I just love the artwork on this journal. The ‘light’ brings it from ‘good artwork’ to ‘wonderful!’ in my eyes. :0)
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LingoKids
I got to spend a bit of time in my art room yesterday, working on etching a glass vase I started a long time ago. I had done the outline of a floral design on the vase, but then got intimidated, so I put it aside while I concentrated on Christmas things. When I finally cleared off my drafting table,
I found the vase again and decided I would try to overcome my feelings of inadequacy and give it another shot. I actually had fun working on it yesterday. I have NO clue whether it will turn out anything like what I hoped for, but I have shed my ego and have just jumped into it, having fun and hoping for the best. I’m hoping to spend more time on it today.
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Horizon Education
We’re having a dreary-looking day here, but the temperature hasn’t dropped yet. It looks like the really cold weather is coming to us soon, and I’ll need to remember to open a few cabinets and drip water overnight in the next few nights. Did I tell you that I much prefer warmer weather?
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Cartoon Stock
My scales had to swallow a LITTLE bit of snark this morning. I will be happy if I can meet my interim goal of 50 pounds off in the near future. This morning I’m down 46.6.
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My husband is trying to add a gadget to our TV. After trying and failing to get it to work, he dumped the project on ME – his technically-challenged spouse. It was a challenging afternoon, but I got a couple of the issues solved by unplugging the new gadget. :0) He was talking about plugging it in again, though, today…..
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I wish you a wonderful day. I hope you do something fun today!
I don’t know if Mary Lou created this or pinned it on Pinterest because she loved it, too. Either way, I just loved it when I found it. Such gorgeous layers and 3-D-ness!
We’re going to shop for supplies after lunch today because the possibility of wintry precipitation is in the forecast. We live on top of a ridge line outside of town, up a 650′ plus steep driveway, so we take forecasts of possible ice and snow really seriously.
One year, I think it was 2000 or 2001, we had a really bad ice storm. Public water wasn’t available. Public power wasn’t, either. Our son was home then. We were stuck up here for 14 days. We could hear the loud cracking of our trees losing branches. It sounded like guns were being shot. We had MANY branches and whole trees that fell into the driveway from both sides, blocking us from getting out.
We have well water, so we were able to switch to that. We had a Chinese diesel generator in the well house. That was good and was enough for us to have some light, but no heat. We have a wood burning fireplace. We have propane for our stove.
Shortly after the storm, the generator blew its gasket. In order to keep it from overheating, my husband and son filled a large trash can with snow and dumped it on top of the generator every half hour.
It took us three days to chainsaw our way down the driveway to the road that runs in front of our house.
Ever since, we take prep for winter seriously. We now have a generator wired into the house. We stock up on food and water getting what is reasonable to keep us as comfortable as possible if we get iced in. Do you see why winter is not my favorite season? :0)
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Golden Road Arts
I never got up to my art room yesterday. I ended up finishing tax spreadsheets for the year. Hopefully, I’ll get some time this afternoon after we shop to try some glass etching. I’m trying to do my own floral design by hand with a Dremel.
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I hope that January is starting well for you and that 2025 is a terrific year for you and your family.
The sun is shining and it’s almost 9am here, but I’m still fighting the ‘sleepies.’ My coffee is helping, but I may need toothpicks to keep my eyes open. It’s just now getting to 32 degrees F. so my instinct is to go find someplace really warm, cover up my head, snuggle down and go back to sleep.
I’m leaving in just under half an hour to get my hair cut. My wonderful stylist, Michael Remillard of Tangles in Greenwood, understands that my hair is thin and fine and won’t do anything except stick up and look funny on it’s own – making me look like a dandelion gone to seed at the moment. He knows to cut my hair so that I can simply stick my head in the kitchen sink in the morning, wash it, and blow it dry and be fixed for the day, mostly looking as if ‘someone had a plan.’
Yesterday I finally spent time in my art room, starting with a bulldozer, trying to clean off my drafting table. It’s now ready for the next project, which at the moment is to work on a glass vase I started awhile back that has been waiting for me. I’m trying to etch some designs in it by hand. We have a glass blaster in our shop, and I’ve used it in the past to blast the glass after I mask the parts I want to stay clear, but this is more satisfying. I was dreaming about it last night, so maybe I can finish it this time.
Otherwise, we have a quiet day here, hopefully.
You might laugh or think it’s pathetic to have watched me try to type “2025” this morning. Enjoy your day. :0)
I hope that 2025 is a fabulous year for you, full of all the good things there are.
We had a quiet celebration here. I was hoping our backyard neighbors might shoot off some fireworks, but it was too cold, even for them this year. I’m glad they stayed warm.
Brenda Beaudet – scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net
My to-do list is long today, but I’m still yawning and drinking coffee, trying to fully wake up. Our weather is definitely turning toward winter now, with freezing almost every morning and the ‘highs’ gradually getting lower each week. I really wish I could just LOOK at pretty snow pictures, photos of creative snow people and animals folks have made, watch videos of snowball fights, snow angels, and more – rather than to. actually. be. IN. it.
