Thoughts on a Saturday 12-7-2019

Beautiful World

Today has been a ‘fruit-basket-upset’ so far.

My husband reminded me that it was past time for me to check for operating system updates on my computer. I had to close down everything and start a download. It took FOREVER. THEN – it had to APPLY the updates to my computer.

While it worked, I cut up strawberries for my husband, got chili into the crock pot, vacuumed the first floor tiles, defurminated (a tool that thins her hair) the dog, took down Thanksgiving decorations, cleaned the kitchen….

Now, it’s afternoon and I haven’t had my coffee or started working at the computer!

I have to share that I sold a couple of hand-painted glass Christmas ornaments and a package of friendship greeting cards at the local shop in Greenwood yesterday!

I don’t know which two sold, but it makes me happy that someone liked them. :0)

We got to talk briefly with our son in Thailand this morning.  We tried to use the conference call program, but my computer was using up all our band width, downloading the system updates, so we’ll have to try that another time. He was doing well, and that’s the main thing.

Now that it’s afternoon, and I have JUST finished my morning cup of coffee, I’ll go fix our lunch and then try to get going on the computer again.

I hope that YOUR day is going well.

 

Thoughts on a Monday – Dec. 2, 2019

We woke up to super low water pressure this morning.  Since we live up on top of a ridge line (the water meter is 650+ feet down the hill to the north of the house) we have a booster pump and motor in the well house. This also controls the flow to the irrigation system.  My husband finally decided that the pump and/or the motor had failed. It took us a long time to get it unhooked and off the wall (getting soaked in the process.) I found the name of a guy in Fort Smith and called him, confirming that he would look at what we have and see if he can fix it.  My husband fixed things so we have water in the house, even though the pressure is down. We drove to Fort Smith, left the stuff with the man, and now we wait. Hopefully, he will be able to fix it. If not, he will call with prices for replacement pump and/or motor.

We ate at our favorite restaurant on the way home, The Dari in Greenwood. We had a hamburger steak and veggies. YUM! It made up for not eating anything until about 2 pm today, plus having to deal with difficult things first thing in the morning.

I am now trying to decide the way forward on listing my artwork for sale. Right now I have things listed on ArtFire and two shops on Etsy.  Every time I mention ArtFire, no one has heard of it. I’m wondering about opening more shops on Etsy and dropping ArtFire.  I’ll consider pros and cons and then make a decision after the holidays.

It’s mid afternoon and I have done anything yet – with the exception of helping with the water pump and motor.

I’m going to have a cup of coffee and see if I can regroup.

Hope YOUR day is going better than ours!

 

 

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 11-30-2019

Gianni Cino – Sussan Photography – via Penny Yaffe Krakow

I think this is the most wonderful photo of a giraffe I’ve ever seen. I could look at it all day.

It stormed early this morning, with lots of thunder, waking us up. Usually we don’t even know it rained, so this was a more serious storm than usual. No damage that we’ve found so far, and it is finally clearing off – after three straight raw, cold, rainy days. HOORAAAAAY!

I have a keto chili in the crock pot now, ready for us to enjoy tonight, from my Simply Keto book by Suzanne Ryan.  If I manage to get to my goal weight, it will be largely thanks to Suzanne and her delicious recipes that I can enjoy eating on my diet with food that my husband truly enjoys.

via Jennifer Ann Mitchell Carroll

I have almost 45 lbs off and about the same in inches at this point. I’m MUCH better than I was in the past and I feel healthier and more energetic. I look back with relief that I have finally taken the health of my husband and myself seriously, trying to get us – and keep us – as healthy as possible as we age.  I AM taking good steps with our diet and my exercise.

My “PLAN” today is to do my 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer, plus my half hour or so of yoga practice, PLUS not eat anything I’m not supposed to eat – things I have not done in the last few days. As my good friend, Marsha, says, though – “No promises – even between me and me.” 

I WILL get up to my art room this morning as soon as I finish babbling at you and finishing my coffee. The new colors of Unicorn Spit I ordered came yesterday. I have some earrings, a tote, and a journal cover started. (Did I mention I really LOVE to play with this stuff?)

Happy Saturday!

 

Thoughts on a Friday 11-29-2019

LoveThisPic

My two friends came over last night to help us celebrate Thanksgiving.

Due to my not paying enough attention, I noticed a label on the cute little turkey breast I was about to cook saying, “Cajun Style.” My husband and I are real wusses when it comes to hot and spicy, so this seemed like a huge problem. My husband went out to get another regular turkey breast while I rubbed off the ‘Cajun’ stuff as much as possible We defrosted the regular one when he returned and cooked both at the same time. I labeled each one carefully so that we could all try the Cajun as well as the regular. We all pronounced the Cajun good! There was a small ‘bite’ after you swallowed, but it was a NICE bite, if that makes sense.  My husband and I are looking forward to lots of turkey sandwiches!

We enjoyed our feast. It was great catching up. We had a lot of good conversation, hugs, and laughter. It had been a long time since I saw Nora, one of my good friends. We agreed to do better in the future. Life is too short and we love each other. My other friend is Carla, with whom I share the booth in the local shop in town. She reminded me that Christmas Honors is coming up, and so we’ll go together on Dec. 4th.

“Christmas Honors” is a  tradition honoring our veterans. People come together to volunteer to attach red bows to wreaths to put on each veteran’s grave in the Veterans Cemetery in Fort Smith.

This will be my third year to do this. There are around 18,000 wreaths on which we will attach red bows. So many people in our area have served our country, and it’s good to be able to do something to honor them.  There is a huge group of people who gather to do this. Lots of laughter and camaraderie as we work.

As I was typing this, I heard a noise coming from the dining area I couldn’t identify. I discovered Amber, our 94-pound yellow lab, licking the aluminum pie plate from last night. I looked at my husband. He had the grace to look a bit guilty. There had been two pieces of pie left last night, and both were now in my husband’s tummy….

I’m looking forward to spending time in my art room today. I’m still enjoying playing with the Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze. I bought some more colors on the net recently and look forward to expanding my play. :0)

I hope that you are enjoying your Friday.

