DIY Ironing Board Re-cover

I love my ironing board. I actually use it and it makes my clothes look fantastic but I don't love it when I can't take a picture of a tutorial I'm working on and have a nasty looking cover to accompany pictures. It just doesn't look right. 

Exhibit A: 

And here, against my better judgement is proof of what I mean when I say "a nasty looking cover": 

Ugh, so embarrassing! But, hey, I'm human and not prone to sudden urges to tackle awkward issues such as these. Enter in the clearance fabric section of Walmart and I had a light bulb moment. For $2.50 worth of material (that's 2 1/2 yards of material) and some binding tape that Granny gave me I tackled this issue. 

Here's the material that caught my eye: 

This ditsy little print was actually kinda cute and out of my norm. I figured it was perfect. Only prob was that it was thin. That light bulb flickered again and said, "Just keep the material folded!" That made sense. 

Now, before I begin note that not all ironing board covers are the same. Mine has a sewn in elastic band which was held in with binding tape. All I took apart was the binding tape and elastic band and the nose. 

So I laid the fabric out, laid the cover face down on the material and pinned it down solid. 

Zig-zag stitch your way around it. 

Cut off the access material. (And snap a quick picture of Charlie who was loving this project and the scraps which he claimed as his from the other cats!)

I then cut out a matching tongue part which hugs the nose of the ironing board, sew right sides together then flip out. 

Next, use the binding tape (Thanks, Granny!) and stitch your way around the entire cover. Be sure to follow the directions on the package!

Once you have the first seam done then you're going to flip right side out and stuff the elastic cord into the binding before pinning down. Stitch it all the way around again and you're done! 

Put that bad boy on and get to work ironing whatever clothes are stacked up around it. 

Since we're at the end, I have a few more pictures of Charlie that I took during. He was quite the little helper. I've never been able to work on any projects like this before and get to enjoy him getting a kick out of it and getting to snuggle up mid-project. 

He's checking it all out. 

He wanted the backs of his ears scratched. Little Love Muffin Man that he is. 

How can you not love that face? He's the apple of my eye. 

This is a first. He laid right down on my project and I'm so in love with this little baby I let him stay. 

So...in a nut shell this wasn't the easiest project that I've ever tackled but it only took me a couple of hours tops (and that's including me starting dinner and walking away and doing something else in the middle of it.)

Hope this inspires you! 

Hugs,
A. 

DIY Travel Size Bath Mat

Working out at lunch means a quick shower is necessary unless you don't care about smelling sweaty the rest of the day and possibly offending someone with any B.O. I care, though. My southern roots forbid me to go back to work smelling like a sweaty swipe of deoderant. (Yeah, I can tell when someone is trying to mask the smell of sweat with copious amounts of "Smell Purdy.")

I tried using the paper towels from the bathroom as something to stand on but it wasn't enough. I like to stand on something absorbent but at the same time- not take up too much space in my gym bag. 

So a coworker, Mrs. P., and I were talking and it clicked- a smaller version of a bathmat but cute at the same time. Thankfully I like to buy cute material with nothing in mind to make other than to just have it. (Yes, I have moments like that, don't judge.) :)

Materials you will need: 
1 Old Towel
Cute coordinating material 
Scissors
Straight Pins
Sewing Machine
Binding Tape or Grosgrain Ribbon (for tie)

Step One: 
Cut towel and coordinating material to size. 



Step Two: 
Place coordinating material wrong side up on towel and pin along the edges, sew around. (think pillow case) Make sure to leave a hole so that you can turn it right side out. 

Three: 
Turn right side out and hand stitch open spot closed. Just a simple stitch will do- it doesn't have to be fancy. 

Step Four: 
Pin edges together, making sure that the seam is flat and smooth, Stitch around again, this time make sure that it's just beyond the raw edges of the material and towel. Doing this will ensure that the towel will not unravel anymore. Low friction = Low unravel.

Step Five: 
Fold up the towel how you would. (This is after all your mat- you're free to roll up however you want.) Make a note if having a tie would be helpful and where it would need to be and sew a simple square onto that spot. Side note: I used a scrap of binding tape I had left over and just stitched it close.

