Last call for getting things from my Etsy shop. I will close it down tomorrow night, Monday, March 24th. Please order whatever you would like tonight and early tomorrow so we can get orders in the mail Tuesday.
It makes me sad to shut it down, but it just isn’t workable now. It’s the end of an era for me, but I’m looking forward to learning what people are doing in Thailand. I’m looking forward to learning new forms of art, new media, new techniques, as well as hopefully making some new friends. :0)
I will be shutting down my Etsy site very soon. If you would like to look through and see if anything grabs your eye or meets your needs, please do it very soon. HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
Wooden painted earrings – stud or post, dangle, clip-ons.
Our weather is getting back to ‘normal winter’ for us now, and I’m really happy. We had to drip water last night, and will probably need to keep doing that, but we don’t have to drip it ALL DAY now. Our water bill will probably be breathtaking. :0( I hope you’re safe and warm wherever you are today.
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demaerre-Getty Images/iStock photo
I will finish my “closet/bureau/guest-room-closet” clean-out project today. One thing just led to another as I made my way through my long-neglected closet. Monday we will take the bags of clothes to the Veteran’s Thrift Store when we make the trip to Ft. Smith for our teeth cleaning appointments.
I’m getting more ruthless as I go. I kept a lot of things for a long time because they were large enough to go over my girth. Now that I’m being more successful in losing my lard – albeit very slowly – I can look more to whether I actually LIKE something. This is a huge change, resulting in a really good-sized donation for other weight-challenged folks like me. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to find so many things that are TOO BIG! :0)
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This is my latest wood-burned piece. I used pastels for the colors. I like the long oval shape of the wood with the natural edges. I listed it on Etsy last night in my HandmadeHavenbyLinda shop. Next, I’m doing a bear with a heart for Valentine’s Day. :0)
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Crucial
We are waiting for the hard drive for my new computer to be delivered. I have told my husband that I am not in a hurry on this. I want to be sure that all the hardware is compatible, that the Windows 11 operating system doesn’t have any big problems, that the software I use all the time is actually functioning on the new computer, and all my data has been transferred correctly before we make the official switch. He is more antsy than I am, but I’m concentrating on it being a fun project for him, rather than causing any stress.
The cold front is coming in during the day today. UGH. We still have ice and snow on our driveway. It was 42 degrees when I woke up. Now it’s 37, so the front is starting to move through. After today, the temperatures won’t go above freezing until Thursday.
We’re going to celebrate our ‘last hurrah’ of being able to get down the driveway by going out before lunch, getting our mail and hitting the local grocery one more time, getting lunch at the deli and some other supplies. Once we come back up, we may be stuck up here for at least a week or more.
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I finished this last night. My art room is one of my ‘escapes’ when the world gets to be too much and I need to relax and play a bit. I close the door – so Monster Cat can’t get in – turn on some of my favorite music, and enjoy clearing my mind and concentrating on trying to make something. Even if what I make ends up in the trash, I come out more relaxed. I’m going to get this listed on HandmadeHavenbyLinda later today.
Hanna Kenakkala-bookwormweb
I’m lucky that I have so many things that bring me joy I don’t have time to enjoy them all most days. I just finished reading “The Villa,” an old book by Nora Roberts, but one I had missed. Now I’m deep into one of the “In Death” series books by Nora/J.D. Robb. I have collected them all. With each re-read, I pick up details I missed before, or stop and enjoy a phrase or two that are so well written that the mental picture she creates is stunning.
Freepik
Listening to music on YouTube allows me to savor old favorites or find new people I think are wonderful. I put on the earphones at my computer in the office and am taken away from any cares I’ve been lugging around for a bit – while in the living room, my husband enjoys another truly awful movie with little plot or acting, but lots of action. :0)
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I hope that you have a fun and enjoyable day. Stay safe and warm!
We had to leave the house early without food or coffee to get blood work done for our routine doctor appointment on Wednesday. We did errands after that.
I think I told you about my husband being delighted about the county road people cleaning out our ditches. There were trucks at the bottom of our driveway as we left. I talked with one of the men, thanked him profusely for the good job the crew was doing. He said the ‘artist’ of the group was Darryl and that they might be here today and tomorrow to finish up.
We decided to get a gift card for a pizza for the men as a thank you, and got it while we were in town. I found Darryl when we got home and thanked him. Apparently the only time they hear from the public is when they are upset, so my thanking everyone was a real surprise and they seemed touched. I also gave Darryl the gift card. At first he refused, but I just stared at him until he took it. I’ll also write a letter to the department. I don’t know if they put the letters in the employee records or are just pleased, but I want to make sure they know what a good job they are doing.
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It didn’t snow or ice overnight, so we had no trouble getting around. We got our trash down to the bottom of the driveway and no one fell on their head or injured themselves. Now, hopefully, we can relax the rest of the day, though the weather forecast is warning of possible problems on Thursday now. UGH.
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My husband’s projects are beginning to wear me to a frazzle. First, lately, it was the porch camera light bulb. I finally officially gave up. I gave it at least twice as much time as my husband did and we finally decided we could do without it. Second, was the gadget for the TV. After two days of real challenge, frayed nerves, and more, we finally got it installed and working. NOW my husband is having trouble with a computer program called Family Tree Maker. We have used it for years, but suddenly it says it was shut down incorrectly and it won’t open. We were online with a tech all afternoon yesterday, trying to follow her directions. Nothing was solved. I don’t know if my husband will insist we tackle it again today or not. I am needed as the go-between to type, answer questions from either my husband or the tech, try to follow the directions, etc., so I can’t just escape, though it would be nice….
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I finished the etched vase I’ve been working on and just listed it on my Etsy site.
Our day has really flown by and I’m just now able to finish my first post of the day. I’d better get my computer hot! Have a great day!