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 11-23-2019

Jeff Jett

I love this picture. I want to pet this dog and hug him.

I have finished up some new things using the Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze and wanted to show them to you.

The Greenwood Arkansas Holiday Open House is tomorrow afternoon from 1 – 5. I’m volunteering to help in Rags & Roses, 100 North Main, the shop where I am sharing a booth with my good friend, Carla, doing whatever I can to make it go as smoothly as possible.  I’m looking forward to meeting people.  There will be food, Santa photos, a musician playing the guitar/fiddle/mandolin, door prizes, and lots of wonderful stuff to consider buying for the holidays. FUN!

I am now looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have asked a dear friend to eat with us.  My husband will be delighted to hear that she is bringing apple pie!  All thoughts of diet are thrown to the winds. We will gleefully chow down, filling our bellies with delicious stuff and enjoying catching up with my good friend I haven’t seen in far too long. :0)

I hope that you are doing something fun today, relaxing, and looking forward to the week ahead.

Thoughts on a Thursday 11-21-2019

Getty Images

I started my day with a glorious massage. I was still having problems from all the leaf mulching I did, even with pain gel and yoga, so it was especially appreciated today. My massage therapist, Lynn Moody, 479-629-7601, truly has a gift for finding sore spots and making them give in to her healing hands.

We’re having a Holiday Open House at Rags & Roses, the local shop where I’m sharing a booth with my friend, Carla.  The Open House is this coming Sunday from 1-5. The address is 100 North Main. There will be food, door prizes, photos with Santa, a musician who plays guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, plus all the nice things people are selling in the booths. I went today to make a contribution to the door prizes. Tomorrow I’m taking an assortment of the new wooden earrings I’ve made recently. They are for sale on ArtFire, too. If you would like to look at them, here they are – ArtFire.

We just had lunch and I’m about to head up to my art room to play. I’m planning to paint another journal, more note cards, a tote, and start more earrings – all with my Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze. I love that stuff!

It’s getting dark outside, looking like it’s about to pour. We’re supposed to get a lot of rain between now and the end of the day Friday, so it’s a great time to be inside.

Hope you are staying warm and dry, and that you have something to do that makes you smile.

 

Thoughts on a Monday 11-18-2019

Penny Yaffe Krakow – pic by Mary Madeline Botz

I finished the mulching yesterday and got things cleaned up. My poor body is really protesting, so I’ll take it easy for a couple of days before doing anything more out there. It’s amazing to me that I can get a bit tired by the end of several sessions, but don’t actual ‘feel’ it until that evening or the next morning. I plan to do my elliptical trainer and a session of yoga today, to help stretch things out.

I sang to my husband this morning – hence the cute picture of the doggie above. (I wasn’t nearly as cute, and my husband looked pained that I was singing. My husband, who is still being a curmudgeon about becoming a year older, grinned from ear to ear when he saw what I was doing this morning. The pineapple upside-down cake is in the oven as I type. Hopefully, I can make him smile several times today.

I’m waiting to hear from our friends on whether we are going bowling tonight and then for ice cream or not.

Since I was so ‘good’ working in the yard the past two days, I’m going to reward myself with time in my art room this afternoon.

Birthday – Bowling – Art Room – Pineapple Upside-Down Cake – Not bad for a Monday!

 

 

Thoughts on a Sunday 11-17-2019

Cindy Basnett Thurman

I finished raking and making mulch for 7 brick planters yesterday. My body is saying, “You thought you were 20, didn’t you. Haahahahaahahah.”  I’m hoping that we won’t get the predicted rain and that the temperature gets close to the 58 predicted so that – armed with my leaf blower, leaf mulcher, yellow plastic leaf-scooping ‘hands’, and a trash bag –  I can finish the other 5 planters this afternoon.

 

Unsplash

Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday. I want to do something special for him, but he ‘doesn’t want to talk about it.’ He says he is ‘too old to celebrate birthdays.’ I think I’ll surprise him with a pineapple upside down cake (one of his favorites) and see if I can make him grin…

I hope that YOUR Sunday is a nice one, too!

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 11-16-2019

Jeff Jett

I think one of the most important paths to happiness is REALIZING all you have. Today my main feeling is thankfulness.

I have a beef roast in the crock pot for tonight. I have a cup of coffee. Molly is resting comfortably at my feet as I type.

 

My husband is almost completely recovered from his stroke. (He still gets words garbled occasionally, but we smile at each other when that happens. He has to really work to use his keyboard on his computer. He still has bursts of anger, saying hurtful things, but the episodes are father apart. I’m avoiding triggers I know about, and talking to him calmly about the ones that do happen, making it clear that I don’t deserve it. Things are improving.

Our son is happy in Thailand. We are talking to him on the chat program almost daily, so it’s ALMOST like he is still here with us.  If a person figures out to send HUGS through a chat program, he or she will be a gazillionaire. :0)

Our weather is good, with a nice, sunny day. I’m hopeful it will warm up enough this afternoon that I can get outside. I want to rake and shred leaves, putting the mulch in our flower planters.

I have ideas rattling around in my brain on what I would like to do next in my art room. I’m even DREAMING about them! SO many fun things to play with!

 

 

Thoughts on a Thursday 11-14-2019

wildlife-photography-awards-www.boredpanda.com

We are having a balmy day today – bright sunshine at 56 degrees F. – can’t ask for more.

A happy thing happened yesterday. I received an email from ArtFire that I had an order!  A nice lady ordered one of my mosaic Christmas Bell ornaments. After I received an answer on which one she preferred, I packed it carefully and mailed it today.

Mosaic Bell Christmas Ornaments

I always go around with a silly grin on my face after I receive a sale. It’s the highest compliment there is. :0)

My big push for the day is to clean up our office. It exploded recently when I was doing a lot of new projects in my art room, then trying to get the new stuff on my websites, and then was trying to get my products together to put in my new “Blasing Bright” booth locally in the Rags & Roses shop in Greenwood.  Every flat surface is piled high with ‘stuff’ now. ANYTHING more added would result in instant avalanche.