Deep Space Sparkle
My aim for the day is to clean off my drafting table in my art room in preparation for whatever comes next as a project. I almost need a bulldozer right now, but hope I can make good progress if I can just get up there.
CNN
I’m on strike as far as cooking today. We’ll have our regular low carb lunch and hot dogs for dinner. YEA!
Pixabay
Have a wonderful day. I hope that you’re off for the day from work and that you find fun ways to spend your day. Happy 2025!
If only I looked this criminally cute when I relaxed! The best I can do is burrow down into my recliner, my heat pad under me and my throw above me, making kind of a ‘Linda Sandwich.’ I try to do this a couple of times a week – a rare, but much appreciated pleasure!
In typical Arkansas fashion, we went from spring yesterday to winter this morning. The skies are really cloudy and grim-looking. The temperature isn’t that bad, but there is a strong wind that blows right through you. I had my coat, but I should have worn a cap and gloves. It feels COLD!!! Very thankful today for a warm, dry house.
I’m going to make one of our favorite recipes from Suzanne Ryan’s book, “Simply Keto,” called, “Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Bake”. We like it for dinner, and I throw in a veggie, like broccoli or spinach. It’s a nice comfort food for a cold night.
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I’m feeling really slothful this afternoon. I have a lot of things I could, or should, be doing, but I’m ignoring them, at least for now. It’s New Year’s Eve. I’m hoping to see fireworks in the valley behind our house tonight, ringing in a brand new year with bright colors, noise and happy displays, and hope.
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!
“Penultimate” means the last but one in a series of things. My husband really got my attention talking about the ‘prepenultimate’ something or other a while back, and today gives me a chance to USE a form of it. :0)
Why do I care? you ask. Well, to ME it means changing my wall calendars tomorrow and redoing my wipe-off kitchen calendar today in order to keep things flowing around here. Otherwise, you can chalk it up to “Linda being weird again….”
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Tenor
We’re supposed to have a really nice day today – quite spring-like, with temperatures this afternoon in the low to mid 60’s, and NO RAIN – actual sunshine! Woo HOOOO! It’s been a long time. I will make SURE I get outside to give my thanks today.
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I THINK my frog piece is finished. I’ll check it again and then will list it in my ETSY shop later today. It was a fun piece to work on. I’ll post a picture here tomorrow.
For some reason I’m having trouble waking up this morning. I can’t use the rainy weather as an excuse, though, because we have finally gotten a reprieve. It’s cloudy, but it’s warm for December and it is NOT raining. HOORAY! I slept well, I think, so I’m hoping my trusty cup of coffee will do the trick. Can I blame my “sleepies” for any typos in this post?
Freepik
We’re about to put December to bed, as well as 2024. My hair hasn’t quit blowing as the time sprinted by all year. I only write a few actual checks these days, but when I do, I still have to THINK to write 2024. 2025 may be a problem…
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Pinterest
My husband is sleeping in this morning. He is having trouble sleeping at the ‘proper’ time lately. He either has trouble getting to sleep or wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t get BACK to sleep. He sleeps a lot in his chair during the day. Since we are retired, it makes no difference at all when he can get his rest, and for that we’re grateful. I just adjust what I’m doing to be quiet when he’s sleeping, wherever he is, happy that he’s getting the rest he needs.
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Generation Mindful
I’ve started a new piece in my art room. It’s a frog, and I’m having a great time with it. I’m working on the wood burning part now. I love it that I learn so much with each piece I try. I learn more about what I can do with the burning tips, a bit more on how to shade the drawings, have a slightly better ‘FEEL’ for what I’m trying to do. I just love it!
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103.9 – The Fish
I hope that you have something fun planned for the day, spending time with family or friends, doing something special that brings you joy.
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!
Karin provides my role model. Her work shows women who take joy in the things around them, embracing their animals, not caring what people think, just enjoying every moment to the fullest. May we all know this joy.
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We’ll go grocery shopping today and get our mail. That’s our exciting list for ‘out’ today. :0) I’m hoping that the crowd at Walmart isn’t much bigger than normal.
Golden Road Arts
Otherwise, I’m hoping to finish the cockatoo wood burned and painted picture today in my art room. The jury is still out on whether it’s turned out okay or not. Fingers crossed.
Siesta Sleep
My husband was up super early this morning. When you get more ‘mature,’ it is accompanied, many times, by difficulty sleeping. He is having more trouble than I am with this, and ends up sleeping a lot in his recliner during the day. I don’t really care WHEN he gets the rest he needs – just that he GETS it. So, as I type, I can hear him snoring. Amber is in the living room keeping him company, while Monster Cat is in the office with me, asleep in the basket on the counter beside my monitors. We’ll do our errands when he awakes.