Happy New Year’s Eve! Whether you have wonderful plans for a big party, a ball drop, fireworks, or will have a quiet celebration at home like us, I wish you a happy day of anticipation of a bright new year. The end of a year should bring shedding of old ‘baggage,’ a lightening of your load, a filling of your spirit. Enjoy remembering the good things about 2024 today, then wish it well and welcome 2025.
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Accountability – If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m trying to lose my lard and get stronger and more flexible. I promised to report to you – as a way of trying to keep my goal active and hopefully reachable one day. As of today, I have lost 46 pounds and there are 48 fewer inches of me. I’m yo-yo-ing around in a 3-pound range these past few days, but I’m inching toward my interim goal and hope to meet it soon. The scales still smirk at me most days, but I will win.
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GeniCook
I told you my nice husband got us two rectangular stainless steel containers with glass lids recently. I always try to cook for more than one meal and we store the leftovers in individual portion containers in the freezer. These are large enough to hold TWO portions of the leftovers, so when I cooked recently, I put double portions into the two containers, snapped on the lids, and put them in the freezer. Yesterday I took one out and put it in the regular fridge. Last night I took the lid off, put the container in the microwave with a paper towel over it, closed the door, and held my breath. The food heated up just fine. No explosions or damage to the container or the microwave! I did use my hot pads to remove the container from the microwave. Last night the lid and the container went into the dishwasher. Sparkling clean and ready to use this morning! This is a really nice thing – to be able to use it so it saves us effort and time. I really didn’t believe what they advertised could be true, but I was wrong.
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This is my latest wood burned and hand-painted piece from the art room. I’m delighted to tell you he has been adopted! He will be mailed to his new home today. I couldn’t be happier. It was joyful to make him, and he will live on their front porch, hopefully bring good luck to his new owners for many many years. :0)
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We are running errands on this, the last day of 2024. When we get home, I’ll write more posts for the blog and may even get up to my art room this afternoon.
I wish you a happy day, full of fun, family, and celebration!
I’m having a quiet Saturday morning so far. My husband is sleeping in after not being able to sleep well last night. I hope he feels rested when he comes down the stairs.
As I was dressing, we had a truly glorious sunrise. Usually, either I’m not up yet to enjoy one, or it has been cloudy or dark until later and I miss it. It was so bright it caught my eye from the window!
It has turned quite cloudy since I’ve been at my computer, and I just saw that we’re supposed to get rain starting around 9 this morning and ending around 6 this evening. Sigh. It’s a bit weird having spring at the end of December.
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This is the wood-burned and painted cockatoo I finished yesterday. I’m going to take pics and list it on my HandmadeHavenbyLinda today.
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Having the luxury of staying inside when it’s rainy is one I don’t take lightly. I hope that your weather is good – or if it isn’t, that you’re able to avoid being out IN it. Enjoy your Saturday!
This is the wood-burned and painted piece I finished yesterday. I really enjoyed working on it, and already have another piece in mind to try. I listed it on my Etsy site last night.
We’re having a crock pot dinner tonight – not at all Christmas-like – a request from my husband for a chicken dinner he really liked the last time I cooked it.
My husband slept in this morning and our animals staged a protest, going up and down the stairs, meowing (in the case of Monster Cat, I think) and wagging her tail against the bedroom door (in the case of Amber) who sounds like the world may be coming to an end. It doesn’t seem to bother her to beat her tail against something with vigor. I would think it would hurt… Anyway, the message was delivered, my husband got up and came downstairs, and our Christmas Day was officially started.
This is so true for ME – since ideas for art projects rattle around in my head – waking or sleeping. Sometimes I wake up exhausted from having “painted” or “wood-burned” in my dreams all night. :0) Right now it’s ideas for trying to wood burn and paint wooden bookmarks. Makes it a bit hard to concentrate sometimes, but it’s definitely entertaining.
Speaking of entertaining, Monster Cat has been particularly active lately. The photo shows Monster Cat (aka Jet) sprawled out on the shelf top beside my computer chair. She’s on there now as I type, but she’s in a ball sleeping. Shhh!
Her favorite toy (other than the big empty box in the middle of our living room floor she jumps in and out of) is what I call a “pompom ball.”
Imagine small poms like this fashioned into a ball. That’s the closest mental pic I can give. She carries the ball around in her mouth like this –
BBC
She plays ‘soccer’ with it first, batting it around over the tiles or carpet, and then picks it up and carries it like a trophy. I throw it for her and she LEAPS to get it – but won’t lower herself to actually bring it back, like our dog, Amber, does. She’s above plebian activities like that.
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I know you’re thinking about Thanksgiving right now, and I hope you’re surrounded by friends and family, now and into next week, but I hope when this holiday has passed, you’ll consider going to my Etsy site to see if anything looks good for Christmas gifts. Lowest prices of the year right now and as always, I handle the shipping charges.
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We’ll shop for groceries and get our mail today. That’s it for errands for us until after the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m hoping to spend time in my art room this afternoon, as ideas for Christmas presents for my friends are making their presence known.
This art takes you into a whole different world. I just love it.
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Good morning! I hope you’re feeling sassy today. It’s 28 outside right now and we’re due for a 59 degree F. high for the day. We’re definitely turning the corner to the winter season now. I’m trying to get warm weather stuff OUT of my closet and cool weather things IN. It’s going slowly.
