ALTERNATIVES to Feeding My Face

Keeping my hands busy working on a project, stops me from feeding my face.  Crafting and DIY-ing, are my all-time favorites.

Crocheting is great.  I didn't say I'm great at it, but I love doing it! I've managed to make afghans and throws for babies and adults, scarves (straight and infinity), and head/ear warmers.  That's about it.  Nothing fancy -- no sweaters or hats, not yet anyway.  I love the colors and sizes of the various yarns -- chunky may be my fave.  It's great to engage in a night of crocheting, sans food.  It means I've moved toward completion of a gift, or something for myself, without "moving" food down my throat. That's a good thing!  

I belong to a small group called the "Crafty Bitches."  Truth is, sometimes we craft, sometimes we bitch, sometimes we do both. It's great just to sit with some friends, talking and crocheting, most of all laughing.  We made a pact when we started the group, years ago, that no food would be consumed when we met, and with very few exceptions, we've stuck to our plan.  Yea, us!

Last year, I decided I wanted to learn to quilt.  NOT hand-quilting.  Let's not get carried away.  I have an ancient sewing machine that's heavy, and pretty much dead; so, I bought an inexpensive machine that came with a video (awesome bonus), and I was off and running. God Bless YouTube!  I started with a rag quilt; couldn't be easier. To date, I've made five -- all for babies.  One is an "I Spy" quilt (You know, I Spy a truck, I Spy a butterfly, I Spy...).  I'm working on it now for a friend's grandson. I'll send it with a list of things the child can find on it -- pretty cool. There's no way I can, or would, eat while doing this; I wouldn't want to ruin it. 

In November of this year, I decided to learn beading. While shopping, I almost always end up looking for a bargain in the jewelry section, particularly bracelets and earrings.  I can do this! ...and so it always begins. Again, what would I do without YouTube? I made bracelets and earrings for the masses; wrapped them up, and voila, Christmas presents. Unless they were pulling my leg, the jewelry was a big hit.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but I kept it simple, and with the right colors and a touch of bling, I created jewelry that would rival Tiffany's! O.K., that's totally untrue; but, they were pretty good and fun to do.  Most importantly, I couldn't eat and bead, lest I devour an earring or two.  

Beading, crocheting, and quilting, are projects that have helped to keep me OUT of the kitchen.  I can thank them for assisting me in managing my numbers.  I can attest that "crafting helps to keep diabetes under control."   :)

Seriously, I hope that you can see there's some truth to what I'm saying. There's lots more in the realm of crafting and DIY-ing that I'll discuss in future posts; relating it to the control of my diabetes, of course.

Soon, I'll be moving my blog to WordPress. At that point, I'll add photos -- I know you can't wait!!! :)  Keep tuned, folks.  I'll let you know when the moving trucks arrive.

In the meantime, this Dedicated Diabetic is hoping that you're staying on track towards a healthy lifestyle.