It’s warm for this time of year – 53 degrees F., very cloudy, and wet outside today. We were supposed to get thunderstorms yesterday, but just got a bit of rain, so I can’t really complain that it’s rainy again today. Hopefully, we can stay at least reasonably dry.
Tina’s Baked Goods – Facebook
The nicest thing happened yesterday afternoon. I was up in my art room and my husband came up with a paper plate covered by a paper towel and two forks. One of my dear friends baked a cheesecake and brought a couple of servings to us! She didn’t stay, so we dug in. Cheesecake is one of my favorites, but I only allowed myself two bites, giving the rest of my share to my husband, who happily devoured it with a grin on his face. It was YUMMY, and SO nice of our friend to think of us.
Pinterest
I’ve found a new yo-yo range on my weight. A 3-pound range that I’m determined will be a very short problem. Other than the cheesecake yesterday, I’m trying really hard to stay on my low-carb eating plan. I’m drinking a TON (more or less) of water, feeling as though my eyeballs are beginning to float. I HOPE that I can report some progress for the month at the end of this week. My mantra is, “SHUT MY MOUTH!”
Pixabay
I’m hoping that 2025 will be a good year for all of us. Maybe if we ‘hold-our-mouths-right’ we can MAKE it a good one. Are you with me?
I hope your celebration left you satisfied, maybe a bit too full, with a huge grin on your face.
I’m still feeling SO happy that our son and I enjoyed our conference call yesterday morning. Really the best gift I could have gotten. I love his face. I’m still having happiness bubble up that he has several projects going that he is finding fun and challenging, things are going well, and his part of the world is relatively safe.
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Ranger Rick
Outside it’s dark and gloomy here, with thunderstorms on the way this afternoon. If we can do it without drowning, we’ll drive down to get our mail and drag our trash can up. If not, we’ll hope for better weather tomorrow.
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Port Discovery Children’s Museum
I got started on my new wood-burning project yesterday – a cockatoo. This will be a real challenge, as the bird is mostly white. It will be really difficult to give the bird definition. The main color will be the background, and I’m trying to keep that simple this time. I got the outline of the bird wood-burned yesterday. I’ll start the shading today. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. FUN project!
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We had a challenging afternoon, since my husband was determined to get Netflix to stream on our TV. He had done all kinds of things before he asked for my help. We spent much of the time undoing what he had done. We canceled the account he set up on the computer and signed up for another from the TV. We finally got things to work and he watched a movie yesterday afternoon-into-the-evening. WHEW!
NOW I’m trying to get him to really understand that this account is for STREAMING a movie right then, not taping for later. This will require a real change in his habits. I set him up with a pad of paper and a pen so he can write down what he wants to see and then access each when he’s ready to watch. We’ll see how this goes…
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Enjoy your Thursday, safe and warm and dry, if possible. :0)
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.
We’re having a quiet Christmas, just my husband and I, this year. It’s warmer today, 49 degrees as I type this, but it’s still gray and gloomy-looking. A great day to stay in, relax in our recliners, maybe have a snooze. :0)
Our son and I had a conference call this morning, and it was the best gift ever. I love seeing him smile and laugh, catching up on what he’s doing, planning, and more. I got everything except one of his good, strong hugs. I’m still smiling.
One of the best Christmases ever when my brother and I were growing up was the one when my parents got each of us a 3-speed English racing bike. The controls were in the handles. One grip was the brakes. The other was the gear shift. They were light-weight, sleek, pretty, and fast. We were both in Heaven.
Back in 1492 when we were young (:0) we had freedom that kids can’t enjoy now. We lived in an area of Tulsa, OK where there were two parallel streets a mile long, called Johannson Acres. Each house was on an acre and a quarter lot. My friend was down the road from us, and I immediately leaped on my new bike and sped off to see my best friend, Ann Bulloch. I practically lived at her house. Her mom was the ‘perfect’ mom, always with a fresh batch of cookies, or offers to share a meal, spend the night, start a summer business in her yard, and more. They oohed an ahhed over my new transportation.
I loved the bike, racing all over the place in complete freedom. A wonderful memory of a very special Christmas for us.
Enjoy your celebrations today. Take time to give everyone a special hug. There is nothing more important than family. Merry Christmas, and may 2025 be a wonderful year for you.
Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you are up to your ears in love and laughter today – Smiles and hugs – Food you might not be supposed to be eating delighting your mouth. Enjoy every minute of this day.
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Education Next
Here in Arkansas, I’m trying to wake up. It’s dark and rainy outside, which isn’t helping. I’m glugging coffee, and that should. It’s 48 degrees, so I don’t think we’re in for anything severe, just making it a really great day to crawl under my throw in my recliner and catch some z’s. My husband is sleeping in this morning and Amber and Monster Cat are going up and down the stairs, trying to make enough noise outside his door to wake him up. Even though all the morning chores are done and both have had breakfast, their day doesn’t officially start until he is up and functioning. :0)
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People.com
I saw two good friends yesterday afternoon. I hadn’t seen either of them in the longest time and it was truly wonderful to hug their necks and take a bit of time to catch up. Thankfully, both are doing well. They both seemed to like the personalized bookmarks I made for them. Friends are one of the true joys in life. You can never tell them how much they mean to you. Even though I can’t visit often, I’ve made a promise to myself that I will text them on a regular basis going forward. AND my husband was fine when I got home.