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I had a wonderful massage yesterday. I tried to see my friend Linda, who lives at the retirement place where I get my monthly massage, only to find out she was in the hospital with a blood clot! I contacted her daughter when I got home. The ER was its usual frustrating self, making them wait hours while Linda was in pain, finally doing some tests, giving her a blood thinner, and telling her to follow up with her family physician, which she’ll do today. Her daughter kept her from Friday, when this happened, until yesterday afternoon, when she took her back to the retirement place. The staff there is great, and will keep a close eye on her.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 2.5″ long dangle earrings with French ear wires and marshmallow cushion backs. These are very light weight. Use this LINK to see this pair and other dangle earrings. Stud/post and Clip-ons available, too. $10.00 a pair with Free Shipping at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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ZIXNEXKOO
My husband ordered a roll-around table for a MIG welder, plus another welding table that has a lot of flexibility for his other welding projects. Both have come recently. I’ve been helping him, being a good “go-fer,” “holder,” second pair of hands, reader of manuals, etc. He finished putting the MIG welder table together a couple of days ago, after we put in about a million screws, give or take a few. I went out to see it yesterday, in all its glory, ready for his next MIG project.
Harbor Freight – (I don’t have a pic of the one my husband got, but this is the idea.)
Yesterday we received the fancier welding table. It is HEAVY! We got the dolly from our shop in order to get it from the garage where the delivery guy left it out to the shop. It took both of us to get the box onto the dolly. We rolled it across the yard and out to the shop, having some real trouble getting the wheels to go up and over the ‘lip’ of the shop doorway. We just left it there yesterday because my husband’s legs are hurting from his efforts the other day. I have encouraged him to go slowly trying to put it together. and I’ll make myself available to help. He’s like a kid at Christmas. The two tables are a combination Birthday/Christmas present.
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Kids Academy
I had fun in my art room part of yesterday afternoon and evening. Wrapping things up on a couple of orders, grinning like a nut while I work. :0)
I’m going for my monthly massage this morning. My body is creaking a “thank you.” My massage therapist (the best one on the planet) is Lynn Moody. If you’re lucky enough to be in our area, you can reach her at 479-629-7601 to arrange an appointment. She will find sore places you didn’t even know you had and fix them, plus handle the ones you tell her need special attention. Ahhhhhhhhh!
I’ll do other errands while I’m out. My husband and I will gather trash after we eat lunch and drive it down to the bottom of the driveway.
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Tanglewood Moms
I’m looking forward to working on a couple of orders from my Etsy shop this afternoon. It brightens my whole day to be creating something that a nice person has ordered. I simply can’t keep the grin off my face!
Please remember that the last date to order custom hand-painted Christmas cards for this year is December 10th. They can be personalized. A package of 6 is $14.00 with Free Shipping. See the designs using this link on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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I tried the recipe for “Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon and Cheese” (low carb and keto) by Kasey Trenum two nights ago. It was really good. My husband pronounced it “Yummy!” and already wants me to make more. We’ll put this recipe on our “keeper” list and I’ll include it in our rotation. I did this recipe with 3 chicken breasts and we had enough for some leftovers. I’ll use 4 next time. Here is a link to the recipe plus Kasey Trenum’s website.
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HDRcreme
It’s 60 this morning and quite cloudy. I can’t find any of my weather sources saying we’ll get rain, but it sure looks like it. It’s 8:30 and is quite dark. What they DO say is that we’ll have a series of cold fronts coming through today. We’re at our high for the day and it should be in the 40s with gusty winds by this afternoon with freezing temperatures overnight. BRRR!
I hope the weather is manageable where you are and that your day has lots of fun in it!
This is our dog, Amber. As I was working at the computer this morning, trying to wake up, she came up beside me, threw my arm up with her nose a couple of times and then, when she had gotten my attention, brought her ‘football’ over. Usually, she only wants to play ‘tug-o-war,’ wanting to rush back and forth, as if she wants to play ‘fetch,’ but not wanting to let me HAVE it to throw it for her.
Today she looked at me with the ball in her mouth and then said, “PAH!” and dropped the ball on the floor at my feet. We actually played ‘fetch’ for a couple of rounds before she again was more interested in showing it was HER ball. She smiled at me the whole time – grinning around the ball and her eyes lighting up. :0)
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – Hand-painted, one-of-a-kind, 5.5 x 7 spiral-bound journal with lined pages and some pockets for mementos, pictures, lists, reminders and more. $7.00 with Free Shipping. See this and others here on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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Yesterday I had what I call a perfect day. My husband and I went to replenish grocery supplies and did a couple of other errands, and then we were in for the rest of the day.
I wrote my posts for the blog and then headed up to my art room to paint. I spent about 3 hours or so, having a wonderful time. I should be able to finish the painting today and start letting things dry. Then I’ll flatten them and should be able to mail them mid next week. So I spent the whole day grinning, doing what I love to do most. :0)
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YouTube
Our weather continues to be a roller coaster as we near the winter. Today we have super warm weather, with highs in the low 70s and a blustery afternoon with some watches about wind gusts. Overnight into tomorrow, we have a cold front, bringing freezing temperatures in the morning and highs down to the 40s by the end of the week. Wearing layers just doesn’t seem to be enough…
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Reddit
I’m HOPING that my exercising is the reason for my plateau on my efforts to lose the lard. (I’ve been told that muscles weigh more than lard and HOPE I’m building some.) I’ve been aiming for the same interim goal for a long time now. I’m just a ‘bit’ away from it, but it’s flirting with me, just out of reach.
I’ve been doing exercises with weights between blog posts, averaging 3 sessions in the morning and then doing a half hour of yoga stretches in the afternoon. I’m trying to walk as much as I can work in, weather permitting, daily. And so I sit on this precipice…. UGH.
The artwork of Karin de Haas makes me smile from the inside out every time I come across another piece. Absolutely JOYFUL.
pexels-pixabay
Our roller coaster weather continues. We’re having a warmer-than-normal weekend to be closely followed by colder-than-normal temperatures by the end of the week. A good reminder that winter isn’t far off. Fall and Spring are my favorite seasons, so I wish we could simple toggle back and forth between the two and skip the others.