Easy- peasy! You're done. Happy Workout! (And Happy Feet after a shower.) 

Hugs,
A. 

You know, what? I really like those "Relatables." We've all seen them and they cover all areas. I like random thoughts, personally. Not one specific subject by a wide array. Here's my first one: 

Hugs,

A.

Plant City Strawberry Festival Pie- my own little tribute

In a few days the Plant City Strawberry Festival is going to open. Lemme tell ya- I can't wait! The strawberries, the music, the fun, the livestock, and the shows. It's a blast. 

I definitely appreciate all of these Strawberry Farmers that bust their hump to get these acres after acres of sweet, red berries picked and ready for market. They work hard. They have long hours and I would say a thankless job. So many people that I work with look at a couple of us Plant City-ites with really strange expressions when we praise the Farmers. It's not just strawberries. It's squash, tomatoes, onions, cantaloupes, blueberries, etc. The list goes on. We praise them because that's what has made this town our home. 

They fight the weather- pray for rain and sunshine and some cold weather to sweeten the berries. They pray that the skies will open up when it's as dry as a cotton ball. They raise their kids on the land and have hired help that is as loyal as if they were blood relatives. 

When the weather has been super cold here, I've awakened at 2- 3 am and peeked outside, checking on the fields myself. It's not like I'd be able to do anything but their livelihood is at stake and I want them to make it. I would see the plants covered in ice; trucks driving up and down and putting their spotlights on every square foot to make sure that every plant is covered in that protective layer. 

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know the farmer that works the land across the street. I'm shy in that manner. I've seen him plant crops year after year and seems to be doing fairly well. I'm proud for him. 

I take pride in this town. For it's size makes me feel as though not only do I have a home here, it is an all encompassing home. It doesn't take long for people to recognize one another. Manners are still important. There are new businesses coming in but the smaller businesses are my favorite. I want them to make it. I really do. 

Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to start a family here. We'll see. 

Okay, enough of being all sappy. 

I'm trying to share a 3 ingredient pie that is so easy it's almost criminal. Even D loved it and that's pretty impressive. He's never asked for anything with strawberries except Strawberry Shortcake- let's see if this may become a requested dessert!

Ashley's Chocolate Fudge Strawberry Pie:

Ingredients: 
1 Chocolate Pie Crust (go ahead and cheat, ready made is just fine!)
1 Pint of strawberries
2 boxes of Chocolate Fudge Jell-o pudding

Next, wash the strawberries and trim the green parts off and trim them all to the same size (yeah, that's just slices of strawberries that you get to eat- enjoy!) Place the strawberries cut side down on the crust. 

Next- prepare the pudding. I wanted mine super rich and used 3 cups of milk instead of the 4 cups. And just glop it on top of the strawberries and chill. It didn't take long at all. I was "testing" it within the hour. You know how it is- you have to make sure it's edible. And oh my, it was!

Garnish my tush- that little berry was mine! It didn't have a chance. Yummy! 

Maybe next time the cool whip will make it on top before being scarfed. But really, it was so rich as it was that any more sweetness would have made it not what I was looking for. 

Next up, traditional strawberry shortcake? Maybe, we'll see where this week leads. Today was nuts at work. I'm not promising anything. 

Hugs,

A. 

Weight Loss Update

Hi everyone! I know, I go a month without a darn thing and then I get some time and go bananas on posting. Frustrating, I know, trust me- I irritate myself with it. 

So I almost gave up on ever trying to jog. Seriously. I was ready to throw in the towel. Then I said "One more try." What a difference. I'm so happy I didn't give up. 

See, I asked a coworker for help. He's someone that is approachable and easy to talk to. Great sense of humor. And people trust him. 

He actually gave up one of his lunch breaks to help me out- how generous is that!? We met at the gym (I was waiting on him. See, if he has to wait on you, he makes you do pus ups, I'm not about to do push ups, I detest them.) 

He first started out all about the right stretches. Surprise- I was doing that wrong. He got me to do stretches for the entire body. I still forget one every now and then again but I'm still working at it. I stretch my entire body- from head to toe. One tip? Go slow and easy- don't over stretch. Just stretch until you feel it and then hold it for a few seconds and slowly return to normal. 

