The quote is by Helen Hayes. I’m trying to live by her words.
Patty Durfee-Pinterest
I’ve been doing my exercise regimen for a reasonably long time now. At the end of the month, I’ll measure to see if I’ve made any progress in the ‘losing-my-lard’ project.
Newport Daily News
I AM feeling looser and stronger than I did. When I’m writing my blog posts to you each morning, I stop after each one to do a series of exercises with 3-pound weights. I write another post, and do another series until I’ve finished the 4 posts I write every day. This results in a reasonable number of repetitions on trying to strengthen my arms.
I then do chair exercises that are supposed to be targeting my abdomen or core. There are four exercises. When I do two of them, I can really feel it. The other two involve my arms, and I’m not strong enough yet to do them, but I hope to work up to them.
Pinterest
The only other exercise I do daily is my yoga stretches in the afternoon. I do a half hour to 45 minutes, doing a series of big stretches. I don’t do a lot of ‘poses,’ like people who really do yoga well do. I just do stretches on my mat, breathing into the stretches and concentrating on relaxing.
sent to me by my friend, Marsha.
I’ll be reporting to you at the end of the month. Keep moving!
Zhaox Clearance Fairy Flower Pot Decoration-Walmart
I was shocked, when I found these, that they come from Walmart! We go there all the time, and I would be lost without them, but I’ve never seen anything like this at OUR Walmart. I simply LOVE them!
Zhyrzng Bohemian Fairy Flower Pot Decoration-WalmartZhyrzng Bohemian Fairy Flower Pot Decoration-WalmartZhyrzng Bohemian Fairy Flower Pot Decoration-Walmart
I’m feeling good this morning. I was pooped last night and so went to bed early. I feel much more rested today.
Veterans Thrift Town – Fort Smith, AR
I will finish gathering things today for the Veterans Thrift Town donation Monday. It feels good that my gently used stuff might be of use to someone else. I have lots of bags, and I have to admit that PART of the push to finish this project right now is that our teeth cleaning appointments are in Fort Smith Monday. My husband always wants to drive his ‘Vette when we make the trip to Ft. Smith. (He has always driven it too fast for my comfort, but now he really scares my hair off. In any given situation, when I would put on the brakes, he hits the gas.) Since I have so many bags to donate, they won’t all fit in the ‘Vette, so we’ll need to take the truck. :0) I know, it’s a bit devious…
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Sunshine House
I’m having a good time in my art room. I’m working on a bear with a heart for Valentine’s Day, and am thinking about a raccoon after that. The working hard in my closet/bureau/guest room closet and following that with playing in my art room has been a nice combination for me.
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Transparent Solutions
We are supposed to get the hard drive for my new computer today. That means my husband will be finishing up installing the hardware today, and will likely start the installation of Windows 11 on it. Hopefully, that will go well. Fingers crossed.
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I hope that today is a good one for you, full of love and fun.
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” — Henry David Thoreau
Christoph Fischer-@beautysurroundsyou.com on Blue Sky
“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” — Native American Proverb
Keith Boone Photography-@keithboone.bsky.social
“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Khalil Gibran
Paul Willson-@pauljwillson.bsky.social
“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night and spring after winter.” — Rachel Carson
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.
I’m now starting a petition for this to be the end of winter and that spring should start tomorrow. As much as I love finding clever snow people and animals, I would like to move on to much better weather. Are you with me?
I would love to create something similar to these on our land, somewhere around the house, but it’s so rocky here, we would never be able to get an area smooth enough to even start. Another beautiful dream, but I sure love to see what others are doing.
Brail on this page was flat, rather than raised, so couldn’t be read. Heat Radiator installed on the ceiling?Good luck locking this door… Challenging to cross this street on this crosswalk.
I hope we have more skilled people in our world than people who do jobs like this. These make me smile because I don’t really have to DEAL with them…
Karin de Haas via Carmen Gloria Negrete Fuentes-Pinterest
I’m still smiling after looking at this. Karin is really on my wave-length, filling me with happiness, making it rise up and spill over.
First Cry
I finally got up to my art room yesterday and worked on my wood-burned squirrel. He’s coming along, but he’s difficult for me. I’m TRYING to give a suggestion of hair or fur. I’m not sure if it will be successful or not at this point, but I’m having a good time.
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I was going to make chili last night, but my husband requested I make beef stew, so I got the makings into the crock pot early. It turned out well, and was great comfort good for our really cold weather. It’s 19 degrees F. this morning, and the high is supposed to go above freezing this afternoon – the first time in several days. HOOORAAAAAY! Our driveway is clear, so we’re free to come and go now, but it’s really been frigid. Maybe if we all sign a petition, we can get spring early this year.