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Enjoy your day, cherish the memories you’re making. Make today super special.
I’m hoping to be able to visit with a couple of friends quickly this afternoon and take them the presents I made for them, hug their necks tightly, and catch up. I don’t leave my husband for long these days, as he thinks he’s 20 and may end up on the roof… :0)
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I’m having a really good time in my art room. I’m trying to do a wood-burned and painted picture of a kingfisher. I still have no real clue what I’m doing, but it’s fun to try the different tips on my wood burning tools, experiment with shading, and more. Fingers crossed it turns out okay.
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Big Stock
Yesterday I cut down the remnants of my elephant ear plants.
They did really well this year, but Mother Nature thumbed her nose at them and froze them where they stood. I spent quite a while cutting down the sad, frozen remains and carting them off. I have tried digging up and storing the bulbs in the garage over the winter, but that was a disaster. So I put styrofoam faucet covers we didn’t need over the bulbs, then put rocks on top of those. Finally, I stuffed as many leaves as I could get into the planter, hoping that will get the sweet plants to survive the winter and grow again in the spring. All appendages are crossed – including my eyes – that this works.
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Freepik
One of the many things for which I am thankful this year is that I can write this blog, communicating with wonderful people, sharing things I hope you’ll like, hoping to make you snort, smirk, or smile from time to time. Thank you for reading, liking, commenting, and becoming friends.
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Make this a great day. If you’ve already celebrated, pat yourself on the head for a job well done. If you’re dashing around like a fiend desperately trying to cram in as much stuff as you can in the remaining time, BREATHE. The celebration is about enjoying those you love, remembering what is important, cherishing life and all you have.
FreepikCole’s Wild Bird Products – (the one in our house wasn’t a hummingbird, but this gives you a bit of a mental picture.)
We just had to chase a bird out of the house (after grabbing Monster Cat and putting her into the bathroom and putting Amber behind the gate to the living room.) It took us quite a while, with lots of hand-waving and towels, and fly swatters, going from the pantry to the kitchen, to the dining area, and the utility room over and over, but we did it. I’m still huffing and puffing a bit. The bird is fine, and is back outside. WE are both intact and unhurt. Monster Cat and Amber are with us again, and all hopefully will calm down. NOT a great way to start a morning!
Jet – aka “Monster Cat”
Monster Cat has decided to take advantage of the morning’s excitement, now hiding-in-wait for me to walk past, and then leaping out and wrapping her arms, claws out, around my leg. It’s a very good thing I’m wearing jeans…
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It never did warm up much yesterday, but it’s supposed to get into the low 50’s today. Hooray! I’ll plan to get outside, cut down and mulch a few things in the yard, and try again to get the light bulb camera on the front porch to work.
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I started a new piece in my art room yesterday. This time I’m trying to wood burn a kingfisher. It’s a wonderful escape to go up there, turn on some of my favorite music, and lose myself in the joy of trying to use the wood-burning tool. I got the design onto the wood yesterday. Now I’m doing the wood burning, and then I’ll paint. Such a fun time!
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Advent Health
I hope you have a list of things you can do to bring yourself joy. I’m lucky because I have a whole host of things that allow me to ‘escape’ from the present world and fully relax for a bit.
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I hope your Christmas plans are shaping up. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help. This is a family time. Responsibility should be shared as much as possible, from the planning, the decorating, the wrapping of gifts, the shopping for food, the cooking, and the clean up. When you share the work, the joy explodes. BREATHE.
It’s cold here (34 degrees F.) but sunshine-y this morning. We will go get groceries some time today and get our mail, but that’s it for errands. I’m hoping for a quiet day. Lots on my to-do list.
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Yesterday my husband had an eye appointment – an annual checkup due to his Type II diabetes (he denies this and describes it only as a ‘sugar problem.’) We had to wait a few minutes to see the doc and my husband was like a cranky 3-year-old. He was threatening to leave in the middle of the appointment. I was embarrassed. We got through it, but I apologized to the doc and the receptionist. It makes me dread future appointments for him. End of rant.
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I did a good job with my new ‘chair-abdomen’ exercises yesterday. SO good that I’m sore today. I think the combo of the exercises with weights, the chair abdomen exercises, and my yoga stretches is a good way to keep this old body moving. It’s like the quote from Helen Hayes is flashing, neon-like in my head, “If you rest, you rust.”
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We’re going to have breakfast for dinner tonight – one of my favorite things. It’s a comfort food type dinner. My husband is determined to learn to cook fried eggs. They are quite interesting-looking (he has real trouble turning them over) but taste wonderful. :0)
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Enjoy your Friday, and I hope your weekend is a good one.
