I’m so proud to display the 8 x 11 prints of these original sketches by Bethany Kerr. Delight your child or grandchild, put them up for a giggle or two in your office, decorate your classroom, give them as gifts to friends who appreciate intelligent, creative artwork!
Filed under Decorating Ideas, drawings
The high carb or high sugar foods have been boxed up to give to the local food pantry or relegated to the lower shelves where ‘out of sight – out of mind’ reigns. I threw away a lot of half-used things from the pantry and the fridge. I went through all the containers to make sure all was good and then wiped down all the shelves with Clorox Clean-up.
My husband feeds the dogs twice a day, and his only request was that I keep the shelves clear where he is working with the dogs and bowls. Otherwise, he just said, “Wow! You’re getting serious, aren’t you?” when I was about half way finished.
All is clean and reorganized now so that I can find the ingredients I need to make our low carb, low or sugar-free meals. I’m going to be trying to find recipes for the condiments we use most often if I cannot find good sugar-free alternatives.
Tomorrow I’ll start on the other side of the panty where we keep supplies. Right now it looks as if a bomb went off somewhere near… :0)
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, Housekeeping - Maintenance
Thanks to Evie Zimmerman, trendingly.com
Filed under Grin for the Day, lost in translation
The Spadina Monologues – WordPress.com
I’ve spent about an hour so far in our pantry. I’m making progress, but it’s VERRRRRRY slow. Thus far, I’ve discovered that
It’s a very good thing that I’m not on a strict schedule for completing this job. I’ll do hour+ sessions, resting in-between, until I’ve finished.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, Housekeeping - Maintenance
s-media-cache-ako.pinimg.com via Cathy Ruggiero
Isn’t this picture WONDERFUL? This is just how I feel this morning. The front came through late last night/early this morning. Yesterday the high was 91. Today it’s supposed to be 71. AHHHHHH!
I’m happily wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt as I type. The doors are open, front and back, airing out the house. We may actually have to close a door if it gets TOO cool. How great is that!!!!
Since working outside may not be an option, at least until later in the day, I’m going to dive head-first into our pantry and see what good I can do. Since my husband is serious now about trying to avoid sugar, or things he eats that cause his body to MAKE sugar, I’m going to get together a huge group of things to go to the local food pantry. (When we had our home built almost 30 years ago, we devoted the room off the kitchen to be a walk-in pantry. We have huge, heavy-duty built-in shelves going from wall to wall with a place for a 2nd fridge. We live on top of a ridge line. Sometimes we get snowed in up here and can’t get down – or back up – our STEEP driveway until the snow and ice melts – once for 14 days without power or public water.)
If you don’t hear from me, I probably got buried in there.
cliparting.com
Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, Housekeeping - Maintenance
I found this recipe for “The World’s Best Barbeque Sauce (Sugar Free)” on the net. It’s by A Real Food Lover
(makes 2 cups)
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
NOTES:
This keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge and also freezes very well. If you eat as much meat as we do, it won’t last you that long.
COMMENTS: (mine)
Since we are wimps when it comes to lots of spices or any idea of what we consider ‘hot,’ I used maybe 1/4 tsp regular chili powder, and didn’t have the chipotle chili power at all. I used 1/2 tsp of Truvia, rather than the Stevia, just because I had that. I used Kerry Gold butter, and Swanson chicken stock.
My husband was skeptical, but got interested as he smelled the simmering sauce. :0) We ate it on our servings of pork loin. I waited to hear what my husband thought. He said it wasn’t the best BBQ sauce he ever ate, but that it was GOOD – and that he was delighted he could still have BBQ sauce even though he’s watching his sugar. HOORAY!
Filed under DIET!
These are 8 x 11 prints of clever and creative original sketches by Bethany Kerr of Creative Artworks.
See all the artwork of Bethany Kerr on Creative Artworks!
Filed under Decorating Ideas
J.M. Barrie-Peter Pan via Encurious.com via Melissa A. Eastman
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Reading is FUNdamental
I found the following recipe on Facebook. My husband hasn’t stopped raving about it.