SO – I have promised myself that I won’t do another thing – other than write a few blog posts – until I transform the area from a hard hat area to what could pass for a regular office….

Wish me luck?

 

 

Thoughts on a Tuesday 11-12-2019

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

This morning was an adventure.

I had trouble sleeping last night, and so was up until about 2 a.m. or so. At around 5 a.m. our power started going off and coming back on again right away, over and over. We would just drop off to sleep again with a sigh and off again, on again. We finally gave up trying to sleep and got up for the day at 6. One of the reasons we were more awake that usual at that hour is that our generator is supposed to come on automatically when our power fails, and it didn’t.

I fed animals while my husband went out to look at the generator. By the time he came back in, I had lit a fire in the fireplace, because it was quite cool in the house by then (less than 20 degrees F. outside) and the generator does not run our heat or air conditioning, managing to serve hot drinks and a bagel with cream cheese. My husband had tried to jump start the battery on the generator with our truck and the jumper cables, but that didn’t work, either.

We had to wait another hour or so for O’Reilly’s, the car place, to open. I went around finding battery-powered lanterns while my husband went to buy a new battery for the generator. We installed it and got the generator going. HOORAAAAY!  We went into the house to find the public power had finally come back on.

We let the generator run a bit, and then did the test it is supposed to be doing on a weekly basis before turning it off. We have NOW put it on our calendars the day and time the generator is supposed to test itself, so that we don’t miss it. Our insulation is so good now that we can’t hear it come on unless we have the doors open. We also put it on our ‘winter prep’ list to check when we bought the battery for the generator so that we can replace it, if needed, BEFORE something like this happens again.

Since this morning, I have been going around turning lights off. We turned many on while we didn’t have power – as a habit – and forgot to turn them off when nothing happened. We also had to go to ‘manual’ on getting our garage door up without power, and then had to figure out how to hook it up again so that we can push the button on our remote again.  We reset all the clocks, turning off the alarm that was still beeping upstairs, etc.

This goes to show how spoiled we are – how dependent on electricity we are – and how very LUCKY we are that this morning served as a wake up call to be SURE we are prepared before we get snowed in!

Thoughts on a Friday 11-8-2019

“October Flights” – Stesha and Lilya – Andy Seliverstoff

 

Summer is finally over here in Arkansas. I was beginning to wonder for a while if it would be perpetual!  It’s crisp and brisk, with a definite nip in the air this morning – at 37 degrees F. The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful fall day.

Today will be a happy day for me.

We will leave for Lunch Bunch soon – an every Friday brunch/lunch with good friends we’ve been enjoying for over 17 years now. The core bunch, Linda, Kay and I, has been expended to include my husband, and Kay’s recently, with others joining us from time to time, such as sons, daughters, grandchildren, and other good friends. It’s a time to catch up, share what has happened – or is going to happen, our hopes, dreams, failures, happy and sad things – knowing we support each other. A very special group that means the world to me.

When we return from Lunch Bunch, I’ll pack the truck again with things I’ll display in my good friend, Carla’s, booth in a local shop. We went together yesterday to look at things, bouncing ideas off each other, grabbing some supplies from a couple of places and finally sharing some tea and good conversation. I will pick her up this afternoon and we’ll go add my stuff to what is now OUR shop!  She has already paid the rental fee for November, so I’ll pay for December. I’ll share pics of the shop and some other details with you later.

When I come home again from adding to our shop, I’ll do my elliptical trainer and yoga for the day, chores around the house, etc., and catch up with my husband and our pets, enjoying a quiet evening together.

Happy day!  I hope that YOU enjoy one, too!

 

Thoughts on a Thursday 11-7-2019

Beautiful World

I have to admit I’m still very disappointed to have learned that the wonderful order – and payment – for 40 plaques turned out to be a fraud. I’m grateful that our only loss was the joy of such a wonderful order and the chance to fulfill it. We were very lucky.  I’m disappointed to have met someone who tried to hurt us. I always believe that people are good – until they show me they aren’t.

I’m very grateful to my husband, who – although believing the order was a scam from the first – offered to help me make plaques when I returned from the bank – before I told him that it was confirmed to be a scam. He’s definitely a keeper.

Since wonderful things can happen any time, my good friend Carla called yesterday to check on my husband and me – AND to make me an offer! She is renting a booth in one of our local shops and wanted to know if I wanted to bring some of my work to sell!  She also offered me the chance to go in 50/50 with her!  I’m thrilled. My husband and I are planning to visit the shop today and then I’ll call Carla back. They have a website, so I checked it out and found some really nice pictures and stellar reviews from people. I’m thinking that I will at least go 50/50 with her until the holidays are over, giving me a good chance to see if my work will sell or not. Isn’t life – and the friendship of dear people – amazing?!?

I finished listing my flat wooden Christmas ornaments on ArtFire. I’ll do another post to show you some of the ornaments. :0)

It’s raining again today, but it doesn’t seem like we received the downpours the weather people were forecasting.

Since my ego was smashed yesterday with the confirmation of the scam, I didn’t exercise at ALL, actually getting under my throw in my recliner and taking a nap. We went to get fried rice for dinner – a definite no-no for both of us, but SO delicious – AND I ate some ice cream before bed. Needless to say, my back and the scales were both letting me have it loudly this morning, so I will get back on the horse and be good again now that the pity party is finished. :0)

I hope that YOUR day today is full of good things, too.

 

Thoughts on a Wednesday 11-6-2019

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

It’s rainy here today. We are forecast to receive over 2 inches of rain by the end of the day tomorrow. Good thing we live on top of a ridge line.  I hope we don’t have flash flooding in the area.

It looks like the wonderful sale of all of the plaques I’ve painted with the Unicorn Spit is falling through. I met the customer on LinkedIn. He has said he has sent a money order, but says his administrative assistant made it out for a wrong amount, wanting me to send him the difference. Shrieks of scam. I’m really disappointed. I’ll have to refuse delivery on the money order. Bah Humbug.  It MAY still work out, but I won’t hold my breath.

I’m listing Christmas ornaments on ArtFire today.