My day yesterday was a happy one. I wrote my blog posts and then I got a notice I had an order from my Etsy shop! I danced around the room a bit and then went upstairs and got busy. This will take me a couple of days or so to create, so I’m in Heaven trying to do the best job I can. I LOVE IT!
Now is the time to order in plenty of time for the upcoming holidays. Lowest prices of the year.
Wood-burned key chain, initial or name can be added on the back at no extra charge. $7.00 with Free Shipping. See this and other designs at HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy.
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Kasey Trenum
I’m trying a new low carb slow cooker chicken recipe tonight. I’ll put up a link to it tomorrow if it’s a keeper.
Meet “Jasmine.” As you can see, she’s ready for a walk in the rain. I’m biased, but I think she’s one of the cutest dogs on the planet. Her family is my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. I’m not sure, but does that make ME her ‘aunt-in-law?”
Synergetic Play Therapy
I had a great time in my art room yesterday. My waking (and sleeping) hours are a-buzz with ideas rattling around. Right now my focus is in trying to create some wood-burned and painted wooden bookmarks. I’m going to list some on my Etsy site when I finish the first batch HandmadeHavenbyLinda . Quick reminder than everything on my site is on sale with the lowest prices of the year until the end of the year, plus, as always, Free Shipping. I hope you can find things for people on your holiday list. Here’s a sample –
1.25″ Purple, Turquoise and White hand-painted, one-of-a-kind 3D rounded disk earrings. French hooks and marshmallow cushion backs. Swingy, flirty, and fun, you’ll love wearing these. They are comfortable and light weight. $10.00.
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The jury is still out on this new social network. So far, I AM finding some wonderful photographers and some interesting people. I would like to find some artists, as well. I’m looking for wonderful things to share with you in the near future.
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We don’t have any outside errands we need to do today, so I can concentrate on writing to you (stopping to do exercise sessions with my weights between blog posts), spending time in my art room, doing my session of yoga stretches this afternoon, and spending time with my husband here, there and everywhere in-between. He completely melted me into a puddle yesterday by hugging me extra tightly and saying, “I’m so glad you’re with me.” Sigh. What can I tell you. He’s a keeper.
I’ll stop talking your ear off now and just wish you a happy, fulfilled day, with lots of fun thrown in.
We went to bed last night with our a/c on upstairs – plus the fan, since my husband likes to sleep as if we’re in a blizzard. I’m thankful for my electric blanket! When we woke up this morning it was much colder outside. I quickly turned off the a/c. I JUST turned on the heat on the first floor since my fingers are cold sitting at the computer, even with coffee on a warmer beside me. What a difference a night makes! I feel lucky we have a good geothermal heat and cooling system that has just been checked out by a good technician for the season.
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FAMILY-
If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ve met “Monster Cat,” aka “Jet.” Here she is sitting beside me on the computer counter in a bread basket she uses as one of her many beds. We’ve had her for several months now, but she is just now warming up to my husband a bit.
Yesterday she suddenly jumped into his lap in the recliner. She allowed him to pet her for several seconds and then jumped down. It’s a start.
I’ve never seen another cat who likes to play ‘Fetch.’ She has a pom/pom ball on a string that is one of her favorite toys. I can hold it up by the string, then throw it, and she goes bounding down the hall or across the room after it, grabbing it and holding the ball in her mouth parading around with her ‘catch.’ She does this on her own, as well. All of a sudden she jumps up on my computer counter, walks over my keyboard so she can get a quick pat, ball in her mouth. Then, when she has her fill of my attention, she continues over to get into her bed.
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MORE FAMILY-
I had a really good chat with our son yesterday. He lives across the world from us, but we enjoy visiting on a chat program or a conference call when we can arrange it. (There is 12 hours difference – right now it’s almost 10pm where he is and almost 10am where I am.) I feel lucky that we are really close (other than geographically). I can leave him a message and he’ll get back to me pretty much right away. We can talk about anything, and I feel so happy inside after we catch up.
He just finished building and old-style computer – a project where he started from absolute scratch, building the motherboard, and working his way through it, just for the learning experience. He was excited that it actually worked when he finished.
I have an inkling of how he felt because when we were first married, my husband guided me through building a display clock from a kit. I worked and worked, learning a ton about soldering, testing parts, etc. He warned me that it would probably take a lot of time to find the bugs and fix them before we actually had a working clock. I think he was a bit ‘disappointed’ that the clock worked perfectly the first time we plugged it in! We had it for over 40 years before the display finally got wonky. :0)
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS –
Hand wood-burned and painted wooden key chain. Wooden fob is 2.5″x 1.5″ with wooden heart glued and painted on. Initial or name can be added on the back at no extra charge. $7.00 with Free Shipping. See this and other key chain designs on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
Other than not “waking up rich,” I’m doing pretty well this morning.
THE DAY’S PROJECTS –
THING ONE – I’m going to move warm weather clothes and shoes OUT of my closet upstairs and move cold weather clothes and shoes IN. This is a bit more work than it sounds. Because I’m finally being moderately successful in losing my lard, I have several sizes of clothes. I’ll need to gather warm weather clothes that are now too large for me to wear to give to the Veterans Thrift Store the next time we go. I’ll need to try on old cold weather clothes to see what is wearable and what isn’t.
