire the patience and precision of seamstresses in particular, because sewing involves a lot of steps that can't be rushed. 

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Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking

Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist

You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru

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18 minutes ago, Harriet said:


Very balanced and sensible. So you sew for your SCA? I have great respect for people who can make clothing. I admire the patience and precision of seamstresses in particular, because sewing involves a lot of steps that can't be rushed. 

Sewing is pretty much a necessity in the SCA. I had some basic knowledge when I started and I mostly rely on other people for pattern drafting. It isn't something I love, but it is something I can do. I'm getting better at it, which hopefully will help me like it more. 

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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21 hours ago, squeakyvalkyrie said:

Sewing is pretty much a necessity in the SCA. I had some basic knowledge when I started and I mostly rely on other people for pattern drafting. It isn't something I love, but it is something I can do. I'm getting better at it, which hopefully will help me like it more. 

I am so bad at pattern drafting. But I like the sewing part lol 

 

"Getting things ready for spring" ... what is... spring? we are having an impromptu snow storm + temperature drop here lol

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{Chase the wind and touch the sky; I will fly}

 

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59 minutes ago, Rookie said:

"Getting things ready for spring" ... what is... spring? we are having an impromptu snow storm + temperature drop here lol

 

I've never lived where it snowed. In Cali we are lucky if we get rain... It was in the 70s earlier this week.

 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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Keto lasagna turned out delicious. I'll definitely be making the "noodle" part as breadsticks. Still waiting on Kermit's review. It's mostly meat and cheese, so it couldn't really go too wrong. I was tempted to consider cooking as my creative time for the evening, but I did get some work on the banner done. Just not a lot. 

 

Today will be an IF test, I have a three hour long status meeting starting at 9. The conference room that it is in has hot coco and I'm a sucker. It is also way to easy to snack when people are talking endlessly about stuff that has nothing to do with my job. But I'm going to try to be good and make it to at least 11. Trying to psych myself up for my first kettlebell workout tonight, but my brain is trying to convince me we need to rearrange the furniture in the library first...

 

Image result for move furniature gif

  • Like 3

 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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I did it! I made it all the way to 11 before I broke into my trail mix. And I successfully avoided the hot chocolate. Some of my coworkers invited me out to lunch, which was spicy popcorn chicken and delicious! I figured out how I want to move the furniture around in the library and living room to give me enough space to have a workout area set up. So I'm going to do that tonight. Hopefully I can convince myself to do the workout as well...

  • Like 5

 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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Great goals! Hope you were able to get your workout in on Thursday. :) 

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I didn't do my Thursday workout. Yay for 0 week. I did spend the weekend cleaning and reorganizing the library so now I have a clear space for my yoga mats and workout stuff. So tomorrow I can do my yoga without having to dig out everything. I'm hoping this is the solution. When I worked out before, I did it early in the morning. I have no idea now how I managed that. I can hardly get up in time to make it to work anymore. Kermit goes back to nights and our routines equalize at the end of the month, so maybe then I will have an handle on things. 

 

My loot for getting the house cleaned before my parents get here this weekend is to make an 8-foot giant squid pillow. I got the fabric on Friday and the pattern all cut out and ready to go on my lunch break today. I really want to snuggle this guy, and to sew something not SCA related, so I should be able to stay on task with cleaning!

8-foot giant squid pillow. You’ll need: • 2 yards of felt • 1 yard of patterned fabric (I suggest a polka dot-type pattern so it looks like suction cups) • 1 medium piece of black felt, 1 medium piece of white felt (for the eyes) • white thread,...

 

Real talk, all this cleaning and sewing and trying to keep myself busy is really a distraction tactic. In July we adopted an 11 year old Boston Terrier named Bunker. He ended up having a pretty severe kidney infection, being in the doggo hospital for 4 days and costing us $8k within the first two weeks we had him. Now he is on subcutaneous fluids and a couple meds for life. For the last several months we have had no issues. Then, he stopped getting excited about his food, then refusing to eat. We think it is an issue with his teeth. So on Thursday he goes in to have them cleaned and a couple extracted. Putting him under for the surgery is risky because of his kidney issues. So I stressing out hardcore that something bad will happen to my little guy. Most likely, everything will be fine. 

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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Yesterday I hit all my goals. Good eating habits, got lots of cleaning done, worked on my squid pattern during lunch. I feel so much less anxiety at home when it is clean and decluttered. I'm hoping I can keep it this way for a while. I'm excited for yoga today, my back has been aching from all the furniture moving. I left a light on in the library so it won't be dark in there when I get home and my yoga mats are out and ready! I need to meal plan tonight and figure out what we're cooking this weekend when my parents come. 

 

This is our living room, the card catalog being in there instead of the library makes a big difference. I can put things away! I got the coffee table totally cleared last night. I'm loving the little plant so much I'm going to put a succulent garden in our mudroom so I can see happy plants as soon as I get home. (Bonus Olive photobomb!)

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  • Like 3

 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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9 minutes ago, squeakyvalkyrie said:

Yesterday I hit all my goals. Good eating habits, got lots of cleaning done, worked on my squid pattern during lunch. I feel so much less anxiety at home when it is clean and decluttered. I'm hoping I can keep it this way for a while. I'm excited for yoga today, my back has been aching from all the furniture moving. I left a light on in the library so it won't be dark in there when I get home and my yoga mats are out and ready! I need to meal plan tonight and figure out what we're cooking this weekend when my parents come. 

 

This is our living room, the card catalog being in there instead of the library makes a big difference. I can put things away! I got the coffee table totally cleared last night. I'm loving the little plant so much I'm going to put a succulent garden in our mudroom so I can see happy plants as soon as I get home. (Bonus Olive photobomb!)

86363163_204865504048577_1251098293715337216_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ohc=3UMXTz5TFgYAX-vFBpC&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=809b3e966fa7143788afb68f30b9fa15&oe=5EBAF48D

 

Very nice! Great job hitting all your goals. :) 

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1 hour ago, Rookie said:

Aw Bunker ❤️ Wishing good luck and jingles for him. 

 

PS. That squid pillow is amazing 😮 I want to see yours when it is done.

Thanks! I have three more rooms to clean, then I can start on Otto MacSquiddish!

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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I did the thing! Even though I got stuck at work late, I still did my yoga! Next time I need to feed the dogs first. They were very interested in why I was laying on the floor and not feeding them. Downward dog is still super hard for me, my calves are so tight. But I did it! I barely got to dinner before the end of my eating window, but I succeeded there too! And I got the house clean and started cutting out Otto. I have nothing to do when I get home but sew. Bunker went to the vet yesterday for his pre-surgery bloodwork... We haven't gotten the results back, but his blood pressure was better, which is something we have been struggling with. Tomorrow is surgery day...

 

Image result for it will be ok gif

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 halfling rogue ⋆ level 4

my challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6  my character  my quest

when it rains, look for rainbows; when it is dark, look for stars

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