Otherwise, we are hoping to enjoy a quiet day.

I hope you enjoy YOUR day, too.

 

 

Thoughts on a Tuesday 11-5-2019

Cheap Trip via Martha Kirkendall-Ghearing

Things sometimes happen fast.

Yesterday we stopped at the post office before going to my husband’s dental appointment. As we started to leave, my husband backed the Corvette into the back of a parked truck. After surveying the two vehicles, the nice man in the truck couldn’t find any damage and waved us off. Our Vette, however, was a different story. The right rear is smashed – and it’s fiberglass. After the dental appointment (which went well, even with the blood thinners, thank goodness) we drove back, stopping at our insurance agent’s office. We agreed to take the ‘Vette to a local repair shop for an estimate. We did that today – $3400+ damage. :0(  Thankfully, our deductible is $500, which we can scrounge up. We will take it in again when the repair shop gets the backlog of  “deer hits” cleared out. They’ll call us.

On further research, I have learned that depth perception can be affected by a stroke. My husband and I have talked about it and he has agreed to take things a bit more slowly, particularly when backing up, and give his senses more time to react. He really doesn’t like it when “I” drive, so maybe he’ll take this seriously.

Yesterday the only exercise I got was bowling last night with our good friends. We really enjoy catching up with them, getting some good exercise (whether or not we bowl well) and having ice cream – a real treat – afterwards.  I was creaky this morning, so I am doubly serious about getting my exercises in. I have finished my 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer and will soon go and do my equal session of yoga stretches.

Today is a truly gorgeous day – sunny and 70 degrees F. It just doesn’t get better than this. I’m hoping we get just a FEW more days like this…

I’m having fun in my art room. I have almost finished the 2nd group of 8 flat wooden Christmas ornaments painted with Unicorn Spit. I have the first 8 listed on ArtFire, offering to add a name and the year at no extra charge, and free shipping. As soon as I finish getting the rest listed, I’ll give you the URL of the page in case you’re interested.

A good friend of mine told me about a new app that offers reward points for your shopping. It’s called FETCH REWARDS. You shop, scan your receipts using the app and your phone, and then you can get gift cards and other stuff when you accumulate enough points. I think it’s a fun idea. If you’re interested, please Google it and see if it appeals to you.

Have a great rest of the day!

 

Thoughts on a Monday 11-4-2019

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

We are having a lovely fall day today!  Sunshine-y, 61 degrees, no rain. Can’t ask for more. :0)

I’ve told you about Tri-Hill Pest Control in Fort Smith AR before. Aldopho, their man, is outside now spraying around the house where he couldn’t because of rain when he was here recently. In addition to that, I received a bill from them I didn’t expect. I pay for the year, and had already sent in my payment for NEXT year, so this was unexpected. I called and talked to Jerry. He looked us up and told me that their new computer system had issued the invoice when it SHOULD have issued a CREDIT. Can’t get a better answer than that!

I also had made a note to call City Hall today regarding the Angel Tree they put up every year for Christmas. I just wanted to get a feel for when it would be up so that we could plan to go in, get an angel from the tree, and shop for goodies for a sweet child in our community. The lady I talked to was putting the tree up as she was talking to me! We’ll stop by tomorrow and choose a child. We alternate between a boy and and a girl each year. This time, I think we’ll choose a girl.

My scales continued to smirk this morning, showing another .2 lbs of lard gone. Infinitesimal – but “I” noticed. :0)  I’m hoping to break into another 5-pound territory by the end of the week. 

 

 

 

We leave for the dentist soon for the 2nd step in my husband’s implant. I’m a bit concerned about the fact that he’s on blood thinners, but everyone at our dentist’s office Wes Moore, DDS, in Fort Smith, is competent, so he is in good hands.  We’ll run errands and eat out on the way home.

I’m having great fun making flat wooden Christmas ornaments using the Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze. Here is one of them –

 

I’m going to personalize these with a name and the year. I’ve done 8 different ornaments so far, and will start the second group of 8 this afternoon, unless I run out of time.

We’re going bowling this evening with good, long-time friends. I always look forward to catching up with them. You would think that we would be getting reasonably good at the game by now, but NOOOOO! Each of us has a good night from time to time, but we’re pretty pathetic otherwise. We either celebrate or commiserate afterwards by getting ice cream at Braums. :0)  With my elliptical trainer, yoga, and bowling, this old lady will have a GOOD amount of exercise today.

I hope YOUR Monday is  pleasant – if not ENJOYABLE.

 

 

Thoughts on a Sunday 11-3-2019

Aussie Life-kookaburras

“Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,

That’s not a  monkey, that’s me. Ha. Ha.”

I love this photo. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually SEEN a kookaburra, much less a glorious whole ROW of them. I always think of the song we sang as children. (I’ve taken some liberties with the words in the lyrics above. WE sang it the way I’ve printed it, which skips two verses and moves the very last line to the first verse.)

I’m happy to report that my husband is doing fine now after his stroke in July. The sudden anger outbursts – apparently a common side effect of strokes – are MUCH fewer now. Though he glosses over the details of how to handle the fact he’s on blood thinners, I’M learning to pay closer attention and make sure things turn out the way they should. He has a dental appointment tomorrow. To give you an example of how he is ‘back,’ he took the Vette to the car wash this morning to clean it up so he can drive it to the dentist’s appointment tomorrow. (He and the dentist talk motorcycles, cars, guns, and such each time he goes.)

I’m also happy to tell you I broke new ground on my scales this morning! The scales actually SMIRKED at me, as we got into fresh, new, lower territory as I grinned back. I HOPE this continues, as I still have a lot of lard I’d like to shed.  Though it is much harder to lose the lard the older you get, I’m proving to myself that it IS possible.

A man contacted me yesterday, discussing buying 5 of my new Unicorn Spit plaques. He’s talking to friends today and is supposed to get back to me tomorrow.  He understands that these are one of a kind and that I cannot do exactly the same thing twice. Fingers – and all other appendages – are crossed. I’m working on flat wooden Christmas ornaments again today, seeing how they will turn out with this same wonderful paint.