Please remember to stand back and enjoy all the preparations for your holiday. No rush. No worries. It will be wonderful.
As we begin the countdown to Christmas, the town of Greenwood AR is putting on her fancy clothes. Banners are up on light posts, decorations have been added to Memorial Park in the center of ‘the square’, some lights are up, Santa’s House is receiving children, and more. It’s spirit-lifting.
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I received flowers from my husband yesterday! It has been a while since he’s done that. He used to do it, having them delivered to wherever I was working to make the other women jealous. It was never for an anniversary, birthday, or anything. It was a “just because.” I’m thrilled with the flowers. There are several different kinds in this bouquet. :0)
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I’m hoping for a quiet day. We have errands this afternoon that will keep us busy, so I’ll be extra busy this morning and after we get back, trying to get things done. This is a busy time of the year for everyone, quiet Christmas celebration or large one with big, wonderful family.
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I hope that your plans for the holidays go smoothly. BREATHE. Take one day at a time. Remind yourself that things don’t have to be perfect to be absolutely wonderful. ENJOY.
Yesterday I tried and failed to get the smart bulb installed and working. I did get a bunch of exercise going up and down the ladder on the front porch, trying to follow the directions, having to hold my phone up to the bulb over and over. It was a frustrating and unpleasant day for both my husband and me, suffice to say. I’ll tackle it again today, hoping for better results.
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I’m still walking several inches off the ground from the compliment I got yesterday when I was hugging my friend Linda at the retirement place. A lady called me over, saying she liked my shirt. I opened my jacket a bit, telling her it was one I had painted. She was quite nice about it, and then I had to admit that I painted several of my plain tees because I had spilled food or drink on them and couldn’t get the stains out, so had to paint over the stains… It really delights me when someone likes something I’ve created. :0)
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Credit: brandwayart-Vecteezy
After a couple of grim-looking cloudy days, the sun is shining brightly, bringing up my spirits. I would like to make the time to get outside today – other than for working on the front porch bulb – and cut down and mulch some stuff in our planters. Fingers crossed for all kinds of things today.
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Pure Wow
I hope the Christmas spirit has grabbed you and holds you tightly throughout the season. Such a beautiful time of the year with a lot of opportunities to spread joy.
First, our ice maker in the fridge is on the fritz. It’s going VERY slowly, grudgingly spitting out a few cubes a day. We changed the filter, checked the water, made sure the ICE OFF button is NOT pushed, so I’ve now arranged for a repairman to come look at it. He can’t be here until the 30th, so we may arrange for some ice trays in the meantime.
Second, I’m going to TRY to get the smart light bulb my husband bought to work. I’m the most non-tech-savvy person you’ve ever met (although I DID get my smart watch to work again-HOOORAAAAAY), so I’ll give it my best shot.
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Keto Cheeseburger Casserole
We tried the recipe by Vered DeLeeuw of the Healthy Recipes Blog, and my husband pronounced it, “YUMMY!” wanting it to be added to our wonderful dinner list. I’ll make twice as much next time so we have lots of leftovers.
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Since I gave the memory boxes I painted to the residents of the retirement place yesterday, I now have room on my shelves to spread out what I’ve listed for sale on my Etsy site. I’ll reorganize that this afternoon.
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Big Stock Photo
I’ve told you, ad nauseam, possibly, about my efforts to lose the lard and get what’s left more healthy, flexible, and strong as possible.
I’m doing sessions of exercises with 3 lb weights in-between blog posts, trying to strengthen my arms and shoulders. I also do sessions with the weights to music provided through YouTube Videos of women doing “Fit Sticks,” exercises to catchy songs with drum sticks and humongous exercise balls to beat the sticks on while moving to the beat. It’s a fun thing for me to do, making me feel I have company. :0)
I found some chair exercises to try to strengthen my abdomen. I can do most of them, and am now doing at least one session of the 6 exercises daily. There are TWO exercises, though, that call for more strength in the arms than I have. I’m hoping the WEIGHTS exercises will one day enable me to do the remaining CHAIR exercises…
Finally, my half hour or so yoga practice daily allows me to relax (unless Monster Cat attacks my feet), and really stretch things out. I’m not folding myself into a paper airplane and flying across the room. I’m concentrating on stretches and breathing into each one, increasing my flexibility, throwing in a few exercises for my stomach, and hoping to strengthen my core.
I want to continue living in as healthy a fashion as I can. Low carb eating, losing the lard, and moving what’s left of me as much as is reasonable seems a good way to go about it.
When I arrived at the retirement place for my massage this morning, the lobby was jammed full of people, so I waited in the parking lot in my car. My massage therapist, Lynn, and I waited for several minutes, discovering that the reason for the ‘jam’ was local school kids singing Christmas carols to the residents! As they came out, there must have been over 100 of them. What a wonderful idea for the teachers to have and carry out. The kids were obviously pleased at the reception they got and learned how important it is to give joy to others.