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Sustainable Baddie
My ‘clean-out-my-clothes-closet’ project expanded into an also ‘clean-out-my-bureau’ project. I finished the bureau yesterday and can see the light at the end of the tunnel on the closet clean-out finally. I think one or two days more and it’ll be under control.
This project was brought on by a real problem I was having finding things that fit. My closet was jammed with several different sizes, due to my fatness (and then some success in losing the lard) and I had just stuffed a few new things in as bought, rather than trying to make any sense of things. I was pulling out something that was still too small, something that was suddenly too large, or things that just looked bad before finding something reasonable for the day. Enough was finally enough, no matter how much I hated going through things, trying things on, etc., and finally gathered the motivation to GET THE JOB DONE. Being able to see the end of the project finally feels good.
My husband and I have our semi-annual teeth cleaning in Fort Smith Monday, and we will also take all the bags I have collected to the Veterans Thrift Shop and donate them. (This also gives me extra motivation to get up there and finish the job before Monday so the donation will be ready.)
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Mental Floss
I had to apologize to my sister-in-law this morning because the cold wave that started here several days ago got to North Carolina and dumped snow and ice and frigid temperatures on her. She has to walk her sweet dog in it, and both came home from the morning walk cold, with snow, ice, and the salt people had put down to prevent slips and falls all over their feet. Since we’re finally getting above freezing this afternoon, hopefully I can soon send her melting and warmer temperatures!
I follow Floridiana on Blue Sky. She makes me envious of where she lives and works, but also of her artistry in photography. I look forward to her posts.
I can almost HEAR the wave! And such beautiful color contrast between the water and the sky.
People are notoriously sloppy regarding details on and off the job. Some people on BoredPanda.com have collected another group of examples of the mistakes, sloppiness, and downright DUMB things people have done. They only had ONE job….
It would be ‘interesting’ to try to fill out this form if YOU are the person listed…
Did we miss World War 3 – 10?
Using this screwdriver might be difficult…
I love this one. A proofreader might have been able to save them a lot of grief and embarrassment that the maze was finished almost before it got started.
I’m amazed this personalizing company stayed in business this long.
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“Epic Fails” – BoredPanda.com – Greta Jaruseviciute, Jonas Zvillus and Rokas Laurinavicius
I felt good, sharing a virtual hug with the sweet girl and her dog, and wanted to share it with you.
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Getty Images – Prevention
My computer said it was 7 degrees F. this morning. The thermometer in the window said 10. I will be super glad when this frigid air moves on and we get back to what is normal for our beautiful state. We are staying warm and no pipes frozen. This is supposed to start getting more normal Thursday. Stay warm and dry, everyone!
I didn’t get much done yesterday, so I’ll try to make up for that some today. I’m going to get the makings of Keto Chili in the crock pot soon, so we can enjoy that this evening. I’m planning to do a session in my closet, and hopefully get up to my art room this afternoon.
Here is a quote I live by – “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” ~ Marcus Aurelius.
I really think, in spite of much of what happens in life, you can choose to see the good, can choose to see the humor in situation, can choose to see things in the most positive light.
You can also choose to surround yourself with people who bring you joy. Choosing to find common ground, cherishing what you love about each person, rather than focusing on disagreement areas can calm your mind and spirit.
Choosing to spend time each day doing things you love brings an automatic smile to your face and happiness to your heart. We need to make the time, even if it’s just a little bit each day, to find joy.
I would love to curl up here, with my coffee and a book, and while away the afternoon….
RoomToGo-Pinterest
With my fantasies, I definitely would be the cleanest person on the planet. This shower is wonderful, with places built into the wall for soap, shampoo, etc. The only thing I might add is a ‘lip’ between the shower area and the rest of the bathroom so the water would stay where it’s supposed to be. Fantasies abound here, though, for me…
Tonia Rogers-Pinterest
The only problem with all of this staggering beauty is that I would have trouble getting anything done if I actually lived with any of this. So beautiful!
I want to be this lady when I grow up. If she doesn’t win THIS time, maybe NEXT time…
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I just had to tell my husband that the CPU he was hoping would be delivered today probably wouldn’t be, due to this being Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day. He was NOT a happy camper.
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Declutter in Minutes
My daily sessions in my closet are definitely starting to show. (We are ignoring the fact that the closet has needed to be cleaned out now for several years now.) We are just concentrating on the fact that it’s getting better daily. Yesterday I started cleaning out my cubbyhole shelves, and that spilled over into one of my bureau drawers. It’s all resulting in a good, strong clean-out with a hefty donation to the Veterans Thrift Store the next time we go to Fort Smith.