The weather is beautiful, with a high in the low 60’s today! Gorgeous fall weather. I’ll try to get outside this afternoon and get a good amount of clean up of our planters done.

I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying this gorgeous Sunday – AND that you remembered to set your clocks back last night.

 

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 11-2-2019

Amanda Alma-Feel Free

Today started out pretty cold – 33 degrees. I finally went out to the garage to do 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer when the temperature reached 50. Now it’s 58 and practically balmy!  The freeze killed all the flowers in the planters around the yard, so the next several days I’ll be trying to clear out my planters in preparation for topping them out with mulch for the winter.

My husband loves pulled pork. I found a recipe he really likes, so I put a pork loin in the crock pot this morning. When it is cooked, he helps me shred it, each of us using two forks, until it’s the right consistency. We’ll have that tonight for dinner and divide up the rest if it into meal portions for him and freeze them. Usually we get about 8 meals from one pork loin.

An online friend just made my day. He is serving in Afghanistan and we have been chatting. He told me today that he used the photo of my “Believe” plaque as wallpaper for his computer!

The rest of my day will be spent –

• cleaning out ONE planter outside
• doing my daily yoga stretches session
• working on the flat wooden Christmas ornaments in my art room

I hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday, too.

*If you are in one of the states that practices Daylight Savings Time, tonight before you go to bed, turn your clocks BACK one hour!

 

Thoughts on a Thursday 10-31-2019

We got our freezing temperatures this morning. Thanks to the forewarning by our good weather people, we are good with no frozen water pipes. We don’t need the snow tires on the truck yet, but I’m still happy that we’re set if we need them. It’s 33 degrees F. right now with a breeze, so it’s a very good day to stay inside as much as possible. We have leftover chili for tonight and a nice, warm house, so we’re very lucky.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have such great memories of going trick-or-treating with a group of my friends. I don’t remember many of my costumes, but my mom wasn’t one to buy costumes from the store, telling my brother and me to use our imaginations. I really think that was a wonderful gift – a skill I’m still developing and enjoying. Back in the ‘good-old-days’ – a hundred years or so ago when we were trick-or-treating – there were vague warnings about watching out for razor blades in caramel apples, but that was all. My friends and I would gather and disappear into the night, giddy with the joy of being on our own to go to as many houses as possible to gather goodies. I loved it when people gave out home made cookies, or snickers bars, but was happy with whatever was given. We finally quit when we were too tired to go to even one more house, and essentially crawled back to our neighborhood and our various homes. Our deadline to be home was 9:00. Back then, my parents didn’t go through my candy, alert for bad stuff. If I happened to get a caramel apple, I gave it to my brother – not out of the goodness of my heart, particularly. He liked them and I didn’t. Simple as that. We already had full stomachs from eating while walking, but we snuck another few pieces before going to bed.

My favorite Halloween as an adult was when we lived in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in a neighborhood full of kids. My husband got into the spirit that year. We had taken our toddler son around earlier, so he was happily lying on the couch while we answered the door. My husband got on a wonderful, scary mask he had found. He put a pillow on his back and a burlap cover with a hole in it over his head. He really looked GREAT. The first kids came to the door. He opened it. They screamed and ran away without getting any candy. Then the word spread and I think the whole planet showed up at our door to see the ‘monster.’ I went out twice to load up the car with more candy during the evening.  Our son finally saw him, and was all upset, even when my husband took the mask off, and stomped on it on the floor. We ended up putting the mask away, in the top of a hall closet. Dad was back, so our son was happy again.

Now kids go to sponsored parties, or their parents follow them in cars as they trick-or-treat. They don’t know any different, so I hope they still have a blast on the holiday. I still remember how it used to be – before the world changed.

 

Jennifer Cleveland

Thoughts on a Wednesday 10-30-2019

Stefka K Foerster – LinkedIn

It’s cold (46 degrees F.) and rainy here today.  We did not get the freeze, but the low is forecast to be 29 tomorrow. BRRR! My husband drove down to get the mail, but we decided today was a GREAT day to stay inside.

Since my husband has asked a couple more times about when we’ll have the Keto Chili again, (Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto), I got the ingredients into the crock pot first thing this morning. Our son texted from Thailand, asking if I could give HIM the recipe. I took a pic of the page and sent it to him. :0)

Our wonderful bug man, Adolpho from Tri-Hill Pest Control of Fort Smith, came for our last spraying of the year this morning. Since it’s cold and rainy outside, he said he will come back next week to do the outside. I’ve told you before that we think this is a great company and our dogs vie for Adolpho’s attention.

I have decided that I need to be SURE to live at LEAST as long as my husband. He had to have an implant at the dentist’s office several months back. The new protocol is that they do the implant, wait several months and THEN do the x-rays and prep for the new tooth, and THEN insert the actual tooth at a third appointment. I’ve told you my husband had a stroke in July. He is now on blood thinners. He was going to agree to an appointment without telling the dentist’s office about his situation OR checking with our primary doctor. I have now contacted our primary, called the dentist’s office back to explain my husband’s situation so that NOW they will be prepared to handle any problems that might occur.  (I have told my husband that his wife is a pearl beyond price…)

This afternoon I plan to do more experimenting with Unicorn Spit in my art room. I’ve told you that this wonderful STUFF can be used on paper, wood, glass, ceramics, fabric and more. I’ve done the wooden plaques now. Next I’m going to see what happens with tote bags, glass Christmas ornaments, and flat wooden Christmas ornaments, and paper. Can you see me smiling even THINKING about my afternoon?

I’m delighted that my elliptical trainer time and yoga stretching time seem to be resulting in MUCH less pain, stiff joints, etc. This means a LOT at my age – 72 – so I’m really happy about this discovery.  I’m hoping that by the end of the year – or before – I can add something else to the daily exercise mix.

I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.

 

Thoughts on a Tuesday 10-29-2019

День Вдохновения- LinkedIn

It’s 47 degrees F. here today and rainy.

We’re supposed to have freezing temperatures tomorrow morning, so my husband and I have been dashing around trying to get house and vehicle prepared for this super-early phenomenon.