I saw my dear friend, Linda, and her son, Jeff, who had flown in for a visit from The Villages, FL. I hugged both of them, relieved to see that Linda recognized me and was able to stand and be thoroughly hugged – several times. We healed the broken parts of each other. She liked the personalized bookmark I had made for her. I also gave her a hand-painted memory box to store her keepsakes. I left, not seeing her again after my massage, not wanting to encroach on her time with Jeff.
Lynn gave me a wonderful massage, as usual. She handled the parts I told her were hurting, and found several others I didn’t know I had, and fixed those, as well. I was limp as a noodle when she finished. If she had let me, I would still be asleep on the table there. I gave her a bookmark and a special check, and she gave me a beautiful, delicate glass flower and butterfly piece which is sitting beside my keyboard on my computer counter as I type. It makes me happy each time I look at it. She also gave us a gift certificate for our favorite restaurant in Greenwood.
I talked to the lady who runs the retirement place, explaining that I wanted to give the bag of memory boxes I had brought to the residents, putting them on a table so people could choose one they liked. She was really pleased with the idea. She said they were having a Christmas party next Wednesday and that she would make sure the boxes were put out at the party. :0)
While I was talking to Linda and Jeff, a lady complimented me on my tee shirt. I told her I had painted it. I also had to admit that, since I was a slob and tended to spill things on shirts and then couldn’t get the stains out, I had started painting my plain tee shirts. (Embarrassing, but true.)
When I got home, I found a package had been delivered by UPS. I didn’t remember ordering anything, but opened the package. I knew in a second that this was a gift from my wonderful sister-in-law because it was a painting of sandpipers on a beach.
It’s called, “Rockhampton Sandpipers Beach Ripples” and is by artist P. Brent. Can you see me grinning as you read this? I AM THRILLED. My cheeks hurt I have grinned so much. I had to decide where I wanted to hang it. I wanted to be sure to be able to enjoy it every day, maybe even several times each day. The decision was between my office and my art room. I opted for the office because there are days I don’t make it up to my art room and I spend about half the day, on and off, in my office, as I am now, typing this to you.
It’s on the wall to the left as I sit at my computer. I’ve been grinning ever since I opened the package. What a great present! An instant trip to the beach for me. Instant memories of when we drove down Highway 101 and I got to stop and watch the sweet birds skittering across the sand on their long, long legs, moving super fast, making me laugh. Instant memories of the nice video she took when she was at the beach, trying to give me vicarious enjoyment of her vacation. I kept the video and play it again each time I need an escape. THANK YOU, MARYLOU.
So, it’s 5:01 pm now, and I’m just writing my second blog post of the day. Sorry for being late, but I’ve had such a good day. I wish you could have been here to share it with me.
I’m having my December massage this morning. AHHHHHH! I’m taking my massage therapist a gift. One of my good friends lives at the retirement place where my therapist does the massages, so I’m going to try to visit with her after. I removed memory boxes from my Etsy site recently and am taking a big trash bag full of them to the retirement place with me to ask if we can let the residents there choose the ones they would like to keep.
When I get home again, we’ll have lunch, gather our trash and drive it down, get our mail, and that’s it for outside errands today.
I told you about the smart bulb my husband couldn’t get to work. That made a light bulb go off in my head this morning. :0)
My smart watch stopped working a few days ago. I remembered suddenly that I had downloaded a software that came with it onto my phone and that maybe I could use that to make my watch “come alive” again. I THINK the watch is now recharging after showing signs of life. :0)
I am going to see if “I” can get the light bulb to work on MY phone this afternoon. It’s worth a try. I called the company this morning and they refused to give me an RMA#. Since we’ve already paid shipping once, I’m teed off. If I can make it work on MY phone we will ‘win.’ If not, I’ll add this company to my list of people who stand behind their products. Wish me luck. I’m NOT a tech-person – smart watch, smart light bulb, dumb person…
Need to get ready to leave on this rainy morning in Arkansas. It’s quite warm, at 66 degrees F., with a cold front coming with the rain. Roller Coaster! Hold up your hands and scream! :0)
I’m feeling dumb. My ‘smart’ watch died a cruel death suddenly and wouldn’t recharge no matter what I did. I ended up getting out my old ‘dumb’ watch again. The trouble is, it’s not only the WATCH that’s ‘dumb,’ it’s ME! I’ve set the day and date several days in a row now, but then it’s wrong when I check it. I THINK I’ve found where I can specify ‘a.m.’ or ‘p.m.’ this morning, but ‘time will tell.’ hahahhaahhha – I guess with all the problems in the world, this one ranks pretty low…
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freeimagesslive.co.uk / creator
It’s foggy and surreal here this morning, but it’s supposed to burn off by lunch time. It’s pretty to look out behind the house at the valley below us. I’ll try to get a couple of pictures.