THING TWO – I cook in batches, trying to be sure there is enough for at least two meals for my husband and me, and more, if possible. This results in a lot of storage and labeling of lots of individual meals in the freezer for us. My collection of plastic containers is stained with tomato-y stains. I’ve done everything, including sand blasting (just kidding) to get the stains out, but to no avail. Some of the tops are splitting. I finally ordered two groups of containers – one round, one square with lids that MAY arrive today. If they do, I’ll do a reorganization of at least two large pull-out drawers in my kitchen. Having new, unstained containers may not seem like a big thing to YOU, but it’ll be a real gift to me. Out with the old – in with the new! :0)
EXERCISING AND LOSING THE LARD –
India Times
I’m definitely starting to feel stronger and looser with my exercises. I’m using weights to gain upper body strength. I stop between blog posts, between emails, etc., to do a set of exercises with the 3-pound weights, and then go back to what I was doing. The fact that I don’t have to designate a time to do these results in SEVERAL sessions each day with the weights – some with videos with music – so I can bop along with ladies doing other stuff – all of us keeping time with the beat.
In the afternoon I do a good half hour of old lady stretches with yoga. I’m able to stretch farther and hold the poses longer than before. I still can’t fold myself into a paper airplane, like real yoga people do, but it’s good for an old lady like me. It’s making me more flexible, eases any pain I have, and having a strong core will keep me able to do what I would like for as long as possible.
Finally, when Mother Nature is smiling on us, I walk out to our shop and then around the yard, usually with a pruner and gloves so I can snip things as I go. I’m still on baby steps on walking, since walking a bunch tends to make my hips hurt until I sit a second, but I’m improving. My ‘kind-of-smart’ watch keeps track of steps and reminds me it’s time to exercise or drink another glass of water. Did I tell you my eyeballs are floating by the end of the day?
NEW FIND – I found a new social media site two days ago. It’s called “Blue Sky.” So far, I’ve found some interesting people. I’m reading a lot, following the people who interest me, chatting with some. It’s fun. You might like it, too.
LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – Hand-wood-burned and painted one-of-a-kind wood slice Christmas ornament. I will personalize it for you with the year and a name on the back to create a cherished keepsake at no extra charge. $14.00 with Free Shipping. See this and other Christmas offerings on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
Lowest prices of the year on my Etsy Site, plus FREE SHIPPING on everything you purchase. This is my gift to you, trying to make up for the awful time so many of us have had trying to pay for everything due to inflation.
Sample –
3-3/4″ x 5-3/4″ x 3/8″ hand-painted mini or pocket notebook. The outside cover is linen type off-white with nice texture. The inside has 100 blank pages for your thoughts, dreams, lists, reminders, memories. $5.00 with Free Shipping – see this and other designs on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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Mother Nature is ushering cooler temperatures tonight, more fall-with-hints-of-winter temperatures in the coming week. We have pretty much finished our get-ready-for-winter list around the house and yard, but I’ll check it again carefully as the weather cools off more and more.
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Sunshine House
I have ideas rattling around in my head right now about wood-burned designs on earrings and the bookmark blanks I may receive Thursday. I was wood-burning in my sleep most of the night, though I don’t have anything to show for it but bloodshot eyes this morning. :0) I love it, though, when my brain and heart are fully engaged in new ideas.
My husband is grudgingly 81 today. I sang to him this morning and he lived through it. ’80’ had panache. ’81’ not so good. He didn’t sleep well last night, so he’s taking a nap in his chair now. He doesn’t want any celebrations, cake, any special dinner –
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We’re due for possibly severe storms this afternoon. Then, as far as I can see, no more rain for the next 10 days. Like Mother Nature is turning on and off a faucet up there. All we have to do today outside is to get our mail and drive our trash down. Good day to have a nice, warm home. :0)
I spent quite a while yesterday lowering the prices on my Etsy site. I’m hoping that people will find things that delight them or things they want to give to others. Sample –
This is one of five made-to-order Christmas card designs I’m offering. Inside of this one says, “May you glow with joy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” Room for you to sign and write a note. Last day to order is December 10th. $14.00 for package of 6 cards and envelopes. Free Shipping. Here is a link to the Christmas Category on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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I ordered some wooden bookmark blanks yesterday. I’m looking forward to having fun doing wood-burned designs on them. :0)
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Ron Smith – Unsplash
I hope that your weather is good for today, or that you have a nice warm spot to shelter from whatever else comes your way.
My husband is having a birthday tomorrow. He doesn’t want to TALK about it, DO anything about it, or even THINK about it. Last year he was hyped because turning “80” had panache. 81 is simply old. I think you can FEEL him frowning. I’ll just try to make his day as pleasant as possible and let it go at that.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS –
One-of-a-kind set of 4 hand-wood-burned & hand-painted wood slice Christmas ornaments. I will personalize each with the year and a name on the back of each to create a cherished keepsake at no extra charge. 3.25″ in diameter and the slices are about 1/2″ thick. natural beige hanging ties are attached. Only one set available. $44.99 with Free Shipping at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy. Use the link to see this and other Christmas decorations.
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Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
BUILDING HABITS WITH INTENTION – My idea of exercising with my 3-pound weights in-between blog posts, or other activities on the computer is working well. I stop often, doing a good set of exercises right beside my computer with the weights, then put them down on the counter and get back to my computer. I did this 5 times yesterday, getting in a good amount of exercise during the day.
I’m rounding this out with my yoga stretches, even though Monster Cat has decided that I’m teasing her by getting down on the floor on the mat. She crawls under the end of the mat, then leaps out and attacks my foot, then dashes under the mat again. Yesterday I brought my foot down on top of her, letting her know that I didn’t appreciate her efforts while I was trying to relax.
She retaliated later by jumping into the empty cardboard box we usually keep for her in the middle of the floor. (I put it up on the sofa when I’m doing my yoga.) She played around in it and then attempted to jump out of it and pulled the whole box down with her to the floor – on top of my head and outstretched arms. My husband died laughing, but did retrieve the box and move it to the foyer, enticing her to follow him so I could finish my stretching.
When the weather is cooperative, I take at least a couple of walks during the day, out to the shop and around the yard, sometimes with pruning shears in my hand. This combination of weights, yoga, and walking is making me feel as if I’m doing a good thing for this old body.