We –

• shut down our irrigation system that waters all the flowers in planters around the house. We had to pull hoses from the well house wall and plug the holes, light the pilot light in the well house, and plug in the thermostatically-controlled electric heater there, too.
• we unhooked hoses around the house and put styrofoam faucet covers on.
• we closed outside vents
• We lit the pilot light for the heating system in our shop.
• We changed the truck tires from the regular ones to snow tires
• We ran one of the riding mowers out of gas
• We turned on the humidifier systems in the basement and the attic for the house

We are mostly prepared now for the freeze. The silly thing is that, after all this rushing around, we’ll probably have a week of freezing temperatures and then it will warm back up again… I’ll wait to do the rest of the list until later.

I’m looking forward to playing in my art room this afternoon. I’m going to try the Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze on some glass Christmas ornaments I have and some flat wooden ornaments.

Because of the all-day rush to get ready for the freezes, I haven’t done my exercises in TWO DAYS. I’ll start today getting back into the groove with my elliptical trainer and then my yoga stretches.

I tried a new recipe for ‘Keto Fried Chicken’ by Makinze Gore of Delish.com last night. My husband pronounced it “Yummy!” so well enjoy eating this again.

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday, too!

 

 

Thoughts on a Sunday 10-27-2019

Slice of Life

Today when we were shopping for groceries, we saw families with big pumpkins in their shopping carts. Since we live on top of a ridgeline 650+feet up a steep driveway, we don’t get trick or treaters anymore. I love to see the delight on the children’s faces. I wish I could say we made wonderful jack-o-lanterns when our son was young and we were BURIED in so many trick or treaters we had to BUDGET to be able to pay for all the candy. Alas, I was lucky to manage the traditional jack-o-lantern without cutting off a finger or two. That’s why I truly love searching the net each year to see what the creative people are coming up with. I’m amazed at all the wonderful ideas and the amazing talent I find!

When checking our local weather website, I discovered that starting Wednesday of this coming week, we’ll have FREEZING temperatures each morning! My husband and I were out in the yard yesterday happily looking at some blooming roses, impatiens, and some clematis. It looks like they only have a few days left.

Because of the coming freezes, we got busy with our ‘Prep for Winter’ list. We have added to this list, starting many years ago, having learned the hard way that if we don’t pay attention and be proactive, we end up in a world of hurt with freezing pipes, etc. One year we lost the generator in the well house. We now have  a larger, propane powered generator that is much more reliable. When you live out in the sticks, you learn that you’ll be last in line when help is needed. The more you can take care of your own needs, the better.

So today we turned off our irrigation system that waters all the flowers around the house and on the deck. We unhooked and drained the system as much as possible. We pulled hoses out of the well house and plugged the holes in the brick for the winter. We plugged in a thermostat-controlled electric heater our there, plus lit the pilot light of the propane-powered heater that keeps our pipes from freezing. We then walked around the house, closing outside vents, unhooking hoses, and putting styrofoam faucet covers on the outside faucets. We unhooked the irrigation system hose for the veggie garden and wrapped the control in bubble wrap and a baggie with tape. We ran one of the ride-on mowers out of gas for storage. There is much more on the list, but we’ll handle those another day.

We had a nice texting chat with our son who is back home in Thailand. He is finally making progress on getting his hours straightened out, rather than being awake and asleep and hungry at the wrong times. He is back to morning exercise, meditation, and working with his partners.

I fixed the ‘keto chili’ by Suzanne Ryan of Simply Keto last night. My husband pronounce it “Delicious!” Went on to say, “I’ll be happy to eat this ANY time!” and finally, “Can we eat what’s left tomorrow night?”

I’m going to try to get reasonable pictures of the 5 plaques I painted with the Unicorn Spit stain/glaze and list them on ArtFire.

I’ll also make time for my elliptical trainer and my yoga practice.

I hope you’re having a wonderful, sunshine-y fall Sunday.

 

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 10-26-2019

Cheap Trip

Our weather is 53 degrees F. and raining, so it’s a great day to stay inside, feeling grateful for a warm, dry home. I put together a keto crock pot chili recipe (thanks to Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto)  so we can look forward to a nice comfort meal this evening.

I’m finishing the last plaque in the 5 plaque series using my new Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze kit sent to me by my wonderful sister-in-law and FRIEND, MaryLou. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving. I’m going to also try it on some glass Christmas ornaments I have, plus some flat wooden ornaments next. :0)

 

Since my body told me quite clearly Tuesday morning that it really NOTICED that I hadn’t exercised Monday, I’m actually finding it easier to work in my elliptical session and my yoga session daily. I don’t HAVE to do them at some particular time ( a SURE recipe for failure, since things always come up -giving me an excuse to skip it).  I do rest in-between the two sessions, but that’s the only limitation.

I’m doing 35 minutes on the elliptical trainer

Penn Fitness Warehouse

 

and 35-45 minutes on my yoga stretching

Why Kol

 

I’m enjoying book #38 “Concealed in Death” (of the 50 in the series so far) of J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) “In Death Series.” I make myself wait until the books come out in paperback and then read the whole series again before I give myself permission to read the newest one I’ve bought for my collection. Even though the main character, Eve Dallas, is a homicide cop, I find her, and all the people in her world, fascinating.  I feel extremely lucky to have found several favorite authors who allow me to dive into the worlds they create and live there awhile each day. :0)

 

I’m enjoying bouncing from exercise – to cooking – to playing in my art room – to reading – to taking dogs out – and back again today. I hope your Saturday is a satisfying one, too.

Thoughts on a Friday 10-25-2019

Animal’s Look

It’s cool (54 degrees F.) and raining today. I’m happy for the rain, but it’s a bit cool to dance in it.

We just got back from Lunch Bunch. Today we had almost more people than chairs for the group. It was wonderful. I’ve told you that the main group is Linda, Kay and me. We’ve met for Lunch Bunch every Friday for over 17 years now. Others have come and go. Some show up at various times, and the core remains the same. My husband was accepted as an honorary member several years ago. Now Kay’s husband is coming! Today our good friend Alice came, with one of her clients/friends. (Alice does professional machine quilting for scads of people). Conversation was lively and the service and food were good, as always, at the Pizza Barn, Greenwood AR.