Top of our driveway looking down toward the road. Behind the house, almost to the easement.
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This is the parrot I’ve been working on in my art room. It is wood-burned and hand-painted on a fairly thick piece of wood. My husband’s reaction when I showed it to him was, “It’s – – – – – – – colorful.” Hahahahaha. He keeps me grounded, although I DO think I’m learning. I’m having a lot of fun trying new things with my wood-burning tools.
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Hoping for a quiet day here. I’ll try my new “Keto Cheeseburger Casserole” tonight. I’ll put the casserole together after lunch and then get it into the oven about 6:15. Fingers crossed.
It’s amazingly warm, dark, and rainy this morning. A quick blast from the past with “spring,” and a high around 60 this afternoon, rather than the cold, brisk mornings in the 20s with a high of 40 we’ve been having lately. The roller coaster ride is amazing and a bit difficult to keep up with. If the rain stops, I’ll try to work in the yard this afternoon.
I’m still feeling a bit groggy and fighting the pull to go back to bed and sleep the day away. :0)
The Organized Mama
I had a great time in my art room yesterday. I cleared the decks a bit, got some orders ready to mail, and then worked on my newest piece, a “parrot in a jungle” wood-burned and painted piece. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve tried yet with the wood burning, and I’m really having fun. I finished the wood-burning part of it last night and hope to start painting today. I still have no idea how it will turn out.
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Freepik
It was a full-circle moment yesterday. My husband is trying to write a computer program and is frustrated with it. I’m absolutely useless in this area, so I just tried to be supportive and stay out of the way with my mouth shut. :0) When he was grousing about it, I finally suggested that he chat with our son about it. (My husband started when our son was very little, teaching him about computers, programming, logic and stuff. Our son is now living across the world from us, happy as a clam, with clients in the U.S. for his computer acumen.)
I looked on our chat program, as I do every morning, to see if our son left any messages. There was a huge, long, back and forth with our son trying to help my husband with the program. Full circle. :0)
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My husband ordered some kind of smart bulb recently to add to our home security system. It arrived and my husband tried to install it. It is meant to partner with your phone, and phones are a challenge for my husband these days. After lots of flailing around, asking me to come help, lots of bad words, etc., he has decided to return the bulb. Of COURSE he doesn’t remember when he ordered it, has no email about it, no order number, no paperwork. I managed to find a return address for the company and a returns number to call, but I’ll have to wait until Monday to get the required RMA# – IF – they can figure out the order number from our address…
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We’re having leftovers tonight, but I found a low carb recipe for “Keto Cheeseburger Casserole” that sounds good. I’m planning to make it tomorrow night and will share the URL for it with you if it’s good. (My husband says my doing it this way is, “try it on the dog” behavior.) So be it. “Sit. Stay. Eat. WOOF!” :0)
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I hope that your weather is nicer than mine and that you’re able to get outside and enjoy the day.
and balloons last night on the chat program he set up for us, since there are 12 hours between us (13 when we’re doing Daylight Savings Time). He is finishing his birthday now.
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Awakened-Woman
This are quiet around here so far. Shhhhhh! My husband is still asleep. I woke early (for me) and went ahead and got up, so I’m on my second cup of coffee now with the morning chores finished.
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Lowe’s
This will be an uneventful day, I hope. We’ll do some errands and I have regular stuff to do, but I’m looking forward to spending time in my art room this afternoon. I’m working on a “parrot in a jungle” wood-burned and painted piece – hoping it will turn out all right and that I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. I’m having a lot of fun working on it, and am wood-burning in my dreams! :0)
My day is starting off pretty nicely. My scales weren’t smirking at me quite so badly this morning, and it was satisfying to break into ‘new territory’ on the numbers. It gives me new motivation to lose the lard and move what is left. :0)
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The Home Depot
It’s 27 degrees F. right now, but it’s supposed to get up in the high 50s or low 60s this afternoon. Woo HOO! I’ll plan on using the opportunity to blow the leaves away from the front porch (buried now) and the sidewalks front and back.
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Inspira Health Network
It’s a good thing you can’t actually see or hear me right now. I’ve sneezed 47 times (more or less) in a row. And, at a certain point, I started saying bad words in between sneezes. I’ve gone through a bunch of kleenex (I should have bought stock in the company). I don’t have ‘allergies’ as such, but occasionally I’ll have a bout like this. It lasts so long and I sneeze so hard, my poor stomach muscles are sore for a day or so afterwards…
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My husband liked a new recipe so much lately that he asked if I would make it again. So right after lunch I’m going to put some chicken in the crock pot. The recipe is called, “Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon & Cheese (low carb & keto). It’s from Kasey Trenum.com. I’m going to make twice as much as I did the first time so we have some good leftovers.