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PLAYING IN MY ART ROOM –
Yesterday I added the wooden key chains I’ve made to my Etsy site. I created a new section called, “Small Unique Gifts” to list them and other small gifty things in the future. There are custom orders, such as the name designs above, and I’m offering to put a large initial, initials, or a name on the back at no extra charge. $10.00 with Free Shipping.
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I hope you’re doing fun things today. Enjoy every minute.
Awwww. I want to hug her and help make her world right again.
LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 8.5″wide, 4″ tall, 3.75″deep, with a circumference of 24″. The one-of-a-kind, hand-painted box is a nice size to store photos, mementos, souvenirs and more. $15.00 with Free Shipping. See all of these at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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Raising Children Network
I’ve been having a good time trying to make some key chains in my art room lately. I got some blank wooden shapes and have been doing some wood burning and painting. I finished several yesterday and will try to get them listed on my Etsy site today. :0)
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Cheezburger
I’m 4/10ths of a pound away from my interim weight loss goal. I’ve been here before – several times – and ‘SOMETHING’ always happens to snafu actually REACHING and passing this next goal. I’m really hoping today will be different. I have made the lifestyle change, deciding to eat low-carb, but reaching interim goals of there being less of me increases my motivation to keep being a ‘good girl.’ Maybe tomorrow I can pat myself on the head and set a new goal. :0)
Lesson on Reading and Absorbing – One of the big things I’ve learned, now than I’m older than dirt, is how important it is to read carefully. (This is ironic, in that I have a Master’s Degree as a “Reading Specialist,” and yet I never learned to read labels on food and really read and compare nutrition on recipes.)
I’ve been missing Shake-n-Bake, a coating mix I had used for years – and my husband and I really love – to bake pork chops. I gave it up because it has 7 carbs per serving, and I was having trouble working that in to my day’s allotment. I basically gave up pork chops because of this.
I found a low-carb recipe for pork chops that emulates Shake-n-Bake! I was really excited and planned to try it tonight. Something told me to compare carb counts of the Shake-n-Bake and the new recipe. The new recipe was 9.7 carbs! SO – the former reading teacher learns AGAIN that reading carefully is important. I can still enjoy the delicious Shake-n-Bake if I work carefully on MyFitnessPal.com to make sure I stay under my limit for the day! DUH! Pork Chops tonight!!!
If happiness could be bottled….. I’m totally in awe of Karin de Haas’ ability to lift my spirits. Her work simply exudes joy, and I can sure use a lot of that. :0)
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 2″ hand-painted wooden earrings are so light weight you may forget you’re wearing them! $15.00 with Free Shipping. Use the link to see these and other dangle earrings at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy. Post/stud and clip-on categories, too!
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We’re heading to Walmart for groceries and will get our mail on the way back.
I think this sculpture is great. I want to TOUCH him to feel the texture of his fur.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – I’m offering several different hand-painted Christmas card designs. Each is 5×7 on watercolor paper with envelopes. The inside of this one says, “Happiness and love throughout the year.” There is lots of room for a message if you care to write. Please allow one week for my painting and a bit more for delivery. Last order date is December 10th. Package of SIX cards for $19.99 with free delivery. See 5 designs for cards and other Christmas things at HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy.
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Generation Mindful
ART ROOM –
I spent a bit of time in my art room yesterday, mainly trying to figure out where I am and what I want to do. These days that isn’t an easy thing to do because I just get started and then life gets in the way. I’m in the middle of a wood-burned sign right now and I have ideas for key chains and earrings. Yesterday I basically sat at my drafting table, listening to some nice music, relaxing. Hopefully, I can be more productive today.
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Women’s Health
Yesterday I managed two sessions of exercises with weights while I was on the computer. (I do some things, then stop and exercise, then sit back down and continue.) I walked out to our shop a couple of times, enjoying our beautiful fall day, and managed a yoga session in the afternoon. I also counted cleaning (scrubbing the bathroom and then our stove) as exercise, so yesterday was a pretty good day.
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I’m hoping for a quiet, calm day today. I wish one for YOU, too, with some fun thrown in. :0)
Source: CatLover1 – Pinterest (sorry, image is backwards and I can’t make out the whole url.) It made me smile, so wanted to share.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 19 x 12 x 1/4 heavy straw mat for a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted “Southwest Turtle.” Ready to hang. $42.99 with Free Shipping. There are 3 others in this series. Contact me at lindawlewis1@gmail.com if you’re interested in more details about the collection.
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LAZY LOW-CARB FINDS – I’m really happy to have found 4 things to share with you!
Great Value – Walmart
We have always driven to See’s Seafood in Fort Smith to buy fresh shrimp, maybe a couple of times per year – lately not that often. The shrimp is fresh, beautiful, but expensive for us, plus a lot of work for me. I found this Great Value x-large Frozen Shrimp at Walmart recently and I’m really happy with it. All I have to do is thaw it, pull the tails off, and serve to have a nice shrimp cocktail, which we enjoyed last night. The shrimp is already cooked, peeled, deveined. There is a jumbo size, too, I think, but this was really nice. We had a shrimp chef salad two nights ago and then the shrimp cocktail last night. I have another bag in the freezer. I’m looking for a good, low-carb recipe for a shrimp casserole. (2 carbs per 3 oz serving (about 5 shrimp) 0 sugar.)