PORK LOIN ROAST IN CROCK POT
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
NOTES:
COMMENTS:
My husband was really enthusiastic about this. He said it was “YUMMY” a couple of times while eating it, and then at least a couple of times the next day. We ate another batch for another meal, and he wanted to put BBQ sauce on it, saying it reminded him of pulled pork – one of his favorite things. We didn’t have any sugar-free BBQ sauce, so I made a bit of gravy. (I found a recipe for sugar-free BBQ sauce I’m making today. Will let you know how things went later.) I think the rest of this will freeze nicely for us to enjoy at another time.
Filed under DIET!
reddit.com
Miguel Marquez Outside.com
reddit.com
Thanks to Emily Davis, trendingly.com
Filed under Creativity, Grin for the Day
yourellipticals.com
Yesterday I did pretty well on getting my body moving. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer in the garage. (I took it easy because I had sore muscles from helping my husband put up another raised bed planter in the garden the day before. ) This low impact exercise is good for me because it’s easy on my joints and encourages range of motion.
AskTheTrainer.com
I had my first session with my exercise ball. It was pretty pathetic. I kept trying – but failed – to quit picturing myself trying to use this new tool. I had as much or more trouble getting ON the ball in the right position without falling off as I did trying to do whatever the exercise was. I wallowed a lot, but persevered. The biggest problem was when my husband came in, took one look at me and laughed. (GRRRR!) I then offered to share my workout with him and he left. :0)
I have a few sore muscles this morning, having used different ones that I apparently do doing ANYTHING else. I figure, though, that my TRYING to do each of the exercises will result – eventually – in improvement. To say I have a long way to go is a vast understatement, but I AM moving.
The combination of the elliptical and the exercise ball seems to be a good one. I’ll try to do this a couple of times per week. The alternate days I’ll try to concentrate on my strength exercises with weights and stretching.
I’m trying to take breaks from whatever else I’m doing and MOVE – either exercising or walking out to the garden, or….
Wish me luck. I’m lucky enough to continue to get older each day so far. I’d LIKE to think I’m getting better than I’ve been in a long time.
taolife.com
pinterest.com
We are in a bit of disarray around here as we put an emphasis on “sugar-free” for my husband’s efforts to control his sugar and my low carb efforts to get my lard off. Eating and sleeping patterns are new, resulting in HIS losing weight and MY gaining. :0(
SO – as we search and scramble – the result has been a bit of exhaustion around here, wacky meals and wackier hours – so less emphasis on getting the lard off and a LOT on getting our act together for the long run. The healthier we can get, the better. As I’m fond of him, I want my husband to last as long as possible – AND feel good doing it. We’ll take each day at a time, concentrate on what we’re learning to do right and building new healthy habits.
If you’re having similar challenges, I hope you’re finding the help you need and are making steady progress toward your goals.
One meal at a time.
popsugar
I’ve just now done two exercises on my new exercise ball. There are many more than that, but I would like to live to see tomorrow, so I stopped at that, breathing very heavily. I did 15 crunches, and 15 stretches to the side (kind of side crunches) on each side.
My main feeling is that I REALLY NEED THIS.
I have as much trouble getting into position on the ball without falling off as I do trying to do the exercise. I’m not even sure I have ANY core muscles, as hard as this was for me, and I really have to work to maintain my balance. Happily, if I DO fall off the ball, it’s only about 16 inches…
I breathed hard for several minutes, realizing that – for me – this is an aerobic exercise, too.
I left the ball on my mat in the middle of the living room, intending to try to do a couple more of the exercises in a few minutes.
My husband describes what I’m trying to do in a vulgar way – “It’s like a monkey trying to ____ a football.” It’s his Marine Corps training. He was laughing like a hyena when he said it… :0( He can’t help it.
SO – so far I’m
There are about 6 or 8 more exercises, but I’m not sure how many of them I’ll be able to do. I’ll try another couple later today and report back to you. I have a feeling I will have good, sore muscles tomorrow.
The first day is the hardest.