Yesterday I finished the fourth plaque painted with Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze.

Today I’ll start the last in the series.

I found a nice keto chili recipe (Suzanne Ryan – Simply Keto) that I’ll try tomorrow.  :0)

I hope you’re staying warm, dry, and cozy today.

 

Thoughts on a Thursday 10-24-2019

Alma Maghakyan – LinkedIn – Imgend.com

I’m in awe of people who can create .gifs like this.  You can almost HEAR the rain!

I just came back from having a glorious massage by my therapist, Lynn Moody. She is so kind and caring, as well as a master at finding all the tight, sore spots, knots, etc. and making them go away. AHHHH! If you’re in the  Fort Smith/Greenwood/Hackett & surrounding area, call for an appointment. Her number is 479-629-7601. You’ll never stop thanking yourself.

I’m working on another wooden plaque using the Unicorn Spit stain/glaze. I think I’ll have it finished by the end of the day. I’ll take a pic to post here.

I will never be an exercise ‘enthusiast.’ I don’t look forward to it, and still have to be determined to make these sessions priorities on my daily to-do list. But I have to admit that I’m still shocked that my BODY told me it missed my exercise sessions on Monday, when our dogs got into a fight and my day was spent trying to tend to our smaller, elderly dog, Molly, instead of anything else. (She is stronger each day, is eating and drinking and able to go outside with me. Whew!) My BODY complained about my lack of exercise! I felt sore, stiff, and creaky Tuesday morning, and MUCH better after I did my NOW usual time of 35 minutes on the elliptical and 35 or so minutes of stretching yoga. So my attitude has changed from “SHOULD” to “NEED.” This is a sea change for me, and I’m pleased to recognize it.  So today is gloriously physical with massage, elliptical trainer, and yoga.

I’m looking for a good beef stew that fits my keto-macros needs and will be accepted by my husband, who truly loves traditional beef stew I’ve always made, full of potatoes, carrots, etc. I tried one recently while our son was still home. My husband ate one bowl, said, “hmmph” and wasn’t interested in eating more of it. Our son and I ate the rest, thinking it was really pretty good, but until I find one my HUSBAND determines is YUMMY, the hunt continues. I’ll get more serious about the hunt right away because our temperatures are dropping around here, and my husband is looking for comfort food.

I wish you a happy, healthy Thursday.

 

Thoughts on a Wednesday 10-23-2019

Wild and Wonderful

Isn’t she beautiful?

It’s 76 degrees F. and sunny today – a truly gorgeous fall day. I just opened up our front and back doors, giving us a delicious breeze wafting through the house.

As I told you in another post, Joshua came and made sure our geothermal system and thermostats are working as they should, so we’re feeling secure about the coming winter. (I called the company and told them that Joshua deserves a raise for truly wonderful service and for just being a really nice guy.) :0)

I did the first step in creating another plaque painted with Unicorn Spit. None of the steps takes long. I wait for what I do to dry, and then go up again and do the next step, over and over, until the piece is finished. Wonderful fun.

I’m on DAY 51 of daily yoga practice and DAY 36 of getting-serious-about-keto-macros.  I’m saying this even though I missed Monday exercise, except for bowling in the evening with friends. Our dogs got into a fight suddenly Monday morning.  Amber, our 94 pound yellow lab and Molly, our 25 pound elderly cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross were suddenly in a serious fight. Needless to say, Molly lost. I was really afraid we would lose Molly, but she rallied finally. She is recovering, eating, drinking, and going outside now. We have no clue what caused the fight, but I have insisted that my husband help me in trying to protect Molly now. (She is sleeping at my feet as I type)

So, when the crisis had eased Tuesday,  I did both my 35 minutes on the elliptical trainer and 35 minutes or so of yoga stretching. Tuesday morning my body felt old, stiff, and creaky. The exercising loosened me up. I’m beginning to BELIEVE that the daily exercising is just what I need, rather than just thinking I SHOULD, or that it would be good if I WOULD… Today my elliptical time seemed to go faster. I have my MP3 player and ear buds, and kind of zone out, enjoying the music as I walk. Some days I find myself saying, ‘another 5 minutes,’ over and over. Today I was pleasantly surprised that I still had some energy left in me when my time was up!’

I just finished my yoga session and I feel good. My body is ‘giving’ more in several of the stretches, making me feel I’m making progress. Tomorrow I’m looking forward to my monthly massage – AHHHH!

Our son made it back to Thailand safely – traveling for over 30 hours. He is still trying to straighten out his hours (imagine that!) but he’s settled again and is managing to go to the gym in his apartment complex each morning, and enjoyed dinner with friends. He’s a great communicator, so – other than his world-class hugs – it’s almost as if he were still here.

A lot for which to be thankful!

Thoughts on a Thursday 10-17-2019

We Love Earth

 

We got an early start to the day with a doctor appointment for my husband followed by a glorious, large keto breakfast (for me) with the addition of hash browns and toast and jelly for my husband at The Dari in Greenwood. We did errands on the way home, so we’re in for the day now.

I re-lost some poundage and am again ready to get into new territory on the scales – hopefully tomorrow. To date I’ve lost 43 pounds and 45 inches.

I’m on DAY 45 of daily yoga practice

Why Kol

and DAY 30 on the getting-serious-about-keto-macros eating plan.

The fact that my husband and son are saying, “YUMMY!” about our dinners (THANK YOU, Suzanne Ryan of Simply Keto), I’m finding it easier to make the substitutions desired while we all eat together. For example, I have roast beef and salad while they have corn or other more high carb veggie with the meal. Or they have rice while I have either zucchini noodles (Zoodles) or yellow Squash noodles (Yoodles) or Cauli-rice under a sauce of chicken chunks, onions, mushrooms, and cream of chicken/mushroom soup. (I have my substitutions ready to pop into the microwave from individual portion bags in the freezer.)