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Appliance Care
I deep-scrubbed our stove top yesterday, running all the parts on top through the dishwasher while I concentrated on the rest of the top. My husband was in the Marine Corps, and came away with several rather unfortunate phrases he uses to this day. One of them is the highest compliment Marines can pay to a job of cleaning. He looked at the stove top when it was all back together and pronounced it, “Shining like a diamond in a goat’s ass.” (If you’ll pardon the expression.)
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Golden Road Arts
Due to all the work in the kitchen and the closet, I didn’t make it up to my art room to continue wood burning on the squirrel. Hopefully, I can make time for that today.
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Women’s Health
Shout out to Sheila – a recipient of the snow we had recently. I have apologized to her about this inadvertent ‘gift.’ I also apologize to any other recipients.
This wonderful image made me smile. I don’t usually make THIS much of a mess, but it’s sometimes close. :0)
We got a reprieve from Mother Nature. She didn’t give us any more ice or snow and our driveway is finally pretty much clear. We are free to come and go like normal humans now! As for a lot of our country, the cold front barreled through yesterday. Our low was 13 degrees F. this morning, but it’s already up to a balmy 19 – and with our driveway ‘driveable,’ I have absolutely no complaints.
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Photo by Marko Poplasen-stock.adobe.com – Good2Know Network
I started a wood-burned squirrel in my art room yesterday. I’m using a nice oval-shaped piece of wood that has natural edging. I’m looking forward to spending time up there today.
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Adobe Stock
So far, our day is quiet. My husband is grousing because one of the computer parts he needs next for his ‘building-me-a-new-computer’ project doesn’t come until tomorrow. It may not even come THEN, since it’s Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day, too. I won’t mention that, though. Shhhh!
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Rita Wilkins
You can finally tell that someone is trying to clean out my closet now, after several days of sessions. Yesterday I tackled shoes. Today will be purses and then I’ll start on my cubbyhole shelves. This may finally come together!
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Photo Credit – Andrea-C.-Miller_Shutterstock
I just vacuumed our tiled areas on the first floor (pantry, kitchen, dining area, utility room, and 2 half baths) and gathered an entire dog’s worth of Amber hair. There was a bit of Jet (aka Monster Cat) hair, too, but Amber won the contest hands down. She should be completely bald by now, but she still has a thick, healthy coat of hair. She won’t stand for me vacuuming HER directly, and has little patience for the dog brush, so I’m stuck with vacuuming at least every other day. Good thing she’s a wonderful pet and we love her to pieces…
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Our day here is bright and shiny. I hope yours is, too!
I’ve told you that I’m trying to lose the lard and get as healthy as possible as I age.
On the eating front, I’m fasting from dinner the night before until lunch the following day, eating a low-carb diet using MyFitnessPal.com to log what I’m eating and drinking each day. My scales, though, better, are still laughing at me and GRUDGINGLY giving me good news from time to time.
On the exercise front, I do exercises with 3-pound weights in-between writing blog posts, several repetitions of many different moves before writing another post, then doing some chair exercises that are supposed to strengthen my abdomen (core.) In the afternoon, I’m doing half an hour to 45 minutes of yoga stretches. I’m consciously trying to move more, taking on projects like standing on my head (figuratively) in my closet upstairs, cleaning it out, trying on clothes, and bagging up stuff to donate to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith the next time we go. I’m trying to choose things – or they choose me – that involve a lot of pulling and hauling, going up and down stairs, in and out to the garage, or something similar. I measure at the end of every month to see if I’ve made any progress.
In cleaning out my closet, I’ve found another standard of measurement in my efforts – jeans.
When I started trying to lose the lard, and until I started going through my closet this past week, I was delighted to discover that I could do away with my fattest jeans. (The ones that had elastic at the waist, rather than a zipper.) As I tried on more things, I discovered that the next jeans size down was ALSO too big! HOOORAAAAAY! I’m now wearing jeans that are 3 sizes down from my worst. Now THAT is motivation to try to keep my mouth shut and continue my efforts. They AREN’T in vain. I AM making progress!
There is one jean and shorts size smaller than I now have stacked on the top shelf in my closet. It will probably be some time before I can wear those, but again, they are motivation. Fingers crossed.
I will weigh and measure at the end of the month, as usual, and report to you as I have promised, but I was grinning as I showed my husband. :0)
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!
creativeartworksblog 