Filed under exercise
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire via Encurious.com via Melissa A. Eastman
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Reading is FUNdamental
keetons via keetonsonline.com via cathy ruggiero
I love this. It perfectly describes how I feel much of the time. It’s a very happy state of mind where I am bubbling with thoughts/pictures/ideas I want to share with you, plus ideas for what I would love to do the next time I can make time to be in my art room, or my husband and I have time to create something in the shop.
I’m truly blessed to have too many wonderful things to choose from than I have time or energy to do. The day starts, and then is over in the blink of an eye. I have to write down the things I MUST – upon dire consequences if I don’t – do each day to be sure we mainly stay out of trouble. :0)
We were going to put up the last raised bed planter in our square foot garden today, but then I remembered that tonight we go bowling with good friends, so we’ll put the planter on tomorrow’s list.
I hope that YOU have a fun day planned, with the time and energy to do several things on your list!
Filed under Attitude, Creativity, Dreams
Thanks to Emily Davis, trendingly.com
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography, Family
123rf.com
I all this post “Fall Frustration” because in Greenwood, Arkansas, it’s still summer. The leaves are falling from the trees, but from lack of water rather than cooler temperatures.
Today the high will be around 91. The humidity isn’t quite so high as it has been, but 91 is still HOT. I have been more than ready for fall for a long time now, but have had to be somewhat satisfied by the two days of cooler weather we had last week.
We’re back to trying to get outside early in the morning (hahahahahaha!) or when the sun starts going down in the evening for working in the garden, the yard, or the flower beds. We took our cocker spaniel/schnauzer mix, Molly, to the groomer this morning to be sheared like a sheep one more time this year.
I’m yearning for long-sleeved shirts, maybe a sweater or a hoodie, playing in the colorful leaves, hot chocolate (sugar-free, if we can find it this year), enjoying the porch and the deck, cooking out….
There’s always hope that this is the final week of hot weather!
Filed under Mother Nature
lazygirl-snydie.com
pioneersettler.com
Late yesterday afternoon my husband and I tackled putting up raised bed planter # 5 in our square foot garden. It took us 3-1/2 hours and we were exhausted by the time we finished, but we’re delighted it’s up!
Today I put the Mel’s Mix I dug out into the finished planter.
I then dug the Mel’s Mix out of the remaining square on the ground, putting it into three trash barrels. I put the barrels under the newly finished planter in case it rains before we can get the last planter up. We’ll actually put the last planter closer to the perimeter fence, giving me plenty of room to walk all the way around each planter.
I took the old, rotted wood out to the burn barrel.
The new planters should last a good while. The wood isn’t on the ground as it was before, so it shouldn’t deteriorate nearly as fast.
____________________
I took some pics of the south side of the garden so you can see how the fall garden is doing –
You can see the sides of two of the three planters on the south side of the garden. Mostly, you’re seeing broccoli and cauliflower plants, but there’s a head lettuce (light green), too.
This is a picture taken at my eye level of the two kinds of lettuce. Isn’t it wonderful!
The first sign I’m actually growing broccoli, instead of just great leaves!
No sign of actual cauliflower heads yet. I’ll need to harvest lettuce and plant another batch of radishes soon.
I’m rich in lettuce!
Filed under DIET!, Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Evie Zimmerman, trendingly.com
Filed under Grin for the Day, lost in translation
This poor shovel bird was desperately in need of some attention after standing out in the Taylor’s yard for several years. I wish we could figure out a way to combat the effects of sun and weather better, but so far, we haven’t.
His refurbishment started with pulling off the remaining google eye. I wiped him down to get excess debris off and then gave him a scrubby bath – first with Simple Green, then with soap and water, and finally with “Pre” a spray-on degreaser that makes paint adhere to metal better. I put fresh primer paint on the spots that had rusted, then repainted the mail colors.
I used a metallic pen to do his ‘feathers.’ When the painting was dry, I sprayed him with polyurethane to protect the new paint as much as possible.
The last step was gluing on new googly eyes. I used Liquid Nails as a glue, then held them tight with clothes pins and heavy rubber bands until completely dry.
We’ll take him to the Taylors this Monday evening, when we pick them up to go bowling!
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis yard art
creativeartworksblog 