I feel as if I hit the mother lode with the next three on the list of finds – KETO bread, ready to eat. I’ve tried to make myself make keto bread, rolls, etc. from recipes. I’m just too lazy. I don’t want to spend all day, every day, fixing food. I just want to lose the lard, get more fit, keep the lard off, without a whole lot of hassle. Yesterday we shopped at our local Harps grocery. I checked the bread section, not really expecting to find anything. I found KETO sandwich bread, KETO hot dog buns, and I just found out there are KETO hamburger buns available, as well. AND, just to put frosting on the cake, the brand name is “LEWIS Healthy Life.” You can’t beat THAT with a stick! The hot dog buns are 1 carb per bun. The sandwich bread is 0 net carbs per slice. The hamburger buns are 1 net carb per bun. All are high in fiber, something I’m trying to increase, so it’s a win/win. Since bread is one of the main things I’ve been missing, I’ve been eating Mission 0 Net Carb Tortillas in place of bread, and they’re all right, but this will be a really nice change.
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We’re having a quiet day so far today, and I’m hoping to make it up to my art room today. Enjoy your Wednesday.
We’re due for a perfect fall day here in Arkansas. It’s 49 right now, the high is supposed to be 69 this afternoon, and the sun is smiling. Just beautiful!
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS- One-of-a-kind, hand-painted child’s apron. Size is 2-6 years. The apron is 19″ long and 12.5″ wide, not including neck loop or ties. Fun addition for the holidays, making kids feel festive as they help with the food. $14.99 with Free Shipping. Click on this link to see details on this and other aprons on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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LEWIS MAILBOX DECORATIONS –
When we were going to drive our trash down yesterday, I suggested we change the mailbox decoration. I also had my gloves and hand pruners in the truck so I could cut down some baby mimosa ‘trees’ and some other tall weeds at the bottom of the driveway to neaten up a bit.
I’m trying to convince my husband that we should create a different method for storing the mailbox decorations in the shop. Right now each is on a hook suspended from a bar that runs overhead. This has worked well for years, but now it’s much harder for my husband to stand on a ladder and get the decorations down and back up again. So far, he won’t consider any changes, so I’m now trying to choose decorations that are smaller and lighter to make things easier for him.
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Integrated Children’s Therapy
I’m frustrated because the days are whizzing past my head and I struggle to get in HALF of what I would like to do. Either the time is too short, we have other priorities, or my energy poops out at the wrong time.
I’m trying to find a balance between chores, exercising, and doing something fun each day. That rarely happens, but it IS an ongoing goal. So far, doing exercises with my 3-pound weights between things I’m doing on the computer is working out well. I do several sessions each morning in between blog posts, email, research, etc. My afternoon yoga session gets lost in the shuffle a lot, so I’m trying to get into the habit of doing that after lunch and a rest. Hit and miss so far.
I’m enjoying making some new things for us to eat. My husband isn’t picky – saying I always cook good things – unless I try to serve him many veggies we should be eating. Then we get into problems. We’re compromising in a lot of areas. Last night we had shrimp chef salad that was good. Tonight I’m trying a new recipe for a ground beef casserole that is low carb. I’m substituting broccoli for the green beans called for. Hopefully, this recipe will be a keeper. If it is, I’ll give you a link to it. :0)
No big plans for the day, unless another tree has fallen on us. Enjoy yours.
Yesterday we spent much of the afternoon with a chainsaw. My husband had gone down to get the mail, since I received an email saying that a package had been put in the mailbox on Saturday. He took a long time, so I went out to check on him. I found his truck, our dog, Amber, in the back, parked outside the shop. He was putting the chainsaw and a long extension cord in the back. I got our gloves and we went down the driveway again.
A big tree about 6 feet back from one side of the driveway had broken off and its big branches were across the driveway. Happily, the electrical outlet and cord we ran years ago and put in a protective box toward the bottom of the driveway was working, or else we wouldn’t have been able to take care of this ourselves. It took us an hour or so for my husband to chainsaw parts off, and I hauled the parts across the road and rolled them into the ditch. We’ll watch and see if we need to do more, but hopefully, that’s it for a while.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 11 x 14 original painting on hardboard canvas. Mixed media. Colorful 3-D painting you can FEEL that will brighten up a room or make a nice gift. $17.95 and Free Shipping. See this and other wall decor at this link HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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I’m hoping that today will be a quiet day for us. We’ll gather our trash and drive it to the bottom of the driveway soon. I put my gloves and my hand pruner in the truck yesterday so I can take a few minutes to cut down baby mimosa ‘trees’ and other big weeds right at the bottom of the driveway around our mailbox and on the other side, around where we put the trash can for emptying tomorrow. That’ll be it for errands today.
I’m hoping to get back to my ‘new normal’ 3-pound weight exercises several times during the day, after spending time at the computer, plus my yoga stretches. I also want to get up to my art room, since the tree squashed any other plans yesterday.
LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – Lightweight teardrop-shaped, hand-wood-burned dangle earrings are great when you want to go casual or more dressed up. 2″ long. One of a kind. $15.00 with free shipping. See this pair and other dangle earrings at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy HERE.
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Womens Health
I tried a new way of exercising yesterday that seemed good for me. I work on the computer for a few minutes – read email, write a blog post, or something similar, then do a group of exercises with my 3-pound weights. Then back to the computer, repeating over and over until I’ve done everything I usually do. Yesterday that made for about 6 short sessions with the weights, which my shoulders and arms told me was a good amount. Later in the afternoon I did my regular yoga stretches.
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Freepik
Today will hopefully be a quiet day for us. My husband is still sleeping, meaning he’s having a good night of rest after several days of fitful rest followed by several naps in his chair during the day. I hope he feels good when he comes downstairs. I think the increase in my exercising is helping ME with mine.
Angela Mia De la Vega-tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusic
This sculpture grabs my heart. Just exquisite.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS –
One of a kind handmade greeting/note card using real feathers. “Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.” Savannah Larsen. Blank inside. 5″ x 7″. “Birds of a Feather” Series by Linda Lewis. $3.50 with Free Shipping. Browse through unique cards and packages on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy using this LINK.