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Bablands
I started a new piece in my art room yesterday. It will be challenging. I’m going to try to wood burn a “parrot in a jungle.” I have no idea how it will turn out, but I’ve been dreaming about it for several days now. I got the basic layout done yesterday and hope to get upstairs to work on it more today. :0)
This morning I FINALLY met my interim weight loss goal of 45 pounds off. To be honest, I had almost given up, bouncing around with 3 pounds up and almost off over and over again. I had to weigh myself THREE TIMES before I finally was able to believe it. :0) Now I’ve set my next interim goal. Onward and downward! Measurements at the end of December.
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We’re doing several errands this morning, pretty much using up the morning, but after lunch I should have some time to get some things accomplished.
Tales of a Mountain Mama
It’s 32 degrees F. here right now and is only supposed to get to 45 this afternoon. I hate to put the fall behind us. I love to LOOK at pretty snow pictures, but I really prefer the other seasons when I can spend more time outside. If it warms up enough, I really need to blow leaves away from around the front porch and off the sidewalks at the front and back of the house.
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I had a nice chat with our son this morning. (It’s right before bedtime where he is, but we had a few minutes.) He is a bit upset about being 46 this coming Friday. I told him I was SO glad he was in this world and that I was bursting my buttons over what a GOOD man he is. I also reminded him that his parents are both older than dirt, and he has THAT to look forward to. :0)
I’m grinning this morning because I have a more-than-full day today, doing fun stuff.
I’ll be up in my art room in a minute, finishing up things I’ll add to my Etsy site, hoping people will find and buy things they like for the holidays. A happy time of year for me. :0)
I’m looking forward to steak sandwiches for dinner tonight. I’ve recently found Lewis Healthy Life Keto Sandwich Bread so I’m grinning like a nut because I can again enjoy real sandwiches instead of using zero carb tortillas! Zero net carbs per slice. I’ll use our slicer to cut the leftover broiled steak from last night so the sandwiches will be easy to eat. Can’t wait!
I’ll write more posts later, after I come back down from the art room. I hope YOUR day has some fun in it, too.
I had a really nice day yesterday. I wrote posts for the blog with short sessions of exercises with weights in-between in the morning, ate lunch and rested a bit, then spent time in my art room, did a session of yoga in the afternoon. My husband and I watched the KC Chiefs/LA Chargers football game after dinner – the closest win yet, with the final kick for a field goal carooming in the right direction off the left goal post for the score in the last second of play.
I LOVE really close games. In fact, I KNOW I would be maimed or killed if I attended a game in person. Usually I tend to change allegiances, rooting for whoever is behind, just so the game will be close.
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Latest group
Today I’m going to try to get the bookmarks I’ve finished so far onto my Etsy site. I’ll list them in the “Small Unique Gifts” section. I’m hoping for a ‘what-passes-for-normal’ day around here.
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The Anchor-Hope College
I hope that you have plans for the holidays that include family and friends. This is such a beautiful time of the year. One of my favorite things is driving around at night looking at the Christmas lights. Our square in Greenwood has more decorations each day. They’ve put decorations up and down the main streets off the square, too, and a Santa’s House for the kids. I’ll have to find out when our parade is scheduled. I might be able to convince my husband, the Grinch, to go this time.
I think we can all use a good, strong hug these days as we face challenges personally and world-wide. Here is mine to you.
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Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
I’ve been having a busy, happy time in my art room. I’m going to add personalizable, hand-wood-burned, hand-painted bookmarks to HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy at the beginning of next year. I’m trying all kinds of different techniques, grinning as I enjoy listening to music and experiment. Here’s a sample –
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I’m working on getting our Christmas cards ready to mail in the coming week. My husband had no interest in dictating a Christmas letter this year, but he wants me to write a note in each.
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Voyagers K9 Apparel
We’re still in a drought situation here, so I’m happy that we might get some much-needed relief here this afternoon. We’re supposed to get “light rain” from about 10 this morning until around 5 this afternoon. Hope the forecasters are right!
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We’ll watch the KC Chiefs game this evening. Every game so far has been a nail-biter, not knowing who will win until the final moments. I LOVE it when teams are evenly matched. I wouldn’t even THINK of ever attending a game live. I tend to switch allegiances over and over during a game, rooting for the underdog so the game will be close again. I’m sure die-hard fans would squash me like an odious bug. :0)
We’re having a sunny, cool day today. (22 degrees F. this morning) We’ll do errands in a few minutes, bundling up. This sudden cold will take some getting-used-to!
Freepik
We had a nice chat with our son yesterday. There is 12 hours time difference between us, so usually we just leave messages, pictures, questions, etc. knowing the other will check each day. To actually see his face, seeing his smile and trying to make him laugh lifts my spirits for days afterward.
If you’re thinking about custom Christmas cards this year, this is a reminder that December 10th is the last day to order. Here is a link to my Christmas section on Etsy. (There are 5 choices)
We’re having a normal day. I’ve learned that ‘normal’ is a truly wonderful word. I hope YOU can use it, too. :0)
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