Next, we went outside. Yup, outside- no treadmill. A treadmill is doing the running for you. He said that running outside is like doing twice the distance of a treadmill. I'd say so! 

My form was awful. He got me to ease into jogging. Basically, it's like you're walking fast. My stride is super short (short legs = short stride.) 

What is your normal walking like? How far does your gait extend? For me, not far at all. So we were walking and when he said speed it up, I did what everyone else would do- my stride lengthened. He stopped me. Bad, Ashley. He told me that I should just turn over my footsteps more. Not lengthen my stride, just go- faster. 

So I started going faster until I was jogging. He said that I should be able to talk a little bit. As I should have been able to but I was giving him one word answers. That's all I was able to get out of myself right then. 

He also taught me a breathing technique- try breathing in and out of your nose. Harder than it seems, really. Or if I must, breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. I'm still getting the hang of it. 

After jogging, stretch again. Same stretches or at least what is normally sore- my legs. 

This past Saturday, February 23rd, I, Ashley was able to job for 2.5 minutes at a time. I jogged for a total of 10 minutes out of 30. I was smiling after doing all of that- I'm doing it! (This is when I was only able to do it for 1 minute at a time and was in pain.)

Hardy was right, "Listen to what your heart is telling you, not what your body is. Your heart is telling you that you want to keep going while your body is telling you that it hurts and to stop. The pain is temporary- listen to your heart." 

I'm so glad I listened. I'm so proud of myself. 

Thank you, Hardy,

A. 

Coupon Clipping

I hate cutting coupons. There I said it. Go ahead and beat me with a wet noodle. Rarely do I ever find one that I even need. My weekly purchases rarely change. (Plus I refuse to go buy more newspapers than I know what to do with and clip everything out and put it into a binder.) My time is more precious these days, thankyouverymuch. 

Snotty? Yeah, I'll give you that much. 

But wait- there's more. If you are anywhere in the Southeast and there is a Publix around you, starting March 15th (-ish, I think) all stores will take digital coupons. Yup- no clipping. How awesome!

I'm always at their site anyways refilling Rxs so it's a no-brainer to take them up on this. 

Just go to Publix.com/coupons and sign up or sign in and start saving. All you need to remember is your phone number. You'll enter that into the pin pad and it'll do the rest for you. 

Pretty nifty, huh? This little guy was too cute not to have his picture taken...

Yeah, I think so, too. 

Hugs,

A. 

P.S. Publix doesn't bribe or entice me in any way to do this kind of stuff. I do it on my own. In fact, I shop everywhere- Produce stands, Winn-Dixie, Sweetbay, Whole Foods. Everyone gets a few of my pesos. 

Weight Loss Diary- just dropping in..

I had a doctor's appointment this morning for a yearly physical, etc. and I wanted to share my happy news. I've lost 7 pounds since my last visit with them (no, it hasn't been a year! lol.) 

This number is derived from my last visit to them to this visit. I don't do regular weigh-ins. I can't, it's too frustrating and just to see that it dropped 7 on their scale was enough for me. 

This was of course taking into consideration holidays and getting sick and knocking me out of commission. (It irks me to no end to get sick but sometimes it's beyond my control.)

Now that I'm on antibiotics, I'm hoping taking it easy this weekend will give me a jump start to a better week next week. Last week stunk with working really long hours and being sick- the gym just was gonna have to wait. But now...now, the gym is mine. I'm so determined to be back into a bathing suit this summer. Even if I don't go to a pool or the beach, just knowing that I could and not be so self-conscious would be enough for me!

I just have to get back in my zone and I'll see the weight start melting. I'm. So. Stinkin'. Ecstatic!

Here are a few changes I've already seen myself:

I have kneecaps again. Seriously. I can see an actual kneecap where it's supposed to be instead of what looked like an elephant's leg before. 

My panties are baggin'! It's weird to say it but it's a milestone none the less. 

My nice trouser jeans are too big, I have to wear a belt. I love having to wear a belt. It's fantastic. 

Little changes are making it worth it. I'd rather do it this way than being given an easy way out. 

Have a good one!

Hugs, 

A.