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Freepik
I’m feeling a bit shell-shocked after receiving and paying our insurance bills this morning. All usually go up from year to year, but this aggregate of all the insurances I have to pay at once took my breath away. I’m grateful that we’re able to pay them, but WOW.
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Seasame Workshop
I’m gathering ideas for making some earrings and key chains – some wood-burned, some wood-burned and painted, and some just painted. Ideas are starting to rattle around in my head. It’s fun. :0) We’re going to head to Walmart and our local grocery to replenish supplies today because we’re supposed to have another cold front and rain overnight-into-tomorrow, but I’m hoping to spend a good amount of time in my art room, playing.
My sister-in-law said it was a shame I didn’t get any photos of the morning view out of our back yard, where I was talking about it looking like someone had spread rolls of cotton between the ridge lines. It’s almost impossible to take pics of this, but I tried. This is for you, Sweet ML.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS –
Hand-painted one-of-a-kind 8.5″x4″x24″ memory box. Thoughtful gift to ‘purple lovers,’ people who love to save things that might get lost if not lovingly stored. $15.00 with Free Shipping. See this and other memory boxes HERE on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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ELECTION –
We’re feeling kind of bleery-eyed after staying up to watch the election returns. I was up a full hour earlier than usual this morning, needing to get up and join my husband, who was already downstairs. I’m hoping the people in our country can now calm down and try to solve our many problems together.
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WINTER PREP –
Freepik
Not sure what plans are for the day yet. Since it’s November, we need to start getting to things on our prepare-for-the-winter list. One of those things is to get the snow tires on our truck. My husband and I have always done this ourselves. The tires are already mounted on wheels, so it’s a case of just changing the tires and airing them up.
As we’ve aged, though, it’s gotten more and more difficult. Last year I finally convinced my husband that we should get the tires and lug nuts into the back of the truck and that I would drive to the local tire place and ask THEM to change the tires for us.
It’s enough for US to get each set of tires in and out of the truck. I just called and they can do it for us tomorrow, so one of today’s chores is to get the tires and lug nuts into the back of the truck so I can take it tomorrow.
We will probably not know the results of our national election tonight. We may have to wait until the end of the week or longer. It’s hard when our country is so divided. Emotions are high. Tension is high. I hope that everyone votes and has their voice heard.
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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 8″ X 12″ hand wood-burned and painted sign that encourages you not to waste a minute of your precious time. $24.99 with Free Shipping. Use this link to see this and other wood-burned gifts on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.
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WEATHER –
Karin de Haas – Funda Altincekic Aysel
We had some pretty strong storms with LOTS of rain, thunder and lightning. (We’ve gotten 4.10 inches in the past 24 hours.) We don’t think we had any damage, and for that we are really grateful. Greenwood is under a flood warning until mid afternoon and it is cool and wet now. Nice day to stay inside (unless you need to get out to cast your vote).
“Pelican chillin with a friend in England” – Smile – BoredPanda.com – Nikita Manot and Dominyka
Our weather here in Arkansas is really beautiful. Cold fronts are coming through, but no rain yet. Maybe we’ll get some Wednesday.
PROJECT – My husband and I got the shelf back up in my art room. We chose different holes in the wall strips and the new brackets I ordered were correct. The shelf was heavy, but we managed it. I gathered two leaf bags of trash that I brought down yesterday. I’m hoping to wrap up the reorganization of the art room in the next day or two. Pictures later.
LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – I am having a sale on my tote bags on HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy. Storewide, whether the totes are in the “Tote Bags – Painted” category or in the “Christmas” section, I have marked the price down 25% – to $13.49 – and, as always, I will handle the shipping. The links here will take you directly to the site as a whole, or the categories. Take advantage of this sale to get unique and useful “Christmas wrapping totes” or totes to take to school, work, or the beach. Great gifts! Have fun. Here’s a sample –
Today is supposed to be the last day of unusual heat for October. We’re due for a cold front tonight with much cooler temps tomorrow. HOOORAAAAY!
Meanwhile, we hired a wonderful tree guy who worked in the heat all day yesterday and will do it again today, trying to cut back trees or branches that look like they’ll dump into our driveway at the next severe weather or the coming snow and ice storms this winter.
We’ve maintained this ourselves for the almost 37 years we’ve been here, but we’re both too long in the tooth for chain-sawing and hauling branches to the side and dumping them off the edge of the driveway anymore.
He’s actually climbing the trees, lopping out the parts of them that cut off sunlight to the driveway, so we’ll have better melting of snow and ice.
He’s also going to clear out a bunch of the weed trees that are impeding our view across the back yard. He said that if he doesn’t finish today, he’ll be here after he finishes his regular work tomorrow. He is a really nice guy and takes what he’s doing seriously. We’re lucky to have found him. (As usual, the guy we found before him doesn’t have a working phone anymore.)
I finished these in the last couple of days and listed them in my Etsy shop.
I’ve started a couple more. My husband has been calmer and has been working on computer stuff, rather than what could be dangerous projects, so I’ve had more time to relax and play in my art room. It’s really great and I THINK that, plus music and reading are keeping me sane. :0)
I’ve tweaked my program for my health by
increasing my protein (I’m drinking a Premier Chocolate Protein Shake daily, plus eating some cottage cheese during the day),
taking the new med that is supposed to protect my kidney function, plus
continuing to increase drinking water daily and
losing more weight, plus
doing my weights videos and yoga stretching.
I’m having to really tweak my eating and drinking log on MyFitnessPal.com. I’ve decided to ignore the protein part of my macro since my doctor wants me to increase it, but I’m trying to watch everything else. I dropped some things I’ve been eating, substituted things, and moved other things around, but I was able to come up with a good combination for today. I love this website and would be lost without it.
I hope you’re doing well and having a fun weekend.
creativeartworksblog 