I love the Cronometer.com website. I have entered my macro (5% carbs, 25% protein, 70% fat) into their program. I can ‘play’ with what I’m going to eat for the day. If I find that I’m planning to eat something that will trash my efforts for the day, I can delete that and plug something else in BEFORE I mess up.

I finished my first experiment with Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze.  I have to say I had a BLAST playing with it and can’t wait to start another piece.

 

I finally harvested our onions from the garden. I still need to clean them up a bit more, and then I’ll put them in a large, stretchy, mesh bag and hang it in the pantry.

 

I hope that you are having a wonderful Thursday, too. :0)

 

 

Thoughts on a Tuesday 10-15-2019

We Love Earth

It’s not raining yet, but severe storms are forecast for us this afternoon. We scooted out the door this morning to avoid the worst of it while we did our errands. It only sprinkled on us a bit.  I’m hoping we just get a good bit of rain, rather than flying hairballs.

We put up a different mailbox decoration while we were out –

I added some Day-Glo orange paint to this one, so it shows up nicely when headlights hit it in the dark. :0)   Because of Columbus Day yesterday, the mail is being delivered later than usual.  We’ll check again after lunch sometime to see if we received anything.

I’m having a wonderful time playing in my art room, experimenting with the Unicorn Spit stain/glaze. I’m trying to use it on a wooden plaque we cut out years ago. I did the first layer yesterday. I’ll add a second layer today. I have no clue what I’m doing, but it’s exciting and fun.

Elliptical and yoga await later in the day. FIRST, I’ll play in my art room before I need to fix lunch. :0)

Have a glorious Tuesday!

 

Thoughts on a Monday – 10-14-2019

We Love Earth

 

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” –  Other than the history of our country, this ‘holiday’ means to US that we have no mail and the banks are not open today. I’m sad that has become yet another controversial subject.

I’m feeling spoiled that Mother Nature is smiling on us again today, giving us another beautiful, cool, sunshine-y day. I just took advantage of it a bit, pruning the roses I started to do several days ago and doing some general clean up of a flower bed or two.

I’ll do my elliptical trainer and my yoga practice today. Did I tell you that I’m FINALLY feeling a difference in my energy level and the way I MOVE since I’ve been doing both of these daily? Another week or two, and I’ll consider adding something else to the mix.

I’ll watch more YouTube demos on Unicorn Spit and then I’m PLANNING to get up to my art room this afternoon to start experimenting!

 

I hope Mother Nature is smiling on YOU, too, and that you have a wonderful day.

 

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 10-12-2019

Beautiful World

 

It’s 40 degrees F this morning and sunshine-y.

It’s too cool to have our doors open this morning, but I am REALLY enjoying the relief from our relentless summer here. It’s nice to NOT have a ‘heat index’. Somehow, knowing that makes me even hotter. I’m planning to work outside this afternoon, cleaning up around the tomato planters where I pulled out the plants a couple of days ago. I may have to throw on a sweatshirt!!!! Woo HOOOO!

It makes me a bit sad that in one week our son will be going back to Thailand. He came home at the end of July (27 hour trip with the flights and the layovers) to help us through the aftermath of my husband’s stroke.  There were lots of tests and decisions to be made. It was a super tense situation, but we finally got the information we needed and did what my husband would allow to avoid another stroke. The crisis is over. My husband is almost completely back to normal. It’s time for our son to get back to his life. I’m collecting lots of hugs (thank goodness he is super generous with them. We communicate almost daily when he’s halfway across the world. He set up a secure chat program we use, plus a conference call program we use from time to time so we can see each other. The only thing missing is his world class hugs. We are SO lucky.

 

I am still fighting with technology, but I’m happy to have two shops on Etsy now –

ArtworthyNoteCards –  hand-painted personalizable stationery, note cards, and greeting cards

TotablyYours  – hand-painted, one-of-a-kind tote bags

 

Amazon

 

I’ve admitted that I’m like a little kid when it comes to motivation to do things I would rather not. I’ve been giving myself gold stars on my desk calendar each day when I practice my yoga, do my elliptical trainer, or do a job in the yard that is drudgery, rather than fun. This week – if I stay on track today and tomorrow, will be a 15-star week!  It makes me happy to look at all the stars on the desk calendar, but I’m also FEELING better for the exercise – and that is really the point of it all.

If I can get my technical problems solved today, I’ll try to get up to my art room this afternoon. I have the BEST of all dilemmas – whether to experiment with my new crayon melting tools or experiment with my new Unicorn Spit stain/glaze kit my wonderful SIL sent me.  :0)

 

 

I hope that you are enjoying YOUR Saturday, whether it is with relaxation or fun.

 

Thoughts on A Thursday 10-10-2019

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

Right now it’s pretty pleasant outside. This evening we’re due for possible severe storms (wind, rain, hail, lightning, and flying hairballs) so I’m enjoying the weather while I can. Last week was summer, with the a/c on. Tomorrow, the lows are supposed to be in the 30’s!!

We just got back from Lunch Bunch – usually this is on Fridays, but one of our group is having a yard sale starting tomorrow, so went went today, instead. Everyone was good and all appendages are crossed (including my eyes) for ONLY cold and not rain, for her yard sale tomorrow and Saturday.

I’m going to go out as soon as I finish this – and my cup of coffee – to take down our tomato plants, clean up the planters, weed whack around them, etc. There are no green tomatoes, so it’s time. We’ve had a good season this year in spite of the weirdness of the weather. For the first time ever, I was able to only to eat all the head lettuce we personally wanted, but could share with our friends. We also shared tomatoes, radishes, and leaf lettuce. It was too hot to start seeds for a fall garden in my greenhouse and I didn’t find any fall veggie plants for sale, so I’m not plotting and planning what I want to do for the spring.

We may have the cold snap tomorrow, but we usually have it warm up again to fall-like weather, so we won’t stop the irrigation system. My husband is hoping he’ll only have to mow once or twice more….

So – this afternoon the plan is to get rid of the tomato plants, do my elliptical trainer, and do a session of yoga. I would also like to get up to my art room. The big dilemma is whether to play with my new crayon melter tools or my new Unicorn Spit Stain/Glass first. :0)